Learn about betting the hard ways option online

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Bet the hard ways option

One of the more obscure yet interesting bets that you will find on a craps table is the hard ways option. This bet only pays out when the shooter hits a combination if both dice turn up the same number, with the exception of double one and double six. That means either a double two (hard four), double three (hard six), double four (hard eight), or double five (hard ten).

Many craps strategy experts will tell you that betting the hard ways is a poor bet, while there are others who will tell you that the odds and the interest that these bets generate are worth the investment. So how does a hard ways bet work?

To begin with, a player does not have to bet on all the hard ways options, and indeed there are different odds for each permutation. The hard four

and hard ten permutations pay 7-1 while the hard six and eight pay 9-1. No one has yet come up with an explanation why the odds vary, since the possibility of throwing these numbers are exactly the same. The only possible explanation is that the chances of making a soft four or ten are slightly higher than of making a soft six or eight.

Once a hard ways bet has been placed, it remains on until either the shooter makes the point, throws a seven, or the "soft" permutation of the number, i.e. a five and a three instead of two fours. If the shooter makes his point, then hard ways bets are placed on "off" mode until the point is made in the next round.

The player is allowed to remove or increase his hard ways bets at any time.