| Rules Craps Betting: The Put Bet |
Have you ever seen a craps table with words "Put Bets Allowed?" Few players understand the Put bet.
The craps Put bet is a Pass Line bet that you make (or "put" down) after a point has been established. You typically see a
craps Put bet when someone approaches the casino craps table in the middle of a game and wants to play the point
number. The player will "put" a bet on the Pass Line after the point is already established for that game. An Odds bet on
the Put bet can then be made, if desired. As we know from a previous lesson, a Flat Pass Line bet has a 2:1 advantage
before the come-out roll but then has a disadvantage after the come-out. So, with a Put bet, you give up that initial
advantage before the come-out roll and immediately accept a disadvantage because you make the Put bet after the point
has been established and you don't go through the come-out roll. That's what makes a Put bet a bad idea, generally. The
only time the Put bet makes sense is when the house allows a lot of Odds and you bet a lot of Odds. In that case, a Put bet
on the point number can have a lower casino advantage than Placing the point number. Unless you're an experienced
player and have a big bankroll to put at risk, avoid Put bets. If you walk up to a table and can't wait for a new game to end,
and if you're in love with the point number and just have to play it, you won't be giving away much if you simply avoid the
Put bet and, instead, make a "Place" bet on the point number.
Another type of craps Put bet is adding to a craps Pass Line bet during a game after you made the normal Pass Line bet.
For example, suppose you play craps and make a normal Flat Pass Line bet for $5 and you take the maximum Odds allowed,
which the placard says are 5x (i.e., 5 times the Flat bet). That means your maximum Odds bet behind a $5 Flat Pass Line
bet is $25 (i.e., $5 x 5 = $25). The shooter seems to be on fire, rolling number after number. She rolls every number
possible except the point and the dreaded 7. You feel in your gut that she's going to hit the point, so you want to increase
your Odds bet, but you can't because you're already at the maximum Odds allowed for your $5 Pass Line bet. To increase
your Odds bet, you "put" another $5 chip on your Flat Pass Line bet bringing your total Pass Line bet to $10. Now, with the
maximum Odds allowed, which in this example are 5x, you can add another $25 to your Odds bet bringing your total Odds
bet to $50 (i.e., $10 x 5 = $50).
A Put bet can also be a Come bet made without going through the Come bet's come-out roll. (Wow! That was a mouthful.)
If a game is already in progress, you can immediately "put" a Come bet with its associated Odds bet. For example, when
the stickman still controls the dice in the center of the table and you have the dealer's attention, simply drop the correct
amount of chips in the Come area and tell the dealer what you want. Suppose you drop $11 in chips for a Come bet on the
number 9 with Odds. Simply tell the dealer, "Put me on the Come nine with six dollars in Odds." The dealer moves your
chips to the proper spot in the 9 point box and "puts" down a $5 Flat Come bet with $6 in Come Odds.
The craps Put bet is a Pass Line bet that you make (or "put" down) after a point has been established. You typically see a
craps Put bet when someone approaches the casino craps table in the middle of a game and wants to play the point
number. The player will "put" a bet on the Pass Line after the point is already established for that game. An Odds bet on
the Put bet can then be made, if desired. As we know from a previous lesson, a Flat Pass Line bet has a 2:1 advantage
before the come-out roll but then has a disadvantage after the come-out. So, with a Put bet, you give up that initial
advantage before the come-out roll and immediately accept a disadvantage because you make the Put bet after the point
has been established and you don't go through the come-out roll. That's what makes a Put bet a bad idea, generally. The
only time the Put bet makes sense is when the house allows a lot of Odds and you bet a lot of Odds. In that case, a Put bet
on the point number can have a lower casino advantage than Placing the point number. Unless you're an experienced
player and have a big bankroll to put at risk, avoid Put bets. If you walk up to a table and can't wait for a new game to end,
and if you're in love with the point number and just have to play it, you won't be giving away much if you simply avoid the
Put bet and, instead, make a "Place" bet on the point number.
Another type of craps Put bet is adding to a craps Pass Line bet during a game after you made the normal Pass Line bet.
For example, suppose you play craps and make a normal Flat Pass Line bet for $5 and you take the maximum Odds allowed,
which the placard says are 5x (i.e., 5 times the Flat bet). That means your maximum Odds bet behind a $5 Flat Pass Line
bet is $25 (i.e., $5 x 5 = $25). The shooter seems to be on fire, rolling number after number. She rolls every number
possible except the point and the dreaded 7. You feel in your gut that she's going to hit the point, so you want to increase
your Odds bet, but you can't because you're already at the maximum Odds allowed for your $5 Pass Line bet. To increase
your Odds bet, you "put" another $5 chip on your Flat Pass Line bet bringing your total Pass Line bet to $10. Now, with the
maximum Odds allowed, which in this example are 5x, you can add another $25 to your Odds bet bringing your total Odds
bet to $50 (i.e., $10 x 5 = $50).
A Put bet can also be a Come bet made without going through the Come bet's come-out roll. (Wow! That was a mouthful.)
If a game is already in progress, you can immediately "put" a Come bet with its associated Odds bet. For example, when
the stickman still controls the dice in the center of the table and you have the dealer's attention, simply drop the correct
amount of chips in the Come area and tell the dealer what you want. Suppose you drop $11 in chips for a Come bet on the
number 9 with Odds. Simply tell the dealer, "Put me on the Come nine with six dollars in Odds." The dealer moves your
chips to the proper spot in the 9 point box and "puts" down a $5 Flat Come bet with $6 in Come Odds.
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