Craps Betting Place Bet

The craps Place bet is a "standing" bet, which means the bet stays working, or standing, until it wins or loses, or until you remove it. The craps Place bet can be made on any of the point numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. Like the Pass Line bet, the Place bet works against the number 7. After you make a Place bet, the only numbers that matter are the Place number and 7. All other numbers are meaningless with respect to the Place bet. After making a Place bet, each subsequent roll can result in one of three outcomes: 1) a 7 appears and your Place bet loses, 2) the Place number appears and your Place bet wins, or 3) any other number appears and nothing happens to your Place bet (i.e., all other numbers have no affect on the Place bet).

Place bets don't pay off according to true odds. Instead, the casino gets its casino advantage by paying off Place bets at less than true odds (i.e., they screw you by not paying their fair share when you win).

Place odds aren't quite as good as true odds. The casino screws you to make a profit by paying less than true odds. For a winning $5 bet on the 4 or 10, the Place odds pay only $9, but the true odds say we should be paid $10. For a winning $10 bet on the 5 or 9, the Place odds pay only $14, but the true odds say we should be paid $15. And for a winning $30 bet on the 6 or 8, the Place odds pay only $35, but the true odds say we should be paid $36.

You might ask, "How much do I put down to make a craps Place bet?" As always, the bet amount depends on the odds. The Place odds for the 4 and 10 are 9:5, and the Place odds for the 5 and 9 are 7:5. Therefore, Place bets for the 4, 5, 9, and 10 should be in multiples of $5. For example, a winning $10 Place bet on the 4 gets you $18. A winning $15 Place bet on the 9 gets you $21. Don't let the math scare you! Since these bets are in multiples of $5, simply divide your bet by 5 and then multiply by the winning odds to determine your winning amount. So, for your $10 Place bet on the 4 (which has Place odds of 9:5), $10 divided by 5 = $2, and $2 x 9 = $18. For your $15 Place bet on the 9 (which has Place odds of 7:5), $15 divided by 5 = $3, and $3 x 7 = $21.

The Place odds for the 6 and 8 are 7:6, which means the bet should be in multiples of $6. For example, a winning $12 Place bet on the 6 gets you $14. A winning $30 Place bet on the 8 gets you $35. Do the math. For your $30 Place bet on the 8 (which has Place odds of 7:6), $30 divided by 6 = $5, and $5 x 7 = $35.

Know the difference between Place odds and true odds. Learn the difference so you don't have to think about it. You don't want to look like a newbie fumbling around with how much to put down for each Place number. (James Bond never asked the dealer, "Um, hey, excuse me, how much is the six?") However, if you have trouble remembering the Place odds the first time you play craps, don't be afraid to ask the dealer how much to drop. It'll be as easy as pie after 15 minutes at the table.

If you're like me, you'll search out and play a table with a $3 minimum bet instead of the typical $5 or $10 minimum. Suppose you find a $3 table (a few still remain in Vegas). Since the minimum bet is only $3, you can make $3 Place bets, but you don't get the full Place odds. The payoff odds for a $3 Place bet on the 6 or 8 are 1:1, or even money. For the 5 or 9, it's 4:3 (i.e., your $3 bet wins $4). For the 4 or 10, it's 5:3 (i.e., your $3 bet wins $5).

For a $3 Place bet, you get a little less than full Place odds because the lowest chip denomination at the craps table that casinos allow is generally $1, so they can't pay you a fraction of a dollar (i.e., cents). For example, suppose you make a $3 Place bet on the 5. The full Place odds are 7:5, but the reduced payoff odds for a $3 bet are only 4:3. Why? Because it gives the casino another excuse to stick it to the player! The roulette table has chips for 25 cents or 50 cents, so why can't the craps table have chip denominations less than $1? That's right. They stick it to you again! The full Place odds are 7:5, which means for a $3 Place bet on the 5, we divide $3 by 5 = 60 cents, and then multiply 60 cents by 7 = $4.20. So, for a $3 Place bet on the 5 or 9 with full Place odds of 7:5, we expect to be paid $4.20 when we win. The craps table doesn't have 20-cent chips, so the casino rounds down to $4.

