Chapter 5-How The Sharpies Operate

Before we talk about crooked dice, we'll show you what the sharpie can do with a pair of honest ones. He either stacks them in a number of different ways—all to his advantage—before he rolls them; or he doesn't really roll them—although it appears that he does; or he slides them instead of rolling them. When you get taken this way, you've asked for it. No regular crapshooter ever lets another crapshooter get away with it. And in a licensed gambling house, they say, "Roll 'em, fella!" Whoever doesn't, doesn't play.

In the days of Hazard, the sharpie used his finger to control the dice to his advantage. And he had that dice cup to help cover up his actions. Today's sharpie has only his hands, which makes it somewhat more difficult, and also a more skilled trade.

Perhaps the most popular of these freak shots is the "pad roll" or "wheel roll." The dice are held with the numbers 1 and 6 at the ends—so when rolled, like wheels, only the numbers on the top, the bottom and the sides come up. You can't get a 1 or 6. So this prevents any chance of a "crap"—1-1, 1-2, 6-6. If administered in the right fashion, you get only the following:

THE PAD ROLL

Here's the famous "pad roll" and a favorite of all sharpies. The dice are held with the numbers 1 and 6 at ends — so when rolled, like wheels, only the numbers on the top, the bottom and the sides can come up — never the 1 and 6 at the ends.

2-2       3-2       4-2       5-2
2-3       3-3       4-3       5-3
2-4       3-4       4-4       5-4
2-5       3-5       4-5       5-5

Four chances for a 7 out of sixteen combinations helps the shooter's odds for a "natural." And for such bad points as 4 and 10, there's only one chance each. Of course, this is but one way to set the dice for a "pad roll." You can almost take your choice. You just pick out certain points, minimize the chances to "seven out" and face the dice accordingly. Although dated, this roll is still tried in both uneducated and educated circles. The skill is to set the dice quickly and roll them. The trick is to spot the "setting."

Another popular freak roll is the "slide." And it's not as easy to detect as one might believe. As explained in the following illustration, one die is held loosely for the shake effect, and the other is held secure, set for the slide. When rolled, the loose die does roll, with all eyes on it. Thus, the die that slides is rarely caught.
And to make certain that it isn't detected, the expert sharpie has developed a spin or twirl to accompany the sliding die. This gives the effect of a roll—still the die merely slides with the wanted side up. And with one controlled die, the sharpie can accomplish just about anything he desires. At least, he can put the odds definitely in his favor.

For instance, take the point of 4 or 10. That's a 2 to 1 bet against the shooter. But the slide, expertly done, makes the 4 or 10 an even chance. Let's say that you want a 4. Just control one die so that it comes up 1,2 or 3. Whichever shows, you have an even chance of making 4—if the loose die, the one that actually rolls, comes up 1,2 or 3.

Just do some simple arithmetic, and you can easily see the various other points that can be made with the slide. How do you protect yourself from it? In a licensed gambling house, the stickman is watching for it, and thus serves as your protection. In a private game, you'll have to do the watching.

The "bounce" is another freak roll and somewhat resembles the "slide" in that one die bounces off the other and rolls—while the other, the set die, merely slides along. This shot has a definite advantage because it's quite difficult to detect. The action of one die bouncing off the other gives the effect of both dice bouncing and rolling as prescribed. But it deserves the advantage. Of all the freak shots in the game, this one really takes practice to execute. Try it a few hundred times and you still won't master it.

USING THE FINGER WITH THE DICE CUP

The start of the throw looks perfectly legitimate...

But watch those fingers retaining one or more of the dice...

The throw is finished and the retained die or dice comes out with the help of a finger giving it a final turn for the needed number.

THE SLIDE ROLL

Picture this closed fist. Here, the dice are exposed for your inspection. in actual play, however, one die is held secure in the bend of the fingers, and the other is held loosely between the thumb and forefinger.

In this position, with a closed fist, the sharpie rattles the dice. But of course, he's only rattling one die against the other—which is secure in the bend of the fingers and set with the proper side up.

The roll releases the loose die (and it actually rolls) but the set die merely slides out, set as the sharpie wants it.

How to catch this shot? Look for that slide!

But a few have. In explanation, the "bounce" roll is simple enough. You just stack one die on top of the other. The bottom die is set for the favored number. You roll them and look what happens—the top die does the bouncing and rolling, and the bottom die just slides along with the favored number up. How is it done? They say with the wrist and a very special spin. In truth, it remains the secret of the few.

There are numerous other freak shots in the game of craps, all employing spins, slides, a bounce, a skip and a hop. And generally they are beyond the ability of the average crapshooter, to duplicate. In fact, you don't want to master them—the penalty for getting caught isn't worth it. Your problem is to be able to recognize them. Then, you merely yell "No Dice." The reward is a fair shake for your money plus the respect of the sharpie. He won't try freak rolls again when you're in the game.

