Place vs buy craps bets is a popular debate among craps players. The place bet makes a wager on the shooter to roll a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10 at any time. Similarly, the buy bet wagers on these numbers but pays a 5% vig (commission) to the casino so that the payout is true odds. Both bets are not active on the come out roll except the player specifies that they be turned “on.”
The place bets and their odds are shown in the table below:
| Number | Odds |
| 6 and 8 | 7:6 |
| 5 and 9 | 7:5 |
| 4 and 10 | 9:5 |
The buy bets pay exactly the odds shown in the table above because they pay true odds, while place bets may be slightly lower as adjusted by the casino. The table below shows the payout ratio of various numbers in a buy bet and the chance of rolling each number.
| Number | Roll Chance | Payout Ratio |
| 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 |
The house edge for buy bets is 4.76%, while the house edge for place bets is 4%. These odds are quite decent for players, and it gives them a good chance of beating the house.
Players can decide to play either the place or buy bets depending on what they want to achieve. If they want the true odds paid out, then they can choose the buy bet. If they have a smaller bankroll and cannot afford to pay the 5% commission, then the place bet is the better choice. Finally, If you are using a craps strategy like the iron cross, then using the buy bet is preferable to the place bet.
