A place bet lets you bet on a specific number hitting before a 7, without waiting for a come-out roll to establish it. You choose the number, you choose the amount, and the bet is working immediately. Place bets are the most common way experienced players build multi-number coverage — faster and more flexible than come bets, with a slightly higher house edge on most numbers. This page covers which numbers are worth placing, how to size bets for clean payouts, and when it makes sense to take them down.
Place Bet Payouts and House Edge by Number
Not all place bets are equal. The house edge varies significantly by number, and that difference matters over a session.
| Number | Pays | True Odds | House Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6 or 8 | 7:6 | 6:5 | 1.52% |
| 5 or 9 | 7:5 | 3:2 | 4.00% |
| 4 or 10 | 9:5 | 2:1 | 6.67% |
The 6 and 8 are the only place bets worth making if you're playing with any attention to the math. At 1.52%, they sit just above the pass line (1.41%) — close enough that most players consider the trade-off in flexibility and speed worth it.
The 5 and 9 at 4% are marginal. They're not catastrophic, but they're four times the edge of the 6 and 8. If you want more numbers in action, they're acceptable as a secondary addition — just understand what you're paying for the coverage.
The 4 and 10 at 6.67% are poor value as place bets. If you want those numbers, buy them instead. A buy bet on the 4 or 10 pays true odds (2:1) with a 5% commission on the win — at typical bet sizes, that 5% vig beats a 6.67% edge on every roll.
One other thing worth knowing: the point number cannot be place bet — it's already covered by your pass line. If the point is 6, your $6 pass line is doing that job. Put your place bet action elsewhere.
Bet Sizing for Clean Payouts
Place bets pay in fixed ratios, so the size of your bet has to match that ratio or you leave money on the table. Casinos round down when a bet doesn't produce a clean dollar amount.
- 6 and 8 pay 7:6 — bet in multiples of $6. The sequence: $6, $12, $18, $24, $30. A $10 bet on the 6 pays $11 instead of the $11.67 you'd theoretically be owed — you're handing the casino an extra fraction on every win.
- 5 and 9 pay 7:5 — bet in multiples of $5. The sequence: $5, $10, $15, $20, $25.
- 4 and 10 pay 9:5 — bet in multiples of $5 for the same reason.
Before you put chips on a number, ask yourself: does this bet pay a clean dollar amount? If not, round to the nearest qualifying multiple. Getting a clean payout is a small thing, but it compounds across every winning roll in a session.
The 6 and 8 Strategy
The most straightforward place betting approach: $6 on the 6, $6 on the 8, or both at $12 total. This is where most experienced players start, and many never feel the need to go further.
Why these two numbers? Each has five ways to roll out of 36 possible dice combinations. Only the 7 rolls more often (six ways). Between the two of them, you have ten winning combinations versus six losing ones — better coverage per dollar than any other pair of place bets.
The combined house edge stays near 1.52% — one of the better bets on the layout by any measure. You're paying a small premium over come bets for the ability to pick your numbers and remove them whenever you want.
If the point happens to be 6, your pass line already has you covered there. Put the $6 on the 8 instead, or wait until a new point is established. There's no reason to duplicate coverage on the point number.
When a number hits, you have two choices: collect the win and keep the same bet working, or press (increase) the bet. Make this decision before you sit down. In the moment, after a win, the temptation to always press is strong. A pre-session plan removes that decision from the heat of the roll.
Spreading Across More Numbers
Some players want more numbers in action at once. That's a legitimate choice, with tradeoffs worth understanding.
Adding the 5 and 9. A popular call at the table is "$22 inside" — $5 on the 5, $6 on the 6, $6 on the 8, $5 on the 9, totaling $22. This covers all four inside numbers. You're adding action on numbers at 4% edge to numbers at 1.52% edge. More wins are possible per shooter, but your 7-out exposure is $22 instead of $12, and the average edge across the spread is higher than a pure 6/8 approach.
Going "across." Across means covering all six point numbers: 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10. This puts money on two numbers (the 4 and 10) at 6.67% edge, alongside the others. More numbers means more action, but a 7-out is significantly more costly. Most of that extra coverage goes to numbers that roll less often and cost more to hold. "Across" is generally driven by a desire for action, not by math.
The honest take: every number you add increases your 7-out loss. The 6 and 8 alone cover the two most likely non-seven numbers. Spreading further means more excitement on winning rolls, but also a steeper bill when a 7 ends the hand. Add numbers only if you have a clear reason — not just because the table feels hot.
Taking Place Bets Down
The ability to remove place bets at any time is one of their key advantages over come bets. You are never locked in.
To take a bet down, tell the dealer: "Take me down on the 6." They'll remove the chips and return them to you. To pull all your place bets at once without removing them entirely, say "Off on everything" — your bets remain on the layout but are not working until you turn them back on.
Common situations where taking bets down makes sense:
- Before a new shooter. Some players don't want place bets working through the come-out roll of an unfamiliar shooter.
- After a big win you want to protect. If you've had a profitable run, pulling place bets locks in a portion of the session profit.
- When the table has been choppy. No system can predict what happens next, but there's nothing wrong with reducing exposure when the session isn't going your way.
One default to know: place bets are automatically off during the come-out roll. This protects you if a 7 rolls while the shooter is establishing a new point. If you want your place bets working during the come-out, tell the dealer "on" — but most players leave them off and let the default stand.
Place Bets vs. Come Bets
Both approaches put you on multiple numbers. The difference is in edge, speed, and control.
- Come bets: 1.41% edge. Takes two rolls to establish. Can take free odds (zero house edge on the odds portion). Cannot be removed once established on a number.
- Place 6/8: 1.52% edge. Instant action on the number of your choice. No odds available. Can be taken down at any time.
The 0.11% edge difference on the 6 and 8 is real but small. Over a typical session, it's not what determines your result — variance is far larger than that gap. The more meaningful difference is flexibility. Place bets give you control that come bets don't.
That said, if a casino offers restricted odds — 1x or 2x — the come bet advantage shrinks further. At 1x odds, the blended come bet edge drops only slightly, and the flexibility of place bets becomes more competitive on a pure math basis. At full 3-4-5x odds, come bets regain a meaningful edge advantage. Know what odds the casino offers before choosing between them.
A Simple Place Betting Session Plan
A straightforward framework for incorporating place bets into a session:
- Start with a pass line bet. Let the come-out roll establish a point.
- Once a point is established, add $6 on the 6 and $6 on the 8, skipping whichever one is the point.
- Decide before the session what you do on the first hit — collect and stay flat, or press once and then collect. Commit to that decision and stick to it.
- On a 7-out, your pass line and both place bets lose together. That's your maximum exposure per shooter: the pass line plus whatever place bets are working.
- Don't add the 5 and 9 until you've had a profitable hit or two and have a specific reason for the extra coverage — not just because the table feels good.
Simplicity has real value here. Two place bets and a pass line is a clean, manageable approach with known exposure per shooter. Adding numbers mid-roll based on feel is how session plans fall apart. Decide what you're doing before the dice leave the stickman's hand.