Let's look at a $3 Place bet on the 4 or 10. The full Place odds are 9:5, which means we divide $3 by 5 = 60 cents, and then multiply 60 cents by 9 = $5.40. So, for a $3 Place bet on the 4 or 10 with full Place odds of 9:5, we expect to win $5.40, but the casino rounds down to $5. (Notice how the casino rounds down instead of up.) The player isn't giving up much by making $3 Place bets, so if you have a limited bankroll, these bets are fun and give you more action than just Pass Line bets. The point is, learn craps and be aware that you get a little less than full Place odds and increase the house advantage when you make $3 Place bets.

Full Place odds aren't as good as true odds. That's how the house maintains its advantage. Remember, the house is in business to make money, not to gamble. Over time, the house wins because when you lose, you pay the true odds; but when you win, the house pays you less than true odds. So, by paying less than their fair share when you win, the house can't help but come out a winner over the long haul. Let's look closer at how the house sticks it to the player.

Let's look at the number 4. The true odds for making a 4 compared to a 7 are 1:2 (i.e., three ways to make a 4 compared to six ways to make a 7, which is 3:6, which reduces down to 1:2). Therefore, since the number 7 is twice as easy to make as a 4, we expect to get paid twice as much as our bet when we win. For example, if we bet $5 on the 4 to hit before the 7, we expect to get $10 when we win (i.e., $5 x 2 = $10). However, for a Place bet on the 4, the payoff odds are only 9:5. This is close to 2:1, but not quite. Therefore, if we make a $5 Place bet on the 4 and win, the house pays us only $9. When the house loses, they don't pay the true odds; they pay only $9 instead of $10 and keep that extra dollar. You might think, "For my $5 bet, I win $9, so I don't care if they screw me out of that extra $1. It's only a buck." Okay, but think of it this way. That's only one Place bet made by one player during one game. Imagine keeping that extra dollar when other people at the table make that same bet, multiplied by the number of tables in action, multiplied by the number of hours in a day, multiplied by the number of days in a month, and so on. It's easy to see how the house rakes in the money over the long haul.

You can make or remove Place craps bet at any time during a game. You can also make them while the puck is OFF (before a new come-out roll), but typically, dealers prefer that you wait until a point is established and then make your Place bets.

Occasionally, you see a player try to make a Place bet while the puck is OFF by asking, "Can you Place the six for me now, please, so I don't forget after the come-out?" The dealer usually obliges (as he should; after all, you're the customer), but sometimes a dealer in a bad mood will ask the player to wait until a point is established.

Dealers who ask you to wait to make a Place bet until after a point is established do so because they're lazy. Suppose you Place the 6 before the come-out and the dealer moves your chip into the 6 point box. The shooter then rolls a 6 for the point. The dealer moves the ON puck into the 6 point box, and then has to ask, "Sir, what do you want to do with your six?" Since your Pass Line bet covers the 6 (because 6 is now the point), you likely don't want it covered again by your Place bet. The dealer then has to move your Place 6 to whatever other number you want, or return it to you if you decide to take it down. You think, "Gee, wow, that sure is a lot of extra work for the dealer." You're right, it's no effort at all, but it's amazing how many dealers--even good ones--don't like moving your Place bets around because you couldn't wait until after the point was established to make them.

You can make as many Place bets as you want, up to a maximum of six (i.e., the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10), including the point. Yes, you can Place the point. For example, suppose you walk up to a craps table and see an ON puck in the 6 point box (i.e., a game is in progress and the shooter's point is 6). Suppose you love the number 6 and you want immediate action, but you don't want to make a Put bet so you decide to Place the shooter's point. To do this, place your chips centered directly on the bottom line of the Pass Line (i.e., the line that separates the Pass Line from the apron). As long as you center your chips on that line, the dealer knows it's a Place bet on the shooter's point instead of Put bet in the Pass Line. If you don't want to make your Place bet this way, simply drop your chips in the Come box and tell the dealer, "Place the point, please." The dealer then moves your chips to the point box.

The dealer positions all Place bets (except when you Place the shooter's point yourself), so you have to put your chips on the table and tell the dealer what you want. Then, the dealer puts them in the proper position in the point box for the number you want to Place. To an untrained eye, players' chips appear to be scattered all over the point boxes. To the contrary, it's well organized. Each player position has a corresponding chip position for each point box. The same is true for Lay bets, Come bets, and Don't Come bets. For all bets in and around the point boxes, players' chip locations correspond to their positions at the table.

The following Do's and Don'ts describe how to make a Place bet.

