It is recommended that players new to the game of craps (and even those who have been around awhile) stay away from the bets in the middle of the layout. The reason for this is that the bets in the middle of the table are proposition bets and are under the direct control of the stickman. Except for the "hardways," these are one-time bets, and if the player wins, the payouts might seem high, but they are long shots that are not paid off at true odds.
Proposition bets can be made for as little as $1. All a player has to do to make one is to toss their chips to the middle of the table and call out their bet. The stickman will collect the wagers and place them in the right betting area. The most common bet is the hardway, which is rolling an even number, a 4, 6, 8 or 10, as a double either before a 7 is rolled or before the number is rolled the "easy" way.
For example, if the player bets on 8 the hardway, there is only one way for the hard 8 to be rolled: 4-4. There are four ways for an easy 8 to come up: 6-2, 2-6, 5-3, 3-5. Plus, there are six ways for a 7 to be rolled. That means the player has ten ways to lose and one way to win. Correct odds would be 10:1, but the payoff is only 9:1, which is a house edge of 9.09%.
Rolling a hard 4 or hard 10 are even worse, as there are only two ways to roll a hard 4 or hard 10 and still six ways to roll a 7. So the correct odds are 8:1 against the player rolling a hard 4 or 10 before rolling a 7 or an easy 4 or 10. As payoff is 7:1, the casino's take is 11.1%. |
