Craps Etiquette for New (and oblivious) Players

[heavy]

Let’s face it. Craps is a community game - a game of "us against the house," and as such it attracts a wide variety of players. And, just as in the real world, sometimes there are personality clashes at the table that lead to unpleasantries. You may not like a person’s politics or the kind of car they drive. You may think they have bad breath or are lacking in morals. Or perhaps they were simply rude, ignorant, drunk or all three. Hey - it happens.

Hooking up with someone for the first time? Think you might want to hook up with this person again someday? Then remember that of all the players in the casino - craps players probably have the most superstitions of all. With that in mind, I thought I recap some of the basic rules of etiquette that should be followed if you don’t want to annoy the other players.

First off, you need to know how to play the game. If you don’t know the rules don’t expect the person you are hooking up with to teach you at the table. Your table-mates have their own agenda, and it should be making money for themselves. If you need lessons buy a book, read up on basic strategy on a website, or take one of those “learn to play craps” lessons the casino offers from time to time. But don’t ask other players how to run your bets.

Secondly, you need to know when and how to buy in. The correct time to buy in is at the end of a game - after a player has either made his pass or sevened out. The dealers will turn their pucks over black-side up and the pucks will say OFF. That's when you should buy in.

You should never drop new money on the layout in mid-game. It stops the action as the cash is counted in. The exception to this rule - in some markets you can make “cash plays” wagers. If you want to toss out a hundred dollar bill and tell the dealer you want “$100 outside” odds are no one will be upset. But if you toss out $100 and ask for $51 inside - a bet that a break-in dealer may fumble with - and you have to wait for the bets to be set up and your change handed off - I can pretty much assure you that someone at the table is going to be upset with you.

Get your bets in while the dice are in the center. Or, as I say from time to time - get those late bets in early. Nothing is more annoying than watching the stick man bring the dice BACK to the center and stopping the game to set up a $1 hardway just because you had a last minute hunch. Again, it’s all about keeping a rhythm going.

Dice are out - shooter has ‘em. That means the table is no longer booking bets. Your hands should be up off the table and out of the path of the dice. Every veteran shooter will tell you that if the dice hit someone’s hands they’ll roll seven. Yeah, it is just a superstition. The chance of the seven showing is still one in six. But you don’t want to be facing the crowd after the dice hit your hand and the seven showed. You’ll see calmer lynch mobs.

Is it your turn to shoot? Again, don’t slow the game down or do things to aggravate the dealers. Set the dice quickly and get them down the table. And don’t deliberately bounce the dice off the dealer’s chip stacks. It annoys him, and eventually you are going to want him to pay your bets.

Likewise, when you toss the dice get both of them all the way down the table and off the back wall. That’s the rule. Not following it simply draws heat for everyone.

Last of all, don’t melt down over something as simple as an underpaid bet. I’ve seen players fly apart over being shorted a buck. If the dealer shorts you on the payoff simply hold the chips out in your hand and explain that you think you may be a little short on that last payoff. The dealer will tell you to drop it back on the table and he will take care of the problem. Want to be a class guy? Tell him not to hold the dice up - just settle up after the roll. Then when the box OK’s correcting the bet take the extra buck you just made and toss it out as a dealer bet.

Remember, hook up sessions mirror life itself. You may have good neighbors and bad, but you can still get along if you send the right messages. Givers are given things - and takers get taken. Over the long run you get out of life what you are willing to put into it

[Dylanfreake]

The last time I played I made a $10 DP wager and the shooter tossed a seven. I took a sip of my drink , looked around at people walking by the table, chit-chatted with the guys on my end of the table and looked down and noticed that the dealer had not removed my losing wager after the natural. The shooter was now 10 or 15 minutes into a good hand. I said nothing and low and behold , five minutes later the shooter sevens out without making the point. The dealer pays me $10 and says , "Why no odds?'-----I say , "That was a bet for the dealers.' The dealer locks up $20 and is happy.

You know what I did, but was it the right thing to do?