Crooked Dice

The term "crooked dice" covers a big territory in the game of Craps. And here, terminology comes in. There are "loaded dice"—"passers"—"missouts"—"painted dice"— "capped dice" —"shapes"—"flats"—which covers enough of the crooked variety. Know these and be able to spot them, and you're well up on your dice education.

"Loaded dice" are just what the term implies—loaded, with lead and mercury in the old days, but mostly with white gold and platinum today to take care of transparent dice. Holes are drilled into the various spots, loaded, and thus become heavy or light on certain corners to bring up "favored" points.

Of course, not all loaded or crooked dice are actually "loaded." There are hollow dice, called "floaters" because they are too light to take the water test. Instead of sinking when dropped into a tall glass of water, and the same side turning up—as they will if loaded—these hollow dice float. They are solid on one end, and the other end is hollow—thus, it always comes up.

Then there are "tap dice" which are hollow too. But these "taps" are elaborate indeed. The interior consists of a central cavity connecting with others in the sides. There is just one load of mercury. By giving the cube a tap, the mercury drops into whatever side the sharpie wants it to drop. If he wants to roll a 6, he taps the mercury into the 1 side, and so on. Though ingenious, such dice are easy to detect when handled because of the shifting load. As for detecting loaded dice, there is one sure fire way—cut them open. But this isn't always possible right on the spot. You can also drop them in a tall glass of water and watch to see if

7 OR 11 DICE

Here's a pair of dice for the greedy crook. One shows 2 and 6 on every side, and the other shows all 5's. They have to come 7 or 11 every time they are rolled. But few skilled crooks would carry their game this far. Even the "sucker" sees three sides at a time.

PASSERS

Here's a "mirror" drawing of a die with only three spots — 1,3 and 5. These may crap — 1-1, but they can never "7". The only numbers they can total are 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10. Quite an advantage when a player is after a "point".

Other three spot dice would be the even numbers — 2,4 and 6. They can't "7" either, but they can bring up 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12.

And then there are the 2, 3 and 6 spotted dice to take care of such points as 5 and 9. They also roll 4, 6, 8 and 12. But still no "7".

Missouts or "Bust Outs" come in two types. One set has 1, 3 and 5 on one die, and 2, 4 and 6 on the other. These cubes will always "seven out" when the shooter is after points 4, 6, 8 or 10 — because they just can't roll any of these numbers.

Another type of "Missouts" will take care of the fellow after points 5 or 9. One die has the numbers 1, 4 and 5, and the other, 2, 3 and 6. These will make any point except those the shooter wants.

Six-Ace Flats

Easy to detect? Only because it's a blown up drawing.

Actually, they vary in size only 4/100 of an inch. So in a crap game, you would need a magnifying glass to discover that the die on the left is broader than it is high.

There are many types of "Flats" but the "Six-Ace Flats" are the most popular. With these, the 6 and 1 sides are the flat sides — and naturally, the numbers 6 and 1 will come up most often. the same side always comes up. Or you can spin them on a corner and see if they wobble. To detect the more masterful loaded dice takes an expert. Some can tell merely by feeling the weight of them in their hands. But detecting loaded dice isn't so much your problem as is detecting how they and other crooked dice get "in" and "out" of a crap game. And we'll talk about that a little later.

There are various other forms of crooked dice. Here are some of the major ones:

"Passers" are dice fixed for the shooter, or the player who bets that the shooter will win. They favor winning points. For instance, take the three spots dice. Each die has only three spots—such as the 1, 3 and 5. These may crap, 1-1, but they can never 7. The only numbers they can total are 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10, which is quite an advantage when a shooter is after such a point. There are "passers" which take care of the even numbers, as well, and others that favor 5 and 9.

"Missouts" are dice fixed against the shooter. They favor the "wrong" bettor—the one that says the shooter will lose. And he certainly will with these cubes. They come in two types. One set has 1, 3 and 5 on one die, and 2, 4 and 6 on the other. They will always "seven out" when the shooter is after points 4,6,8 or 10, because they just can't roll any of these numbers. The other type takes care of the fellow after points 5 or 9. One die has the numbers 1, 4 and 5, and the other, 2, 3 and 6. These will make any point except those that the shooter wants.

"Painted" or "capped" dice are painted or capped on certain sides to bring up desired points, to slow them up, or to make them bounce—whatever is required. Don't "ha ha" this method. In the hands of the expert, it's almost fool proof. For the "painted" dice a special paint is used which becomes sticky from the warmth of the sharpie's hand. And a little more warmth—also from the sharpie's hand—takes off the evidence completely. As for the "capped" dice, a transparent material is used, which leaves no tell-tale lines.

