Everyone who’s played craps or who is interested in the game has heard the term come bet. No doubt, if you’re a regular, at some stage in your craps career you’ve placed many a come bet yourself. It’s a common term, but does that mean it’s necessarily a smart bet for the player? Let’s take a look.

I read an article about players breaking down the math on this bet, and coming to the conclusion that it actually pays less than if you just placed a bet, instead of putting it on the on come plus odds. The example used was a 5 dollar come bet plus 25 odds on, for instance, the 5. The payout on the come bet is $35 odds plus $5 flat for a total of $40. Placing the 5 for $30 outright yields a $42 payout. So over the long haul, while the odds bet seems enticing, it actually yields a lower reward than just placing the number.

Add to this the fact that when the point is off, a flat bet becomes a risk factor due to a lack of control. Now we’re staring down two concrete reasons why the come bet is a bad choice. It yields a lower return and puts clamps on your freedom as a player. So if that last number hit was a 5, this method of thinking strongly suggests it makes more fiscal sense to just place the five than the come bet plus odds.

I have to say with craps, some of the intricacies of comparing the different betting options hasn’t been a priority of mine. That’s not to say that it shouldn’t be, I need a more disciplined approach to the game if I’m going to expand my knowledge and return, so reading things like what I just discussed is crucial. This especially holds true for craps, as it might be an easy game to “get into” and get started playing, but the sheer number of betting options available to the player leave the door open for the non-studios types to miss out on capitalizing the maximum return on their wagers.