[heavy]

Yes. Doing the right thing is pretty much always the right thing. In a situation like that - it defines your character.

[London Shooter]

Imagine if everybody followed the above rules? There would be so many less 7 outs

Actually, there would just be a whole new set of reasons on which to blame the 7.

[wild child]

The casino never needs to hire coolers,there are players working that job for free...

w c

[stratocasterman]

The casino never needs to hire coolers,there are players working that job for free...

got that right for sure w c!

[heavy]

There are several other items I could have added to the etiquette article, but at the end of the day it all comes down to this one:

Don't be a dick.

[Irukanji]

Don't hoot, holler and cheer when the SO comes as you are playing the dark side and everybody else is on the right. Quietly pick up your winnings and rack them.

[stratocasterman]

Wonder what the staff/players would think about me just flashing them with etiquette guideline "cue cards" upon any infraction?

[pappyvanwinkle]

I think Heavy has covered most of the issues. I have a few others even "seasoned" craps players seem to forget or don't seem to honor.

Keep Track of your bets/money. When you toss your money to the dealer, make sure they make the bet you want and put it in the proper area. It's your money, and I want to say it's on you to keep track of where your money is. Dealers rotate out so, you saying you gave the money to the other dealer and if they misplaced your bet, is just asking for trouble. At a session downtown, Memo and I were the only players on a table, I was shooting and having a really nice hand. Anyways, in the middle of the hand, two other players buy in, one next to Memo, the other next to myself. I was banging the 4, I actually had $800 on it, Memo had $400(if I recall). Anyways, after the last toss, there's commotion on both sides of the table, by Memo, the new player was complaining they had a $12 bet that should be paid, but was no where on the layout. I was tempted to just toss them $14 so we could just keep the game moving, since I was trying to stay focused/in the zone. It wasn't worth it because on my side of the table another commotion was breaking out, the new player next to me started arguing/confusing the dealer, which brings me to another issue.

Don't do crazy moves that are not clear. I don't recall the specifics, but the player went from like $204 across to like $51 inside or something like that. Every hit, they changed all their bets. The dealer did not know what the player wanted, hell I had no idea what the player wanted either. All that happened was the player started yelling at the dealer, "NO, I want blah". This was not the fault of the dealer, since I was there before this player, and had my bets pressed and the dealer was versed enough to know reasonable bets. Now I've seen cases where there are new dealers, and they get confused. You raising your voice to them is actually not helping the issue. Anyways, any guesses what the next toss was? Seven-out. This brings me to the next issue.

Don't disturb the shooter. You can play this one by ear. It's pretty much like Heavy has described, don't be a dick. First point, the new player bought in right next to me, even though literally the whole table was open. If your some hot looking buxom blonde or redheaded temptress, I probably am not going to mind to be honest, but this was not the case. Generally on a hot table, do not buy in next to the shooter (if you can help it). I have done it, on occasion, and I'm as quiet as a mouse, making my bets clear to the dealer, I never bother the shooter. On many an occasion, I know the shooter in question, and they turn around at the end of their hand, and that's when I exchange pleasantries and compliment them on their roll. The second point is, the player literally started yelling at the dealer standing right next to me.

Now if your new to the game, I know it looks intimidating, but the dealers manage to pay everyone when their suppose to and they can keep track of who bet what. In some sense, it's pretty cool that their able to do all this and keep things moving along. In order to do this, the dealers have certain procedures their trained to follow. I'd say we(dealers too) all want a fast and efficient game.

WAIT YOUR TURN. If your at a table with me and I see you immediately screaming at the dealer what to do with your bet after a roll, I'm going to keep telling you to "WAIT YOUR TURN". I know we all get giddy with excitement when a number we bet on hit and we start pondering what to do with the money they'll be giving us. Most veteran players know the dealer goes in a certain order, you being the first one to scream out something and toss a bunch of chips on the layout is not helping the game move along(unless you also happen to be the first person the dealer is suppose to pay)

Know what you want to do. By this, if you want to do some press move, know what you want before it hits. Like I said above, if you had a bet on a number and it hits, the dealer is going to have your payout ready and be prepared to give it to you, this is when you have the dealers attention. If your like, "ummm", their going to give you your money and move on to the next person. If there's time after they've paid everyone and the dice haven't gone out to the shooter, you can tell them what you want then. If your flumixed, the easiest thing to do, is to just tell them "Same Bet". You get money, they don't have to change any chips around etc.

