What is the 6 8 strategy in craps?
In craps, some numbers appear more than others. Seven appears most often, followed by 6 and 8. That’s too convenient to ignore, so there must be a strategy tied to those numbers, right?
You betcha. More than one, actually.
With the 6 8 strategy in craps, you have a few options for placing bets on these numbers and winning if they appear before a 7. Payouts vary from 1:1 to 7:6. They’re some of the most popular craps bets, and we’ll show you how to use them.
Different types of 6/8 bets
The 6 and 8 occupy the middle of the dice. Unless you’re somehow magically controlling the dice, they’re the most balanced numbers in craps.
They’re not rare long shots like 2 or 12, or the most frequent like the 7. That’s why there are so many craps strategies around the dynamic 6-8 duo. Is it just us, or does craps betting sound an awful lot like basketball?
Place Bets on 6 and 8
Six and eight ‘place bets’ are the most common 6-8 craps strategy. A place bet is when you put your chips directly on a number (6 and 8, in this case) after the point is established. If your 6 or 8 lands before a 7, you win. If a 7 appears, you lose. If any other number rolls, nothing happens, and your bet remains active.
Note that down—because this general arrangement of when you win, lose, and continue is how all 6-8 bets work.
Put Bets on 6 and 8
Put bets are a different story, and yet another craps bet that’s named after a common verb. What’s next, the come bet? (Yes). The skedaddle bet? (No, but we wish).
A put bet means you’re making a pass line bet after the point is already established, specifically when the point number is 6 or 8. In this case, winning only results in even money on the base bet, which bumps the house edge up significantly.
But the tradeoff is that once you place the put bet, you can back it up with free odds.
The Big 6 or Big 8 Bet
The Big 6 and Big 8 work exactly like place bets. They have their own special betting box on the bottom left of the table. They work just like a place and put bet, where you win if 6 or 8 rolls before a 7.
So what’s the difference? The payout. Big 6 and Big 8 are kind of a Big letdown. They only pay even money (1:1) instead of 7:6, and you can’t place odds like you can with the put bet.
How a Place Bet Works on 6 and 8
On a craps table, the physically largest numbers are 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. This is where you place “place” bets. Place your chips on either the 6 or the 8. Once you do, your bet will stay active until you remove it or a 7 rolls.
The true odds of winning this bet are 6-to-5. But the odds you’re actually paid when six or eight hit before a seven are 7-to-6. The difference between these odds is the house edge, which comes out to 1.52%.
PRO TIP: Always bet in multiples of $6 when using place bets on 6 and 8. That way, your payout will always be a round number, and the dealer won’t shoot daggers into your soul. That’s more of a Dark Side strategy thing. They’ll also only pay you $5 instead of $7 because of the uneven number.
How a Put Bet Works on 6 and 8
Let’s say you’ve just watched the shooter establish a point—maybe it’s 5—and you didn’t have a pass line bet down. You’re sad like Eeyore while everyone else is high-fiving after a hot roll. How can you jump back into the action and be happy like Tigger? Use a put bet.
Place a put bet on the 6 or 8 on the pass line area. If you stay just like this, you’ll win even money (1:1 and a 9.09% house edge) if your number (6 or 8) rolls before a 7. However, you can also back it up with odds, which would increase your payout to true odds (6:5 on 6 or 8). And that’s a bet we’re happy to put up with.
How the Big 6 or 8 Bet Works in Craps
The Big 6 and Big 8 boxes of the craps table are on the bottom left. We like to say they’re the “Big Guys.” But their payout isn’t as impressive as their name.
Once you place your chips on either one, they work like a place bet; however, they pay 1:1 instead of the expected 7:6, and you cannot back them with odds.
Big 6 or Big 8 Example
Let’s say you put $12 on the Big 8. The shooter rolls a few numbers, and anticipation builds. Nothing happens until either an 8 or a 7 appears. If the 8 hits first, you win $12. If a 7 shows up first, you lose your $12. It would work the same if you bet on 6 instead of 8.
Big 6 or 8 Bet House Edge, Odds, and Payout
The true odds of rolling a 6 or 8 before a 7 are 6-to-5. That’s based on the number of dice combinations. There are five ways to roll a 6 or 8, and six ways to roll a 7. But Big 6 and Big 8 bets only pay even money. So why the mismatch? Because Mama Casino needs a new paint job, that’s why!
No, but really (putting our serious hats back on), the mismatch exists for the house edge. It’s the same reason roulette has green pockets. When you calculate the difference, the result is a 9.09% house edge. That’s significantly higher than the 1.52% house edge on place bets.
Knowing that, the obvious conclusion here is to focus on place bets instead of Big 6 or 8.
What Are The Odds Of Rolling A 6 Or 8?
A 6 or an 8 are some of the most common totals you can roll in craps. Each one can be made in 5 different ways. For example, a 6 can come from (1+5, 2+4, 3+3, 4+2, 5+1), and an 8 has the same number of combinations.
Out of the 36 possible dice outcomes, each number has a 5 out of 36 chance, or about 13.89%. When you combine them, 6 and 8 account for 10 out of 36 outcomes, which comes out to roughly 27.78%
That’s why they show up so often and why so many players build their strategies around them.
Is 6 and 8 the best craps strategy?
Betting the 6 and 8 is one of the most popular craps strategies.
These numbers show up often, and when using place bets on them, they carry a low 1.52% house edge. Six and eight are a reliable, safe choice.
That said, it’s not technically the best strategy. Pass line and come bets have a slightly lower house edge at 1.41%, especially when you back them with odds. Those are still the strongest plays on the table from a pure math standpoint.
Even better is if you consistently back the pass line and come bets with full odds. Then, you have the Three Point Molly, which maintains a cycle of three bets with the highest winning odds.
Which is better: a Big 6/8 or a Place bet on 6 and 8?
A place bet on 6 or 8 is better. It wins the same way as a Big 6 or Big 8 bet (you need your number to roll before a 7), but it pays more. A place bet pays 7 to 6 and carries a 1.52% house edge, while Big 6 and Big 8 pay only even money with a 9.09% house edge. So you’re making the same basic bet either way, but the place bet gives you a better payout and much better value.
FAQs
Is the big 6 or 8 bet a good strategy?
Not really. It’s simple and easy to understand, but it pays even money instead of 7 to 6 like a place bet. That difference pushes the house edge up to 9.09%, which is much higher than the 1.52% on place bets. You’re making the same prediction—6 or 8 before 7—but getting paid less for it.
How do I place a big 6 or 8 bet?
In online craps, tap or click the Big 6 or Big 8 box on the layout, then select your chip amount. In live craps, place your chips directly on the Big 6 or Big 8 area. Once placed, your bet stays active until you remove it or a 7 rolls.