A place bet is a craps wager on one box number: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10. You win if that number rolls before 7. You lose if 7 rolls first. Place 6 and Place 8 are the strongest standard place bets; Place 4 and Place 10 are much weaker unless bought correctly.
Quick Facts
- Place bets are made after the come-out roll, once a point is on.
- You can place 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10.
- You win when your chosen number rolls before 7.
- You lose when 7 rolls before your number.
- Place 6 and 8 usually pay 7:6 and carry about 1.52% house edge.
- Place 5 and 9 usually pay 7:5 and carry about 4.00% house edge.
- Place 4 and 10 usually pay 9:5 and carry about 6.67% house edge.
Plain Talk
Place bets are the casino-floor version of saying: “I think this number will show before the seven.”
They are not the same as the Pass Line. The Pass Line starts on the come-out roll and follows the full point cycle. A place bet is simpler. You pick one number, the dealer positions your chips on that number, and the bet waits.
If your number rolls, you get paid and the bet usually stays up unless you tell the dealer to take it down. If 7 rolls, the dealer clears the place bet.
That simplicity is why beginners like place bets. They are easy to see. They are easy to call. They create steady action. But the numbers are not equal. The 6 and 8 appear more often than the 4 and 10, and the payouts do not fully compensate for that difference.
The Wizard of Odds craps basics lists standard craps bets and payouts, while the Wizard of Odds house-edge appendix shows why place bets must be separated by number. For formal table procedure and wager categories, the Massachusetts craps and mini-craps rules are useful regulatory reading.
This page is about the place-bet family. For the full table map, start with the craps guide. For dice probability, read craps odds. For long-term cost, use the craps house edge page.
How It Works
A place bet is active only after the bet is placed and booked by the dealer.
Typical sequence:
- A point is established.
- You say, “Place the six,” “Place the eight,” or “Place the five and nine.”
- The dealer takes your chips and puts them in the correct box-number area.
- If your number rolls before 7, the dealer pays you.
- If 7 rolls first, the dealer takes the bet.
- If another box number rolls, your place bet simply waits.
The numbers are grouped by probability.
| Place number | Dice combinations | Standard payout | Approx. house edge | Plain-English quality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 or 8 | 5 each | 7:6 | 1.52% | Best standard place bets |
| 5 or 9 | 4 each | 7:5 | 4.00% | Playable but expensive |
| 4 or 10 | 3 each | 9:5 | 6.67% | Weak as place bets |
The seven has 6 combinations. That matters because every place bet is racing one number against the 7.
For the 6, there are 5 winning combinations and 6 losing combinations. The casino pays 7:6, not the true fair price of 6:5. That difference creates the edge.
For the 4, there are only 3 winning combinations against 6 losing combinations. True odds would be 2:1. The place bet pays 9:5, which is worse than 2:1. That is why the 4 and 10 are poor place bets.
Craps Table Example
You buy in for $300 on a $15 minimum table. The point is 9. You want some action without learning Come bets yet.
You say:
“Place the six and eight for $18 each.”
The dealer places $18 on the 6 and $18 on the 8.
Your action:
| Bet | Amount | Wins if | Loses if | Pays |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Place 6 | $18 | 6 before 7 | 7 before 6 | $21 |
| Place 8 | $18 | 8 before 7 | 7 before 8 | $21 |
If the shooter rolls 8, the dealer pays $21 and leaves your $18 working. If the next roll is 6, the dealer pays another $21. If the next roll is 7, both $18 bets are lost.
You did not need to understand the whole Pass Line cycle to make the bet. But you did put $36 into action, and that action is exposed to the seven every roll.
From the Casino Side:
Base dealers care about correct bet positioning, correct units, and clean payouts.
Place 6 and 8 should be made in multiples of $6 because the payout is 7:6. A $12 place 6 pays $14. An $18 place 6 pays $21. A $30 place 6 pays $35. If a player throws $15 and says “place the six,” the dealer may correct it, round it by house policy, or set it in a way that produces an awkward payout.
Place 5 and 9 are cleaner in multiples of $5 because they pay 7:5. Place 4 and 10 are also usually handled in $5 units because they pay 9:5.
The boxman or floor watches for late bets, unclear calls, wrong payouts, and players reaching into the layout after the dice move. Surveillance watches whether the dealer booked the bet before the roll. A place bet shouted while the dice are already in the air can become a dispute fast.
Common Mistakes
- Treating all place bets as equal because they look similar on the layout.
- Placing the 4 and 10 instead of understanding buy bets.
- Betting odd amounts that create messy payouts.
- Forgetting that place bets usually stay up after a win.
- Pressing every hit without realizing total action is growing.
- Thinking a place bet is protected because it has already hit once.
- Making late calls when the dice are moving.
Hard Truth
Place bets feel controlled because you choose the number. The dice do not care. The only control you really have is which price you accept and how much action you put on the layout.
FAQ
What is a place bet in craps?
A place bet is a wager that a chosen box number, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10, will roll before 7.
Which place bets are best?
Place 6 and Place 8 are the best standard place bets because they have about a 1.52% house edge.
Which place bets are worst?
Place 4 and Place 10 are the worst standard place bets, with about a 6.67% house edge when paid 9:5.
Do place bets work on the come-out roll?
Usually they are off on the come-out roll unless you tell the dealer they are working. House procedure can vary, so listen to the dealer.
Do place bets stay up after winning?
Usually yes. The dealer pays the win and leaves the original bet working unless you say “take it down” or “same bet off.”
Are place bets better than Pass Line bets?
Not as a general rule. Place 6 and 8 are close in quality, but the Pass Line has about a 1.41% house edge and can be combined with odds.
Can place bets beat craps?
No. They can reduce cost when used carefully, but they are still negative-expectation casino bets.
Deeper Insight
Place bets are popular because they give the player immediate visibility. You can point to the number. You can hear the dealer call the payout. You can press, collect, take down, or move bets.
That visibility is not the same as mathematical strength.
The hidden engine is the race between your selected number and the 7. The 7 always has 6 combinations. Your chosen number has fewer combinations: 5 for 6/8, 4 for 5/9, and 3 for 4/10.
The casino could pay each place bet at true odds and have no edge. It does not. The underpayment is small on the 6 and 8, bigger on the 5 and 9, and serious on the 4 and 10.
That creates a useful player lesson: the same bet type can have very different quality depending on the number. “Place bets” is not one house edge. It is a family of prices.
Formula / Calculation
P(number before 7) = number combinations / (number combinations + 7 combinations)
For Place 6:
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 = 1.52%
Expected loss example:
Expected Loss = Total Amount Wagered × House Edge
If you resolve $600 of Place 6 action:
$600 × 0.0152 = $9.12 expected loss
Formula Explanation in Plain English
The formula compares how often your number wins the race against how often the 7 wins the race. The payout should compensate you for being less likely to win. On the 6 and 8, the casino underpays you only a little. On the 4 and 10, it underpays much more.
Related Reading
Start with the full craps guide if you want the whole game flow. Use craps odds to understand the dice combinations behind each place number, then check craps house edge for the long-term cost. The next natural pages are Place 6 and Place 8, Place 5 and Place 9, and Place 4 and Place 10. For practical numbers, test your session with the craps odds calculator or the expected loss calculator. If you think a “press every hit” system changes the math, read why betting systems fail.