DO remember not to make any bets when the stickman is about to push the dice to the shooter for the next roll. Instead, do it while the stickman controls the dice in the middle of the table.

DO wait until you have the dealer's attention before putting your chips on the table. If the dealer is busy paying or arranging other bets, don't put any chips on the table until you have his attention. Except for self-service bets, never put chips on the table without the dealer knowing they're yours.

DON'T throw or toss your Place-bet chips on the table because they might bounce and roll into the point boxes, which may be filled with other people's Place bets, Come bets, or other bets. If your chips mess up the dealer's neatly arranged chips in the point boxes, you'll likely get a less-than-pleasant look and he'll ask you not to do it again.

DO put your chips in the Come box and tell the dealer what you want, such as, "Place the eight, please." Saying "please" is always a nice touch. Some dealers have specific spots where they prefer you to put your chips, depending on your position at the table. For example, if you stand next to the dealer, he may prefer you to put your chips in the apron directly in front of you instead of in the Come box. If you put your Place bet chips in the Come box and the dealer doesn't say anything, then you should assume that's where he wants you to put your chips for subsequent Place bets. Otherwise, he says something like, "Sir, please put your chips here in the apron."

Let's run through a scenario to make Place bets easy to understand. In this example, assume the craps table minimum bet is $5 and the maximum odds allowed are 10x (i.e., 10 times the Flat bet amount).

1. A new shooter prepares to make a come-out roll for a new game. You make a $5 Flat Pass Line bet. The shooter rolls a 10; therefore, the point for this game is 10. You feel cocky, so you take a whopping $20 in Odds on the point behind the line.

2. After a point is established, the only numbers that matter for Pass Line bets are 7 and the point number. The shooter rolls a 4. The number 4 doesn't matter, so the game continues.

3. You think, "Man, I want some more action. I'm going to try some Place bets." When you have the dealer's attention, you drop a $5 chip in the Come box and say, "Place the nine, please." The dealer moves your chip to the 9 point box.

4. The shooter rolls an 11. For both your Pass Line bet and Place bet, an 11 doesn't matter. The game continues.

5. The table is packed and you stand shoulder-to-shoulder between two gorgeous women (or men). You think, "I'm going to show these babes just how good I am." With the dealer's attention, you drop $17 in chips in the Come box and say, "Give me the rest of the inside numbers, please." Since you already have a Place bet on the 9, the dealer takes your chips and knows you want $5 on the 5, $6 on the 6, and $6 on the 8. You now have Place bets on the 5, 6, 8, and 9.

6. The shooter rolls a 6. Your Place bet on the 6 wins. Just as it's your turn to be paid, you tell the dealer, "Same bet, please." The dealer pays your winnings by placing $7 in chips in the apron directly in front of you. Pick up your winnings. Your Place bet on the 6 is still up and working.

7. The shooter rolls a 12. For your Pass Line bet and all your Place bets, a 12 doesn't matter. The game continues.

8. The shooter rolls another 6. Wow! The 6 is getting hot! Your Place bet on the 6 wins again. This time, just as it's your turn to be paid, you tell the dealer, "Press it." The dealer knows you want to double your Place bet on the 6. He counts out your $7 in winnings, and then puts $6 of it on your original Place bet on the 6, and he puts the remaining $1 in the apron directly in front of you. Pick up the $1. Now, your Place bet on the 6 is up to $12. Things are getting a bit more interesting, so you pay more attention to the game and less attention to the babe next to you in her halter top rubbing against you shoulder-to-shoulder.

9. The shooter rolls a 9. Your Place bet on the 9 wins. Just as it's your turn to be paid, you tell the dealer, "Same bet, please." The dealer puts $7 in chips in the apron directly in front of you. Pick up your winnings.

10. The shooter rolls a 10. "Winner, winner, chicken dinner!" You high-five everybody at that end of the table. The shooter rolled his point (i.e., 10), so the game ends. The dealer pays you $5 for your Flat Pass Line bet and $40 for your Odds bet.

Pick up all your chips. You're excited because you got one of those pretty green $25 chips as part of your winnings. The dealer turns the puck OFF and puts it on the side of the table.

