Place bets and buy bets cover the same territory — you're betting that a specific number (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10) rolls before a 7 — but they pay differently and charge differently. Understanding how they're priced tells you which one to use on each number. The short version: place the 6 and 8, and buy the 4 and 10 if your casino charges commission only on wins.
How Place Bets Work
A place bet pays at fixed odds that are close to true but not quite there — that gap is the house's cut. The payouts are standardized across every table:
- Place 4 or 10: pays 9:5 (true odds are 2:1) — house edge 6.67%
- Place 5 or 9: pays 7:5 (true odds are 3:2) — house edge 4.00%
- Place 6 or 8: pays 7:6 (true odds are 6:5) — house edge 1.52%
You can make a place bet at any point during a round — before or after a point is established — and you control when it's on or off. The minimum bet varies: the 6 and 8 must be placed in multiples of $6 (because the 7:6 payout requires it), while the others must be in multiples of $5.
How Buy Bets Work
A buy bet pays at true odds — the mathematically fair payout — but the casino charges a 5% commission (called vig or juice) in exchange. Paying true odds and charging a commission is a different pricing model than the place bet's fixed-but-close-to-fair odds.
The critical variable is when the casino collects that commission. This changes the math significantly:
- Vig on every bet (win or lose): 4.76% house edge on all buy bets. You pay the commission up front or when you take the bet down, regardless of outcome.
- Vig on wins only: house edge drops to 1.67% on 4/10, 2.00% on 5/9, and 2.27% on 6/8. You only pay when you actually win.
Most modern casinos in Las Vegas and other major markets now charge vig only on wins. If you're not sure about your table, ask the dealer before you buy in — it's a straightforward question and they'll answer it directly.
Which Is Better on Each Number?
4 and 10: Buy is almost always better. The place 4 and place 10 have a 6.67% house edge — among the worst on the layout. A buy bet on 4 or 10 with vig-on-wins-only drops that to 1.67%. Even a table that charges vig on every bet (4.76%) still beats the place 4/10. There is almost no scenario where placing the 4 or 10 is the right move if buying is available.
6 and 8: Place is almost always better. The place 6 and place 8 are 1.52% — one of the better bets on the table. Buying the 6 or 8 costs more because the true odds premium (6:5 vs the 7:6 place payout) doesn't overcome the commission drag in most situations. At a vig-on-wins table, buying the 6 or 8 comes in at 2.27% versus the 1.52% for placing. Stick with the place bet.
5 and 9: It depends on the commission structure. The place 5/9 is 4.00%. A buy 5/9 on a vig-on-wins table is 2.00%, which is meaningfully better. On a vig-on-every-bet table (4.76%), placing is cheaper. Check the casino's policy before making this call.
The Practical Rule at Any Table
Before you sit down, ask one question: does the table charge commission on buy bets only when they win, or all the time? Then apply this:
- Always place the 6 and 8
- Always buy the 4 and 10 (vig on wins) — or place them only if you can't buy
- Buy the 5 and 9 if vig is on wins only; place them if vig is charged regardless
Note that minimum bet sizes affect this too. A 5% commission on a $20 buy bet works out to $1, which is a round number the dealer can handle easily. A $10 buy bet produces a $0.50 commission, and some casinos round up to $1 — effectively doubling your commission and making the math worse. Many tables have a practical minimum of $20 or $25 on buy bets for this reason. If your buy bet is small enough that the rounding hurts, placing may be the better move on that session.
One More Thing: Working Status
Both place bets and buy bets can be called on or off at any time. A common move is to call place bets off during a come-out roll — so if the shooter rolls a 7 (a winner for pass line bettors), your number bets don't lose. Buy bets work the same way. This flexibility is one of the things that makes both bet types appealing for building a position during a roll.
For the full mechanics and payout details on both bet types, see Every Bet Explained. For how these bets rank against everything else on the table by house edge, see Odds & Math.