CRA 216: C and E Bet — Payouts, Odds, and House Edge

The C and E bet in craps is one verbal call that creates two one-roll wagers: half the money goes on Any Craps, and half goes on Eleven. It wins in some form when the next total is 2, 3, 11, or 12. Every other total loses the whole stake.

The phrase makes the wager sound like one four-number package. Mathematically, it remains two separate proposition bets. When a craps number wins, the Eleven half loses. When 11 wins, the Any Craps half loses. That split determines the real net payout.

What “C and E” means

• C means Any Craps: totals 2, 3, or 12.
• E means Eleven: total 11, commonly called “yo.”
• The bet resolves on the next roll only.
• An even stake is divided equally between the two sides.
• At common payouts, Any Craps pays 7 to 1 and Eleven pays 15 to 1.
• There are six winning dice combinations, not eight.

The six combinations are:

Any Craps has four combinations: one way to make 2, two ways to make 3, and one way to make 12. Eleven has two combinations. The remaining 30 of the 36 equally likely ordered dice outcomes lose both halves.

The complete distribution is shown in Craps Dice Combinations.

A $10 C and E, settled correctly

Suppose a player gives the stickperson $10 and calls “C and E.” Under the usual equal split:

$5 Any Craps + $5 Eleven = $10 total wager

If 2, 3, or 12 rolls

The $5 Any Craps half wins at 7 to 1:

Any Craps profit = $5 × 7 = $35
Eleven loss = -$5
Net profit = $35 - $5 = $30

The player also receives the winning $5 Any Craps stake back. The other $5 has been collected. Relative to the original $10 wager, the player’s total returned amount is $40: $30 net profit plus the original $10 economic stake.

If 11 rolls

The $5 Eleven half wins at 15 to 1:

Eleven profit = $5 × 15 = $75
Any Craps loss = -$5
Net profit = $75 - $5 = $70

The total returned amount relative to the original $10 is $80.

If any other total rolls

Both halves lose:

Net result = -$10

This is why the dealer may announce a net payout that seems lower than the headline 7-to-1 or 15-to-1 figure. One half of the combined call has lost.

Exact house-edge calculation

At the common 7-to-1 Any Craps and 15-to-1 Eleven payouts, a $10 C and E has three result groups:

Expected value is the probability-weighted average result:

EV = (4/36 × $30) + (2/36 × $70) + (30/36 × -$10)
EV = $120/36 + $140/36 - $300/36
EV = -$40/36
EV = -$1.1111 per $10 wagered

Where:

• EV is the expected average result per completed wager;
• 4/36 is the probability of Any Craps;
• 2/36 is the probability of Eleven;
• 30/36 is the probability that neither half wins.

The house edge is expected loss divided by the total amount wagered:

House edge = $1.1111 ÷ $10 = 0.11111 = 11.11%

That does not mean every $10 call loses $1.11. A single roll produces one of the discrete outcomes above. The 11.11% is the long-run average over a very large number of identically priced wagers.

Both component wagers also carry an 11.11% house edge at those payouts, so combining them does not improve the price. It merely changes which totals can produce a win.

Why each half has the same edge

The true odds against Any Craps are 8 to 1 because four combinations win and 32 lose. A fair wager would therefore pay 8 to 1, but the common casino payout is 7 to 1. For a $1 Any Craps wager:

EV = (4/36 × $7) + (32/36 × -$1)
EV = $28/36 - $32/36
EV = -$4/36 = -$0.1111

Eleven has two winning combinations and 34 losing combinations, so the true odds against it are 17 to 1. The common payout is 15 to 1:

EV = (2/36 × $15) + (34/36 × -$1)
EV = $30/36 - $34/36
EV = -$4/36 = -$0.1111

The same four-unit payout shortage appears on each side. That is why changing the proportion between C and E would alter the pattern of wins but would not improve the 11.11% edge when those two payout schedules apply.

A general formula for any even stake

Let T be the total C and E amount, divided equally. Under 7-to-1 and 15-to-1 payouts:

Net profit on Any Craps = 3T
Net profit on Eleven = 7T
Net loss on all other totals = -T

The expected value is:

EV = (4/36 × 3T) + (2/36 × 7T) + (30/36 × -T)
EV = -T/9

For $20, expected loss is $20/9, or about $2.22 per resolved wager. For $100, it is about $11.11. The formula scales the expectation; it does not make any particular roll partially win or lose.

Coverage is not probability of profit

Players sometimes count four winning totals and conclude that C and E covers a large part of the layout. Totals are not equally likely with two dice. The bet covers six of 36 ordered combinations, so its probability of producing a winning settlement is:

6/36 = 1/6 = 16.67%

Its probability of losing is:

30/36 = 5/6 = 83.33%

The occasional $70 net win on an 11 makes the bet feel powerful, but most rolls lose the full stake. Hit frequency describes how often an event occurs; house edge measures the average pricing disadvantage. Those are different properties.

C and E versus a Horn bet

Both calls involve 2, 3, 11, and 12, but they are constructed differently.

A Horn must normally be made in four equal units. A C and E requires two equal parts. For example, $20 C and E is commonly $10 Any Craps and $10 Eleven, while a $20 Horn is commonly $5 on each of the four individual numbers.

Read Horn Bet before assuming the calls have the same payout structure.

Why even amounts matter

Because the wager is divided in half, an amount divisible by two is easiest to book and settle. A $10 call divides cleanly into $5 and $5. A $5 call would require $2.50 on each side, which many live tables cannot accept with their chip denominations or posted rules.

The dealer may ask the player to increase or change an awkward amount. Do not assume every casino handles odd amounts identically. Posted minimums, permissible units, and payout-rounding procedures can vary.

What the dealer is controlling

C and E sits in the center-action area of a traditional craps table. The operational risks are different from the mathematical risk, which strongly favors the house.

The crew must establish:

1. The call. “C and E” must not be confused with “C,” “E,” a Horn, or another proposition.
2. The amount. The dealer must know the total and whether it splits cleanly.
3. The timing. The wager must be accepted under the table’s rules before the deciding roll.
4. The split. Half is booked as Any Craps and half as Eleven.
5. The net settlement. The losing component must be accounted for when the winning side is paid.

Massachusetts’ published craps and mini-craps rules, for example, define C and E as a one-roll wager and require it to be paid as two separate half-wagers: Any Craps and Eleven. The same rules list 7-to-1 and 15-to-1 payouts for those components. Other jurisdictions or individual tables may publish different approved terms, so the layout and house rules remain controlling.

Common misunderstandings

“The whole $10 is paid at 15 to 1 when 11 rolls.”
No. In a standard equal split, only the $5 Eleven component receives that payout. The $5 Any Craps component loses.

“It covers eight dice combinations.”
No. It covers four Any Craps combinations and two Eleven combinations, for six total.

“Four winning numbers means four chances out of twelve.”
No. Two-dice totals have unequal probabilities. Seven has six combinations; 2 and 12 have one each.

“It is cheaper than making the two bets separately.”
No. The call is a convenient way to place both components. It does not change their combined expected value.

“A winning C and E should stay up automatically.”
It is a one-roll proposition. Repeating or keeping it working depends on the player’s instruction and the table’s procedure. Confirm rather than assume.

The useful decision

C and E is simple to call and can produce a conspicuous one-roll payout, but its common 11.11% house edge is far above the Pass Line edge. A player choosing it for occasional center action should understand the full $10 is at risk every roll and that repeating it rapidly multiplies expected loss.

For the components, see Any Craps and Yo Bet. To compare the long-run cost with lower-edge wagers, use the Expected Loss Calculator rather than judging the bet by its most memorable win.