Q. Explain to me, in dollars and cents, why I’m better off risking $6 on a place bet on 6 instead of $5 on Big 6. Even if there’s a difference in the house edge, how can it be better for a guy on a tight bankroll to risk more money?

A. Win a $6 place bet on 6, and you’re paid $7. Win a $5 Big 6 bet, and you’re paid $5. That’s a huge difference. Let’s say we have a statistically average session where I place the 6 11 times, and you bet Big 6 11 times. They work exactly the same way, with either bet

winning on 6, but .losing if a 7 shows up first. I risk $66, and you risk $55. On the five times the 6 show up before a 7, I get back my $6 bet plus $7 in winnings, for a total of $65. You get back your $5 bet plus $5 in winnings on each of those trials, for a total of $50.

At the end, I have $65 of my $66 for $1 in losses. You have $50 of your $55 for $5 in losses. I’ve risked more, but you’ve lost five times as much as I have. Squeezing those bets down to $5 and playing Big 6 instead of placing the 6 costs you money.