Casino craps is an exciting game. It has plenty of action. It has many different ways to bet. Many of them are unique to casino craps. They are called by names not used in any other game in the casino.
The “put” bet is one such bet. This article explores this unique bet.
Contents
- The Bets available in Casino Craps
- Detailed Explanation of the Put Bet
- When to Use the Put Bet – and When Not to Use It
- Summary
The Bets available in Casino Craps
Of all the casino games, craps is arguably the most complex. One reason is there are two different betting phases:
- When no point is established (a puck on either side of the table is black with the word “Off” displayed). At this time a Pass Line bet (explained below) can be placed. If the shooter throws a 7 or 11, this bet wins; a 3, 11, or 12 loses. Any other number becomes the “point” number and the puck is turned over displaying the white side with the word “On.” During come out a Don’t Pass bettor loses on a 7 or 11, wins on a 3 or 11, and “pushes” (neither wins or loses) on a 12.
- When a point is established, the Pass Line bettor wins if the point number is thrown before a 7 and loses if a 7 precedes the point number. A Don’t Pass bettor’s results are just the opposite: he loses if the point number is thrown before the 7 and wins if the 7 precedes the point number.
If that is not confusing enough, the plethora of different bets that are available can be daunting. They include:
- Pass line and Don’t Pass as described above.
- Come – acts like a Pass Line bet but is placed when a point is set.
- Don’t come – acts like a Don’t Pass but is placed when a point is set.
- Place – bet on a specific number to appear before the 7
- Buy – a place bet large enough and with an extra 5% fee to get true odds on a win.
- Field – bet that any of the numbers 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 will be thrown on the next roll.
- Big Red – bet that the next roll will be a 7.
- Hardway – bet that a specific even number will be thrown with both dice showing the same number, e.g. 3 and 3 for a total of 6 before a 7 or the same even number rolled with the dice having different numbers, e.g. 1 and 5 or 2 and 4.
- Hop – bet that the next roll will be combination of two specific numbers – e.g. 3 and 5.
There are several more bets possible depending on the specific rules of the casino. While all this can be confusing, most craps players stick to one or two specific bets such as the Pass Line and/or Come bet as part of their overall craps strategy.
If this article interests you, keep reading. Alternatively, explore other topics like craps lay bet and roulette strategies.
Detailed Explanation of the Put Bet
So, what, exactly, is a put bet? Before answering that, a bit more explanation of Pass, Don’t Pass, Come, and Don’t Come bets is in order.
These four bets are different than all the other bets mentioned in the previous section. These bets consist of a base bet placed during the come-out phase. Each pays 1-to-1 on a win and is forfeited on a loss according to the rules in the first section.
When a point number is thrown, this portion of the bet is considered a contract bet – it cannot be taken down until either the point (a win) or a 7 (a loss) is thrown. The other bets can be taken down even if they have not been resolved.
Another feature of these contract bets – additional amounts can be placed behind them. This “odds” portion is paid at true odds on a win. Higher odds amounts reduce the house edge of the total bet. However, the only bets we have covered so far that allow this are these four contract bets. The odds portion of these bets can be modified or taken down at any time.
A put bet is functionally a pass line bet with odds that can be placed on any point number during the point cycle.
When to Use the Put Bet – and When Not to Use It
As mentioned above the Pass and Come bets have two distinct phases – the come-out phase where the player has the advantage over the casino, and the point cycle phase where the casino has the advantage.
The disadvantage of the put bet is it does not have the player-favorable come-out phase. The base and odds portions are placed together. The only way to win is if the number chosen is thrown before the 7. This means that the casino always has the edge – just like all the other craps bets that do not have a come-out phase.
So why would any knowledgeable player use it?
Every bet on the craps table has a house edge. That includes place and buy bets. Because contract bets allow true-odds amounts to be added to the base portion, it is possible to reduce the house edge of a put bet to the point where it is lower than the place or buy bet. That is why a knowledgeable player would use it.
However, conditions must be just right for this strategy to work. The following must be true:
- The odds amounts are limited in virtually all casinos. The buy bet does not become attractive until the odds are allowed to be more than five times the base bet.
- Most importantly, the player must have an adequate bankroll to make the bet. Even though the odds portion of the bet is paid at true odds (meaning over time neither the casino nor the player has an edge) the variance will increase as the odds portion increases. When the player loses, the entire bet – base and odds – is lost.
When the above conditions are met, the put bet can be advantageous.
The put bet is advantageous in one other situation – when table limits on place or buy bets restrict the player from betting more. A put bet with proper odds gets around this restriction.
Summary
Craps is an exciting socially-oriented game. Part of that excitement comes from the large variety of bets available. Remembers these put bet craps tips:
- Most players use only a couple of the betting options.
- The put bet can be used in the proper situation to improve the odds for players.
- With the proper bankroll and table rules, the player can win more – or, more likely, lose less.
