Gaming Guru

Buying the 5 and 9

Dear Mr. Scoblete,

Is it ever advantageous to buy the 5 or 9, or can you buy the 5 or 9?

Thank you,
Guy

Dear Guy:

If a location allows you to buy the 5 and 9 and pay the vig on wins only then it becomes a decent bet. If you bet $30 and they only charge you $1 on a win and return to you $44, the house has about a 1 percent edge on you.

That's the good news.

The bad news is the fact that you will not find this situation almost anywhere in the USA.

The regular placing of the 5 and 9 is a terrible bet because the house has a 4 percent edge on the bet. That means for every $5 you place on the 5 or 9, the loss is 20 cents.

All betting has to be looked at this way - what is the loss per bet (whether you win the bet or not) because the long-run expectation of a player is to lose that percentage.

In short, you are far better off making Come bets and keeping that house edge at 1.4 percent.

For your letter I am giving you a free 10-week subscription to my private members-only web site at www.goldentouchcraps.com. We have over 5,000 members on this private site and I think you will find the message boards to be interesting, educational and fun!

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete