Craps bet guide · Reviewed August 18, 2026
A Buy bet wins when a selected 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 rolls before 7. Unlike a Place bet, it pays true odds and then charges a commission. Buying 4 or 10 is commonly useful; buying 6 or 8 is usually worse than placing it.
Sam’s verdict
“Buy the 4 and 10; place the 6 and 8” is a useful starting rule, but the commission policy decides the result. On 5 and 9, exact bet size and rounding can determine whether buying actually improves the payoff.
Buy bet rules
After you Buy a number, three things can happen: your number rolls and the wager wins; 7 rolls and it loses; or another total rolls and the wager remains working. You may normally increase, reduce, call off, or remove it between rolls. Buy bets are commonly off on the come-out unless called working, but house procedure controls.
| Number bought | True-odds profit | $10 gross profit | 5% commission on $10 bet | Exact net before chip rounding |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2 to 1 | $20 | $0.50 | $19.50 |
| 5 or 9 | 3 to 2 | $15 | $0.50 | $14.50 |
| 6 or 8 | 6 to 5 | $12 | $0.50 | $11.50 |
This guide uses the common Buy commission of 5% of the amount wagered. Some tables charge it when the wager is made; others collect it only after a win. Minimum Buy amounts, commission basis, rounding, and fractional chips vary.
House edge under two common commission timings
| Commission assumption | Buy 4/10 | Buy 5/9 | Buy 6/8 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Exact 5% of bet, collected only after a win | 1.67% | 2.00% | 2.27% |
| Exact 5% of bet, collected upfront | About 4.76% | About 4.76% | About 4.76% |
Whole-chip rounding can move the practical edge away from those idealized figures, especially on small bets. A calculated $0.50 fee might be rounded to $1 or handled through a required wager multiple. Ask rather than assuming.
Upfront versus win-only commission
Assume a $20 Buy 10 with a 5% commission on the bet amount. The fee is $1 and the true-odds gross profit is $40.
- Win-only vig: if 10 rolls before 7, net profit is $39. If 7 rolls first, the $20 wager loses and no commission is collected.
- Upfront vig: you commit $21 at the start. A winning 10 still produces $40 gross while the $1 fee is already paid; a losing 7 costs both the $20 wager and $1 fee unless the approved rule says otherwise.
The first policy charges commission only on the three winning 10 combinations. The second charges it on all nine decisive combinations—three 10s and six 7s—which is why its edge is materially higher.
True odds does not mean zero edge here: the gross payoff reflects true odds, but the commission makes the complete Buy wager negative expectation.
Buy versus Place: 4 and 10
| Wager | Gross profit | Commission assumption | Net profit |
|---|---|---|---|
| $10 Place 4 | $18 | None | $18 |
| $10 Buy 4 | $20 | $0.50 exact, on win | $19.50 |
| $25 Place 10 | $45 | None | $45 |
| $25 Buy 10 | $50 | $1.25 exact, on win | $48.75 |
Buy wins this comparison when commission is collected only after a win and handled close to the exact amount. If the table charges upfront or rounds aggressively, calculate the actual settlement before choosing.
Buy versus Place: 5 and 9
A $10 Place 5 wins $14. A $10 Buy 5 wins $15 gross and nets $14.50 with an exact $0.50 win-only commission. If the table rounds the fee to $1, both produce $14. At $50, Place wins $70 while Buy wins $75 gross and nets $72.50 under exact win-only commission.
This is why the old article’s “sometimes good, sometimes not” title was useful: 5 and 9 can cross over based on fee timing, rounding, and amount.
Buy versus Place: 6 and 8
Place 6 and 8 pays 7 to 6 with a 1.52% edge. Buy pays true odds of 6 to 5 but then removes commission. Under exact win-only commission, Buy 6/8 has a 2.27% edge. A near-$100 comparison shows the practical difference:
- $96 Place 6 wins $112 profit.
- $95 Buy 6 wins $114 gross; an exact 5% fee is $4.75, leaving $109.25.
The Place bet produces more profit in this comparison while risking nearly the same principal.
How to make a Buy bet
- Get the dealer’s attention while bets are open.
- Put the chips in the Come area or designated pickup spot.
- Call the number and amount: “Buy the 10 for twenty-five, please.”
- The dealer places the wager in the number box and marks it with a BUY button.
- Confirm when the commission is charged and how much a win will return.
BUY markers distinguish these chips from Place, Lay, Come, and Don’t Come wagers sharing the numbered box. Player-position mapping lets the crew identify ownership. Do not reach into those boxes to adjust the bet yourself.
In the retained diagram, players at different rail positions hold Buy wagers on 5 and 10. Each stack occupies a consistent place inside the large number box. The BUY marker defines wager type; the exact chip position defines ownership. A stack drifting onto a line can become ambiguous, which is another reason to let the dealer arrange it.
