So what does the chart show us?
Place bets on the 6 or 8 are made in increments of $6 (1 unit) and paid $7 per
unit wagered. So an $18 place bet on the 6 or 8 (3 units) is paid
$21 ($7 x 3 units). Place bets on the 5 or 9 are made in increments
of $5 (1 unit) and also paid $7 per unit wagered. Therefore a $15 place
bet on the 5 or 9 (3 units) is also paid $21 ($7 x 3 units).
The 4 and 10 are slightly different.
Wagers here are also made in increments of $5 (1 unit). They are paid $9
per unit for the first 3 units. When you get to the 4th unit ($20) on the
4 or 10, instead of a placing it, you will be "buying" it. In doing so,
you will get true odds on your wager. In return, you will have to pay a 5%
commission known as the vig or vigorish.
If you place a $20 bet a good dealer
SHOULD automatically ask you if you'd like to "buy" it. If he/she doesn't,
you are being short-changed. A place bet of $20 on the 4 would pay
$36 ($9 x 4 units) whereas a buy bet of $20 pays $39 ( True odds of 2 to 1 - 5%
vig or 20 x 2 - $1).
The house advantage on the 4 or 10
is a hefty 6.67%. Buying them instead of placing them, reduces the house
advantage significantly. Buying the inside numbers is not as common,
although you will sometimes see someone buying the 5 and/or 9. The
calculation is the same for all buy bets: True odds - 5% vig.
There are other opportunities
regarding buy bets. If you look above in my example. If you buy the
4 for $35*,
the vig calculates to be $1.75*.
Most casinos would round this to $2. But, frequently in cases such as
this, whether you pay $1 or a $2 vig is solely at the discretion of the dealer.
So it never hurts to ask the dealer something like, "What's the most you'll let
me buy the 4 for a $1 vig?"
The other opportunity lies in
whether the vig is paid when the wager is made or if it is paid only if the
wager wins. In the case of buying the 4. If the vig is only
paid if the wager wins, the house advantage for this bet is reduced to 1.64%.
