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How Proposition Casino Craps Bets Work.

February 10, 2009

You don’t have to play craps for too long before you hear about the proposition bets.  It is probably the kind of bet  you see the big risk takers  playing, and it is probably the bet you see wipe people out more than any other.  Proposition bets have their proponents but there are plenty of people who dismiss them as sucker bets.  The truth is, as with so many things, somewhere in between the two extremes.  If you ever wondered how craps proposition bets work, or if they are right for you, keep reading.  Even if you think you know everything about them, you just might change your stance.

To start with, we need to understand what proposition bets really are.  They do not have points like line or come bets.  They do not lose by ‘sevening out’ either.  These bets do not have any of the features, often found in other types of bets, which involve sitting around waiting; each roll counts.  The term ‘Proposition bets’ is really a category that covers both ‘hardway bets’ and ‘one roll bets’.  These are two starkly different types of bets, only related to each other because of their high risk/ high yield profiles.

Hardway bets are just what the name says.  By making a hardway bet, you are wagering that you will roll a specific number the hard way (via doubles).  These bets can be made on the number 4, 6, 8, or 10 and obviously these numbers have to be rolled with doubles.  If the number is shown, you get a big payout (not quite fair odds, but from 7 to 1, all the way to 9 to 1).   If the number you are betting on is rolled, but not via doubles, you lose.  If a seven is rolled you lose.  Otherwise your bet remains on the table.  The house edge on these hardway bets vary from 9% to over 11%, which is fairly high for the game of craps.

Hardway bets still are not risky enough for you?  No problem.  It’s sister proposition bet, the one roll bet, is as risky as it gets.  These payouts can get as high as 30 to 1 and house edges are pushing 17%!  These also might be the simplest bets at the table.  You pick what you believe the next roll will be, and if you are right, you win big.  If any other number is shown you lose and your bet is cleared from the table.

Proposition bets probably should not be your go-to bets, but they are a great way to spice things up.  Even the most careful players can find a place in their game where proposition bets fit in.  If you plan on playing craps with a lot of proposition bets you should keep them relatively small.  With one roll bets specifically, if you are losing your bets every roll, you had better have a pretty hefty bankroll to keep in the game.  It can be easy to bet away your whole stack in just a couple of rounds.

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