Craps bet guide · Reviewed September 4, 2026
A hardway bet wins only when 4, 6, 8, or 10 appears as a matching pair before either an easy version of that number or a 7. It is a multi-roll center bet—not a one-roll proposition—but the price is high: Hard 6 and Hard 8 carry a 9.09% house edge, while Hard 4 and Hard 10 carry 11.11%.
Sam’s verdict
Hardways are easy to understand once you separate the matching pair from the easy combinations. I treat them as occasional entertainment, not a core bet. If the goal is simply to have action on 6 or 8, a Place 6 or Place 8 is dramatically cheaper mathematically.
Hard and easy combinations
The hard way is the one matching pair. Every non-pair combination making the same total is an easy way.
A Hard 8, for example, wins only on 4-4. It loses if 2-6, 6-2, 3-5, 5-3, or any 7 appears first. Rolls such as 5, 6, 9, or 10 do nothing to a Hard 8; the bet stays unresolved.
| Bet | Winning pair | Easy ways that defeat it | Ways to roll 7 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 4 | 2-2 | 1-3, 3-1 | 6 |
| Hard 6 | 3-3 | 1-5, 5-1, 2-4, 4-2 | 6 |
| Hard 8 | 4-4 | 2-6, 6-2, 3-5, 5-3 | 6 |
| Hard 10 | 5-5 | 4-6, 6-4 | 6 |
There is no standard Hard 2 or Hard 12 because those totals have only one combination—the pair itself—and no easy version. Bets on 2 and 12 are separate one-roll propositions.
Payouts, probability and house edge
| Bet | Standard profit payout | Chance of winning before an easy result or 7 | House edge | $5 profit on a win |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 4 | 7 to 1 | 1 in 9 | 11.11% | $35 |
| Hard 6 | 9 to 1 | 1 in 11 | 9.09% | $45 |
| Hard 8 | 9 to 1 | 1 in 11 | 9.09% | $45 |
| Hard 10 | 7 to 1 | 1 in 9 | 11.11% | $35 |
The probability above ignores rolls that neither win nor lose and asks which decisive result appears first.
For Hard 4, there is one winning combination, two easy 4s, and six ways to roll 7. That is one winner against eight losing combinations, so the chance the hard 4 arrives first is 1 in 9.
For Hard 6, there is one winner, four easy 6s, and six 7s. That is one winner against ten losing combinations, or 1 in 11.
“To 1” versus “for 1”: 9 to 1 means $9 profit plus the original $1 wager. A layout that says 10 for 1 describes the same $10 total return. Likewise, 7 to 1 equals 8 for 1.
Hardway versus placing the number
This is the comparison I think most players should see early:
| Goal | Wager | What wins | Common house edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Only the matching pair | Hard 6 or Hard 8 | 3-3 or 4-4 before an easy version or 7 | 9.09% |
| Any combination of 6 or 8 | Place 6 or Place 8 | Selected total before 7 | 1.52% |
The bets are not interchangeable—the hardway specifically requires the pair—but the table shows the cost of demanding that pair. See the Place bet guide and the craps payout table for the lower-edge alternatives and standard payouts.
How to make a hardway bet
- Wait until the stickperson controls the dice and the crew is accepting bets.
- Get the stickperson’s attention and state the amount and number clearly: “Five dollars hard eight, please.”
- Put or deliver the chips where the crew instructs. Do not throw them into working center stacks.
- The stickperson positions the wager according to your location so the crew knows who owns it.
- After a win, state whether you want the original wager left working, pressed, called off, or taken down.
Center-bet minimums can differ from the posted table minimum. A $10 table does not automatically mean every center bet must be $10, and it does not guarantee a $1 hardway is accepted. Ask the crew.
Come-out rolls: working or off?
A hardway can remain on the layout across games. Whether it automatically works on the next come-out is a house procedure, not something to assume from the puck alone.
Some tables leave hardways working unless the player calls them off. Others treat them as off on the come-out unless called working. If your Hard 8 is off and 4-4 rolls, it does not win. If a 7 rolls while it is off, it does not lose.
The safest habit is simple: when a hand ends, listen to the stickperson and confirm the status of any standing center bets you still have on the layout.
One complete Hard 8 example
Assume the table point is 5 and you call a $5 Hard 8.
- The shooter rolls 10 and then 5. The 10 does nothing to the Hard 8; the 5 makes the table point and ends the Pass Line game.
- The Hard 8 is a separate wager, so it can remain on the layout as the next come-out begins.
- You call the Hard 8 off for the come-out. The shooter rolls 7. The off Hard 8 neither wins nor loses.
- A new point of 6 is established. You call the Hard 8 back on.
- The shooter rolls 5-3. That is an Easy 8, so the Hard 8 loses.
- You replace the $5 Hard 8. Later 4-4 appears before another Easy 8 or 7. The bet wins $45 profit at 9 to 1.
The earlier loss did not make 4-4 more likely. The sequence only demonstrates settlement and the way a standing hardway can move through multiple rolls and even multiple Pass Line games.
Same bet, press, parlay, off and down
- Same bet: collect the profit and leave the original amount working.
- Press: add some or all of the profit to the wager.
- Parlay: add the full profit to the original bet, subject to payable increments and the table maximum.
- Off: leave the chips on the layout but make the wager inactive.
- Take it down: remove the wager and return its chips.
A payoff may be delivered by a base dealer after the stickperson announces it. Wait for your position in the payment sequence and make one clear instruction. Do not reach into the center to collect or rearrange the wager yourself.
Hardway questions players ask
Does an easy number always remove the hardway?
Yes—if the hardway is working. Hard 10 loses to 6-4 or 4-6; Hard 6 loses to any of its four non-pair combinations. If the wager is marked off, neither an easy version nor 7 settles it while it remains off.
Does a hardway come down after it wins?
The winning event completes that decision, but crews commonly leave the original wager up for a new decision. If you want it removed, say so. Do not assume the profit and the original wager were both returned.
Can a hardway work while the puck says OFF?
Yes. The puck describes the Pass Line point status. A standing hardway is a separate wager and may be working or off according to the table’s procedure and your instruction.
Is Hard 6 better than Hard 4?
Mathematically, Hard 6 and Hard 8 are less expensive than Hard 4 and Hard 10 because their standard 9-to-1 payout produces a 9.09% house edge instead of 11.11%. All four are still high-edge wagers compared with many line and Place bets.
Finish the Hard 8 example in your rack
Start that sequence with $100 and no other wagers. The first $5 Hard 8 leaves $95 in the rack; the Easy 8 loses the $5 on the layout. Replacing it costs another $5, leaving $90 in the rack. The later 4–4 pays $45 profit. Collecting that payment leaves $135 in the rack and $5 still working, for $140 in total chips: a $40 gain over the starting $100, after the earlier $5 loss.
Taking the winning wager down returns the remaining $5 and puts all $140 in the rack. Leaving it up keeps $5 exposed to the next decision. The $45 payment is the profit on the latest winning bet; it is not the net profit for the whole sequence. Check the same distinction with the exposure map before pressing.
