The Advantage of Put Bets in Craps

by Larry Edell, published on Wednesday, October 3 2001

For example, if you have not placed a pass-line bet and the shooter rolls a point of six, you can then put a bet on the pass line, with the appropriate odds. However, this bet loses the advantage a pass-line player has before the point is established, so it has gone unused in most craps games. Today, though, we see casinos offering 5X, 10X and 100X odds on pass line bets. These extra odds offset the players advantage before the come-out roll for pass line bets if the point is six or eight. The house advantage for pass line players is 1.4 and, for placing the six or eight it is 1.5. On a 10X odds table, if you wait for a six or eight point and then make a put bet for $5, you can take $50 in odds behind the line. The house advantage here drops way down to .82! And, on a 100X odds table, it drops even further, way down to .09! Some casinos do not know what a put bet is, so just ask the dealer if you can make a pass line bet with full odds after the point is established. I’ve found that if one dealer at a particular casino will not allow put bets, I just go to a different table and ask someone else. The more experienced dealers will let you make a put bet, and it is becoming more popular, especially in casinos that offer 100X or “unlimited” odds. The big advantage to put bets is that you get to choose your own point numbers. The disadvantage is that you lose out on come out sevens and elevens. But remember, you don’t add odds until the point is established, so on comeout sevens and elevens, all you win is your flat bet. On a 10X table, I would rather increase the chances of winning my odds bets, and I have a better chance of doing that with the six or eight. So the next time you play at a 10X odds casino, give put bets a try! And, as always, good luck at the tables!