Internally, I’ve had a debate about whether to come bet or place bet while shooting. Empirically, place betting the 6 and 8 seems to almost always result in better wins for me. The most recent trip to Vegas, I carved up one of the casinos pretty good starting with a $12 6 & 8. At $30 each, I began racking $25 and placing $10 beginning with odds on the point (if not 6/8) and thereafter inside out until all the numbers were covered. You get the gist. By the time the roll was over, all the remaining box numbers were pressed up to a minimum of $25, and when I sevened out, the 6 was at $210 and the 8 was at $150.

My point is not ‘look how good I am’ but rather to air my doubt about the come betting systems. I know for sure, based on a number of outings, that come betting would not have made me the money I’ve made place betting.

So…with that said, my theory is this: Doesn’t placing the 6 & 8 make more sense than come betting because of the fact that even with a 6.2 SRR, you have a stronger advantage over those two numbers? I mean, doesn’t it make since to hand pick the easiest numbers to overcome, and isn’t that why a press and spread 6/8 strategy is a good one? At this point, I’m afraid to come bet for fear of leaving money on the table! It seems like when I start with a 6/8, I very commonly hit one of them at least once, even on a short roll. Granted, a quick 7 out burns you, but more often than not, it seems you can overcome those things with a longer roll later.

I’d be interested in exploring this some more. I really had intended to come bet on this last trip, but I chickened out and went back to my old ways…and I think I’m glad I did. What I really detest is getting 4 or 5 come bets with odds on the board and then getting a come out 7 after making a point. Yes, you could then place the numbers you just lost, but it also seems to take longer to get all the box numbers covered by come betting with odds. I know The Big Skinny made the rounds here, but I find that to be just too risky for me. With a $30 6 & 8 to start off, if you hit it twice, you’ve still reduced your risk on the layout considerably, even if you’ve spread to a couple of other numbers with each hit. It seems like too many times, I’ve worked to get 3 non 6 & 8 come bets on the board only to miss them while repeating the 6 & 8. I know nobody can predict what strategy will always work, but I’m getting pretty darn comfortable with the hit and spread 6/8 strategy.

Somebody talk me down here!

Alamo

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