Lay Bets in Craps: Betting Against the Number, for a Fee
Last reviewed: October 2026
A lay bet is the wrong-way player’s direct weapon: pick a point number and bet that the seven shows before it. Because the seven is the most likely total on two dice, you are betting the favorite, so the casino pays true odds but charges a 5% commission for the privilege. The commission is the entire house edge, and how it is charged decides whether the bet is mediocre or bad.
How lay bets work
You may lay the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, or 10 at any time. You are betting against the number, so you must lay the long side of true odds:
| Number | True odds (7 vs number) | You lay | To win |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4 or 10 | 2:1 | $40 | $20 |
| 5 or 9 | 3:2 | $30 | $20 |
| 6 or 8 | 6:5 | $24 | $20 |
The payout itself is perfectly fair. The 5% commission (the “vig”), charged on the amount you stand to win, is where the house gets paid. Laying $40 against the 4 to win $20 costs a $1 vig.
What it costs
With the vig charged up front on every bet, the house edge per bet resolves to:
- Lay 4 or 10: about 2.44%
- Lay 5 or 9: about 3.23%
- Lay 6 or 8: about 4.00%
Some casinos charge the vig only on winning bets, which roughly halves those numbers (the lay 4/10 drops near 1.67%). If you ever make lay bets, this single house policy question matters more than anything else about them.
Notice the edge ordering is reversed from most of craps: laying the 4 and 10 is the cheapest lay, because the fair payout is most lopsided there and the fixed 5% fee does the least relative damage.
The cheaper dark-side alternative
Here is the uncomfortable comparison for lay bettors. The don’t pass line costs 1.36%, and laying odds behind it costs zero. A don’t pass bet that travels to a point, backed with lay odds, achieves the same “seven beats the number” position as a lay bet, at a fraction of the price. The standalone lay bet’s only real advantages are convenience: you can place it any time, on any number, without waiting for a point to be established, and take it down whenever you like.
Verdict
As wrong-way bets go, lay bets are honest middle-shelf: true odds, transparent fee, no sucker payouts. But if you are committed to the dark side, the don’t pass with lay odds is the better vehicle, and the lay bet is best reserved for spot situations where you specifically want a number covered right now. Feel the difference on the free craps table, where the vig math is easier to watch without chips of your own in it.
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