The difference between place and buy in craps centers on commission structure and payout method. Place bets pay simplified odds with built-in house edge, while buy bets pay true odds but charge a 5 percent commission. For 4 and 10, buy bets deliver superior value. For 5, 6, 8, and 9, place bets prove more economical. Understanding when commission costs exceed edge reduction determines the optimal number betting strategy.

What Is a Place Bet in Craps

Place bets allow wagering on specific numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) without waiting for a come-out roll or Come bet to establish the point.

Place Bet Mechanics

Players hand chips to the dealers and specify which number to place. The bet wins if that number rolls before a 7, and loses when 7 appears first. Place bets remain active until they win, lose, or the player calls them down.

Payouts use simplified odds rather than true mathematical probability. Place bets on 6 and 8 return 7:6, while true craps odds are 6:5. Place bets on 5 and 9 return 7:5 versus true odds of 3:2. Place bets on 4 and 10 return 9:5 compared to true odds of 2:1. This payout compression creates the house edge.

Over time, this compression accelerates bankroll decay by reducing the win size on high-frequency outcomes, meaning players must withstand more rolls to achieve the same profit as true-odds bets.

Place Bet Payouts and House Edge

Minimum Bet Requirements

Place bets on 6 and 8 require amounts divisible by 6 to accommodate the 7:6 payout. A $6 place bet on 8 pays $7. Place bets on 5 and 9, using $5 increments, for the 7:5 payout. Place bets on 4 and 10, accept any amount but pay most efficiently in $5 units.

Table minimums affect place bet accessibility differently than line bets. A $10 table doesn’t require $10 place bets on each number. Players can place $6 on 8 and $5 on 5 at the same table, provided individual bets meet the dealer’s minimum threshold for place wagers.

What Is a Buy Bet in Craps

Buy bets function identically to place bets mechanically, but use different payout and fee structures.

Buy Bet Commission Structure

Buy bets pay true mathematical odds but charge a 5 percent commission on the wager amount. This commission can be collected upfront when placing the bet or only on winning bets, depending on the casino’s policy. The timing of commission collection dramatically affects the effective house edge.

Commission timing transparency varies by platform. Digital implementations at the best online casinos display commission structure in game rules, while physical tables require players to ask dealers whether commission applies to all bets or only winners.

Dealers mark buy bets with “BUY” buttons to distinguish them from place bets in the number boxes. Some layouts include dedicated buy bet areas, though most casinos process buy bets in the same number of boxes as place bets, with button markers indicating the bet type.

What Does Buy Mean in Craps

Buying a number means paying for true odds rather than accepting the simplified odds offered on place bets. The 5 percent commission represents the casino’s edge, replacing the built-in edge from reduced payouts.

A $20 buy bet on 4 with upfront commission requires $21 total ($20 bet plus $1 commission). If it wins, the payout is $40 at true odds of 2:1. The same $20 as a place bet requires only $20 but pays $36 at 9:5 odds. The buy bet yields $4 more but costs $1 extra, netting $3 additional profit.

Difference Between Place and Buy in Craps

The mathematical comparison reveals when commission justifies true odds and when simplified payouts prove superior.

House Edge Comparison

Buy bets with upfront commission carry different effective house edges depending on the number: approximately 4.76 percent on 4 and 10, 4.00 percent on 5 and 9, and 2.27 percent on 6 and 8. These differences arise because the fixed commission interacts with each number’s distinct win probability.

When commission is charged only on wins, the effective edge drops. Win-only commission on 4 and 10 produces a 1.67 percent house edge, comparable to the Pass Line with odds (≈1.41%) and materially better than the flat Pass Line bet at 1.41 percent before odds are taken. Win-only commission on 5 and 9 yields 2.0 percent edge, while 6 and 8 carry 2.22 percent edge under this structure.

An analysis published by the UNLV Center for Gaming Research in 2023 found that approximately 68 percent of Nevada casinos charge a buy bet commission upfront, while 32 percent collect only on wins. Because win-only commission is paid on roughly one-third of resolved bets, players reduce commission costs by approximately $167 per 100 buy bets on 4 or 10 compared to upfront collection, assuming standard $20 sizing. This creates a measurable expected value edge that informed players can exploit through casino selection alone.

When Buy Bets Beat Place Bets

For 4 and 10, buy bets always deliver better value than place bets, regardless of commission timing. Place bet edge of 6.67 percent exceeds both the upfront commission (4.76 percent) and the win-only commission (1.67 percent).

For 5 and 9, place bets at 4.0 percent edge, beat upfront commission buy bets at 4.76 percent, but lose to win-only commission buy bets at 2.0 percent. The casino’s commission policy determines the optimal strategy for these middle numbers.

