The Horn Bet
| Updated: Understanding the Horn Bet
The game of craps is often intimidating for the average casino player because of the large number of available bets. The unusual jargon used by players at craps tables does not make things any easier for newcomers, but the rules are actually quite simple.
Although it may seem difficult to play, craps is a fascinating game of chance that offers plenty of excitement for both seasoned and casual gamblers. Players can choose from a large number of available wagers, including an entire category of one-roll proposition bets. The Horn bet also belongs to this category, giving players the chance to diversify their sessions at the craps table and potentially pocket large payouts.
The trouble is that the average player has little understanding of how this combination bet works, let alone the substantial disadvantage they face when making it. People frequently confuse it with the C and E bet, which covers the same numbers but works differently, as you will discover in a moment. This section of our craps guide introduces the Horn bet, its odds, its house edge, and whether it is a good wager for craps players.
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The Horn Bet in Craps Explained
When you walk past a craps table, you will inevitably see players pushing chips toward the stickman and calling out phrases like “Horn High Yo!”, “Horn High Ace Deuce!”, “Horn High Snake Eyes!”, or “Horn High Boxcars!”. These expressions refer to the four Horn numbers. The 2 is called “snake eyes,” the 12 is known as “boxcars,” the 3 is called “ace deuce,” and the 11 has been given the nickname “yo(leven).”
The Horn bet covers all three craps numbers (2, 3, and 12), along with 11. This is a combination bet, which means you must place four individual wagers, one on each of the four winning numbers. Because of this feature, players are advised to bet amounts that are divisible by four.
The Horn bet highlights one unique aspect of the game of craps. To avoid confusion, because 7 and 11 sound very similar, players often call the Horn numbers by their alternative nicknames.
Depending on the casino where they play, gamblers might be able to place a breakage Horn bet. This occurs when a player wagers an amount that cannot be divided evenly and the house is unable to pay the exact amount owed. In simple terms, when breakage occurs, the amount the player has earned is rounded in the house’s favor.
Thus, if you wager $10, dividing your Horn bet by four means that $2.50 is staked on each number.
Bear in mind that the payout is not the same when the low and high sides hit. If 2 or 12 comes out, you will receive $77.50.
- $2.50 x 31 = $77.50. After subtracting the $10 stake, the net profit is $67.50. In such cases, players will collect $67 instead of $67.50.
It is important to note that the payoffs for high-side breakage are calculated at 31 for 1. Thus, if the total staked amount is $5, players receive a net payout of $33 after rounding. If they stake $10, they collect $67. Betting $15 or $25 will bring them $101 and $168, respectively.
However, this will not be the case if the low side comes out. Even if players have staked an irregular amount, there is no need to round the result: $10 x 3 = $30. As you can see, gamblers avoid breakage in such situations.
Difference between Horn Bets and C and E Bets
This wager should not be confused with the Craps and Eleven bet, commonly known as the C and E bet. The latter covers the same numbers (2, 3, 12, and 11) but works differently from the Horn bet because there is no need to divide the wager among four separate winning outcomes. The stickman will divide your C and E bet equally so that one half of the wager backs the craps numbers 2, 3, and 12, while the other half backs 11.
The C and E bet wins when one of the four numbers is rolled, and you lose the half of the original stake that backed the other portion of the bet. The Horn is different because you lose three individual wagers even if one of the four winning numbers appears on the next throw.
How to Make a Horn Bet While Complying with Table Etiquette
It is essential to follow established table etiquette when making this type of wager. You should keep in mind that the Horn is not a self-service bet, meaning that only the stickman can place it for you.
The chips for Horn bets are placed in the center of the table layout, and you must ask the stickman to make the wager for you. You can do this either by pushing the chips toward the stickman or by informing one of the base dealers that you want to bet on the Horn. Some casinos use separate betting grids for the individual Horn numbers, while others may have an additional betting grid that reads “Horn.”
Players are advised to wager amounts divisible by four, especially if they find it difficult to calculate fractions in their heads. Otherwise, they might be shorted on the payout if they happen to win.
You can toss four $1 chips toward the stickman and say that you want to bet “around the Horn.” The stickman will then take your four chips and divide the wager into four equal parts so that Horn numbers 2, 3, 12, and 11 are each covered by a $1 chip. Accordingly, the payout you receive depends on which individual number wins. If the shooter rolls a 2 or a 12, the casino will pay out at odds of 30 to 1, or 31 for 1, which is the same thing. The numbers 3 and 11 pay out at 15 to 1, or 16 for 1.
Let’s look at an example in which the amount you bet on the Horn is not divisible by four. Suppose you have no $1 chips left and decide to wager $5 around the Horn at a table that features a separate Horn betting box. In this instance, you are essentially wagering $1.25 on each of the four Horn numbers.
Notice what happens if one of your numbers is rolled: calculating your payout with fractions can get tricky. If 11 rolls on the next throw, your payout is 15 to 1, or $18.75. However, the other three $1.25 bets on 3, 2, and 12 will lose. The dealer will then subtract your losses of $3.75 from $18.75 to pay you $15 in winnings. The calculations would be the same if your Horn bet won with a 3 instead of an 11.
If you happen to win with craps numbers 2 or 12, the Horn bet will pay out at odds of 30 to 1. Suppose 12 hits: your winnings from this bet will amount to $37.50. You will again incur losses of $3.75 from the other three individual wagers on 2, 3, and 11.
