EN 
DE Juice
Juice in craps is the commission the casino takes on certain bets. Players also call it vigorish, vig, or the house cut. It shows up mainly on bets that pay at true odds, where the casino adds a small fee so the game still favors the house.
How Juice Works in Craps
On most craps tables, juice appears on buy bets and lay bets on the point numbers (4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10). These wagers pay at fair mathematical odds, so the house uses a commission to create its edge.
Typical uses of juice in craps:
- Buy bets: You bet that a chosen number, such as 4 or 10, rolls before a 7\. The payout is 2 to 1 on 4 or 10, and the casino takes about a 5% commission on the amount you bet. The exact moment when this juice is taken depends on the house rules: on some tables, the commission is collected up front on every buy bet, while on others it is only charged when the bet wins.
- Lay bets: You bet that a 7 rolls before a specific number. The payout uses reversed odds, and the house takes around 5% of the potential win as juice.
- Commission timing: Some tables collect the vig upfront, win or lose. Others only take it when the bet wins, which is less costly over time.
Example of Juice on a Buy Bet
Consider a table where juice is charged only when a bet wins:
- You place a $20 buy bet on the 4\.
- A winning roll of 4 pays 2 to 1, for $40 in gross winnings.
- The house takes a 5% commission on your $20 stake, which is $1, as juice.
- You keep $39 in net winnings and get your $20 stake back.
If the same table charged the vig upfront instead, you would pay the $1 commission when you place the bet. A losing outcome would then cost you the $20 stake plus the $1 you already handed over.
Juice in Online, Live, and Land-Based Craps
The meaning of juice stays the same across formats. What changes is how you see and pay it.
- In a land-based casino, a dealer handles chips for buy and lay bets and takes the commission according to table rules.
- In live dealer online craps, the process is similar, but the betting screen shows the commission amount for each wager.
- In RNG online craps, the software applies juice in the background when you place a bet that requires a commission and adjusts your balance automatically.
Checking the paytable or help section lets you see which bets include juice and how big the commission is.
FAQs
Can I avoid juice in craps?
You can pick bets that do not use a separate commission, such as pass line, come, and place bets on 6 or 8\. These still have a house edge, but no extra fee is taken on top.
Is juice always 5%?
Many casinos set juice at about 5 percent on buy and lay bets, although exact rules can differ. Reading the table signage or online game info shows the current rate.
Does juice change the odds of the bet?
The posted odds and probabilities stay the same, but the commission lowers your net payout.
