Buy Bets vs Place Bets in Craps: Which Is Better?

Buy bets and Place bets are the two most confused wagers on the craps table. They win or lose on the same outcomes, and unlike pass and come bets, they can be made on the 4/5/6/8/9/10 at any time without a point established. (By default they’re left off during the come-out roll unless you ask the dealer to keep them working.) Because there’s no separate area for them and they behave alike, they’re easy to mix up. Many players just ask, “Which is better?” The truth is each has its place: a buy bet is smart on some numbers and a poor deal on others, and the same is true of place bets.

This guide shows how to tell them apart, which to make, and when.

Quick Answer: Buy Bet vs Place Bet

What Is a Place Bet?

A place bet is a wager on any number between 4 and 10, excluding 7. You win if your chosen number rolls before a 7. But you get altered payout odds, which expose you to the house edge.

What Is a Buy Bet?

Like a place bet, a buy bet is a wager on any number between 4 and 10 except 7, winning if your number appears before a 7. But it pays true mathematical odds i.e., zero house edge on the payout itself. The catch: you pay a 5% commission (the “vig” or “vigorish”) to the casino.

The Main Difference

Here are the three main differences between Buy Bets and Place Bets.

1. Buy bets pay true odds

2. Place bets pay reduced odds

3. Buy bets require commission

The table below shows the payouts for Place Bets and Buy Bets on each number you can wager on.

Bet on a number	Place Bet Payout	Buy Bet Payout
4	9:5	2:1
5	7:5	3:2
6	7:6	6:5
8	7:6	6:5
9	7:5	3:2
10	9:5	2:1

What Is a Place Bet in Craps?

A place bet is a popular craps wager where you pick a number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) and bet it will roll before a 7.

Here’s how it works, using the most popular numbers 6 and 8. Say you’re at a $10-minimum table and want $12 on the 8. Put $12 in chips on the felt and tell the dealer, “Place the 8.” The dealer moves your chips into the “8” box. The shooter rolls: if an 8 hits, you win; if a 7 rolls, you lose; on any other number, nothing happens and your bet stays up.

Outcome 1: A 4 is rolled. Nothing happens to your bet.

Outcome 2: A 6 is rolled. Nothing happens to your bet.

Outcome 3: An 8 is rolled. You win.

Place Bet Payouts

Place payouts are reduced from true odds. In the example above, the true payout on an 8 would be 6:5, but a place bet pays 7:6, so your $12 returns $14.

The math of 7:6 can be confusing, but 7:6 means that you get paid $7 for every $6 wagered (an extra $1 for every $6). For that reason, it’s beneficial to wager in $6 increments on the 6 and 8. That’s why we used $12 in our example above, because it is an increment of $6. If you bet $11, for instance, (which is not an increment of 6) this is an improper bet, and pays $12, only an extra $1. So, by increasing to $12, you’ll win an extra $2 when your number hits, an extra $3 for an $18 bet, an extra $4, for a $24 bet, etc.

[This table is the same as the one above it, with only the heading of the 3^rd column changed]

Advantages of Place Bets

1. Place bets are flexible. You have total control over the bet. At any point between rolls, you can request your wager back by telling the dealer to take your bet down. E.g "Take my 8 down." You can also make your bet inactive for a few rolls by saying, “Turn my bets off” if you don't think the shooter will roll anything in your favor, and you can also make it active again later by saying, “Turn my bets back on”.

2. The house edge when you place bet on the 6 or 8 is low (1.52%).

3. The shooter doesn't need to establish a point number before a place bet becomes valid.

Disadvantages of Place Bets

• It pays less than the true odds

What Is a Buy Bet in Craps?

A buy bet pays true odds on the numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 if your number rolls before a 7 in exchange for a 5% commission (the “vig”).

The most-bought numbers are 4 and 10. To buy the 10 for $20, put $20 in chips down and say, “Buy the 10 for $20.” The dealer moves your chips into the “10” box and adds a small “BUY” button.

One of two things happens next:

You can be asked to pay Vig Upfront (this is better for the casino), which will equal $1 for your $20 bet, or be asked to pay Vig on Win Only (this is better for the player). You only pay the $1 if the shooter rolls a 10 before 7.

Why Casinos Charge a Commission

A buy bet pays true odds, so the payout itself has no house edge. Casinos are businesses, so they take the 5% commission as their margin, that commission is the entire source of the house edge on a buy bet.

Advantages

• Like Place bets, Buy bets are also flexible. You can activate or deactivate them.
• Buy bets pay out true odds

Disadvantages

• In some casinos, you have to pay vig up front (this is better for the casino)
• It often requires a higher minimum bet due to the commission. For the house to get a $1 Commission, you have to bet at least $20.

Buy Bet Payouts Explained

Buy Number	Payout	True Odds
4	2:1	2:1
5	3:2	3:2
9	3:2	3:2
10	2:1	2:1

Buying the 4 or the 10

The 4 and 10 both pay true odds of 2 to 1.

Example:

You Bet: $20

The Roll outcome: The shooter rolls a 4 (or a 10).

The Payout: 2:1. You get paid $40 ($20 x 2).

Commission: If you are to pay Vig on Win Only, you hand the dealer a $1 chip, and they give you a net profit of $39. However, if you pay Vig Upfront, it means you have already paid $1 to set the buy bet. The dealer gives you $40 for winning. Your net profit is still $39.

*Note about buying the 4 and 10: most casinos have a policy to auto-buy the 4 and 10 starting at $20, meaning that if you bet $20 or more on the 4 and/or 10, it will automatically be considered a buy bet, and subject to the 5% commission ($1 for every $20, $5 for every $100, etc).

