Hardway in Craps
Written February 27, 2008 by Jack Jones
If you are planning on hitting the craps tables during your next visit to the casino, then it may be helpful to know the difference between the two hardways in craps, specifically hopping and regular.
The hardway (regular or normal) is when you are betting a matching pair of dice will make an appearance before a 7, or before two dice of the same value are rolled. A 2 and 2 is considered a hard 4, a 3 and 3 is a hard 6, a 4 and 4 is a hard 8, and a 5 and 5 is a hard 10. If you are betting the hard 6, then you lose if a seven is rolled or a 6 the “easy way” (4 and 2, 5 and 1).
When you bet a hopping hardway then you are counting on that certain matching pair to be rolled on the very next throw. This offers an enticing 30 to 1 payout, compared to only 9-to-1 for the regular hardway for the 6 and 8, and 7 to 1 for the hard 4 and 10.
Even though bets like these tease players with the high payouts, the casino has an advantage on these proposition wagers of between 9-11%. This is way to big for those of you who want to conserve their hard earned cash. The only thing that hardways are good for is padding the bankroll of the house. They don’t call them hardways because they are easy money.
