Part I: Games & Gaming · Dice Games — Craps & Sic Bo

Hardways

Craps

A set of multi-roll proposition bets wagering that a specific even box number (4, 6, 8, or 10) will be rolled as a matching pair (“the hard way”) before either the number is rolled “easy” (non-matching dice) or a seven is rolled. Hard 4 (2-2) and Hard 10 (5-5) pay 7:1 with a house edge of 11.11%. Hard 6 (3-3) and Hard 8 (4-4) pay 9:1 with a house edge of 9.09%. Hardway bets are controlled by the stickman in the center proposition area and are the last bets paid after a winning roll. They are “working” bets that remain active unless the player calls them off.

In practice

Dealer slang includes “Little Joe” (hard 4), “Ozzie and Harriet” or “square pair” (hard 8). Hardways are often the subject of dealer tokes (tips) in the form of two-way bets.

One entry from the Casino Industry Glossary — 1,157 terms written for surveillance, compliance and operations professionals rather than for players. Definitions describe industry usage; where a term carries a regulatory meaning, verify against the instrument that governs your jurisdiction.