Craps Side Bets – Types of Casino Craps Side Bets
Beyond the typical slew of bets available on a craps table, there are a number of craps side bets offered by different casinos on their tables. Some of these bets can be fun ways to spend a couple dollars in hopes of winning big, while others are just pure sucker bets that you should avoid.
However, side bets are often hard to analyze at the table, so it’s best to know which craps side bets are best before you get to the casino. This article analyzes several of the most common bets so that the next time you head out to the casino, you’ll know exactly what to think of the side bets offered.
Information on the house edges for these craps side bets came from The Wizards of Odds, which has done extensive mathematical analysis of almost every casino bet you can think of. In general, side bets tend to have very high edges, and a gambler looking to have the best chance to win at craps should avoid them. However, that doesn’t mean they can’t be a fun way of getting a little extra action, and with a little luck, they can be very lucrative. Just remember to keep most of your money on the safer bets, and you might find that craps side bets add a lot of fun to your craps game without costing you very much at all.
Point 7
This is perhaps the simplest side bet you’ll find on any craps table. If you make this bet, you’re hoping that the shooter will roll a point on the come out roll, and then roll a seven on the very next roll. If these two things happen, you win at odds of 7-1. The house edge on this bet is just over 11%.
Fire Bet
One very popular side bet is the Fire Bet. This bet is usually made for $1, and pays off if the current shooter can hit a number of different points before failing to make a point and rolling a seven instead. Keep in mind that only points of different numbers add to the total; if a shooter rolls a point of six, and then hits another point of six later, that only counts as one point for the Fire Bet.
Typically, the Fire Bet wins if the shooter hits four or more points, clearly a rare event. However, the payoffs on the Fire Bet are also quite high. One typical pay table (they do vary) pays out 25-1 if the shooter makes four points, 250-1 for five, and 1000-1 for hitting all six.
The house edge on this bet is somewhere between 20-25%, depending on the pay table. This makes it a rather bad bet in the long run; however, if you enjoy playing the lottery for $1, it can make for some exciting runs when a hot shooter hits the table.
All Bet
The All Bet is another long shot craps bet that pays off big when it does come in. If the shooter can throw every other number before throwing a seven, the bet pays off at 174-1. Of course, this is a very difficult feat to accomplish, and the house edge on the bet stands at about 8%. However, this is a pretty low edge as side bets go, so the big payoff might be attractive to some craps players.
7 Point 7
In this bet, players are rooting for the shooter to roll a seven as early as possible. If the shooter throws a seven on the come out roll, the bet pays 2-1. If they throw a seven on the first roll after setting a point, the bet pays 3-1. In all other cases, the bet loses.
This craps side bet also has a fairly small house edge of about 5.5%, the lowest of any of the side bets we’ve look at so far. However, there isn’t the chance of a huge win like in some of the other side bets. If you’re looking for some steady action that will pay off on a fairly regular basis, however, 7 Point 7 will give you what you want.
Sharp Shooter
Sharp Shooter is another bet where you’re hoping that the shooter will get on a big roll. If the shooter can make the point three or more times in a row, the bet pays off – and if the shooter can roll a lot of points, it pays off in a big way.
To start with, rolling three points will win at odds of 5-1. Four points will make you 9-1. These odds continue to go up with every additional point made, culminating in a 199-1 payout for nine consecutive points, and 299-1 for ten points in a row.
This is yet another bet where you can have a lot of fun watching your money grow as a hot shooter keeps going and going, adding a lot of excitement to the game for the price of a small bet. However, the house edge is very high – nearly 22%.
Midway Bet
This bet is available at a few casinos in Atlantic City and possibly in other locations as well. The Midway Bet pays out if the shooter throws a six, seven or eight on their next roll. Winning the bet usually pays even money, unless a hard six or hard eight (one in which the shooter rolls a pair of threes or fours, respectively) is rolled, in which case the bet pays 2-1. The Midway Bet has a house edge of about 5.5%.
