• Hard Way- Betting on a 4, 6, 8 or 10 when both dice are the same number Hi-Lo – One roll bet that the next roll will be a 2 or 12 Hope Bet – Single time bet that the dice will land on specific numbers.
• On a win, the six is often called '666 winner 6' followed by 'came hard' or 'came easy'. Seven rolled as 6–1 is sometimes called 'six ace' or 'up pops the Devil'. Older dealers and players may use the term 'Big Red' because craps tables once prominently featured a large red '7' in the center of the layout for the one-roll seven bet.
• Hard Ways is a wager that a 4, 6, 8 or 10 will be rolled in their 'Hard form' (two 2's, two 4's, etc.), before a 7 or any other combination of that number is rolled (example: 8 = 5 & 3). The Hard Ways pays odds of 10 for 1 for a Hard 6 or 8 and 8 for 1 for a Hard 4 or 10.

• Craps Hard 6 Letters
• Craps Hard 6th
• Craps Hard 6 8
• Craps Hard 6 Release
• Craps Hard 6

This bet is similar to the one described above, except that you’re trying to form 6 or 8 with pairs (3-3 / 4-4). You lose when forming a 6 or 8 with non-pairs (1-5, 2-4 / 2-6, 3-5), or when a 7 turns up. While Hard 6 / Hard 8 gives you a better chance to win than Hard 4 / Hard 10, this wager still carries an unfavorable 9.09% house advantage.

We have a guest post today from Steve G who covers gaming topics at Phillygambles.com! We’ve been interacting on twitter for a while and he’s lending some numbers wisdom to a new craps bet that I found at G2E. Without further adieu…

Marc from AC2LV tweeted an interesting picture from the Global Gaming Expo (G2E) in Las Vegas this past week. It showed a detail from a craps table on the floor with new bet areas marked off.

The table was on display by Galaxy Gaming and the new bets were labeled as follows:

• All Small, 34 to 1, 2-3-4-5-6
• All Tall, 34 to 1, 8-9-10-11-12
• All or nothing at All, 175 to 1, 2-3-4-5-6-8-9-10-11-12

Marc asked if someone could determine true odds on those bets. That’s not as simple as it might seem because these are not one-roll bets like any craps, or a bet on one result compared to another like a hard 10. The bet is that all the numbers will be rolled before a seven, and that is not as simple to calculate directly.

A game simulation can estimate the odds, though. After 50 million trials, there is a reasonable estimate of the chances.

So these bets have a higher house edge than bets on a single number at the roulette wheel (5.26% for a double-zero wheel) with a similar or higher payout. Certainly other prop bets on the craps table like a hard 6 or hard 8 offer a smaller payout (9-1 payout) with a higher house edge (9.1%).

However, 7.7% is still a lot higher than the house edge on the pass line (1.41%). Gamblers are much better off sticking to front line bets and pressing those bets by taking odds with zero house edge.

That is a grind, though, and this would seem a nice way to take advantage of those hot hands where the shooter rolls number after number before sevening out.

True, but there are other ways to benefit from a hot hand that will cost a lot less over a session an average session of craps. Let’s look at a couple of them.

Place Bets
Many players make place bets at the table. When a point is established, bettors place numbers, looking to get action on numbers other than the point. The 6 and 8 are popular choices, and for good reason. The house edge on those bets is a small 1.52% (provided that the player makes bets in multiples of 6 to get the true payout of 7 to 6). Placing the 5 or 9 cedes a house edge of 4%, while the 4 and 10 give a house edge of 6.67%. Note, however, all those bets have a smaller edge than the Galaxy “All” bets.

So a player could place all the numbers once a point is established, and have most of what the “All” bets have working, for a lower house edge. It would put more money in action, however. Using a multiple of 6 for the 6 and 8, it would be $64 each point for a $10 craps bettor, compared to $30 on the full menu of the Galaxy “All” bets.

Come Bets
Instead of playing the pass line, a $10 craps player could also just place a come bet after a point is established, getting more action in the game. If the bettor keeps placing come bets until a few come points are established, they can have multiple numbers working, and all for the same low house edge as the pass line. As a bonus, odds can be taken on the come bet, just like the pass line.

