Best field bet

One of the more popular bets at a craps table is the field bet. It is a onetime bet that wins if a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12 is thrown. That is the reason for its popularity – it pays on all but four numbers. Never mind that the numbers that cause you to lose this bet are those that appear most frequently.

In most casinos, the field bet pays 2-to-1 when the 2 or 12 appears, and it pays even money for the other numbers. The house edge on this bet is 5.56% – a terrible bet for the player. Only truly awful bets such as placing the 4 or 10 (6.67% house edge) and the horrendous bets in the center of the table that the stickman must place for the player (9.09 – 16.67%) and the obscene fire bet (25%) are worse that the standard field bet.

Do you think my description of these bad bets is a bit harsh? For those who think these percentages are just numbers, consider this – for every $100 bet on the field the house will win $5.56. If betting the center table bets or the fire bet, for every $100 bet the player will lose $9.09 to $25!

A few casinos, however, pay triple for the 12. Sometimes it is the 2 that gets paid triple instead of the 12. This minor change cuts the house edge in half – to 2.78%. This reduced the house take on $100 bet to $2.78. The question is – does this make the field bet a good bet?

Answer: Yes and no.

Yes, it is a much better bet than the standard field bet. Your money will last twice as long. It is also a better bet than placing the 5 or 9, which clocks in at 4%.

No, because there are so many better bets available. Pass line and come bets have a house edge of 1.41% with no odds and 0.61% with double odds. Placing the 6 or 8 carries a house edge of 1.52%. Buying the 4 or 10 when the commission is taken on a win only has a house edge under 2%.

The field bet may win on 16 out of 36 possible dice combinations. The 6 or 8 each win on five out of 36 dice combinations and the 4 and 10 each win on three out of 36 dice combinations. Collecting wins is certainly fun, but is it worth paying double to the casino? I certainly don’t think so.

May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses slow and small.

Jerry “Stickman”

Jerry “Stickman” is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. 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 stickmanjerry@aol.com.

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