- Pays
- 7 to 6
- House edge
- 1.52%
- Decided by
- Number or 7
- Can be made
- Any roll
How a place bet works
Put your chips in the Come area in front of the dealer and say what you want, for example place the 6 and 8. The dealer moves them onto the edge of the number boxes, in the spot that marks your position at the rail. Unlike a come bet, there is no traveling roll first: the bet is live immediately.
From there it is simple. Your number rolls, you get paid and the bet stays up for another go. A 7 rolls, and every place bet on the layout loses. Anything else leaves it alone. Because it is not a contract bet, you can move it, raise it, lower it or take it down between rolls.
Place bet payouts and house edge by number
| Number | Pays | Bet unit | Unit win | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 9 to 5 | $5 | $9 | 6.67% |
| 5 or 9 | 7 to 5 | $5 | $7 | 4.00% |
| 6 or 8 | 7 to 6 | $6 | $7 | 1.52% |
The payouts sit just below true odds, and the gap is the house edge. A fair payout on the 4 would be 2 to 1; the casino pays 9 to 5. On the 6 and 8 the fair price is 6 to 5 and the table pays 7 to 6, a much smaller shortfall.
Units matter: $6 multiples on the 6 or 8, $5 multiples elsewhere. A $5 bet on the 6 usually gets paid just $5, since 7 to 6 on five dollars leaves an odd amount. At even money on a number that loses six ways to five, it costs 9.09%, the same as a Big 6.
| Bet | Pays | House edge | Per roll |
|---|---|---|---|
| Place 4 | 9 to 5 | 6.67% | 1.67% |
| Place 5 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% | 1.11% |
| Place 6 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% | 0.46% |
| Place 8 | 7 to 6 | 1.52% | 0.46% |
| Place 9 | 7 to 5 | 4.00% | 1.11% |
| Place 10 | 9 to 5 | 6.67% | 1.67% |
Across, inside and outside
Dealers use shorthand for common spreads. Inside means the 5, 6, 8 and 9, usually $22 for the set: $5 on each of the 5 and 9, $6 on each of the 6 and 8. Across means all six numbers, $32 in the same units. Outside means the 4, 5, 9 and 10, the most expensive group to hold.
The costs differ a lot. Across carries the full 6.67% on two of its bets, and those two numbers dilute the cheap 6 and 8. Placing only the 6 and 8 for $12 keeps the whole spread at 1.52%. If you like having many numbers covered, the Iron Cross adds the Field instead, at its own higher price.
Are place bets working on the come-out roll?
By default, no. When a new come-out begins, place bets are off: they stay on the layout but do not win or lose on that roll. A seven on the come-out leaves them untouched, which suits most players, because the same seven wins the pass line. A 6 on the come-out does not pay a place 6 either.
You can call your place bets working if you want action on the come-out, and the dealer will mark them with a small On button. It is taste rather than math, since the edge is the same on every roll. But a working 6 and 8 makes the come-out riskier: a seven wins the line and kills the numbers.
The reverse works too. Mid-hand you can tell the dealer your bets are off for a roll or two, maybe while a new shooter settles in. They stay on the felt, protected from the seven, until you turn them back on. Taking them down returns the chips; turning them off only pauses the action.
Pressing and regressing a place bet
Pressing means using a win to raise the bet. Your $6 place 6 wins $7. Say press it, and the dealer adds $6 of the winnings to make it $12 and hands you $1. The next hit pays $14. Every press raises what one seven will cost you, though, so the profit is never locked in until you take it.
Regressing works the other way. Start with $12 on each of the 6 and 8, $24 in all. The 6 rolls and pays $14, and you ask the dealer to come down to $6 on each number. You pocket $26, the win plus $12 returned, with $12 still working. You are already ahead of your original $24.
Neither move changes the house edge, which stays at 1.52% on every dollar on the 6. They change the shape of your results. Pressing brings rare big nights and frequent losing ones; regressing brings many small wins and fewer blowouts. Choose the one that matches how you feel about a seven-out, not the one a system seller calls a winner.
Place vs buy: when the buy bet is the better deal
Every place number can also be bought. A buy bet pays true odds, 2 to 1 on the 4 or 10, less a 5% commission. On the outside numbers that is a far better deal: buying the 4 or 10 with the commission taken on wins costs 1.67%, against 6.67% for placing them.
Placing the 6 costs 1.52%; buying it costs 2.27% even with the commission on wins. So place the 6 and 8, buy the 4 and 10, and check the house rule on the 5 and 9, where the answer depends on when the commission is collected. The buy page works through each number in detail.
Place bets in real casinos and online
Place bets are available in every casino pit and in licensed online craps in New Jersey, Michigan, Pennsylvania and West Virginia. Each state regulator, such as the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement, approves the game rules, and every game’s help screen lists its place payouts. Check that they match the craps payouts shown above before you play.
At a live table, say your bet clearly before the dice go out and wait for the dealer to set it. Tossing chips onto the numbers yourself earns a stern look. When a number hits, the dealer will usually ask same bet or press, so decide before the roll what your answer will be and say it quickly.