Facts About the Field Bet at Craps

In the game of casino craps, there are many superstitions, myths, and fallacies.

QUESTION: I really enjoy playing craps. The game is exciting. There is lots of camaraderie. Most important, though, there are so many ways to win.

I just discovered the field bet recently. What a great way to win. You get paid when a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 is rolled. In fact, the casino where I play has a field bet that pays double on the 2 and triple if a 12 is rolled. The only way to lose is if a 5, 6, 7, or 8 is rolled. You win on seven numbers and lose on only four.

I have noticed that many players do not take advantage of this great bet. The casinos must be losing money on this bet. Am I missing something?

ANSWER: You are right. The field bet wins if a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 is thrown. It pays on all but four numbers. But you are missing something as well. The numbers that lose appear more often than the numbers that win.

Here are the facts about the field bet.

There are 36 possible combinations for two six-sided dice. Here is the breakdown of the resulting numbers with their combinations.

2 – one combination: 1-1
3 – two combinations: 1-2, 2-1
4 – three combinations: 1-3, 2-2, 3-1
5 – four combinations: 1-4, 2-3, 3-2, 4-1
6 – five combinations: 1-5, 2-4, 3-3, 4-2, 5-1
7 – six combinations: 1-6, 2-5, 3-4, 4-3, 5-2, 6-1
8 – five combinations: 2-6, 3-5, 4-4, 5-3, 6-2
9 – four combinations: 3-6, 4-5, 5-4, 6-3
10- three combinations: 4-6, 5-5, 6-4
11 – two combinations: 5-6, 6-5
12 – one combination: 6-6

The bets win or lose based on the frequency of appearance, not on the count of the numbers.

Winning number frequency out of 36:
2 1
3 2
4 3
9 4
10 3
11 2
12 1
Total 16

Losing number frequency:
5 4
6 5
7 6
8 5
Total 20

Winning occurrences 16, losing 20, total 36.

Rather than counting the numbers that win, the times the number appears is what matters. Out of 36 perfectly distributed rolls of the dice the field bet will be a winner 16 times and a loser 20 times.

If each of the field bet winning number paid even money, the house edge would be 11.11 percent – a truly terrible return for the player.

To keep the player at the table a little longer, most casinos lowered the negative impact by paying 2-to-1 for the 2 and 12. This cut the house edge in half to 5.56 percent. Better than place bets on the 4 and 10.

When the pay for the 2 or 12 is raised to 3-to-1 and the other pays 2-to-1, the field bet pays 2.78 percent. Not too bad, but still a house edge.

It is a much better bet than the standard field bet. Your money will last twice as long. It is now a better bet than placing the 5 or 9 at a 4 percent house edge.

Is the field bet – even a field bet that pays 3-to-1 for the 2 or 12 a good bet?

Not really. There are so many better bets available.

• Field bets are one-roll bets, pass, don’t pass, come, don’t come, place, and lay bets, on average, are not. The field bet house edge will eat away at the bankroll much more quickly.

• Pass line and come bets – house edge of 1.41 percent with no odds and .61 percent with double odds.

• Place the 6 or 8 – house edge of 1.52 percent.

• Buy the 4 or 10 when the vig is taken on a win only – house edge under two percent.

As is true with so many things in life, if it sounds to good to be true, it probably isn’t true.

As always, may all your wins be swift and large, and your losses be slow and small.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. He authored the video poker section of “Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo, and Pai Gow Poker!” You can contact Jerry “Stickman” at stickmanjerryg@gmail.com

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.