Learn the Three Buy Bets in Craps

Published: June 12, 2014

In the game of craps, there are a ton of different bets, and almost all of them have different payout rates and rules along with different house advantages. This is one of the reasons why some people tend to get intimidated a bit when it comes to learning how to play craps. The buy bets are a good example of some of the seemingly random bets that players miss out on just because there are so many bets to learn. In some games, they can be a very viable option for an easy-to-understand and low-house advantage bet.

The way the buy bet works is that you get to bet on the number 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 coming up before a 7. If your number comes up, then you win a payout that's fair odds minus a five percent commission. If a seven comes up, then you lose your bet. All other totals tie. Sometimes you'll have to always pay the five percent commission on the bet, but some games take it on winning bets only. If they take it on all bets, then avoid the buy bet because the house advantage is too high. We'll look at the house advantages for the win-only commissions here.

The buy bets are paired up like most odds bets. The six and eight bets have the same odds, the five and nine bets have the same odds, and the four and ten bets have the same odds. The house edge on the 6/8 bet is 0.69 percent. It's also 0.56 percent on the 5/9 combination, and a bet on 4/10 will have an advantage of 0.42 percent for the house. These are particularly low, and that makes buy bets a good option for a player who is conscious about getting the most wagering possible for his money.

Something that really makes the buy bet stand out for players is that it's an extremely convenient bet to make. You don't have to wait for a new shooter to start a come out roll like you do with the pass line bet, and while the house advantage is a little higher than that approach, it's still in the range of what you could find with skill-based games like blackjack and video poker if you're a skilled player. Overall, it's a good option if you're looking to find out about what craps is like.