For 6 and 8, place bets at 1.52 percent edge consistently beat buy bets under both commission structures. The place bet advantage on these frequently occurring numbers makes them the foundation of an optimal number-betting strategy.

What Does It Mean to Buy a Number in Craps

Buying numbers signals a willingness to pay commission for improved payouts, but execution requires understanding bet-sizing thresholds.

Commission Calculation Methods

Most safe casinos charge a commission in $1 increments, creating bet-sizing sweet spots. A $20 buy bet pays $1 commission. A $25 buy bet also pays $1 commission because casinos round down, making the effective commission 4 percent.

For buy bets on 4 and 10, optimal bet sizes under upfront commission are $20, $40, and $60. Amounts like $25 or $35 still pay only $1 or $2 commission due to rounding, improving the effective rate.

Why Commission Timing Changes Take-Down Strategy

Unlike place bets that players can freely call down, buy bet strategy around removal depends on commission timing. If the commission was paid upfront, that cost is sunk. Win-only commission structures allow bet removal without cost, fundamentally changing optimal take-down strategy.

Progressive buy-bet systems must account for commission accumulation when pressing after wins.

Place or Buy Craps: Practical Decision Making

Optimal decisions depend on the number of choices, the commission policy, and sizing.

Number-Specific Recommendations

Always place 6 and 8. The 1.52 percent edge represents one of the best values available on the craps table. Buy bets on these numbers never improve on place bet mathematics.

Always buy 4 and 10 when betting amounts justify the commission. Even upfront commission at 4.76 percent beats the 6.67 percent place bet edge. Win-only commission on 4 and 10 produces an elite 1.67 percent edge, rivaling Pass Line bets.

For 5 and 9, the casino policy determines strategy. Place these numbers at casinos charging an upfront buy commission. Buy these numbers at casinos, collecting commission only on wins.

Commission Policy Impact

The commission collection method creates meaningful long-term expected value differences. Over 100 resolved buy bets on 4 or 10, upfront commission costs $500 in fees (assuming $20 bets with $1 commission each). Win-only commission costs approximately $333 because roughly one-third of buy bets win.

This $167 difference per 100 bets compounds significantly, equating to roughly $5–$7 less expected loss per hour at typical live-table pacing. A session involving 30 buy bets on 4 and 10 saves approximately $50 under win-only versus upfront collection.

Craps Buy vs. Place vs. Lay: The Complete Spectrum

Lay bets complete the number betting options by betting against numbers rather than for them.

Lay Bet Mechanics

Lay bets win when 7 rolls before the laid number. The commission applies to potential winnings rather than the amount wagered. Laying 4 to win $20 requires wagering $40 (true 2:1 odds) plus $1 commission on the possible $20 win.

Lay bets can perform during cold streaks dominated by 7, but commission on winnings complicates sizing by forcing profit-first calculations.

Combining Bet Types

Advanced players mix place bets on 6 and 8 with buy bets on 4 and 10, creating coverage on five of the six point numbers while maintaining optimal edge on each. This strategy avoids the 5 and 9 entirely unless playing under win-only commission policies.

Hedge strategies occasionally combine place or buy bets with lay bets on 7, though commission costs on both sides typically create negative expected value scenarios.

Buy Bet in Craps: Advanced Considerations

Bet sizing optimization and awareness of commission thresholds separate informed players from those making suboptimal decisions.

Rounding Advantage Exploitation

At casinos, when commission is rounded to the nearest dollar, a $39 buy bet pays $1 commission (2.56 percent effective rate), whereas a $40 buy bet pays $2 commission (5 percent rate).

Exploiting rounding thresholds ($19, $24, $39, $59) improves commission efficiency compared to flat, uniform bet sizing.

Live Dealer Environment Differences

Physical casino dealers process buy bets manually, which takes time to calculate payouts and apply commissions. This processing speed creates natural pacing that affects total bets per hour.

Streamed tables at live casinos replicate manual processing while displaying automatic commission calculations on-screen, reducing processing time and increasing bet throughput. Higher bet frequency magnifies edge exposure, making commission policy and bet type selection more critical in digital environments.

At 10 additional resolved bets per hour, a 3 percent edge difference translates to roughly $6 more expected loss per hour on $20 wagers, purely from increased pacing.

Choosing Between Place and Buy Strategically

The place versus buy decision hinges on the number selection, the commission structure, and the precision of bet sizing. Buy bets on 4 and 10 deliver measurable value advantages, particularly under win-only commission policies that reduce effective edge to 1.67 percent.

Understanding commission policies makes betting on the 5 and 9 situation-dependent. Identifying win-only commission casinos yields a 2.0 percent edge, which disciplined bet sizing and Pass Line integration help preserve.

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