The dealer will subtract these losses from your $37.50 profit, leaving you with $33.75. At some craps tables, the staff does not deal with cents because chips in such small denominations are unavailable. Instead, your profit will be rounded down to $33, and the remainder will be retained by the house.
There are two ways to prevent this from happening. You can either wager in multiples of four so that you can easily keep track of your winnings, or you can use the remainder to place a Horn High bet. Requesting $1 in change for your $5 is also an option if small chips are available, but this can sometimes be a nuisance for the table staff.
Betting the Horn High
Some players shy away from requesting change for their Horn bets, while others prefer to use $5 chips to save time rather than arranging their $1 chips into stacks. The Horn High bet is a suitable option for such players because it lets them choose which Horn number they want to back with their extra chip.
In such instances, the player announces “Horn High Yo” when they want the extra dollar on 11, or “Horn High Snake Eyes” if they want to back 2 with the remainder of their Horn wager. A $5 Horn High Snake Eyes would have $2 wagered on 2 and $1 on each of the remaining Horn numbers (3, 11, and 12). The payouts for Horn High bets are the same as those for regular Horn bets.
Note that you have another option if you want to use the remainder of your Horn bet. You can request “Give me a Horn and a Hard 8,” for example. The stickman would then put $1 on the Hard 8 and distribute the remaining $4 equally among the four Horn numbers, giving you an additional number you can win with. If the Hard 8 (4-4) hits, you will collect a payout of 9 to 1. In this case, you get $9 from your Hard 8, lose $4 from the Horn bet, and end up with $6 ($5 plus your original $1 wager).
The Whirl Bet
We include the Whirl bet here because it closely resembles the Horn bet. In essence, the Whirl is a Horn bet that also covers 7. In other words, you make five independent bets on numbers 2, 3, 11, 12, and 7. You need five units to make a Whirl bet: four units are distributed among the Horn numbers, and the fifth unit is wagered on 7.
Likewise, players who wish to experiment with Whirl bets are advised to wager amounts that are multiples of five, which keeps things simple. The payouts on winning Whirl bets when 2, 3, 12, or 11 hits are the same as those for a regular Horn bet. If the shooter rolls a 7 on the next throw, your bet results in a push because 7 pays at odds of 4 to 1 (4 for 1). Neither the Horn nor the Whirl bet offers favorable odds to the player, as we explain in the next section.
Odds, House Edge, and Probability for Horn Bets
Gamblers enjoy experimenting with Horn bets because they are exciting to play, but this is one of the worst wagers a person can make in the game of craps. There is only one possible combination for each of the craps numbers 2 (1-1) and 12 (6-6), so the probability of either occurring is 2/36 = 5.56%. The 3 and 11 have a total of four possible combinations: 2-1, 1-2, 6-5, and 5-6. This corresponds to a probability of 4/36 = 11.11%.
Therefore, you have six possible winning combinations out of a total of 36, and the probability of your Horn bet winning stands at 16.67%. In contrast, the likelihood of losing is substantial at 30/36 = 83.33%.
You are probably asking yourself why anyone would make a Horn bet with such a small chance of winning. The main reason is that Horn bets bring plenty of excitement to the game. More importantly, they offer significant returns if one of the four winning numbers appears, especially if it is 2 or 12, for which the casino offers a payout of 30 to 1. Some establishments list these odds as 27 to 4.
Rolling a 3 or an 11 on the next throw results in a payout of 15 to 1, or 3 to 1 in some casinos. Keep in mind that the amounts the house pays do not reflect the true odds of winning. The combined true odds for the Horn bet are 5 to 1. Meanwhile, the true odds of rolling 2 or 12 individually are 35 to 1 because there are 35 losing combinations and only one winning combination for each of these values. Similarly, the true odds of winning with 3 or 11 individually are 17 to 1.
Despite the differences in how the payouts are expressed, Horn bettors face a very steep house edge. You can calculate your expected return for the Horn bet as long as you know the probabilities of winning and losing and the profits you can generate from a winning bet. However, you should not forget that you are making four independent bets, so you will lose three units even if you win. If the roll results in any number other than 2, 3, 12, or 11, you will be four units down.
Calculating your expected return with a $4 Horn bet works as follows: ((2/36) x 27 + (4/36) x 12 + (30/36) x (-4)) / 4 = (-0.125) x 100 = -12.5%. This means you will be $12.50 down for every $100 you wager on Horn bets in the long run. In other words, you are facing a substantial house edge of 12.50% when betting “around the Horn.”
Is the Horn Bet a Bargain for Craps Players?
Our stance on betting the Horn is probably apparent by now. As one of the worst casino wagers available, the Horn combines four of the worst bets you can make in craps, namely the individual wagers on 2, 3, 11, and 12.
However, if you insist, you can experiment with the Horn bet occasionally, as long as you do not overdo it. The trouble is that you will most likely have to spend a little extra on gas and drive to the nearest land-based casino because Horn bets are rarely available in online versions of the game.
That being said, some software suppliers, such as Wagerworks and Betsoft, have included it on their craps layouts. The good news is that you will not have to worry about betting in multiples of four or calculating fractions. You can make this proposition wager with a single click on the section that reads “Horn,” and if you happen to win, the software will calculate the exact payout for you. Experiment with the Horn bet at your leisure, but don’t say we didn’t warn you.