Explaining Rivers’ 100x odds in craps

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Updated: November 2, 2011 2:24PM

In the short time since Rivers Casino in Des Plaines, Ill., opened with an offer of 100x odds to craps players, I’ve had a surge in questions from readers, friends and relatives who want to know just what that means.

Let’s tackle a few questions that have come up a number of times from players who aren’t craps regulars but are interested in what the hype is about.

Q. What does 100x odds mean? Are they paying 100 times more than a regular craps game?

A. No, you’re not getting paid 100 times normal payoffs. You’re being offered the chance to add a wager 100 times the size of your pass or come bet. That extra bet carries no house edge.

In a casino that offers single odds, you could back a $10 pass bet with only $10 in free odds. With 100x odds, you can back your $10 pass bet with up to $1,000 in odds.

Q. If the payoffs are in the same proportions, what advantage is there to 100x odds?

A. For a big-bankrolled player, it means more of your total wager can be reserved for the free odds.

If you want to have a total of $1,010 on the table — a number I’ll use just for ease of explanation and arithmetic — you could just bet $1,010 on pass, and if you win, take $1,010 in winnings. With single odds, you could bet $505 on pass, then add $505 in odds. If the point is 6, and you win, you collect $505 on pass and $606 on the odds for a total of $1,111. At 100x odds, if you break it down to $10 on pass and $1,000 on the odds, a win on 6 brings $10 on pass and $1,200 on the odds for a total of $1,210.

You win more money for the same betting total. That’s among the possibilities that goes into calculating the house edge on pass or come plus odds, which starts at 1.41 percent with no odds, drops to 0.02 percent — that’s two-hundredths of a percent — at 100x odds.

Q. Can a low roller get that 0.02 percent house edge?

A. No. The minimum pass bet at Rivers is $10. If you can’t afford to bet an extra $1,000 above that, you can’t get 100x odds.

Q. Do you have to bet 100x odds?

A. No, the odds bet is not mandatory. If your bankroll can only handle a $10 pass bet and $10 in single odds, then that’s the way to go. Never overbet your bankroll, and never bet money you can’t afford to lose.

John Grochowski is a local free-lance writer. His “Casino Answer Man” tips air at
5:18 p.m. Tuesday-Friday on WLS-AM (890).