Buying the 5 or the 9

The 5 and 9 both pay true odds of 3 to 2.

Example:

You Bet: $20

The Roll outcome: The shooter rolls a 5 (or a 9).

The Payout: 3 to 2. So, you get paid (20/2) x 3 = $30

Commission: If you are to pay vig on win only, you hand the dealer a $1 chip, and they give you a net profit of $29. However, if you pay vig upfront, the dealer gives you $30, bringing your net profit to $29.

*Note about buying the 5 and 9: almost every casino charges vig up front on the 5 and 9, so usually it will better to place them, but always ask, just in case.

Buy Bets vs Place Bets: House Edge Comparison

The house edge depends on the number and on whether the casino takes its 5% commission up front or only on a win:

Number	Place Bet House Edge	Buy Bet House Edge (Vig Upfront)	Buy Bet House Edge (Vig on Win Only)
4 or 10	6.67%	4.76%	1.67%
5 or 9	4%	4.76%	2.00%
6 or 8	1.52%	4.76%	2.27%

From the table above, we can deduce that numbers 6 or 8 offer the lowest house edge for place bets, while 4 or 10 offer the lowest house edge on buy bets when the casino's rules state that commissions are paid on winnings.

When Is a Buy Bet Better Than a Place Bet?

Remember, you can buy bet or place bet on numbers 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. But these are the best wagers you should go for:

Buy the 4 and 10

Don’t place the 4 or 10, that’s a 6.67% edge. Buy them instead. With “vig on win only,” the edge drops to 1.67%, one of the best bets on the table.

This strategy starts at the $20 mark, because buying for $20 means you’ll pay a $1 vig. If you try to buy for less than $20, let’s say $10 for example, the vig is only fifty cents, but craps tables don’t have fifty cent coins or chips on them anymore, so they’ll round the vig up to $1 anyway, which makes the vig a whopping 10%! So, for less than $20, a place bet on the 4 and 10 is fine, but once you get to $20, make sure it’s a buy bet.

Buy the 5 and 9

Placing the 5 or 9 is a 4.00% edge. If the table charges “vig on win only,” buying them drops it to 2.00%, so buy. If the vig is charged up front (4.76%), place them instead. As mentioned in the earlier note, the latter will be the case almost all of the time. Some casinos don’t even allow buy bets on the 5 and 9 to avoid any confusion.

Place the 6 and 8

Never buy the 6 or 8. Place them for a low 1.52% edge and they’re among the most common rolls.

Casino Vig Variations and Impact

When the vig is charged up front, the buy-bet edge is a high 4.76%. When it’s charged only on wins, it drops to 1.67% on the 4/10, 2.00% on the 5/9, and 2.27% on the 6/8.

The most common policy on craps tables across the country is to charge after the win on the 4 and 10, and pay up front on the others.

Example: $25 Place Bet vs $25 Buy Bet

$25 Wager	Place Bet Payout (Adjusted Odds)	Place Bet Profit	Buy Bet Payout (True Odds)	Buy Bet Profit
4 or 10	9:5	$45	2:1	$48.75 ($50 − $1.25 vig)
5 or 9	7:5	$35	3:2	$36.25 ($37.50 − $1.25 vig)

Note: many casinos round the $1.25 vig down to $1, which nudges the buy profits up to $49 and $36.50 and lowers the effective commission to 4%. It’s also possible though, that they’ll round up and charge $2 for a $1.25 commission. Unless you already know that they round down, it’s advisable to bet in $20 increments to avoid any confusion or conflict on the matter, and keeps the math steady and consistent.

Which Earns More Money?

On the 4 or 10, once you get to $20, the buy bet clearly pays better than the place bet.

Common Mistakes Craps Players Make

Below are the top mistakes that players make at the craps table

Ignoring Commission Costs

You might think that 5% commission is only small if your bet size is small and that the higher your bet, the higher the commission. That’s an easy trap to fall into, but 5% is always 5%, no matter how much you bet, so don’t forget that that 5%, and when it’s collected affects the house edge a great deal. It might require some research, but try to seek out tables where you don’t have to pay commission upfront.

Assuming Buy Bets Are Always Better

If you are wagering on numbers 4 or 10, go for a buy bet. It is the best move, but for numbers 6 or 8, a place bet is the better wager.

Not Understanding Local Casino Rules

Craps table rules can vary from one casino to another. Ensure you understand the rules relevant to your table before playing. Rules like when commission is collected, and whether they round up or down on odd commissions is important.

Buying the Wrong Numbers

The 6 and 8 are always the wrong numbers to buy, place them instead.

Best Strategy for Most Players

Combining Place and Buy Bets

Place the 6 and 8 (1.52%). Buy the 4 and 10 (1.67% with “vig on win only”). For the 5 and 9, let the vig policy decide: buy them if you can find a casino where the vig is on wins only (2.00%), but place them if the vig is charged up front (4.00% vs 4.76%).

Lower House Edge Approach

The closer to 0% the house edge is, the better it is for the player. Target bets with a lower house edge, which are: the Place Bets on 6 and 8 (1.52%), Pass Line / Come Bets (1.41%), Don't Pass / Don't Come Bets (1.36% House Edge), and Free Odds Bet (0.00%). The pass line with the max odds the casino allows is one of the best bets you can find in the pit.

Conservative Approach

Craps is not a skill game. Manage your bankroll by being conservative with your bets.

Conclusion

Buy bets and place bets are near-identical wagers that differ only in payout odds and commission. Buy bets pay true odds; place bets pay reduced odds; buy bets cost a 5% vig, up front or on wins. The best approach: buy the 4 and 10, place the 6 and 8, and let the casino’s commission rules decide the 5 and 9.

Frequently Asked Questions