Tips To Learn When to Play the Buy Bet in Craps

June 2, 2014 by

Buy Bet in CrapsThe buy bet in craps is one of those advanced bets that most starting players don’t really know about. It’s related to the place bet which is an immediate bet that a number will come before a seven on the next roll in that both bets win the same way, but the house advantages on the bets are different. If you make a place bet or buy bet when it’s better to make the other respective wager, then you’ve made a big mistake. Our goal here is to show you when to make each so that you don’t make that mistake.

How the Buy Bet in Craps Works

There are six place numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10. You can place a bet on any of these that it will come before a seven. The place bet gives you straight-forward odds on these bets that give the house a small advantage. However, the buy bet gives you break even (aka fair) odds aside from a five percent commission that’s taken on winning bets. This can result in a smaller (or larger) house advantage than the place bets.

If you’re going to bet on six or eight, then you should always take the place bet since it has a house advantage of just 0.46 percent compared to the buy bet’s 0.69 percent rate. On the other hand, with bets on four or ten, you should go with the buy bet and it’s advantageous 0.42 percent house advantage considering the house edge on the same place bet is more than 1.6 percent.

Fives and Nines Are Special

With a bet on fives or nines, you have to pay close attention to how the commission is taken on the buy bets. Some online casinos take the commission on all bets, not just winning ones, and in these cases, it’s better to take the place bet. However, if the commission on buy bets is only on wins, then you should go with the buy bet. The place bets on five or nine have a house edge of more than one percent, however, so it should be avoided when possible.

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