Ever heard of a hopping bet? It’s kinda like a blackjack side bet, only for craps. And much like the blackjack side bet, the odds are hardly worth the payoff, but some people love these options and swear by them in a US casino. I, personally, don’t get the attraction or appeal, especially in craps where there are dozens of better ways to make money. But what am I to judge, right?

Anyway, here’s how a hopping bet works. Basically, you’re laying down a bet that you’ll be able to predict exactly what the next roll will be, number and combination. So if you bet a six, it’s not just enough that a six comes up, you also have to say whether it’ll be a 3, 3 combination, a 4, 2 combination or a 5, 1 combination. Not the most statistic-friendly wager, I told you. And for your trouble, you get a 15:1 return on your bet.

The terminology would be calling a 3, 3 hop bet for $2. If the 3, 3 shows up, you’d win $30 on your bet. Anything else is a loss. Looks sexy when you think of collecting $30 after only having to put up 2 white ones. Hell, that’s a better average return than the progressive slot at Caribbean Stud, right? Honestly, that’s like comparing which cliff-dive into shallow waters will break the fewest bones. Your best option is to stay away from that stuff altogether. Why cripple your odds just to take a stab at a poor risk/return opportunity? Yeah, I know, that’s gambling, blah blah blah. But that’s not right. Gambling is calculated, smart planning and studying up. Only morons hurt themselves because something looks “fun.”

Actually, let me back step for a second on my example, because hardaway hopping bets actually pay 30:1. So it’s a better return, but remember there’s only 1 way to get a 3, 3 or a 4, 4 – and that’s why it pays twice as much as a regular hopping bet.

Players have different strategies on when to hop – on the come-out, when they think they’ve spotting someone’s signature roll, etc.. – but none of that really matters because it doesn’t alter the probabilities.

I’ve seen worse odds to be sure, but a 15:1 return just isn’t enticing enough to hook me in. Maybe if it were 50:1 and 100:1 for a hardaway, it’d be worth it. Until that day, I’ll be hopping on passed this bet.