How the game works
A Buy bet is a variation of a Place bet where you pay the casino a 5% commission (the “vig”) in exchange for being paid “True Odds” on a winning number. While a Place bet on the 4 or 10 pays 9:5, a Buy bet on the 4 or 10 pays 2:1. It is a way to mathematically bypass the standard house payout house-edge on specific numbers.
The basic rules
- You can “Buy” any of the point numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.
- You must pay a 5% commission on the amount you wager.
- If the number is rolled before a 7, the bet is paid at true mathematical odds (e.g., 2:1 for the 4/10).
- If a 7 rolls first, you lose the bet.
- You can “take down” or move a Buy bet at any time before it wins or loses.
A typical hand/round
The point is 8. You want to bet on the 10. You drop $20 on the layout and tell the dealer, “Buy the 10.” You also drop a $1 chip for the 5% commission. The dealer places your $20 on the 10 and puts a “BUY” button on top of it. The shooter rolls a 10. Instead of being paid the $36 a Place bet would yield, you are paid $40 (2:1). You keep your $20 bet on the table, and the dealer asks for another $1 vig to keep the bet “active.”
What’s different at different tables
The house edge on Buy bets depends entirely on when the casino collects the vig. At “bad” tables, you pay the 5% when you make the bet (regardless of whether you win). At “good” tables, the casino only charges the 5% vig when you win. Only buying the 4 and 10 is mathematically sound; buying the 5, 6, 8, or 9 is almost always a worse deal than simply Placing those numbers, as the 5% tax outweighs the payout improvement.
Where to go next
Compare this to the Craps Come Bet vs Place Bet breakdown to see which strategy fits your bankroll, or check the Craps Odds Chart for a full payout list.
In Detail
Buy bets are craps with a little receipt attached. The casino offers a better price on the number, then charges you a commission for the privilege.
This page is about buying numbers, especially 4 and 10, instead of placing them. On the surface, that may sound like one small corner of craps, but in a real casino it touches the three things that decide whether a player survives the table: the written rule, the payout, and the way the bet feels when chips are already in action. Craps is dangerous for beginners because a bet can feel smart, social, or lucky while still being badly priced.
The math that matters: Two dice create 36 equally likely ordered combinations. The shape of the game comes from that grid: 7 has 6 combinations, 6 and 8 have 5 each, 5 and 9 have 4 each, 4 and 10 have 3 each, 3 and 11 have 2 each, and 2 and 12 have only 1 each. For a $20 buy 4 with $1 vig paid only on wins, $EV=\frac{3}{9}(40-1)-\frac{6}{9}(20)=-\frac{5}{9}$ dollars per resolved decision. Upfront vig is worse. Expected value is the grown-up way to price a bet: $EV=\sum(P_i\times W_i)-\sum(P_j\times L_j)$. If the payout is smaller than the true probability deserves, the difference is the house edge.
What it means on the felt: A buy bet can be smart when the commission is taken only after a win and the bet size rounds cleanly. A player who understands this subject does not need to act like a robot. You can still enjoy the noise, the shooter, the stick calls, and the little rush when the dice leave the hand. The point is to know when you are paying for entertainment and when you are making a lower-cost decision.
Casino-floor truth: Craps is built to move. The table crew wants clear bets, fast decisions, and clean payouts. The layout also nudges attention toward action. The safest-looking move is not always the cheapest move, and the loudest bet is almost never the best one. Good craps play is not about predicting the next roll. It is about refusing to overpay for it.
The mistake to avoid: Do not hear “buy” and think bargain. Ask when the vig is collected. Also, never judge this topic by one lucky hit or one ugly loss. Short sessions are noisy. The math only shows its face over repeated decisions, which is exactly why casinos are patient and players are usually not.