Craps Hardways: The Real Odds on Hard 4, 6, 8, and 10
Last reviewed: July 2026
“Hard eight!” is one of the best-sounding calls at the table — a bet that the shooter rolls 4-4 before any easy eight or any seven. The payout looks juicy. The math says the stickman’s enthusiasm is the best part of the bet.
How a hardway works
A “hard” number is a pair: hard 4 is 2-2, hard 6 is 3-3, hard 8 is 4-4, hard 10 is 5-5. Your hardway bet wins if the pair rolls before either (a) the same total made the “easy” way, or (b) any seven.
The exact odds
Take hard 8. One combination (4-4) wins. Four easy eights (2-6, 6-2, 3-5, 5-3) and six sevens lose — ten losers against one winner. Fair odds: 10 to 1. The table pays 9 to 1, so the house keeps 9.09%.
Hard 4 (or 10): one winner (2-2), two easy ways plus six sevens make eight losers. Fair: 8 to 1. Paid: 7 to 1 — a 11.11% edge.
| Bet | Pays | Fair odds | House edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hard 6 / Hard 8 | 9:1 | 10:1 | 9.09% |
| Hard 4 / Hard 10 | 7:1 | 8:1 | 11.11% |
Context makes it worse
The same table offers the pass line at 1.41% with free odds behind it at exactly 0%. Prefer the 6 and 8? Place them instead: a place 6/8 costs just 1.52% for the same numbers. The hardways charge six to seven times more for the privilege of specifying how the number arrives.
If you must
Hardways are small, social, and the whole table cheers when they hit — there are worse reasons to spend a dollar. Just book it honestly as entertainment priced at 9–11%, and keep your real money on the line with odds behind it.
See the difference compound — run hardways against pass-plus-odds in the simulator.