ELECTRONIC TABLE GAMES

WINNING THE HARDWAY IN CRAPS

There Is Only One Way To Win This Bet

The Hardways bet is an extension of the multi-part bets, they may not win or lose on each roll of the dice. The Hardways bet gets its name because there is only one way the number can be made, similar to the 2 or 12. Like the 2 and 12, the odds of the number being rolled is 35:1. However, unlike the 2 or 12, they pay much less, 9:1 for the 6 or 8, and 7:1 for the 4 or 10.

The Hardways bets appear in the upper left corner of the betting layout shown to the right. These bets can be made at any time and win, or lose, depending on the next roll of the dice. If the Hardways number you bet on is rolled you win, period. If a 7, or the non-Hardways combination of the number is rolled you lose.

If any other number is rolled, the bet remains ON, you do not win or lose. This is why the payout is not 30:1, like the 2 or 12.

How did the house come up with these crazy payouts, aren’t the Hardways just doubles like the 2 and 12? No, not hardly, once we examine the odds. Let’s say we place a bet on the Hard 6, which means we are betting that a 3 & 3 will be rolled, not a 2 & 4, 4 & 2, 5 & 1, 1 & 5 or a 7 (there are six possible dice combinations that make a 7). This means there are ten dice combinations that can beat the Hard 6 which makes the odds 10:1. The odds calculation is the same for the Hard 8.

Isn’t the Hard 4 and 10 harder to roll? Shouldn’t the payout be more? Let’s figure it out using the Hard 10 (the 4 works out the same way). We are betting that a 5 & 5 will be rolled before a 4 & 6, 6 & 4 or 7. There are only eight dice combinations that can beat the Hard 10 which makes the odds 8:1, and the payout less than the Hard 6 or 8.

Many Craps players will place a minimum bet on the Hardways number that matches the established point. For example, if the point is 6, then the bettor makes a minimum bet on the Hard 6. To illustrate my point, let’s look at an example:

1. The player bets $5 on the PASS line. 2. The Come-out roll is a 6. 3. The player makes a $5 Odds bet on the 6 at true odds of 6:5. 4. The player places a $1 bet on the Hard 6 at 7:1. 5. The next roll is a Hard 6. a. The player wins $5 for the Pass line bet which is on the 6. b. The Odds bet pays $6. c. The Hardways bet pays $7 d. The total payout is $24 ($18 win and an initial bet of $6)

No need to wait for a point to be established before making a Hardways bet. Hardways bets can be made at any time. I normally do not make Hardways bets until I am up at least twice my buy in, which is the initial amount of money that I put into the e-Craps machine before making my first bet. If I am playing at a live Craps table, then I will only make a Hardways bet if the shooter is a skilled dice-setter. That is, they are able to throw the dice in such a way that the Hardways come up several times before the 7. $ Writer Daniel Cruikshank lives in Arizona, is retired, and has been an Electronic and Live Table Games player for decades.