Place the 6 and 8, or make come bets?
Come bets with odds cost less per chip bet. Placing the 6 and 8 is a close second and lets you pick your numbers and take them down any time.
House edge: place 6 or 8 1.52%; come 1.41%, or 0.37% with 3-4-5x odds. Placing the 5 or 9 costs 4.00% and the 4 or 10, 6.67%.
Place bets and come bets
| Bet | Pays | Wins | House edge | Per roll | Rolls to decide |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Come | 1:1 | 49.29% | 1.41% | 0.42% | 3.38 |
| Come with 3-4-5x odds | 1:1 | 49.29% | 0.37% | 0.11% | 3.38 |
| Place 4 | 9:5 | 33.33% | 6.67% | 1.67% | 4.00 |
| Place 5 | 7:5 | 40.00% | 4.00% | 1.11% | 3.60 |
| Place 6 | 7:6 | 45.45% | 1.52% | 0.46% | 3.27 |
| Place 8 | 7:6 | 45.45% | 1.52% | 0.46% | 3.27 |
| Place 9 | 7:5 | 40.00% | 4.00% | 1.11% | 3.60 |
| Place 10 | 9:5 | 33.33% | 6.67% | 1.67% | 4.00 |
House edge: the average loss as a share of the bet, per bet decided. Per roll spreads it over the rolls the bet takes to win or lose, counting only rolls where it is working.
Why
A come bet is a pass line bet made after the come-out, so it carries the pass line’s small edge, and odds behind it bring the edge down further. A place bet on the 6 or 8 pays 7 to 6 against true odds of 6 to 5, which is almost as cheap. The trade-off is control: a come bet goes wherever the next roll sends it and can’t be taken down, while place bets work only on the numbers you choose and you can remove them. Placing the 4, 5, 9 or 10 costs much more.