What Are Buy Bets? And Are They Smart?

In buy bets, players wager that the shooter will roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 and 10 before they roll a 7. If the point appears before the shooter rolls a 7, the bet wins. If a 7 appears before the point, the bet loses. A buy bet is the same as a place bet, except that players get paid based on true odds of the bet.

The payout odds of each number are in the table below.

Buy Bet Number	Chance of Rolling	Payout
4	8.33%	2:1
5	11.11%	3:2
6	13.88%	6:5
8	13.88%	6:5
9	11.11%	3:2
10	8.33%	2:1

Players are often required to pay a 5% vig upfront. This is the reason why the buy bet pays true odds. Some casinos collect the 5% vig on all buy bets, while some only collect it on winning buy bets. Meanwhile, a few offer the flexibility to adjust the vig to less than 5%, depending on your bet size. Players have the option to add or remove the bet until the shooter craps out.

Are They Smart?

Buy bets are smart because they are not single-roll bets, and they can be turned off at any time. The house edge is also favorable at 4.76%, so players can rest assured that they will win most of the throws. Paying the vig also means that players will receive true odds payments if their bets win.

Therefore, from a craps strategy perspective, making the buy bet means players can get large payouts while being safe from a high house edge. To maximize this bet, players can combine it with other bets, like the field bet, to get improved odds and better chances at winning.