The World (Whirl) Bet Explained

World bet (also known as the Whirl bet) in craps is a wager that combines the horn bet and the any 7 bet. A horn bet wagers that the shooter will throw a 2, 3, 11, or 12, while any 7 bet wagers that the shooter will throw a 7.

To place this bet, players tell the dealer that they want to make a Whirl bet, and then they place their chips in the “proposition bet” section of the table. The odds of winning a whirl bet are 2:1, while it has a high house edge of 13.33%.

This house edge varies between casinos as some offer a 5:1 payout if a 7 is rolled instead of a 4:1 payout. The any 7 bet acts as a hedge to protect a player's wager and allow them to break even.

Here is how a whirl bet works:

The player alerts the dealer that they want to make a whirl bet.
The bet is made and the shooter takes their turn.
If the shooter rolls any of the horn numbers (2, 3, 11, 12) the bet wins and if the shooter rolls a 7, the bet is pushed and the original bet is returned.

Beginner players are advised to avoid this bet because of the high house edge, but experienced players who understand craps strategy can use this bet to receive decent payouts. Here are the potential payouts players receive from this bet: