Updated September 23, 2026 · How we simulate
Buy the 4 and 10 loses about $11 per hour on average at a $15 table (100 rolls, $25 buy on 4 and 10 (vig on win)). You finish ahead in 45% of hours, and it ranks #3 of 11 popular strategies for lowest cost.
Buy the 4 and 10 at $25 each with the commission charged only on wins. We ran it through 200,000 simulated hour-long sessions (100 rolls each, $15 table, real casino payouts) to see what actually happens.
Instead of placing the 4 and 10 (9:5 payout, 6.67% edge), you can buy them: they pay true odds (2:1) minus a 5% commission. At most casinos the vig is $1 per $20, rounded down, so a $25 buy costs just $1 in vig and pays $49 instead of $45 placed.
Bets: $25 buy on 4 and 10 (vig on win).
| Outcome | Result |
|---|---|
| Average (what it costs you over time) | −$11 |
| Median hour | −$12 |
| Bad hour (1 in 10 are worse) | −$309 |
| Good hour (1 in 10 are better) | $286 |
| Best 1% of hours | $578 or more |
| Worst 1% of hours | −$555 or worse |
Out of the 11 strategies we've simulated, Buy the 4 and 10 ranks #3 for lowest average cost per hour. See the full ranking.
Watch Buy the 4 and 10 play one hour. 100 real-odds rolls on autopilot in about 20 seconds, then see how your hour compares with 200,000 simulated ones.
⚡ Run it nowPlay it yourselfEach session is 100 rolls (about an hour at a busy table) starting on a new shooter, using standard Vegas rules: 3-4-5x odds, casino payouts rounded down, place bets off on the come-out, and a $5,000 table max. At the end of the hour we stop betting, take down removable bets and let contract bets finish. "Down $500" counts any point in the hour where the session was $500 behind. Dice come from a cryptographic random generator. Results are practice estimates, not predictions.
Usually 5% of the bet, often rounded down to $1 per $20 (so $1 on $25 to $39). Some casinos charge it only when you win, which is best for you.
No. Placing the 6 and 8 at 7:6 (1.52%) is cheaper than buying them.
Buying 5/9 at $40+ with vig on win drops the edge to 2%, better than 4% placed.