The field bet is a wager on a range of the numbers which are hardest to roll: the 2, 3, 4, 9, 10, 11, 12. Ranged against these field bet numbers are the more likely numbers: 5, 6, 7, and 8. This one-bet roll is easy to make because the craps table has the word “Field” among its proposition bets.
There is one way to make 2 (one and one), two ways to make 3 (one and two, two and one), three ways to make 4 (one and three, two and two, and three and one), four ways to make 9 (three and six, four and five, five and four, six and three), three ways to make 10 (four and six, six and four, five and five), two ways to make an 11 (six and five, five and six) and one way to make a 12 (six and six).
Not only do you have to demonstrate an influence over the dice outcomes, but that influence needs to exceed the house edge of those bets on the craps table. For example; if you appear to toss more 4 or 10s in your practice sessions and analysis shows that your controlled toss creates a 3% positive influence on those numbers that’s great!
For the losing numbers, there are four ways to make a 5 (one and four, two and three, three and two, four and five), five ways to make a 6 (one and five, two and four, three and three, four and two, one and five), six ways to make a 7 (one and six, two and five, three and four, four and three, five and two, six and one), and five ways to make an 8 (two and six, five and three, four and four, three and five, six and two).
This creates some trickery for craps players since the winning field looks more desirable without much investigation. There are seven different numbers to win with, while there are just four you’re able to lose with. However, when it comes to the ways dice can make each number, it favors the loss. In total, there are sixteen combinations to win. There are 20 different combinations to lose.
To recap, 20 out of 36 combinations work against a player. So, even if a player manages to win a few bets on the field, in the grand scope of things it is going to work against them.
The house edge on a field bet is 5.55%. The payouts typically are 1 to 1 for the 3, 4, 5, 10, and 11. The 2 and the 12 receive higher payouts. Some casinos make these payouts 2:1 and others make them 3:1. The Field bet has a house edge similar to American Roulette, so it is not a great wager. It is better than many of the other sucker bets described on this website such as the Any 7 bet or the Big Six and Big Eight.