More Crazy Crapper Bets To Avoid

Last week, you learned that there are some bets on the craps layout that are so awful they are called "crazy crapper" bets. Those are the proposition bets in the middle of the table. Most of them are one-time bets, meaning that you either win or lose on the next roll of the dice.

But not the hardway bets. There, you’re simply trying to roll a "hard" 4, 6, 8 or 10 before its "easy" way or a 7 rolls. Your bet stays on the felt until a decision is made. The house edge is 9.09 percent on the hard 6 or 8 and 11.11 percent on the hard 4 or 10.

As outrageous as that is, it gets worse. The absolutely worst bet on the felt is the Any Seven bet. It’s a simple bet. You’re betting that the next roll of the dice will be a 7 in any combination. If it rolls, your bet is paid 4-to-1. If any other number rolls, you lose.

But the 7 rolls more than any other single number, so why is this such a bad bet?

To answer that question, we need to review some basics. There are 36 possible ways that the dice can land, from one way each for a 2 or a 12 to five ways each for the 6 and 8. And don’t forget the 7; it can roll six different ways. So, out of a possible 36 different combinations, 30 will lose, six will win. That’s 30-to-6 or 5-to-1. See where I’m going with this?

The payout is 4-to-1, yet the odds against your connecting with a 7 are 5-to-1. A horrendous 16.67 percent house edge. For every $100 you bet on Any Seven, you will lose $16.67!

So why make an Any Seven bet? The Any Seven is usually used as a hedge bet or insurance when trying to make the point number. But that’s a poor excuse for making this bet.

By the way, on a lot of tables, I’ve seen this bet called Big Red. That’s because superstition dictates the word "seven" not be uttered at any time other than on the comeout.

There are certainly a lot more of these crazy crapper bets. Let’s see how many I can run through before I run out of space.

Any craps: Betting that the next roll will be either a 2, 3 or 12. Pays 7-to-1. True odds are 8-to-1. House advantage is 11.11 percent.

Betting the 2, 3, 11 or 12: Betting that the next roll will be whichever of these numbers you choose. Correct odds against either the 2 or 12 are 35-to-1. The casino pays only 30-to-1; house advantage is 13.89 percent.

True odds against either the 3 or 11 being tossed are 17-to-1. The house pays off at 15-to-1, giving it 11.11 percent.

Horn bet: This one is very interesting. With this one, you can bet on the 2, 3, 11 and 12 at one time. That means that you have to wager in increments of $4. Toss your money toward the stickman and tell him either "horn bet" or "around the horn." He’ll divide your $4 into four $1 bets and put each on the 2, 3, 11 and 12. If one of those numbers rolls, you’ll win at whatever horrible rate we’ve already studied, plus you lose each of the other three bets. But, of course, you could lose all four bets.

I could bore you with the house edges for any one number winning, but it bores even me simply thinking about it. Just do me a favor and stay away from this one.

Whew; there, I did it. Those are all the center proposition bets, from hardways to Big Red to Any Craps to Horn. They can all be made at or below table minimums. Only one, the hardways, has any usefulness, which we’ll study later. Forget the rest.

Until next week, may the dice be kind to you.