By definition, any point made up of a pair of the same numbers is made the hardway. In a nutshell, there are four numbers, 4, 6, 8, and 10 and each of them has its own spot on the table. In order to roll a hardway combination, you must roll the exact pair of doubles.
Once the player has made a hardway bet and a point is established, they win if a hard number is rolled before an easy one or a 7.
Let's presume you have wagered on hard 4 and the shooter rolls 3-1. This is an easy 4, which means the casino wins. However, if a hard four (pair 2s) is rolled you will get a generous payout.
For instance, the combination 3-3 is a hardway while the other combinations that total 6, 1-5, 4-2 are referred to as soft or easy combinations.
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For example, your pair totals 4 and it is made of 2-2, such combinations are known as “hard” because it is difficult to roll two identical numbers. While the other pairs can be achieved via at least two combinations, here you have only one way to accomplish a hardway combination.
However, you can have a total of 4 if you roll 1-3 too, but and the latter combination is considered “easy”.
The following four combinations are called hardways: Hard 4 (2-2); Hard 6 (3-3), Hard 8 (4-4); Hard 10 (5-5). As for 1-1 and 6-6, they do not fall under the hardways category as they yield crap numbers.
In order to make a hardway bet, you have to place the selected number of chips in the proposition section. It is important to know that these bets need to be handled by the Stickman; players are not allowed to place the bets by themselves. All bets must be requested and it is also essential to know that hardways are not one roll bets. You win only if 7 is rolled before an easy way combination of the same value is rolled.
As far as payouts are concerned, hardway bets pay 9:1 for hard 6 and 8 and 7:1 for hard 4 and hard 10. The house edge for hard 6 and hard 8 is set at 9.09%, but it jumps to 11.11% on hard 4 and 10. The casino wins 10 cents per every dollar you wager.
At first glance, it seems strange that the payout rates are different, but there is a pretty good explanation for that. As you know, craps is a game based on mathematics. Although each of the aforementioned combinations has equal chances of being rolled, they differ in the number of ways they can lose.
There is a total of eight ways hard 4 and hard 10 can lose, two easy totals and six combinations of 7. Therefore, the odds of winning are 1 in 9, while the payout is 7:1.
As for the hard 6 and hard 8, there are ten ways to lose, the six combinations of 7 and four easy totals. There is a 1 in 11 probability of winning, while the payout is 9:1.
Some casinos offer more generous payouts, though. They pay 9.5 to 1 on hard 6 and 8 and 7.5 to 1 on hard 4 or hard 10. These “liberal payouts” lead to a change in the odds and greatly reduce the house edge.
There is not a specially designated area for easy bets on the craps table, so the best thing you can do is to opt for the place bets, which include both easy way and hardway versions of the total.
Hardways, as well as the other bets located in the center of the craps table, are also known as proposition bets or sucker bets.
One of the most popular hardway wagers is placing 4, 6, 8, or 10 and following up with one unit on the hard total. If a hardway comes up, you can expect a solid payout.
As already mentioned, the bet is handled by the stickman. If you would like to place a hardway bet, you are supposed to toss the selected number of chips to the stickman and state your bet. Then, the stickman will repeat players' bets at a loud voice and the chips will be placed at the correct position.
As for the hardway bets payout, it depends on the casino you have chosen for your craps session. However, it is important to know that playing hardways means you give the house a serious advantage. The single odds pass line bet gives the casino a negligible advantage, while the house edge for hardways varies between 9% and 11%, which is why they are often called sucker bets.
Yet, they are attractive to players because of the payoff as every player would like to win 9 times the amount of their wager. Yet, they should not underestimate the fact that hardway payoffs are difficult to win.
It is also important to know that some casinos apply different policies concerning the payoffs. While the payout tables at some casinos read 7 to 1, some others read 7 for 1. So, what is the difference? A 7 to 1 payoff means the winner will be paid $7 plus the $1 they have wagered. Tables that pay 7 for one pay out the $7 win, but keep the $1 wager.
The hardways remain valid until they are hit or until the player loses the bet. You can also start a progression and accumulate fantastic winnings over a relatively short period of time.
For example, you can bet $1 on hard 4, 6, 8, and 10, which makes a total of $4. Each of these hard numbers should be rolled once in 36 rolls. In case it takes some more time before a 7 is rolled, you can accumulate as much as $32 for your investment of $4. In case 7 or any other soft number is rolled, you can increase your bet by $1.
FAQs
It is a risky bet, it can bring you a high payout but your chances to win are lower compared to other available bets. If you prefer to gamble wisely, then it is certainly better to take advantage of wagers with a lower house edge.
While they are both even numbers for which a pair can be rolled, there is no easy way to make them, and the rule is: there must be easy ways to make the number you want to make the hard way.
The easiest way to receive first-hand information about all craps ins and outs is to pay a visit to one of the land-based casinos located in your area. They will gladly offer you free lessons that are primarily held in the mornings when things are pretty slow.
Do not have a brick-and-mortar gambling venue in your neighborhood? It’s no big deal because today you have plenty of options to master your skills from the coziness of your home playing free craps at numerous online casinos.
No. In contrary to the bulk of standing bets, the lowest Hardway wager is typically the least-valued chip at the table, which is $1 at the majority of casinos.
Yes, a Hardway bet can be turned off or removed anytime. Usually, players do it before the come-out roll for a new game. At many casinos, the policy is that all Hardways bets are automatically off on the come-out, so the stickman does not put an OFF button on any of the Hardways bets but everyone including boxman and camera know that these bets are on a stand-by.
No, neither martingaling nor using other similar betting systems can guarantee you a win. Quite on the contrary, such an approach is able to ruin your bankroll at the lightning speed, therefore stay away from any extreme strategies.
No. Similar to other table games, Live craps are available only for real-money players. Well, the places at the table are limited and, quite understandably, online casinos want to fill them with paying customers.
Yes, „10 for 1“ equals „9 to 1“ when it comes to payoffs for Hard 6 and hard 8, while „8 for 1“ equals „7 to 1“ in the case of Hard 4 and Hard 10 respectively. Why do some casino print on their layouts the for variant? Because they try to create an illusion of better payouts for inexperienced players.
Of course, they do. Craps is very popular, therefore players have a wide variety of both deposit-related and no deposit bonuses at their disposal. Can you think of a better way to learn the game and perhaps even net out some cash?
Yes, a big number of titles delivered by the leading software providers in the industry are available across all mobile devices. Just make sure, your internet connection is good enough to secure a smooth experience on a par with the desktop performances.
