Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

THE GAMES 211
Dice Probabilities
Number Possible Combinations Actual Odds Percentage Probability
2 1 35:1 2.8%
3 2 17:1 5.6%
4 3 11:1 8.3%
5 4 8:1 11.1%
6 5 6.2:1 13.9%
7 6 5:1 16.7%
8 5 6.2:1 13.9%
9 4 8:1 11.1%
10 3 11:1 8.3%
11 2 17:1 5.6%
12 1 35:1 2.8%
will have to be thrown before the point comes up again. A “Don’t Pass” bet also
pays even money.
COME Betting on “Come” is the same as betting on the Pass Line, but you
must bet after the first roll or on any following roll. Again, you’ll win on 7 or 11
and lose on 2, 3, or 12. Any other number is your point, and you win if your
point comes up again before a 7.
DON’T COME This is the opposite of a “Come” bet. Again, you wait until
after the first roll to bet. A 7 or an 11 means you lose; a 2 or a 3 means you win;
12 is a push, and nobody wins. You win if 7 comes up before the point. (The
point, you’ll recall, was the first number rolled if it was none of the above.)
FIELD This is a bet for one roll only. The “Field” consists of seven numbers:
2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, and 12. If any of these numbers is thrown on the next roll,
you win even money, except on 2 and 12, which pay 2 to 1 (at some casinos 3
to 1).
BIG 6 AND 8 A “Big 6 and 8” bet pays even money. You win if either a 6 or
an 8 is rolled before a 7. Mathematically this is a sucker’s bet.
ANY 7 An “Any 7” bet pays the winner 5 for 1. If a 7 is thrown on the first
roll after you bet, you win.
“HARD WAY” BETS In the middle of a craps table are pictures of several
possible dice combinations together with the odds the casino will pay you if you
bet and win on any of those combinations being thrown. For example, if double
3s or 4s are rolled and you had bet on them, you will be paid 7 to 1. If double
2s or 5s are rolled and you had bet on them, you will be paid 9 to 1. If either
a 7 is rolled or if the number you bet on was rolled any way other than the
“Hard Way,” then the bet is lost. In-the-know gamblers tend to avoid “Hard
Way” bets as an easy way to lose their money.
ANY CRAPS Here you’re lucky if the dice “crap out”—if they show 2, 3, or
12 on the first roll after you bet. If this happens, the bank pays 7 to 1. Any other
number is a loser.
PLACE BETS You can make a “Place Bet” on any of the following numbers:
4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. You’re betting that the number you choose will be thrown
before a 7 is thrown. If you win, the payoff is as follows: 4 or 10 pays at the rate