Learn how Buy Bets work in online craps. See how paying the 5% Vig unlocks 2:1 True Odds on 4 and 10 to boost your profits in CAD.
Published:If you want action on the outside numbers (4 and 10), standard Place Bets leave money on the table. A regular Place Bet on either pays 9:5. Turn that into a Buy Bet, and the software bumps your payout up to full True Odds (2:1). The catch? A 5% cut called the Vigorish, or Vig. Even with that fee, the math works out heavily in your favor – it’s one of several ways to fine-tune a Place Bet covered in our craps section.
What Is a Buy Bet?
Think of a Buy Bet as an upgraded Place Bet. Pick the option on screen, and a little marker labeled BUY drops on your chips. The basic rules do not change at all. Hit your number before a 7 rolls, and you win. Roll a 7 first, and you lose. Just like Place Bets, they are not contract bets, so you can tweak the amount or yank your chips back whenever you want.
How the 5% Vig Works
The house takes 5% based on your total bet size. The standard breakdown runs at $1 CAD for every $20 CAD you put down:
- $20 CAD to $39 CAD Bet: $1 CAD Vig.
- $40 CAD to $59 CAD Bet: $2 CAD Vig.
- $60 CAD to $79 CAD Bet: $3 CAD Vig.
Modern Canadian online tables figure out this math on their own. Watch out for how they bill it, though. Some platforms take the cut upfront the second you place the bet. Better software waits and only takes the Vig when you actually hit a winner.
Betting Both 4 and 10 Together
Playing both ends at the same time? Good digital tables tally the commission across your total action instead of dinging each bet alone. Put $25 CAD on the 4 and $25 CAD on the 10. That adds up to $50 CAD in play, which costs an even $2 CAD Vig. It saves you from getting rounded up on two separate wagers.
Place 4/10 vs. Buy 4/10: Running the Numbers
The math makes this an easy choice. Look at what happens on a basic $20 CAD bet:
- Standard Place Bet ($20 CAD on 10): Pays 9:5, giving you $36 CAD in profit.
- Buy Bet ($20 CAD on 10 + $1 Vig): Pays 2:1 True Odds, giving you $40 CAD in profit.
Pay the $1 CAD fee, and you still walk away with $39 CAD clean. That is an extra $3 CAD in your pocket on the exact same roll. Doing this drags the house edge on the 4 and 10 down from 6.67% to 4.76%. If your platform only charges the Vig on wins, the edge drops even further.
Why You Should Never Buy Other Numbers
Keep this rule simple: only buy the 4 and the 10. Buying the 5, 6, 8, or 9 is a bad move. The gap between Place payouts and True Odds on those inside numbers is way too small to justify handing over a 5% cut. Leave the rest alone and buy the outside corners.
Author:
Lucas Portela
Owner, BoldGambler • Avanhandava/SP
Oddsmaker, affiliate and content creator in the iGaming industry.