The game of craps offers a large number of different bets. There is a great resemblance between some of them, which is exactly what makes craps so hard for players who are not accustomed to this casino game.
The Buy Bets
The Buy bets are pretty much similar to the Place bets, except for the fact that they pay true odds and of course, the player's chips have to go in a different position on the table.
Making such a bet should be carried out by the dealer because this is not a self-service bet.
When attracting the dealer's attention, the player needs to put their chips in the Come box located directly in front of them and explain to the dealer what number they would like to Buy. Then, the dealer would pick up their chips and put them in the proper point box, and then place a special “Buy” button on top of the chips. Of course, this is done at land-based casinos only, as the procedure is much quicker and easier to complete when playing online.
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In addition, since the Buy bets are pretty much similar to the Place bets, players are allowed to increase, decrease or remove them whenever they like. If they paid the vig commission up front and later made a decision to remove their bet, the tax is also returned to the player. Buy bets are also considered off on the come-out roll of a new game.
What is truly important about the Buy bet is that it could be considered one of the most favorable wagers in the game of craps due to the fact that it pays true odds, which basically means there is no house edge.
Actually, no matter how great it is that there is no house advantage, this does not mean that the casino does not make money on that bet. To be more specific, the casino may not have an advantage, but it makes a profit from the so-called vigourish or “vig” taxes. This basically means the payoff of all casinos less than the true odds, but still, the bets are some of the more favorable ones for the player.
In addition, Buy bets are better on 4 and 10 when compared to the Buy bets on the 5 and 9. On the other hand, the Buy bets on 5 and 9 are better than the ones on 6 and 8 as the house advantage of the latter increases. When compared to the Place bets, Buy bets could be both better or worse depending on the number a player has chosen to bet on as well as on the bet amount.
Players should also be aware of the fact that some casinos have set minimums for their Buy bets. For example, a certain Buy bet should be made at a minimum price, which is exactly why Place bets are sometimes more preferred than Buy bets.
Buying the 4 and/or the 10
Normally, the casino allows players to “buy” a certain number, in this case, the 4 and/or the 10, in order to encourage players to place more bets. This kind of wager actually effectively reduces the house advantage of the casino from 6.67% to 4.76%, which is a considerable drop.
In order to buy the 4 and/or the 10, the player is required to pay the casino a commission of 5%. this is exactly the so-called “vig” tax that was mentioned above.
So, in case the player buys the 4 and this bet wins, the casino is to pay the correct odds of 2:1 instead of paying the Place bet pay-off of 9:5. when a number is bought, a “buy” button is put on the bet in order to mark them. If the bet neither loses or wins after several rolls, the player is allowed to take their bet down and their commission is returned to them.
On the other hand, if the player chooses to buy the 10, the commission would be 5%, too. As already mentioned above, the house edge is seriously reduced from 6.67% to 4.76%.
Buying the 5 and/or 9
As already mentioned above, the Buy bet on the 5 and 9 is not as good as the one on 4 and 10, but it is definitely better than the one on 6 and 8. Of course, the situation depends on both the bet amount and the moment when the vig commission is supposed to be paid. The true odds for the Buy 5 and/or 9 bet are 3 to 2. In comparison, the Place odds on the same numbers are 7 to 5.
In case the player places a bet of $10, the payouts of both bets would be equal. However, the players could make the Buy bet on the numbers 5 and 9 better than the Place bet by increasing the amount of the bet.
On the other hand, the Buy bet could also become a worse bet than the Place bet in case the casino requires the vig commission up front. In such cases, the casino advantage of the Place bet on 5 and/or 9 is 4.00%, while for Buying for 5 and/or 9 with the vig up front would make the house edge 4.76%.
Buying the 6 and/or 8
The Buy bet on 6 and/or 8 will usually be worse than the Place bet on the same numbers for craps players who would not like to place excessive bets. Of course, experts could not make a direct comparison by using the same bet amount, but there are enough differences between the Place and the Buy bet on the numbers in question.
The true odds are 6 to 5, which basically means that the player's bet amount should be a multiple of $5. On the other hand, the Place odds are 7:6, or in other words, the player's bet should be a multiple of $6.
As a whole, the Buy bet on 6 and/or 8 is considered not that favorable as the Place bet on the same numbers.
FAQs
Quite unpretentious, they were added by the game’s inventor with just one aim – to make players feel better about their chances to win. To satisfy casinos, in return for getting true odds, punters were intended to pay a 5% charge of their winnings to playing houses, so the latter could still benefit from the bets.
Well, as a rule, “good” bets on a craps table are supposed to have less than a 2% house edge. When it comes to Buy bets, only the one on the 4 or 10, that is also commission-free if you lose (some casinos charge vig only if you win), can be considered a decent option.
It is certainly a unique atmosphere of a land-based casino created by Live Dealers and fellow players. We all know, craps can brag of the most cheery and noisy tables, so if you do not want to break up with this festive environment, Live casino is your perfect fit.
Yes. Similar to slots and other popular table games, online craps are powered by sophisticated RNGs able to guarantee absolute randomness of the results, which is the core of the fair play.
Despite the fact, at the majority of places you pay the 5% vig after the win, it is important to know that for a Buy bet it is calculated on the amount you bet, not the amount you win.
If you luckily live not far from a land-based casino, then there is no better way to study the game taking free lessons complemented by an authentic Vegas atmosphere. Offered usually in the mornings, they are a great opportunity to master your skills and get your every question answered.
In the case, your neighborhood lacks brick-and-mortar establishments, simply take advantage of free titles available at numerous online gambling platforms, all the more so, your options here are truly unrestricted.
Some casinos have minimums for their Buy bets and usually, you cannot buy, let’s say, the 4 or 10 bet for less than $20 or $25.
Yes. Buy bets can be made, removed, increased/decreased at any time. If you have already paid the 5% vig (at some casinos they charge it up front), you still can remove your Buy bet and get back the vig.
Yes. The huge popularity of this game among the gambling community cannot be ignored, hence numerous web-based venues offer a wide variety of both deposit and non-deposit bonuses.
When used wisely, they can be a way past handy giving you more opportunities not only to study and practice on the house but also get some fuel for your bankroll.
Yes. Nowadays, smartphones are our life, so fun-on-the-go is not a luxury, it is a requirement. You can easily access extensive libraries of mobile casinos and enjoy your favorite game literally anytime and anywhere.
