Drop The Hardways Bomb. We’re going to end this discussion of how to win at craps with a little. I have a question about a series of bets in craps. The strategy is called the 'Iron Cross.' It involves a bet on the 5, 6, 8, and the field. I read up on this, and found that this particular bet will pay on every roll that is not a 7. I was told that this gives you the lowest house edge. Below you will find a general craps Payouts table. This may vary between some casinos so always check with the casino to get their payout tables. Also, please head over to the table of contents to find more great content. The Iron Cross is a good strategy to play, since you get paid on every roll. Watch the videos to better understand. Below is a summary of the bets as described in the video.

• Iron Cross Craps Betting Strategy
• The Iron Cross Craps Strategy

Playing the Iron Cross at Craps

By Jerry 'Stickman'

The lure of playing the Iron Cross bet in the game of craps revolves around the fact that you get paid when any number is thrown – any number but the 7 that is. The Iron Cross bet consists of a one unit place (or pass line) bet on the 5, 6 and 8 plus a one unit field bet. An example is a $30 6 and 8, a $25 5 and a $25 Field. The field bet pays when a 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, or 12 is thrown. Most field bets pay double when a 2 or 12 is thrown, but sometimes the 2 or 12 pays triple.

I have mentioned in previous articles that the Iron Cross is not all that great a bet. Actually exhorting players to avoid this bet is a better description of previous articles. This is because the house edge on the total bet is simple a sum of each portion of the bet times the house edge on that portion. The house edge on the 6 and 8 is 1.52%. The edge on the 5 is 4.00%. Where the 2 and 12 pay double, the house edge on the field bet is 5.56% and if the 2 or 12 pays triple, the edge is 2.78%. Overall the total edge for the Iron Cross is 3.87% if the 2 and 12 pay double. It is reduced to 2.49% if the 2 or 12 pays triple. Even at its best, the Iron Cross extracts almost a full percent more than the 6 and 8 place bets, so logic dictates that the money should be placed on the 6 and 8.

But gamblers – actually human beings – are not necessarily logical creatures. I have to admit that I have watched sadly and somewhat enviously as others at the table collect on bet after bet while I patiently wait for a 6 or 8 to hit. So recently I decided to try the Iron Cross when my point was a 5. Though giving up some house edge I am not a masochist, so I only tried this in casinos that pay triple for a 2 or 12, making the house edge 2.49% - not great, but tolerable for a research project.

I was surprised by how excited I was when the first opportunity presented itself. My point was 5, so I placed the 6 and 8 (which is normal for me), and then added the field bet. The numbers rolled that first time were: 10 (collect one unit), 4 (collect one unit), 9 (collect one unit), 6 (collect 1.2 units but lose one unit on the field), 6 (collect 1.2 units and lose one), 8 (collect 1.2 units and lose 1), and it continued.

It felt great collecting on the 10, 4, 9 and other field numbers. It sure hurt, however, collecting a 6 or 8 and losing the field bet, making the net win only one-sixth of normal.

Wanting to give the research a decent test, I continued to bet the Iron Cross every time my point was a 5. Over the period of several days shooting there was ample opportunity to play it. On long rolls I would press the 6 or 8 with the extra units I won by hitting field numbers. By doing this, the effect of losing the field bet when hitting the 6 or 8 is lessened.

After a week of playing the Iron Cross, here are my observations and feelings.

It is nice receiving all the extra payoffs from hitting the field numbers. It is particularly nice making some money off the 11 and the craps numbers 2, 3, and 12. The double payoff on the 2 and the triple payoff on a 12 are really fun.

Although, as a 'logical' person it shouldn’t have, the psychological effect of losing the field bet on a 6 or 8 really impacted me. Being used to collecting the full amount when hitting these numbers, having it diminished by ponying up another field bet affected me more than ever expected. In fact, it more than made up for the exhilaration of collecting on more numbers. Add to this the fact that nearly an extra 1% is donated to the house by betting the Iron Cross, any desire to play this system in the future has been purged.

No longer will I be envious of those collecting on field. I will continue to bet as in the past: place the 6 and 8, possibly buy the 4 and 10 if the vig is paid on wins only. If I want to get more numbers in play, adding a come bet or two is the way to go.

While not collecting as often, I will never lose one bet while winning another – and, the house edge will be limited to 1.5% or less on all my bets. That way I have the best chance of winning some of the casinos money.

While playing the best bets is sometimes not easy, winning more (or losing less) is much more satisfying. Stick with the math of the game and improve your results.

Jerry 'Stickman' is an expert in craps, blackjack and video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. The 'Stickman' is also a certified instructor for Golden Touch Craps and Golden Touch Blackjack. For more information visit www.goldentouchcraps.com or www.goldentouchblackjack.com or call 1-886-738-3423. You can contact Jerry 'Stickman' at stickmanGTC@aol.com

Ever wonder how the Iron Cross Craps Strategy works? We did too, so we went ahead and contacted John Grochowski, the Casino Answer Man himself, to teach us how to use this craps strategy on our games. Let’s check it out:

Combination bets at Craps can’t change the math of the game, but they do change the dynamics. Take the Iron Cross, a favorite system of players looking for frequent wins. It’s an easy combination consisting of a bet on the field and place bets on 5, 6 and 8. Here is how the Iron Cross strategy works:

Since the field is a one-roll bet that pays off on 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11 or 12, the multi-roll place bets fill the gaps so that you have a winner with any roll except 7. Of the 36 possible rolls of two dice, there are 30 Iron Cross winners, and six loser 7s.

If the shooter rolls a field number, the place bets don’t lose. They either stay in action or you can take them down. If a the shooter rolls one of your place numbers, you lose on the field, but the other two place bets are there for you either to leave in action or take down.

Most field numbers pay even money but a winner 2 usually pays 2-1, and a winner 12 pays either 2-1 or 3-1, depending on house rules. Rarely, you’ll see the 3-1 pay on the 2 instead of the 12. The place bet on the 5 pays at 7-5 odds, and those on 6 and 8 pay at 7-6. Always bet in multiples of $6 on 6 and 8 so you can get those odds.

For a $5 bettor, the Iron Cross means an investment of $22 — $5 on the field, $5 on 5 and $6 each on 6 and 8. If the roll is any of the field numbers, you have a profit of $5, while you have profits of $2 with a win on any of the place bets — $7 in winnings minus the $5 loss on the field.

The bugaboo, of course, is the loser 7. Then all the bets lose at once.

Assuming a 3-1 payoff on the field on 12, the overall house edge per roll is 1.136 percent, the result of house edges per roll of 0.463 percent on 6 and 8, 1.111 percent on 5 and 2.778 percent on the field. If you assume the place bets are left in action until they either win or lose, then the overall edge is 2.369 percent, with component edges of 4 percent on 5 and 1.52 percent on 6 and 8.

Just as on any craps combination, the overall edge is a weighted average of all component wagers. The Iron Cross can’t overcome the house edge, but it does bring frequent wins.

Iron Cross Craps Betting Strategy

John Grochowski

The Iron Cross Craps Strategy

John Grochowski is very well know gambling columnist and author. His work started as a weekly newspaper column at the Chicago Sun-Times and now he gladly shares his knowledge with Prism Casino Blog readers.