11. A new game is about to start. Since this is the come-out roll for a new game, all of your Place bets are automatically considered "off" and "not working." You make a $5 Flat Pass Line bet. The shooter rolls a 7. The game ends immediately. For your Flat Pass Line bet, a 7 on the come-out is a winner, so the dealer puts a $5 chip next to your Flat Pass Line bet. Pick up your $5 in winnings. For all of your Place bets, the 7 doesn't matter because your Place bets are automatically off on the come-out roll for a new game. Remember, EXCEPT FOR THE COME-OUT ROLL OF A NEW GAME, your Place bets lose if the shooter rolls a 7.

12. A new game is about to start. Your Place bets are still considered "off" because this is the come-out roll for a new game. The shooter rolls a 9; therefore, the point for this game is 9. You feel the table is getting hot, so you take $30 in Odds on the point behind the line. Since your Place bets were "off" on the come-out, you don't win your Place bet on the 9 when the shooter rolled 9 as the new point. You still have a Place bet on the 9, so the dealer asks, "Sir, what would you like to do with your nine?" You now already have the 9 covered by your Pass Line with Odds bets since 9 is the new point, so you don't want to cover it again with a Place bet. Most players either take the Place bet down or move it to another number. In this example, since you feel the table is getting hot, you decide to move it to a Place bet on the 4. Now, you have five numbers working for you: Place bets on the 4, 5, 6, and 8; and the Pass Line with Odds bets on the point of 9.

13. The shooter rolls another 6. Woohoo! Your Place bet on the 6 wins again (remember, your bet is up to $12). Just as it's your turn to be paid, you tell the dealer, "Same bet, please." The dealer pays your winnings by placing $14 in chips in the apron directly in front of you. Pick up your winnings. Your Place bet on the 6 is still up and working.

14. The shooter rolls a 9. "Winner, winner, lobster dinner!" You high-five everybody at that end of the table and the girl in the halter top gives you a big hug. The shooter rolled his point, so the game ends. The dealer pays you $5 for your Flat Pass Line bet and $45 for your Odds bet. While picking up all your chips, you shout, "Yeah, baby, I love these green chips!" The dealer turns the puck OFF and puts it on the side of the table.

15. A new game is about to start. You make a $5 Flat Pass Line bet. The table is on fire, so you decide to keep your Place bets working on the come-out roll. Normally, Place bets are considered "off" on the come-out, but you want them working because the shooter is rolling lots of numbers. You tell the dealer, "I want all my Place bets working on the come-out." The dealer puts an ON button on one of your Place bets to indicate that they're all on and working on the come out. The hot babe says, "Sure you want to do that? We're rooting for a seven on the come-out, so if you keep your Place bets working and a seven shows, you'll lose all your Place bets." You think, "Shut up and play your own game," but you politely say, "The table is getting hot, so I'm going for it."

16. The shooter rolls a 7 on the come-out. The game ends immediately. For your Flat Pass Line bet, a 7 on the come-out is a winner, so the dealer puts a $5 chip next to your Flat Pass Line bet. Pick up your $5 in winnings (leave your $5 Flat Pass Line bet there for the next game). Since you kept your Place bets "on" and "working" on the come-out roll, they all lose because a 7 showed. The dealer removes all your Place bets. The girl looks at you with an I-told-you-so look.

17. A new game is about to start. The shooter rolls a 4 on the come-out; therefore, the point for this game is 4. You feel the table is still hot, so you take $30 in Odds on the point behind the line. You also drop $12 in chips in the Come box and tell the dealer, "Give me the six and eight, please," indicating you want a $6 Place bet on the 6 and a $6 Place bet on the 8. The dealer takes your chips and puts $6 on the 6 and $6 on the 8. The shooter rolls and a die flies off the table. The stickman shouts, "No roll." Uh, oh, this is bad luck. Every time you've seen a die fly off the table, a 7 shows on the next roll. You tell the dealer, "My Place bets are off." The dealer puts an OFF button on top of one of your Place bets to indicate they're both off. You also decide to pick up your Odds bet because you fear that dreaded 7 will show after a no-roll. (Remember, you can remove your Odds bet at any time, but can't remove your Flat Pass Line bet.)

18. The shooter rolls a 12. Whew! It wasn't a 7. This must mean the table is still hot, so you put back your $30 in Odds behind the line, and you tell the dealer, "My Place bets are back on." The dealer removes the OFF button from your Place bet indicating that both your Place 6 and Place 8 bets are back on and working.

19. The shooter rolls a 4. The shooter made his point so the game ends. You jump up and down shouting, "Yeah, baby, that's what I'm talking about! Give me some more of those pretty green chips!"