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Why do they say to 11 in craps?

freep.com - Yo and Horn bets aren't good for you — or the dealer

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Make Your Bookie Cry And Pull The Hair By Generating $23,187

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By Mark Pilarski

QUESTION: When playing craps, I will occasionally toss in a bet for the dealers. Normally, it is a two-way Yo or a Horn bet if I am making the same. What are your thoughts on these two bets for the dealer? Is there another bet that dealers appreciate even more? — Chase D. ANSWER: Dealers welcome any wager made on their behalf, but they definitely prefer bets made by the player that have a low house edge, such as the Pass, Come, Don't Pass, Don't Come and Placing the 6 or 8. Wagers made on a Yo (craps jargon for an 11) or a Horn bet mean that a significant percentage of your gratuity ends up going to the casino and not to them.

Let's examine both of your wagers.

The Yo 11 bet is one of the most popular bets on a craps game. As its name implies, an 11 must roll in order for this wager to be a winner. This bet is good for only one roll. If it wins, dealers will pay you, and themselves, at 15:1 odds and leave the original bet(s) on the table. You make this bet by tossing two low-value chips on the table, then state "two-way Yo." A dealer will place two Yo bets, one for you and one for the crew. Despite the payout odds on this bet being 15:1, the true odds are 17:1. This means that the house has an 11.11% advantage on this wager. A Horn or craps-11 bet, as it is typically called, is a one-roll wager that on the next roll of the dice their sum will be 2, 3, 11 or 12. If they total anything different (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 or 10), you lose. If 3 or 11 appears, you are paid 15:1. If 2 or 12 rolls, the payoff is 30:1. Horn bets are made in even dollar units, divisible by four, with equal amounts bet on each of the four outcomes. Horn bets are resolved as though four possible winners had been bet individually. Although the payoffs can vary between casinos, the house edge on the bet is more than 12%. Do I recommend either of your two wagers? No! The craps table offers two kinds of one-roll bets: bad and ugly. Your two proposition bets seemingly have lofty payoffs, but the house edge is far too high for you and the dealers to waste your hard-earned money on. For the dealers, any bet is better than no bet at all. Unfortunately, Chase, both of yours are far cries from some of the better bets on the table, such as a 1.36% Pass line bet. Putting the crew on the line with you along with some booties (odds) behind a Pass line bet will get you the accolades and benefits of a member of the ruling class of the craps table. Mark Pilarski is a contributing editor for numerous gambling publications. E-mail questions to pilarski@markpilarski.com.

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