Three Way Craps is Three Bets in One

Three way craps is three bets in one, allowing three numbers to be bet on at the same time. Three way craps covers the 2, 3 and 12.

Three Way Craps is Three Bets in One

The three way craps bet is really three single bets which are bundled together. They cover the numbers 2, 3 and 12. The 3 pays 15:1 odds, and the 2 and 12 both pay 30:1 odds.

Three Way Craps Bet

The three way craps bet is similar to the any craps bet in that it is a one roll bet.  However, the odds and payout are not the same.  As mentioned above, this bet will win when the numbers 2, 3 or 12 are thrown, and will lose if any other number is thrown.

If the table minimum bet is $1, then at least $3 needs to be placed when betting the three way craps bet.  Even though the three way craps bet is three bets in one, it still needs at least one unit to cover each of the numbers.  If the player chooses to bet more than the minimum, the bets needs to be in multiples of three, such as $9, $27 and $30, and so on.

Payout and Odds

The odds on these numbers winning in a one throw bet are not very high.  The casino has a fairly large house edge.  However, this also translates into the fact that a win on a three way craps bet will be much higher than on a bet with better odds.  If a number two is thrown, the player is paid 30:1 for winning this bet.  However, the numbers three and twelve, which are also a part of the bet, are losing numbers.  The player will lose whatever portion of the original bet was allocated for the two losing numbers.

The player is also paid 30:1 if the twelve wins, and again losses on the numbers two and three.

If the number three wins, the payout is half of what the two and twelve receive.  The payout for the three being thrown is 15:1, with the other two numbers - two and twelve - losing.

The reason the payout is smaller for the three is because there is twice as much chance of this number being thrown.  When using two dice, a two can only be thrown by throwing two ones, and a twelve can only be thrown by throwing two sixes.  However, the three can be thrown by two and one, or by one and two.  Each die could land on both the two and one, making it twice as easy to throw a three.

The payout and odds on the three way craps, that is the three bets in one, would be exactly the same if the bets were able to be placed separately by the bettor.  Being bundled together does not affect the odds or the payout of these numbers.

An Expensive Bet

While this bet could be quite an expensive bet for a player to place when it is lost, it is certainly worthwhile when it is won because of the high payout on each number.