Just some musings

Pappy

[Cap-n_Lou]

I don't know if anyone mentioned this, but I'm against "same dice" unless you have hit at least 4 points or 8 box numbers in a row. I hate it when someone -- usually someone whose toss begged to cause the dice to fly off the table -- screams "same dice" like they expect to win the Golden Arm award and they haven't made any points yet. I mean, come on ...

[Cap-n_Lou]

I guess that falls under the category of (like not annoying the shooter) not being a shooter who's annoying.

[London Shooter]

Being awake to the pace and flow of the game is a great point that PVW brings up. Some dealers can be very quick and efficient and during a nice roll it's great if players can keep to the rhythm. Same bet, up a unit - keep it simple if you don't know your press moves in advance. Don't be the clown who tries something clever and ruins it all with delay and confusion.

[heavy]

EDE = Energy Draining Event

[Bankerdude80]

Does observing able bodied person(s) positioning a chair which takes up two shooting positions at SR qualify as good etiquette? I've begun to see this more and more. At one time properties controlled this behavior by requiring a physician's note or the impairment had to be obvious. Are people becoming lazy and more entitled? I've noticed this behavior more at high end properties and amongst so-called high rollers, which in of itself may answer the reason why. I have no qualms with those who have a valid medical reason to use a chair, but the rise in numbers of those who do not appear to be infirmed makes me question it.

[220Inside]

That's a tough one to answer, as t can be sometimes difficult to tell if someone is really impaired or not. But I understand what you are saying.

[London Shooter]

Happens a lot in Biloxi. Hell I even use the stools myself Though only if table is quiet and would never use on busy table. I guess much down to market demographics with more local players becoming older.

[acpa]

Being 85 but with no visible problem, I use a stool at the table every time I can find one and will ask the pit to get me one sometime.

One casino, the Linq in Vegas has stools at the table all the time. And Margetville usually has them sitting nearby.

Noah

[SHOOTITALL]

My impairment is not visible. Shot knees. I cannot stand more than a few minutes and that is an EDE. I cannot walk much more than 20 yards before I am ready to collapse. There are many physical elements not visible such as emphysema, artificial legs, etc. So, it is not good to make a decision without enough information. The first clue is does the patron look like Methuselah's younger brother but younger folks may also incur the wrath of bad health. Without a stool, my time at a craps table would be - - - -Zero.

[Bankerdude80]

My impairment is not visible. Shot knees. I cannot stand more than a few minutes and that is an EDE. I cannot walk much more than 20 yards before I am ready to collapse. There are many physical elements not visible such as emphysema, artificial legs, etc. So, it is not good to make a decision without enough information. The first clue is does the patron look like Methuselah's younger brother but younger folks may also incur the wrath of bad health. Without a stool, my time at a craps table would be - - - -Zero.

Yeah, I completely understand old age and the challenges that come with it. I guess my inquiry was more towards those that are 40ish to 50ish in age and do not seem to have obvious physical ailments. For example, I was at Bellagio and this lady who was maybe in her 50's had a chair and would continue to move it herself (lifting it up like it was a 5lb bag of dog food) and moving it around the table when she wanted to switch to a different position. If she can lift the chair and move it around with no problem, what ailment prevents her from standing?

My folks are infirmed (mom broke her hip and uses a walker, dad had open heart surgery and has trouble walking long distances. Both in the past year). They are stubborn and refuse to get handicap placards or license plates. I don't know why, but It bothers me when I see a 40 year old pull up and park in a handicap spot and run (and I mean physically run) into the store to get something. It makes me think some are gaming the system. I guess I'm getting to be an old curmudgeon.