You must have seen many players being superstitious at the gaming tables and casinos. There are many such things involved to say as lucky or unlucky to play and win game.
Here are some of the facts and superstitions involved in the game of craps
- Casinos do not use dice with round corners. Modern dice have square corners and are manufactured to a tolerance of 1/10,000th of an inch.
- Dice made from sheep’s knuckles have been found at archaeological sites, including a die with 4s on two faces found at a Roman site.
- Superstitious players consider it bad luck to change dice in the middle of the roll. If, in the middle of a hot roll, the shooter throws one or both of the dice off the table, he’ll often call “Same dice,” just to make sure.
- Opposite sides of dice — tops and bottoms — always add up to 7. That is, 1 is opposite 6, 2 opposite 5, and 3 opposite 4. Adjacent sides never add up to 7.
- Dice can be rotated so that 1, 2, and 3 come into view in succession, then turned so that 4, 5, and 6 come up in rotation. It’s an anti cheating device, so that players and casino personnel know dice with all numbers are in the game.
- Don’t be surprised if the table clears if a player yells out “Seven.” The word is considered unthinkable, let alone unspeakable.
- A penny thrown under the table is supposed to be good luck. More likely, it’s just a lost penny.
- It’s supposed to be bad luck to throw both dice in the air while preparing to shoot. Toss one up and you’ll look like an old pro; toss both and you’ll have them heading for the exits.
- Knowing the table layout, terminology, and common calls are a good start, but it’s also important to know how to bet. Players have dozens of wagering options available to them and they need to make wagering decisions within seconds.
- Craps players are highly superstitious. The word “seven” is bad luck because most people bet the Pass Line. If you let it slip out in the middle of a game and the dice land on 7, then the whole table will cuss you for putting an evil voodoo spell on the dice. People aren’t happy when they lose money and they don’t want to blame themselves for their losses, so they blame you and your bad mojo for their bad luck. If you must say something about the number 7, then say “S word” or something else, but try to avoid saying the word “seven.”
- If you play the Don’t Pass, you’ll probably be the only one at the table doing so. Everyone will likely be playing the Pass Line, even if the table is cold. Get used to the fact that everyone will hate you for playing the Dark Side. They know you’re rooting for a seven to appear, which is a loser for them,
- If you smoke, don’t hold the cigarette so the ashes fall on the tabletop. If you dirty the table, the crew has to stop the game and clean up your mess. Show some respect for your fellow players by not blowing smoke in their faces. Instead, tilt your head and blow the smoke straight up so the air-handler can suck it up away from the players and dealers.
- Don’t be late making your bets. Decide what bets you want and make them when the dice are in the middle of the table under the stickman’s control. The stickman’s move to push the dice to the shooter is an implied signal that it’s too late for any more bets.
- When it’s your turn to roll the dice, don’t intentionally aim for the chips at the other end of the table. If you hit them, they usually ricochet all over the place and the dealers have to remember where they all go and re-stack them. It’s okay to hit them occasionally, but if the crew thinks you’re doing it intentionally, they’ll ask you to stop.
- Don’t hold up the game by wasting time with silly dice setting techniques. No silly dice grip or orientation has any effect on how the dice will land. Everyone at the table knows you’re a sucker if you believe that dice control actually works, so stop embarrassing yourself and just pick up the dice and roll them.
- Before you roll, don’t blow so hard on the dice that you spit on them. You’re not going to magically transfer your luck to the dice. The only things you’ll transfer are your bad breath and germs. A gentle puff is okay as long as spit doesn’t fly out of your mouth. You see it all the time, there’s always one jerk at the table who blows or coughs on the dice before each roll with a few added spit balls for extra luck.
- You don’t forget to toss the dealers a tip every now and then. They rely on tips because they generally make minimum wage.
- If you’re a man and you’ve never played before, don’t mention that fact. New male Craps players are supposedly unlucky and will seven-out quickly.
- If you’re a woman, you should definitely mention your newness to the game. Craps “virgins” are considered to be extremely lucky and are expected to throw numbers for a long time. Upon mentioning that you’ve never played before, you may see the players start suddenly wagering all kinds of money on the table, and maybe even giving you chips to bet with!