Understand Craps Horn Bets

Craps horn bets are one roll bets. It is important to understand craps horn bets, usually played by more experienced players, before placing your bet.

Understand Craps Horn Bets

In order to understand craps horn bets, it is necessary to understand how the bet is divided, the high house edge, and when the bet can be placed.  It is also helpful to understand craps horn high bets, all of which is explained below.

When Can This Bet be Placed?

The horn bet does not need to be placed at the beginning of a craps game.  It can be placed at any stage before a shooter throws the dice.

A One Roll Bet

Craps horn bets fit into the category of craps bets known as the one roll bet. This is because the outcome of the bet is determined after one roll of the dice, unlike some of the other craps bets.

What is a Horn Bet and a Horn High Bet?

The regular horn bet is placed in multiples of four.  Whatever you bet is divided equally amongst the 2, 3, 11 and 12.  This division is explained below.  The horn high bet is almost the same as the horn bet, however, five units are bet instead of four.  The player needs to say which number the extra unit is for.  For example, instead of betting $20 on the four numbers ($5 each), the player bets $25 on the four numbers, stating that the horn high bet is for a specific number out of the four available for this bet, say 11.  If the 11 wins, the player has bet 2 units on it and wins twice as much money.  If one of the other numbers wins, the horn high bet is lost.

The Bet is Divided

Should the player place $20 on the combined horn bet, in practice, it means that $5 has been placed on each of the four numbers.  Should one of the numbers win, the other three numbers will have lost.  For example, the number 3 is rolled.  This means that the player wins $5 multiplied by 15, a total of $75, however, it is necessary to take into account that the player has also lost $15 on the other three bets as it is only ever possible to win one of the horn numbers at a time.  This reduces the total winnings to $50.

The House Edge and True Odds for the Craps Horn Bet

When betting on the 2, 3, 11 and 12 as a combined horn bet, the house edge on all of them together is 16.66%.  This is quite a high house edge, so the player should take this into consideration when placing their bet.  On the other hand, for the 3 and the 11, the payoff is usually 15:1, and for the 2 and 12, the payoff is usually 30:1.  The exact payoff can vary from casino to casino, so it is worth checking this out before placing bets.  This does mean that when you win, you win much bigger.  The real (or true) odds for the numbers 3 and 11 is more like 17:1, and the real odds for the numbers 2 and 12 are more like 35:1.