Changing from Place to Buy
Suppose you already have $10 Place 4 and want to increase it to $20 while using Buy treatment. Put the additional $10 where the dealer directs and call, “Make my four twenty and buy it, please.” The dealer moves or marks the entire wager appropriately and states any commission. Do not assume the crew will automatically convert every large Place 4 or 10.
If the table does not accept a Buy at your amount, you can keep the Place bet, increase to an accepted Buy level, or decline the wager. A dealer’s explanation should be treated as that table’s rule, not proof of a universal threshold.
Minimums, refunds and working status
A table may require a minimum Buy amount. If your intended amount is not accepted, ask whether it should be placed instead. If commission was collected upfront and you remove the unresolved bet, ask how that commission is treated; approved house rules govern refunds.
Buy bets are commonly inactive on a new come-out unless called working and confirmed. After the come-out they normally return to working status. Do not infer the next result from a number’s recent frequency; a “hot 4” is a description of past rolls, not a forecast.
Quick decision guide
| Number | Default comparison to investigate | What to ask |
|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | Buy is commonly better than Place | Is vig on win only? What is the rounded fee? |
| 5 or 9 | Depends on amount and rounding | What does this exact bet win net? |
| 6 or 8 | Place is usually better | Is there any special paytable changing the comparison? |
Use the rebuilt Place bet guide for payout multiples and the table-limits guide for maximum and rounding questions.
Buy-bet questions
Does a winning Buy bet remain working?
It commonly remains up like a Place bet. State “same bet,” the new amount, or “take it down” when the dealer reaches your position.
Is the commission always 5% of the bet?
That is the common Buy convention used in these examples, but posted or approved house rules control. Do not confuse it with a Lay commission, which is commonly based on the potential win.
Can I Buy several numbers?
Yes, within table limits. Each wager is decided separately against 7 and may carry its own commission calculation or aggregated house handling.
There is a typo on the example above. *The 3 to 2 payout is on a 5 or 9.
*Another example is: The 2 to 1 payout is on the 4 or 10. A $20 online buy results in a $58 payout ($40 minus a $2 (5%) vig, plus your original $20).
Thank you for noticing and posting a comment. I have updated the text above!
The vig on tables is 5% of amount bet not won. On bubble craps i5%of amount won.
Hi SamKaye, thanks for posting. Good catch! And thank you for bringing those typos to our attention. We’ll get them fixed right away. Some clarification for our readers…. For the traditional craps table game, the vig for Buy bets is based on the amount bet. The vig for Lay bets is based on the amount won. So, for example, if you make a $20 Buy bet on a traditional craps table and win, your net win is $39 because you have to pay a $1 vig based on the bet amount of $20. The opposite is true for Lay bets on a traditional table game. That is, for a Lay bet, you pay the vig on the amount won (not the amount bet). In summary, for a traditional table game:
• For a Buy bet, the vig is based on the amount bet.
• For a Lay bet, the vig is based on the amount won.
Regarding Bubble Craps, we aren’t familiar enough with it yet to provide comments. Again, thanks for letting us know about the typos, and good luck at the tables!
Thanks for all the great info! I’m just learning and this has been very helpful.
As I’m new I don’t know for sure, but I think there is an typo in the example of $50 on 5 or 9. You say the vig is $2 with a payout of 73, but shouldn’t it be $2.50 ($3) with a payout of $72?
Hi Brian,
That’s entirely up to you and what makes you feel comfortable. For me, it depends on several factors, including my mood and whether it’s the first day or third day of my gambling vacation. When I go to Vegas (or any gambling destination), I’m there to gamble. I don’t care about sight-seeing or shopping at outlet malls or sunning myself by the pool or anything else. So, if I happen to win $100 in the first 20 minutes of my first craps session of the first day, I probably won’t pocket that $100 profit. I’m anxious to play. I just landed at McCarran, checked into the hotel, threw my bags in the room, and hurried back down to the tables. I’m excited to play, so I’ll use all any initial winnings to play that first session as long as my $100 buy-in lasts, even if I go up $50, $75, or $100 in the first few minutes. However, if the mood strikes me and I’m lucky to win $500 in the first half hour of my first craps session, then I might pocket my $100 buy-in and save it for my next session, so my next session’s buy-in would be $200 instead of $100. Then, I’d continue playing my first session until the remaining $400 is gone, at which time, I’d quit that session. If I’m lucky, that remaining $400 will last several hours and by the time it’s gone, enough time has passed for my next session to start.
