Because a Buy bet does nothing more than give the house a 5% commission for paying you correct odds on a winning bet, I recommend sticking with wagers that give the house less than a 2% edge, such as a Place bet, but only on the 6 or 8. Stay away from placing the 4 or 10, as the house edge is 6.67%.
QUESTION: I have heard, although not seen, that certain casinos offer different commissions on a 4 and 10 Buy bet. Of three casinos near where I live, all offer a Buy bet with a 5% commission. Was I misinformed? — Nick F.
ANSWER: Essentially, a Buy bet resembles a Place bet except that you pay a 5% commission on the amount of your wager. When you win, you are paid at the true odds, minus, of course, the 5%.
For those buying the 4 or 10, it is advised that you wager at least $20 because the minimal commission the casino will charge you for making a Buy wager is a dollar (5% of $20).
The casino edge on any Buy bet for $20 works out to 4.76%, with smaller wagers increasingly higher.
Because a Buy bet does nothing more than give the house a 5% commission for paying you correct odds on a winning bet, I recommend sticking with wagers that give the house less than a 2% edge, such as a Place bet, but only on the 6 or 8. Stay away from placing the 4 or 10, as the house edge is 6.67%.
Placing the 6 or 8 has a smaller house edge (1.5%) than buying the 4 or 10, and it is also plenty cheap. A Place bet can be made for as little as $6.
My point here is that there are other wagers on a craps game that are far superior to buying the 4, 10 or any number for that matter. But for the exception below, I generally cannot affirm the Buy wager as recommended play.
As to your question, Nick, yes, there are certain casinos that offer a different commission structure on a 4 and 10 Buy bet. Some charge only if you win. When your 4 or 10 are losers, you don’t have to pay the commission, and the house edge drops all the way down to 1.67%, making for a terrific wager.
Longtime readers of this column know the drill and make only wagers on a craps table, or anywhere in the casino, that has less than a 2% house edge. A Buy bet on the 4 or 10, one that is commission-free if you lose, is one that I would recommend adding to your betting repertoire
Q: On a bike trip across France, I stopped in a casino and happened upon a game similar to roulette, but much smaller. Do you know anything about it? The game was closed, and there was no one around to explain what it was. — Jerome P.
A: I believe what you are referring to is Boule (La Boule), which is a simplified version of roulette. Boule is analogous to roulette in that it features a table and a spinning wheel, but it has only nine numbers and three different colors on which you can bet. Boule is played with a large wooden wheel and a rubber ball that’s a bit smaller than a tennis ball.
The game is quite simple, but you can lose a lot of money quickly if you play. Every bet offered has a house edge of 11.11%, which is far worse than roulette (5.26%), or a true European single-zero wheel that offers a rule called “en prison” (1.35%).
Mark Pilarski is a contributing editor for numerous gambling publications. E-mail questions of pilarski@markpilarski.com.
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If you want to win at craps, always prioritize the safest bests on the table, like pass bets or don’t pass bets. You can then increase one of these wagers by adding an odds bet and taking the maximum odds. Avoid risky bets like put bets and prop bets, since these have odds which are strongly in favor of the house. However, you should keep in mind that no matter how you play craps, or any other casino game, the house has the edge, so never play with money that you can’t afford to lose. Keep reading for tips on setting win and loss limits for yourself!
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