The 6/8 Craps Strategy Explained: How to Place 6 and 8
Quick answer: The 6/8 strategy means placing bets on both 6 and 8, two relatively common dice totals. Each Place bet pays 7:6, carries about a 1.52% house edge under standard payouts, and loses if a 7 appears before that individual number. The strategy is simple to understand and flexible to manage, but it does not beat the casino.
Craps players often recommend 6 and 8 because each total has five of the 36 equally likely dice combinations. Only 7, with six combinations, appears more often. You can see the bets in action on the 0stakes free craps table.
Step by step: how the 6/8 strategy works
- After the point is established, tell the dealer you'd like to place the 6 and 8. On a standard live table they are usually off on the come-out unless you say they're working.
- Bet an amount divisible by $6 on each number so a 7:6 payout produces whole dollars: for example, $12 on 6 and $12 on 8.
- Each time 6 rolls before 7, your working Place 6 wins $14 profit on a $12 stake. Each time 8 rolls before 7, your working Place 8 wins $14 profit.
- Leave the bets up to collect further hits, take one or both down, or adjust them according to the available table rules. If 7 appears while both are working, both exposed stakes are lost.
The 6 and 8 bets are two separate wagers. A 6 payout doesn't automatically settle the 8; it remains exposed. Likewise, the 8 can hit multiple times while the 6 doesn't show up.
Why 6 and 8 are popular: the 36 dice combinations
Two dice create 36 equally likely ordered combinations. There are five combinations for 6, five for 8, and six for 7. The remaining 20 combinations correspond to other totals.
| Next roll | Combinations | Probability |
|---|---|---|
| 6 | 5 | 13.89% |
| 8 | 5 | 13.89% |
| 7 | 6 | 16.67% |
| Anything else | 20 | 55.56% |
When both bets are active, a 6 or 8 appears on 10 of 36 rolls (27.78%); a 7 arrives on 6 of 36 (16.67%). That is not a 62.5% chance of profiting on your very next roll. Instead, conditional on the first roll that is 6, 8, or 7, the chance it is 6 or 8 is 10/16 = 62.5%. A hit produces $14 on one $12 position, whereas a 7 can cost the entire $24 setup. Frequency alone does not determine profitability.
Example: $12 on 6 and $12 on 8
You begin with $24 on the layout. Imagine rolls of 4, 6, 5, 8, 7, while both Place bets are working and you keep the original stakes active.
- Roll 4: neither bet resolves, $0 profit or loss.
- Roll 6: collect $14 profit from Place 6; the $12 stake stays up.
- Roll 5: neither bet resolves.
- Roll 8: collect $14 profit from Place 8; the $12 stake stays up.
- Roll 7: lose $24 total in still-exposed stakes.
Net: +$4 over that specific sequence ($28 in payouts minus $24 in lost stakes). Another sequence could seven-out immediately for −$24, or produce several more hits first. This is why short winning runs are possible despite a long-run house edge.
How the 1.52% house edge is calculated
Look at a single $12 Place 6. The bet is decided when a 6 or 7 eventually appears; other rolls don't settle it. Of those 11 relevant combinations, 5 win and 6 lose. A win pays $14, while a loss costs $12.
Expected net profit per resolved bet is:
(5/11 × $14) − (6/11 × $12) = −$2/11 ≈ −$0.1818.
Divide that by the $12 initial stake: 0.1818 / 12 ≈ 1.515% expected loss per resolved Place bet. Place 8 has identical mathematics. Two active bets do not magically cancel the edge; they add exposure and can generate correlated losses on a 7.
This expected-loss figure is per resolved bet, not per physical dice roll. Your actual session outcomes can swing considerably around that average.
Should you press your winnings or collect them?
There are two common approaches. Collect keeps the original stakes at the same size while banking each $14 payout. Press increases the amount at risk after a hit in pursuit of larger future payouts. Pressing changes the volatility and dollar exposure, but does not improve the 1.52% house edge of a standard Place 6 or Place 8 bet. You can also use a partial press, but it isn't a way around negative expected value.
If your goal is to practice longer with a fixed pretend bankroll, collecting and keeping stakes modest generally exposes less money than aggressively pressing. That is a bankroll-management choice, not a winning system.
6/8 versus Pass Line and Odds
Pass Line has about a 1.41% house edge; Place 6/8 is slightly higher at 1.52%. Pass Line can only start on the come-out, while Place 6/8 can be made during a point. A Pass Line Odds bet has 0% house edge, but is an additional wager that increases the amount at risk.
If you want the simplest foundational craps wager, start with Pass Line and Odds. If you prefer choosing individual numbers with flexible on/off controls, the 6/8 approach may be easier to personalize. For side-by-side beginner options, see Best Craps Strategies for Beginners.
What did the million-roll experiment find?
0stakes already has an original Place 6 & 8: 1 Million Rolls Simulated article. That is the place to explore long-run simulated outcomes. This page explains how to place and manage the bets; it does not duplicate the experiment or claim fresh simulated data.
Practice with no money at risk
Go to the free craps simulator, choose a pretend bankroll, place $12 on each of the 6 and 8, and track profits and losses through several seven-outs. Turn bets off on come-out rolls if you want to match a typical live-table convention. Try a collect-only run first, then experiment with pressing to see how your swings change.
Frequently asked questions
Why do craps players place 6 and 8?
They occur on five dice combinations apiece, more often than any total except 7. Standard Place bets on 6 and 8 also have a relatively low 1.52% house edge.
What does $12 on 6 and $12 on 8 pay?
Each winning $12 Place bet pays $14 profit when its number arrives before 7. Your original stake can remain working if you choose.
Is a 6/8 strategy better than Pass Line?
Not in house-edge terms: the Pass Line has a slightly lower edge. Place 6/8 offers more flexibility about when to enter and exit a bet.
Does pressing 6 and 8 make you more likely to win?
No. Pressing increases stakes and potential payouts but does not change the probabilities of the dice or eliminate the house edge.
Are Place 6 and 8 working on the come-out roll?
At many live tables, Place bets are off on the come-out unless a player requests them to work. Check the rules of the specific game; 0stakes provides a Bets Off control for practicing that difference.
0stakes offers free educational simulations without real-money wagering. Bet rules and procedures can vary by casino; verify the table's payouts and come-out policy.