Dear Mark: Encouraged by the stickperson on a crap game, a couple of the players kept betting a Horn or a Horn High. Although they hardly broke the bank, actually I believe they ended up losers, I was still wondering if it’s a good bet or not. Sammy R.

A sucker bet if ever there was one, a “craps-eleven,” or “horn” bet as it’s typically called, is a one-roll wager that on the next roll of the dice their sum will be, 2, 3, 11, or 12. If they sum up to anything else (4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, or 10), you lose. If the three or 11 rolls, you’re paid 15:1, and if the two or 12 appears, 30:1. Horn bets are accepted in even dollar units, divisible by four, with equal amounts bet on each of the four outcomes. Horn bets are settled as though the four possible winners had been bet individually.

Although the payoffs can vary from casino to casino, the house edge on a “horn” bet is always more than 12%.

The difference between the Horn bet and the Horn High bet is that the Horn High bet is made in dollar units divisible by five instead of four, with one unit on each of three of the horn numbers, and two units on the "high" number. The player selects the number that gets the extra unit. The Horn High bet thus has equal units on three of the numbers, with double that amount on the nominated fourth number. Any of the numbers can be called the High. For example: with a $5 “Horn High 12,” you’re betting $1 each on 2, 3, and 11, and $2 on the 12. The Horn High Bet pays 30:1, so the $2 on the 12 could get you $60, less the $3 lost on the other three numbers that didn’t show up..

Oh, and let’s not forget the “Horn Low,” which is $2 on the 2 and $1 on the other three numbers or the “Horn High Yo,” which is $2 on the 11 and $1 on the other numbers.

Although any of these proposition bets seemingly have lofty payoffs at 15 or 30 to one, the house edge is far too voracious for your hard-earned money.

Here’s my recommendation, Sammy. Stay away from all proposition bets in the center of the layout. The dealer who is barking their performance is just luring the turkeys to the chopping block with a trail of breadcrumbs -- inducing play on wagers that are all “house bets”, carrying a casino advantage as high as 16%.

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