For me, my loss limit is much more important than a win limit. When I play craps, I play for the fun and excitement the game provides, not to win/earn money. If money is what I wanted, I would have stayed home and worked overtime instead of spending thousands on a Vegas vacation. So, from that perspective, why pocket a measly $25 or $50 instead of using it to do what you went to Vegas for in the first place, which is to play craps? On the other hand, if you don’t enjoy playing the game as much as I do, then you may be content pocketing a certain amount of winnings. The decision is entirely yours; no one except you can answer your question. There’s no universal right or wrong answer. What’s right for one person may be completely wrong for another. Don’t make the decision a struggle. If you’re having a blast at the table, laughing, and making new friends, why pocket the $25? Why not use your winnings to keep playing?
However, if the table is quiet, boring, and you’re not having as much fun as you had hoped, then, sure, go ahead and pocket the winnings. Remember, it’s entirely up to you based on how you feel at a particular time and the circumstances at that particular time.
Hi saxeTACE, good question!
It’s a matter of how the casino handles cents, whether they round up or down to a whole dollar. The casino can set its own policy, so one casino may round down while another may round up. There are many, many casinos I’ve never set foot in, but I’ve played craps in quite a few of them over my lifetime and those I’ve played in all have the same policy regarding the vig. So, I feel comfortable stating that you can generally expect the following. As stated in the article, the casino will generally round down to the whole dollar with a fraction of 50 cents or less, and will round up with a fraction of more than 50 cents. However, where the casino allows a small Buy bet, such as $10 on the 4 and 10, if the vig is 50 cents or less, they round it up in that case because they’re not going to give you true odds for free.
Example #1: A winning $10 Buy bet on the 4 or 10 results in a $20 win with a $1 vig for a net $19. 5% of $10 is 50 cents. The fraction (i.e., 50 cents) falls in the category “50 cents or less,” but in this case it’s rounded up to $1 (i.e., it’s not rounded down to zero). If the casino rounded down, it would be a zero vig, and the casino isn’t going to give you true odds on a Buy bet for free.
Example #2: A winning $24 Buy bet on the 5 or 9 results in a $36 win with a $1 vig for a net $35. 5% of $24 is $1.20. The fraction (i.e., 20 cents) falls in the category “50 cents or less,” so the vig is rounded down to only $1.
Example #3: A winning $75 Buy bet on the 4 or 10 results in a $150 win with a $4 vig for a net $146. 5% of $75 is $3.75. The fraction (i.e., 75 cents) falls in the category “more than 50 cents,” so the vig is rounded up to $4.
Example #4: A winning $50 Buy bet on the 4 or 10 results in a $100 win with a $2 vig for a net $98. 5% of $50 is $2.50. The fraction (i.e., 50 cents) falls in the category “50 cents or less,” so the vig is only $2 (i.e., it is not rounded up to $3). In every casino where I’ve ever played, the following scenarios always play out. Whenever I win a $25 Buy bet (i.e., one green chip) on the 4 or 10, the dealer always says, “Sir, drop me a dollar, please.” I drop a $1 chip in the Come box as payment for the vig and the dealer puts two green chips in the apron in front of me. Then, after the bet has been pressed to $50 and I win again, the dealer always says, “Sir, drop me two dollars, please.” In every casino I’ve ever played, the $2.50 vig on a $50 Buy bet is always rounded down to $2.
saxeTACE, again, thanks for the great question and thanks for the kind words about the website. If you have more questions, please feel free to ask.
Article says you can’t precisely compare the 6 and 8 payouts with/without true odds, but that’s incorrect. Any bet that’s a multiple of $30 ($30, $60, $90, $120, etc.) allows an exact comparison.
ForeverBeach, thanks for pointing out the confusing text in our article. For the benefit of our other readers, let’s address it. Refer to the article, paragraph 16 that begins with, “For most of us who will probably never make Place bets for more than $100, the….” You’re correct in saying that you can, indeed, make a direct comparison when the multiple is $30. We tried to keep the focus on $100 (and, in doing so, we caused the confusion that you pointed out), since we started the paragraph saying most players will never make Place bets greater than $100. It would have been much clearer to use $90 as the example instead of $100, since we could, as you stated, make a direct comparison. So, for the benefit of other readers, let’s make a direct comparison of the two bets using $90 as the example. A winning $90 Place bet on the 6 or 8 at 7:6 wins $105. A winning Buy bet on the 6 or 8 at 6:5 wins $108, but you have to pay a $5 vig on the win, which gives you a net win of $103. ($90 x 5% vig = $4.50, which is rounded up to $5.) As you can see, a net of $105 with the Place bet is better than a net of $103 with the Buy bet when you put the same $90 at risk. Thanks again for your input. We sincerely appreciate input from our readers that help make the Crapspit the best craps resource on the Internet. Good luck, and have fun at the tables!