📊 What Happens When You Bet on Both the Pass line and the Don't Pass Simultaneously
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Let's break down the math of placing a $25 bet on both the Pass Line and the Don't Pass Line in craps.
🎲 Understanding the Bets
- Pass Line Bet: Wins if the come-out roll is 7 or 11, loses if it's 2, 3, or 12. If a point (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10) is rolled, the bet wins if the point is rolled again before a 7.
- Don't Pass Bet: Wins if the come-out roll is 2 or 3, loses if it's 7 or 11. Pushes on 12. If a point is established, the Don't Pass bet wins if a 7 is rolled before the point.
📊 What Happens When You Bet on Both?
Let’s say you bet $25 on each, so your total amount at risk is $50.
1. Come-Out Roll (First Roll Only) Outcomes
| Roll | Pass Line | Don't Pass | Net Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Win $25 | Lose $25 | $0 |
| 11 | Win $25 | Lose $25 | $0 |
| 2 | Lose $25 | Win $25 | $0 |
| 3 | Lose $25 | Win $25 | $0 |
| 12 | Lose $25 | Push | -25 |
| 4–10 | Point set | Point set | Go to next stage |
So right away you see:
- On 7, 11, 2, 3: you're always breaking even.
- On 12: you lose $25.
- On point numbers (4–10): the bets both go live and odds change.
Probability of Rolling Each Come-Out Number:
- 7: 6/36
- 11: 2/36
- 2: 1/36
- 3: 2/36
- 12: 1/36 → This is where you lose $25
- Point (4,5,6,8,9,10): 24/36
So on the come-out roll, your expected value (EV) is:
So even before a point is set, your expected loss is about 69 cents per roll when doing this.
🔁 After the Point is Established
Now both bets are live:
- Pass Line wins if point is rolled again before a 7.
- Don't Pass wins if a 7 is rolled before the point.
These bets are exact opposites, but not perfectly symmetrical due to the way craps odds work (specifically due to the “push” on 12 on Don't Pass).
Let’s look at the house edge:
- Pass Line bet: House edge ≈ 1.41%
- Don’t Pass bet: House edge ≈ 1.36%
These are small, but when you bet both sides, you're guaranteed to:
- Always win one bet,
- Always lose the other,
- Pay the house edge twice.
📉 The Bottom Line
Placing both a $25 Pass Line and $25 Don’t Pass bet:
- Guarantees you lose money over time.
- Has a negative expected value due to the house edge on both bets.
- Most obviously loses $25 if the come-out roll is 12.
- Net expected loss per round is about $0.69 per roll, minimum.
✅ Conclusion
Betting both the Pass Line and Don't Pass Line at the same time is mathematically a bad idea — you're essentially making a neutral bet, but with a guaranteed loss due to the rules and house edge asymmetries, especially on the come-out roll.