Place 6 and Place 8 are usually the best standard place bets in craps. Each wins if that number rolls before 7, pays 7:6, and carries about a 1.52% house edge. They are not magic. They are simply priced better than Place 5/9 and much better than Place 4/10.
Quick Facts
- The 6 and 8 each have 5 dice combinations.
- The 7 has 6 dice combinations.
- A Place 6 or Place 8 wins if the number rolls before 7.
- Standard payout is 7:6.
- The common house edge is about 1.52%.
- Proper bet sizes are multiples of $6: $6, $12, $18, $24, $30.
- These bets usually stay up after winning.
Plain Talk
The 6 and 8 are the workhorse place bets.
They hit often enough to feel alive, but not so often that the casino gives them away. Each has 5 ways to roll. The 7 has 6 ways to roll. So when you place the 6 or 8, you are slightly behind in the race.
The casino pays 7:6. That means a $6 bet wins $7, a $12 bet wins $14, and an $18 bet wins $21.
That payout is close to fair, but not perfectly fair. The true odds would be 6:5. The casino pays less than true odds, and that difference creates the house edge.
Compared with most craps bets, Place 6 and Place 8 are clean, visible, and reasonably priced. Compared with an odds bet, they still have an edge against the player. The Wizard of Odds house-edge appendix separates the 6/8 from other place numbers for exactly this reason. The Wizard of Odds expected-value derivations show the same logic by wager, while the Massachusetts craps rules show how wagers and payouts are handled in regulated procedure.
Scope guard: this page is only about placing the 6 and 8. For the full place-bet family, read place bets explained. For all dice probabilities, read craps odds.
How It Works
A Place 6 or Place 8 is a race:
- If your number rolls first, you win.
- If 7 rolls first, you lose.
- If any other number rolls, nothing happens to that bet.
| Bet | Winning roll | Losing roll | Standard payout | Best unit size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place 6 | 6 before 7 | 7 before 6 | 7:6 | Multiples of $6 |
| Place 8 | 8 before 7 | 7 before 8 | 7:6 | Multiples of $6 |
Why multiples of $6? Because the payout is 7 for every 6. If you bet $18, the dealer can pay $21 cleanly. If you bet $15, the payout becomes awkward unless the house has a rounding rule.
Common clean payouts:
| Bet amount | Win pays | Total returned if taken down |
|---|---|---|
| $6 | $7 | $13 |
| $12 | $14 | $26 |
| $18 | $21 | $39 |
| $24 | $28 | $52 |
| $30 | $35 | $65 |
The “total returned” column matters because players often confuse payout with payout plus original bet. When a $18 Place 6 wins, the profit is $21. The original $18 is still your bet unless you take it down.
Craps Table Example
You buy in for $240. The table minimum is $10, but place bets on the 6 and 8 are booked in $12 units.
The point is 5. You say:
“Place the six and eight for twelve each.”
The dealer sets $12 on the 6 and $12 on the 8.
Roll sequence:
| Roll | Result for Place 6 | Result for Place 8 | Dealer action |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | No effect | No effect | Dice continue |
| 8 | No effect | Wins | Pays $14 |
| 10 | No effect | No effect | Dice continue |
| 6 | Wins | No effect | Pays $14 |
| 7 | Loses | Loses | Clears both bets |
You had two hits for $28 profit before the seven-out. But your $24 in active bets was still exposed on every roll. If the 7 had appeared first, the session would feel completely different.
From the Casino Side:
Dealers like Place 6 and 8 when players use correct units. The payout is fast, the layout is familiar, and the call is simple.
Problems start when players make odd amounts, toss late chips, or press without clear instructions. A player says “press it” after a $12 Place 6 wins. Does he mean go to $24? Does he mean press one unit to $18 and collect the rest? Experienced dealers clarify. Good floors prefer clarity over speed when the instruction is ambiguous.
Surveillance watches whether the payout matched the booked amount and whether the bet was on, off, pressed, or taken down before the dice moved. Place bets create many small transactions. Small errors stack up.
Common Mistakes
- Betting $10 or $15 on the 6/8 when the clean unit is usually $6.
- Believing 6 and 8 are “safe” because they roll often.
- Pressing wins automatically without a plan.
- Forgetting the bet remains up after a hit.
- Placing both 6 and 8 with a bankroll too small for the swings.
- Confusing Place 6/8 with buying the 6/8.
- Thinking the 6 and 8 are due because they have not appeared recently.
Hard Truth
Place 6 and 8 are good craps bets only by casino-table standards. “Good” still means the math expects you to lose over enough resolved action.
FAQ
Are Place 6 and Place 8 the best craps bets?
They are among the best standard bets, but Pass Line, Don’t Pass, Come, Don’t Come, and odds bets are usually stronger from a house-edge view.
What does a $12 Place 6 pay?
A $12 Place 6 pays $14 profit. The $12 original bet stays up unless you take it down.
What does an $18 Place 8 pay?
An $18 Place 8 pays $21 profit.
Why do dealers ask for multiples of $6?
Because Place 6 and Place 8 pay 7:6. Multiples of $6 produce clean payouts.
Are 6 and 8 equally likely?
Yes. Each has 5 combinations out of 36 total dice outcomes.
Should beginners place both 6 and 8?
They can, but only with a bankroll that can handle losing both on a seven-out. One number is cheaper than two.
Does Place 6 beat the casino?
No. It has about a 1.52% house edge.
Deeper Insight
Place 6 and Place 8 sit in a useful middle ground. They are easier for beginners than Come bets, but they still have respectable math compared with many center-table wagers.
The key is the price.
The true odds against rolling a 6 before 7 are 6 to 5. There are 6 ways to roll 7 and 5 ways to roll 6. A fair bet would pay $6 profit for every $5 risked, or $7.20 on a $6 stake. The casino pays $7 on a $6 stake.
That missing $0.20 per $6 win cycle is the edge.
The same logic applies to the 8 because it also has 5 combinations. The dice do not favor 6 over 8 or 8 over 6. Players may have superstitions about one being “hot,” but the math is symmetrical.
Formula / Calculation
Dice combinations:
6 = 5 combinations
8 = 5 combinations
7 = 6 combinations
Probability that 6 rolls before 7:
P(6 before 7) = 5 / (5 + 6) = 5 / 11
Expected value on a $6 Place 6 paid $7:
EV = (5/11 × $7) - (6/11 × $6)
EV = $35/11 - $36/11 = -$1/11 = -$0.0909
House edge:
House Edge = $0.0909 / $6 = 1.515%
Rounded:
House Edge ≈ 1.52%
Formula Explanation in Plain English
Out of the meaningful race outcomes, the 6 wins 5 times and the 7 wins 6 times. The casino pays you $7 when you win but takes $6 when you lose. That is close to fair, but the losing side is still slightly heavier.
Related Reading
For the larger bet family, read place bets explained. For the full dice map, use craps odds and the craps odds calculator. For long-term cost, compare this page with craps house edge and the house edge calculator. If you are tempted to press every hit, read why betting systems fail and test the swing with the variance simulator.