A little history: Craps Big 6 and Big 8

These 2 sucker bets arrived on the craps layout in the early 1900s.

Craps back then was a game of points.
No place bets, put bets were not yet allowed.
Bettors wanted a way to bet the 6 and 8 without going thru the come line.
They are an all day wager with a house edge of 9.09%.

Remember back then NO place or put bets.
Bet the Don't Pass? No Bar 12. The don't Pass WON on a 12. It cost you a 5% vig to bet the don't pass.

This just shows how the bets have evolved for the game of craps.

Now in the 21st century we have place bets on the 6&8. pays 7:6 or every $6 pays $7.
There are still $1 and $2 craps tables where you MUST place the 6 or 8 for a minimum of $3.

So the question is: Would you make a $2 Big 6 or Big 8 bet if you only have $2?
I'm an old timer, as was my instructor, and I have seen many players make great money on the Big 6&8. Of course the quarter and $1 games forced many low bankroll players to make the bet if they wanted the 6 or the 8.

I had $400 in free play to use on my last trip. It could only be used on even money bets (PL/DP). However, the box allowed me to use it on the Big 6/8 as well. I was given 2 $100 chips and 8 $25 chips.
I used the first $200 (100 + 4x25) on the PL, winning one $25 bet. :-(
I used the rest on the Big 6/8 , again winning one $25 bet. :-C

Man, I HATE CRAPS these days

I would not make a big 6 or big 8 bet. But neither would I laugh at one who did.
Thanks for the history lesson - very interesting. Every now and then I see an image of an old craps layout, and it's often striking how much they have changed.

A craps "instructor" at Montecarlo, who was big on pushing the sucker bets, did admit, quite readily, the Big 6/8 is a sucker bet not worth making. He said he'd heard players say they make it because that way they can better keep track of their chips.

My answer would be that it depends on certain factors. At $3 minimum tables, I've seen players make a $3 bet on the Big 6, and then when it hits, take the winnings and the original bet and have the dealer place the 6 for $6, in order to get the extra dollar the next time the 6 rolls. I think this is a good idea. However, I've seen people bet $3 on the Big 6, and then let their winnings ride, thus only getting $6 the next time the 6 is rolled. This doesn't make sense to me.

At the El Cortez, where a $3 place bet pays $3.50, then it would definitely make more sense to place the 6 rather than bet the Big 6.

Further, since the Big 6 and Big 8 bets are active all the time, and the place bets are normally NOT active when a person is making a come out roll, then if the better is able to remember this and pick up their Big 6 and Big 8 bets on a come out roll, they are probably ok. But I've seen many times where they are not aware of this, and those bets get swept up on a 7, in which case, betting this way is a bad idea.

Quote: 7winner

So the question is: Would you make a $2 Big 6 or Big 8 bet if you only have $2?

If I'm down to $2, I'd head for nickle VP. Big6/8 should never be seen as a live option when much better bets can (still) be had. Unfortunately, you have to do the "walk of shame" away from the lively action at the craps tables.