Archive for the ‘Craps’ Category

Today’s Gambling Trivia

In craps, just about everyone knows a roll of two is called “snake eyes.” But did you know the roll is also referred to as “pebbles”?

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Posted on February 8th, 2010 by sroeben  |  No Comments »

What in the World Were They Thinking?

OK, this one’s pretty much for the craps players. You know who you are.

Last night, we were wandering through the casino of one of our competitors in the neighborhood of Rio Las Vegas, which shall remain nameless, for reasons to be made clear in about 12 seconds.

And we stop by the craps table to see what’s up. We look down, and see this on the felt of the craps table.

no_7

Serious craps players are going into cardiac arrest right now.

Here’s the thing. Craps players are often a superstitious lot. Lots of “rules.” They don’t like it when the dice hit someone’s hands, or when they knock over a stack of chips, or when they go off the end of the table. They don’t love when there’s a change in the stickperson. They truly don’t care for a new player buying-in during a hot roll. The superstitions are part of what make craps so fun!

One of the biggest rules at a craps table is to not say “seven” out loud. Ever. (That, by the way, is why an 11 is called a “yo,” because “11″ sounds so much like “seven.”)

So, imagine playing on a table where there’s a logo with a giant “7″ right on the table!

Granted, this may mean nothing to the rest of the world, but craps players, are you with us on this? Worst. Idea. Ever.

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Posted on January 13th, 2010 by sroeben  |  2 Comments »

Happy National Dice Day

It’s National Dice Day, one of our favorite days of the year! Here are some fascinating facts about these captivating cubes that inspire so much fun.

Dice are the world’s oldest gaming devices, used even before recorded history.

Before dice were used for games of chance, numbered cubes were used by those who believed they could help tell the future.

“Astragalomancy” means “the practice of divination by means of dice.”

The spots on dice are called pips.

The spots on dice are called "pips."

Casinos never use dice with round corners.

Novice craps player Patricia Demauro had the longest craps roll in casino history on May 23, 2009, at the Borgata Hotel in Atlantic City. She rolled for four hours and 18 minutes (with 154 rolls). It was just the second time she’d played craps.

Gamblers in ancient Greece made dice from the anklebones and shoulder blades of sheep.

The Arabic word for “knucklebone” is the same as the word for dice.

Even today, dice users refer to dice as bones, as in “Shake them bones!” And there’s even a dice game called Bones.

In eighteenth-century English gambling dens, there was an employee whose only job was to swallow the dice if there was a police raid.

A musician and comic by the name of Reve White is believed to have invented the dice clock, one of Sin City’s most popular souvenirs.

What time is it? Time to play craps, of course.

What time is it? Time to play craps, of course.

Precision dice, used for craps, may have a polished finish (making them transparent) or a sand finish (making them translucent).

The oldest known dice ever unearthed were part of a 5000-year-old backgammon set found in Iran.

The term “die” comes from “datum” which translates as “something played.”

Casino dice are made of cellulose acetate, and are manufactured to a tolerance of 1/10,000th of an inch.

In craps, various rolls of the dice have nicknames. For example: Snake eyes (2), Little Joe (4), Ada from Decatur (8), Nina from Pasadena (9) and puppy paws (two fives).

Have the best National Dice Day ever!

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Posted on December 4th, 2009 by sroeben  |  No Comments »

Stop Being So Productive: Play Craps

ESPN, this blog is feeling some deep love for you right now. Thanks for giving us some free craps online for fun.

Stop clicking on the buttons, it's just a graphic.

Stop clicking on the buttons, it's just a graphic.

By the way, you can play several games for fun at Harrahs.com if you’re a Total Rewards member. And you are, right? Just log in with your Total Rewards number and click on “Play for Fun.” No craps yet, but the other games (blackjack, slots, roulette, video poker) are pretty cool, too.

If you have no idea what we’re talking about when you hear the term Total Rewards, go here to get schooled.

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Posted on November 7th, 2009 by sroeben  |  No Comments »

Today’s Gambling Jargon

Someone considered to be a great shooter in craps is referred to as “an arm.”

Bonus gambling trivia: A $100 bet is called a “buck.”

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Posted on November 4th, 2009 by sroeben  |  No Comments »

Today’s Craps Etiquette Tip

At the craps table, it’s widely considered bad etiquette to say the number that comes after six and before eight. (What, we’re gonna tempt fate in our blog?)

Craps Dice used in casinos have a tolerance of .0005 inch.

Dice used in casinos have a tolerance of .0005 inch.

It should be noted that 11 is referred to as ”yo” in craps because when said aloud, ”eleven” sounds an awful lot like that other number that shall not be spoken.

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Posted on October 21st, 2009 by sroeben  |  No Comments »

Today’s Fairly Useless Gambling Poll

One of the things that makes craps such a colorful game to play is that just about everything in the game has a nickname. In fact, nearly every number rolled has its own name. Got a favorite?

Which of these number nicknames in craps do you like the most?

View Results

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Did we miss one you like? Let us know in the Comments section.

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Posted on October 9th, 2009 by sroeben  |  3 Comments »

The Best Bet in the Casino

On a recent stop at O’Sheas, we asked Larry, a craps dealer, to answer one simple question just about everyone wants the answer to: “What is the best bet in the casino?”

Larry wanted to do stand-up. And as a craps dealer, you stand up A LOT.

Larry wanted to do stand-up. And as a craps dealer, you stand up A LOT.

Larry pondered the question for a moment and replied, “The best bet in the casino? The one that hits.”

We get the feeling Larry gets that question a lot.

Bonus craps fact: By playing just $1 on the “hard six” or “hard eight” (those numbers have to come as a pair before an “easy” six or eight, and before a seven), you can turn your $1 bet into $1,000 just by letting it ride three times. Hit a pair of threes once, and $1 wins $10. Hit the hard six again, and it’s $100. One more time, and it’s $1,000.

When it happens, don’t forget to give a little love to Larry.

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Posted on September 10th, 2009 by sroeben  |  3 Comments »