This post will focus on the craps world bet, also called “whirl bet” by some players. Craps is a popular dice game at casinos, and there are many different types of bets that can be placed on the craps table.
The world is a one-roll bet on the 2, 3, 11, 12, and Any 7. It will cost a minimum of $5 and can only be placed in $5 increments since you are betting equally on 5 different numbers.
We will cover how the world bet works, whether it is a good bet to place, the odds of winning, and other important information about world bets.
13.33%
House
Advantage
Good Bet?
How the world Bet works
The world bet, commonly referred to as a whirl bet, is a one roll bet that can be found at practically every single craps table on the planet.
To place a world bet, make sure the stickman has the dice and the table is taking bets. Simply call out to the stick, “world” and toss your money to them. They’ll catch it and place your money on the 2, 3, 11, 12, and Any 7.
On the next roll, if the dice show 2, 3, 11, 12, or 7 you win. Any other number, your bet loses.
You can bet the world in $5 increments . Most players will only bet $5, some will throw $10 at it and a select few will throw $25 or more at it consistently.
If you are new to craps, learn more about how to play craps here.
Odds of Winning a world Bet
The chance of winning a world bet is 33%. There are 12 ways to win, and 24 ways to lose. But it comes down to the payouts. The majority of your ways to win come off of the 7, which only pays 4 for 1. So even hitting a 7 is still a loss, it just reduces the blow.
- Total of 2: (1,1)
- Total of 3: (1,2), (2,1)
- Total of 4: (1,3), (2,2), (3,1)
- Total of 5: (1,4), (2,3), (3,2), (4,1)
- Total of 6: (1,5), (2,4), (3,3), (4,2), (5,1)
- Total of 7: (1,6), (2,5), (3,4), (4,3), (5,2), (6,1)
- Total of 8: (2,6), (3,5), (4,4), (5,3), (6,2)
- Total of 9: (3,6), (4,5), (5,4), (6,3)
- Total of 10: (4,6), (5,5), (6,4)
- Total of 11: (5,6), (6,5)
- Total of 12: (6,6)
World bet payouts
- 7 pays 4:1
- 3 or 11 pays 15:1
- 2 or 12 pays 30:1
Payouts are determined by local gaming commission regulations, most states follow the same payouts as listed above, but these could vary from one jurisdiction to another. The above are from NV.
House Edge on world Bets
The house edge on world bets is 13.33%. This means that, on average, the casino will make a profit of 13.33% on world bets. Here is the breakdown of house edge
Horn Bet edge – 12.5%
Any 7 Bet edge – 16.67%
Craps world Bets FAQs:
Final Thoughts
The world bet is no a good craps bet. It seems like a decent bet because of the number of ways to win, but the problem is in the payouts. Winning on the 7 is essentially just a hedge to not lose your money. The horn numbers have higher payouts, but the chance of hitting those are slim.
Combination bets, proposition bets – they are a terrible bet. A 13.33% house edge is nearly the most on the craps table.
The house is always going to have an edge, but you can reduce that edge down to less than 1% playing an advanced betting strategy that uses odds in your favor.
Good luck on the tables!
