Simply More Of The Same
If you've already read the information on the first two pages then this "advanced play" page will be easy for you because it's essentially just more of the same. Come bets can be placed in addition to a Pass Line bet and act just like a Pass Line bet. However, opposite of the Pass Line bet, Come bets can only be placed after a point has been established. The "why" and "when" of Come bets are addressed below.
The Come bet is made by placing chips on the COME area of the layout (see below). It is called a "Come bet" because when you place this bet, the next roll is a "come-out roll" for you only.
When you place a bet in the COME area on the layout:
The dealer will move your bet to the number on the layout that coincides with your Come point (see below).
What is the advantage of placing Come bets? If you place a Come bet and establish a Come point, you essentially have two points "working", your Come point and the shooter's point (via your Pass Line bet). Lets say the shooter's point is 5 (there are four ways to roll a 5) and your Come point is 8 (there are five ways to roll an 8). Having these two points working means there are nine ways to roll a winner for you vs six ways to roll a 7. However, the disadvantage of placing Come bets is that if a 7 is rolled, you lose both your Pass Line bet and Come bet placed on a Come point.
When would you want to place Come bets? If a table or shooter gets hot and shooters are making point after point without throwing a 7, Come bets let you leverage this "hot-ness" by having multiple points working.
As matter of fact, when one Come bet is moved to a number corresponding to a Come point, you can place an additional Come bet. You can do this until all of the "point numbers" (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10), except the shooter's current point, have Come bets on them. (It wouldn't make any sense to place a Come bet on the shooter's current point number because that would just duplicate your Pass Line bet.)
Just like a Pass Line bet, you can "back up" a Come bet with an Odds bet (once your Come point is established). If you're fast enough, you can simply lean your Odds bet chips at an angle against your Come bet chips before the dealer moves them to the number on the layout corresponding with your Come point. If you're not fast enough, put your Odds bet down in the COME area and tell the dealer "Odds on Come". The dealer will set your Odds bet chips on top of your Come bet chips but at a slight offset.
Odds on a Come bet are not "working" on a shooter's come-out roll. If the shooter rolls a 7 your Come bet (one that is on a Come point) is lost but your Odds bet is returned to you. Likewise, if the shooter rolls your Come point on a come-out roll you will get paid for you Come bet but not for your Odds bet. It would be returned to you. You can, however, keep your Odds bet working on a come-out roll by telling the dealer "Odds working".
Come Bet Example: A shooter is getting ready to shoot a come-out roll. You put down a $10 Pass Line bet. The shooter rolls a 6. You put down $25 Odds bet behind your Pass Line bet and a $10 Come bet. The shooter next rolls an 8. The dealer moves your $10 Come bet to the number 8 on the layout. You put down $25 in the Come area and tell the dealer (make sure they hear you) "Odds on Come" and the dealer places your Odds bet chips on top of your Come bet chips but at a slight offset. You now have $70 riding on the table covering two points, the 6 and 8. If the shooter next rolls a 7, you lose your $70. If the shooter rolls both the 6 and 8 before a 7 the dealer will have given you $152 (your original $70 plus $82 in winnings). If the shooter rolls only one of your points before rolling a 7 you would be out $29 (one point won and the other lost).
Just as shooters and tables sometimes get hot, numbers will also get hot. A shooter may have a point of 5, but for some reason they're throwing a lot of 6s or 8s or some other number. In this instance you may want to try a "Place bet". Place bets are a way of betting directly on the point numbers (4,5,6,8,9,10). Unfortunately you pay a price for this directness in the way of a lower payout. They can be made at any time and on as many of the numbers as you like. However, you can't put a Place bet on the shooter's current point.
Place bets are another good way to play more than just a Pass Line with Odds bet. However, you don't have to have a Pass Line bet down in order place a Place bet. Because of their simplicity and flexibility, you may even want to try just placing Place bets your very first time at a craps table as a way to get your feet wet. You can then start placing Pass Line bets once you get comfortable with being at a craps table.
Place bets win every time the shooter rolls a number that you have a Place bet on. For example, if you have a Place bet on the 6, and the shooter rolls a 6, the dealer will pay your your winnings only, leaving your original bet on the 6. If the shooter rolls a 6 three more times before rolling a 7, you get paid three more times.
The payouts on Place bets are not at the true odds like Odds bet payouts are. Because of the way the payouts are structured, Place bets only on the 6 and 8 generally are advised. However, if a shooter has thrown three 9s in the last six rolls you may want to try a Place bet on the 9 in case it continues. Place bets are lost if a shooter "sevens out".
You place a Place bet by putting your chips down on the layout and telling the dealer to "place the 6" or "place the 8" and he will move them to the corresponding number on the layout. Bets on the 6 and 8 should be made in multiples of $6 due to the 7:6 payout. (Often the dealer will ask you for some dollar chips in order to get your bet to a 6-multiple if you're not already there.) It is common for people to put $12 in chips down on the table and tell the dealer "six and eight", meaning a $6 Place bet on each number (provided 6 and 8 are not the shooter's point number).
When a Place bet wins it is also common to hear people tell the dealer to "press the six" or "press the eight". They are telling the dealer to take $6 of the $7 won and use it to increase their Place bet on that number. Personally I don't do this. I have made a lot of money at craps tables simply by taking the winnings from Place bets and putting them in my chip rack. It is not uncommon for a shooter to "seven out" but I still made money on the series because a lot of 6s and 8s were rolled before the 7 was rolled.
If you have Place bets on the 6 and/or 8, you will lose both Place bets if the shooter "sevens out". However, if the shooter rolls their point and Pass Line bets win, your Place bets stay right where they are, neither winning or losing. Since you can't have a Place bet on a number that is the shooter's point, what happens if the shooter's new point is 6 or 8? You simply tell the dealer to "take down" (give back) your bet.
Place bets are not working during a shooter's come-out roll but you can the dealer you want them "working" if you wish. (If they are working, you would get paid if the shooter's new point is a number on which you have a Place bet (6 or 8), rather than having the bet taken down as mentioned in the previous paragraph.) Place bets can also be increased, decreased, or "taken down" (given back to you) at any time.
If you're playing with a limited bankroll, placing a Place bet (pays 7:6 on the 6 and 8) would be better than placing Pass Line bets with no Odds (pays even money). While Come bets with Odds in addition to Pass Line bets with Odds can make you a lot of money at a hot table, Place bets (in addition to Pass Line bets) can win you some extra money when the table isn't so hot.