This is the advice Darwin Ortiz gives for getting more action in his classic book, “Darwin Ortiz On Casino Gambling”. That’s the same book where he gives the odds on the prop bets in craps, but asks the reader not to tell anyone they read his book if they make them. Ortiz thinks of all the prop bets as sucker bets, so despite the kind words to Galaxy on their innovation, you can imagine what Darwin Ortiz thinks of these bets.

Let’s compare how a bettor might do if they follow four different modes of play after every point is established:

1. Making all three Galaxy All bets, for $10 each.
2. Making all place bets, for $10 each ($12 on the 6 and 8), and taking the number down if it hits
3. Making $10 come bets, until there are at the most 4 come points established
4. Making those $10 come bets, and pressing them for $10 odds when a come point is established

After another 10M simulations, here are some results:

Quick thoughts. Craps is a negative sum game. All the approaches lose money over time. The Galaxy bets fare the worst. The place bets are close behind. Even though the 6 and 8 offer low house edge, the poor odds in the 4 and 10 are what makes the difference.

The come bets offer a much smaller expected loss. In this case, taking the odds made a small change (and for the positive by a small amount in this run of simulated hands), but since there is zero house edge on the odds bets, the long-term expected loss for come bets with and without the odds should be the same.

The obvious counter to the come-bet approach by a Galaxy All bettor is that while those average losses may be larger for the Galaxy bets, when a hot hand does happen the payoff should be huge compared to what a few come bets could manage. After all, what’s even money on a few numbers compared to 34 to 1? We’re not playing 10 million hands, or even 100. Maybe 20-30 in a couple of hours at the table. If the Galaxy bet hits, that is a great night.

Here are some more figures for those 10 million hands, looking only at those events where one of the Galaxy bets would payoff, and what happens with our approaches:

Quick observations. By definition, All or Nothing At All means all the placed bets hit, so the average payout should be exactly $92, and it is. Also, here should be no difference between place bet outcomes for All Small or All Tall hitting. The bets are symmetric. And that looks to be the case.

In contrast, there should be a difference for the come bets between All Small and All Tall since the 11 is a winner whereas the 3 is a loser. That is seen in the average results.

The Galaxy makes a fair point. Even with odds, the come bet play for a $10 bettor is less than a tenth the payout for the Galaxy bet for a very hot hand. For that one even when it hits, the payout is much larger.

Overall, however, that bettor will spend a lot more at the table in exchange for that one big payout. And in the meantime there are plenty of good, but not “all or nothing” hands where a hot shooter will make a winning session for a come bettor.

Darwin Ortiz has it right. Sharp players should stick to the come bets.

But hats off to Galaxy Gaming. They have come up with a new bet on an established game with a high payout, easy to understand rules, and a house edge attractive to casino management. And also worthy of a long blog post.

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Just like other casino games, Craps has plenty of terms, slang and jargon that can be heard at the Craps table or around it. Knowing these terms makes the game a little easier to understand and play. Don’t be afraid to ask a fellow player or one of the casino employees about any slang terms you hear at the craps table.

Aces – Betting that the next roll will be the total sum of 2.

Any Craps – A bet that the next roll will be 2, 3, or 12.

Any Seven – A bet that the next roll will be 7.

Arm – Term used to describe a player who is skilled at throwing the dice, sometimes even suggesting that the player can alter the result by the way he throws.

Back Line – same as the Don’t Pass Line.

Betting Right – Pass Line and Come bets.

Betting Wrong – Don’t Pass Line and Don’t Come bets.

Big Eight – Even money bet that an 8 is rolled before a 7.

Big Six – Even money bet that a 6 is rolled before a 7.

Big Red – Betting on any 7 being rolled.

Boxcars – Two 6s.

Boxman – The casino employee who sits behind the table between the two dealers and is in charge of the houses’ chips and overseeing all activity on the table

Buffalo – Betting on all the Hard Ways and Any Seven.

Buy Bets- 5% commission paid to the house so that the correct odds are paid

C &E – One time bet that the next roll will be any craps (2, 3, or 12) or 11.

Capped Dice – non standard, crooked dice which are no longer playable.

Center Bets – Also known as proposition bets, they are placed in the center of the table.

Cold Table – Something every Craps player hates! This table is losing often because shooters are not making points.

Come Bet – wager that the shooter will roll his point

Come Out Roll – The first roll by a shooter, either at the beginning of his turn or after he has made a point.

Craps Out – rolling a craps on the come out roll includes loss of pass line bets

Craps – The name of the game as well as a roll of 2, 3 or 12

Dealer 001f- the two casino employees on the sides of the Boxman who handle placing the bets and payouts

Don’t Come – Betting that the shooter will roll a 7 before he rolls his point.

Don’t Pass Bet – Making a bet against the dice before a Come Out roll.

Don’t Pass Bar – opposite of a Pass Line bet

Double Odds – Doubles the initial Pass Line, Don’t Pass Line, Come, Don’t Come bets.

Easy Way – A dice roll of 4, 6, 8, and 10 with each die having a different number.

Edge – The casino’s advantage over the player.

Even Money – 1:1 payout

Field Bet – A bet on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12.

Floorman – casino employee who stands behind the craps table, dealers with players and credit

Free Odds Bet – Taken at true odds.

Front Line – Same as the Pass Line.

Hard Way- Betting on a 4, 6, 8 or 10 when both dice are the same number

Hi-Lo – One roll bet that the next roll will be a 2 or 12

Hope Bet – Single time bet that the dice will land on specific numbers.

Horn Bet – A bet on 2, 3, 11 and 12 with the same amount.

Horn High Bet – bet amount is split into five parts. Two parts on the high number 12 and three units for the other numbers 2, 3 and 11.

Hot Table – The best kind to play on! A Hot Table will have shooters making points and lots of money for other players. You can always spot these tables by the crowds around them and the noise coming from them.

Inside Numbers – 5, 6, 8 and 9. Used mostly when placing bets dice

Line Bet – Bet on the Pass Line or Don’t Pass Line.

Lay Bet – Betting that a point number will not be rolled before a 7 is thrown

Lay Odds – Additional odds bet against the dice

Layout – painted marks on the felt showing all bets that can be made

Little Joe – A Hard 4 or rolling 2 2s

Loaded dice – dice that are weighted, results in specific rolled numbers

MarkerBuck/Puck- A Plastic disk that the dealers use to mark the point on the Craps table; ‘Off’ or ‘On’.

Midnight – One time roll bet on 12.

Natural – 7 or 11 on the come out roll.

Odds – ratio of an event occurring, generally the amount paid out per winning bet

Off – bets will not be active on the next dice roll.

On – active

One Roll Bets – betting on a single dice roll

Outside Numbers – 4, 5 9, and 10.

Parlay – Using winnings to increase a bet, usually double (let it ride/ press the bet).

Pass Line (Bet) – Betting the dice will win or pass.

Payoff – winnings on a wager

Pit Boss – Casino employee responsible for all craps tables in one area of casino

Place Bet – betting a point number will be thrown before a 7 comes out.

Place Numbers – 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10.

Point – number established on Come Out roll 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10

Point Number – One of the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 determined on the come out roll.

Press (a Bet) – use winnings to double a bet.

Craps Hard 6 Letters

Proposition Bets – Prop Bets – single roll bets and the hardway bet.

Rail – The grooved area along the top of the craps table where chips are kept

Right Bettor – A player who bets that the shooter will make the Point.

Roll- single throw of the dice

Rounding – Payout rounding. Rounding up or down the amount.

Seven Out – When a 7 is thrown after a point has been established and before the point number is rolled again thus ending the shooters turn.

Craps Hard 6th

Shooter - The player who is currently rolling the dice.

Snake Eyes – When you roll a two in craps. Each die looks like a snake’s eye

Stickman – A casino employee standing opposite the Boxman who calls out the dice rolls and returns the dice to the shooter, also responsible for the placing and paying the proposition bets.

Toke – A tip given to the dealer usually made on a line or prop bet

The Point – The number established on the come-out roll. Only place numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10) can become the point. The shooter attempts to roll the point number again before throwing a 7 in order to win that round of pass line or come betting.

Three-way Craps – A bet made in units of 3 with one unit on 2, one unit on 3, and one unit on 12.

Craps Hard 6 8

True Odds- odds a particular number will be rolled on any single dice roll

Craps Hard 6 Release

Unit – bet size used as standard of measurement

Vigorish – or Vig. The casino edge or commission taken by the house.

Working – Bets that are active on any given roll

Whirl Bet – Betting on 2, 3, 7, 11 or 12 with the same amount.

Wrong Bettor – A player betting the dice will not pass. A player who bets the shooter will not make the point and instead he will Seven-Out.

Craps Hard 6

Yo – The number 11. Also called Yo-leven