Also, there are "shapes," "flats" and "tees," which can only be detected by minute examination. The "shapes" are given slightly tapering cuts on just the right corners. "Flats" are broader than they are high. For example, the sides numbered 6 and 1 are on the "flat" sides and the dice are most likely to come up with those points showing. The "tees" are the old reliable "misspotted" dice, known also as "tops and bottoms" because they show the same number on both sides.

Even in the best of gambling houses, sharpies try to slip crooked dice into a game or try their freak rolls. Both are extremely difficult to do in big-time gambling, because the stickman and other honest house men are on the constant look-out for such goings on. We've already touched on freak rolls and how they are attempted, so here we'll cover slipping crooked dice "in" and "out" of a game — or "switching" as it's called. This is the way it's done or tried at least.

First, how does the player get them inside the gambling house? You're wrong if you think he just walks in with them, carrying the phony cubes in his pocket or some such obvious place. Only fools and amateurs try such simple tricks. Many of the sharpies are experts, and some are highly creative. To cover even a good portion of their methods would warrant a book or two, and then some. So we'll just point out a few methods, actually on record, which seemed fantastically clever to us.

From World War I up to Korea (and even before World War I), craps was a favorite with the service man. And this story has to do with a soldier crapshooter, seriously wounded in World War II, who was determined to take advantage of the fact. The soldier had lost his left arm, up to the elbow, and someone was going to pay for his service-connected disability. He qualified for a hook-like arm from the government, and a monthly disability check for life. Small compensation, we agree. Anyway, it made the soldier bitter.

He designed for himself a wooden arm and hand in flesh-like color and went back to the game the army taught him — craps. At first, he played with the fellows in so-called "friendly games" and was a constant winner. Then he graduated to the big time — the Nevada gambling casinos. He would stand before the layouts and shake and roll those dice just as the house rules prescribed. He won often, but never played long at a time. But the fact that he always won, and that he had that wooden arm, finally caused suspicion.

If you haven't guessed it already, he was switching phony dice by means of the wooden hand. In the palm of the wooden hand was a specially built compartment — just big enough for two sets of dice. However, only one set of dice occupied the compartment at any one time — the phony dice until they were switched for the house dice, and vice versa. After being detected, he demonstrated his trick to the owners.

It seemed, because of his deformity, most houses would allow him to shake the dice by holding his cupped good hand against the wooden straight hand — thus affording an easy switch. He claimed that he figured as much when he designed the hand. A simple device on the wooden hand when pressed would open the special compartment. From here, it was just a matter of switching dice for a while. He admitted that it took some practice. The story goes on to say that the house took pity on him and let him go. But he was certainly blackballed in the state of Nevada.

Take offs on this scheme were tried but were less clever. A man with a wooden leg was easily detected. He caused too much commotion getting to the cubes. He had to stoop to get them — at the ankle — and was dead. Also, the house wasn't too easy on him — so the story says

As for other ways of getting phony cubes into a game, the list is long and almost endless. But here are some to keep your eyes peeled for. And we're certain that others are being invented by sharpies at this very moment:

HEEL — Here it's a trap heel. The player reaches down to tie a shoe string, and his little finger triggers a spring in the heel, releasing phony dice. But because he reaches down, it's a dead give-away.

CANE — A compartment in the handle of a simple cane stores the phony dice. One man got caught with this, not because they saw him working the switch — but because he forgot which leg was supposed to be stiff. He limped away from the table — on the wrong leg.

HEARING AID — The crooked dice are kept either in the ear piece mechanism or the battery case of the hearing aid.

BELT BUCKLE — Not too workable because the belt buckle is obviously too thick.

TIE CLASP — Same problem as above. But one sharpie thought he had this problem solved. A set of dice (phony dice) were actually a part of his tie clasp. Something so out in the open, he felt, would never be suspected. But the second he fingered his tie clasp, a stickman rapped his knuckles with the stick. And out of the game he went.

CHIPS — At a crap table you either use money or chips to place your bets. A compartment for phony dice — made to look like a stack of chips — has been tried. Since you hold the chips in your hands anyway, it seems a natural device. But it wasn't. The chips didn't rattle.

And on it goes. The devices are plentiful for getting crooked dice into a crap game. And if the sharpie himself doesn't use some such device, he has other sharpies called "feeders" supplying him with all types of sure-shot dice. These feeders, non-players mostly, just stand around with their good supply of special cubes. They carry them in belts, the lining of their coats, even in their pockets. Since they aren't playing, they aren't under suspicion — until they approach a player. So even here, it takes skill. But maybe "nerve" would be the better word.

THE WOODEN HAND SWITCH

It's quite a sacrifice to put phony dice into a game this way. So we doubt very much that you would want to consider it. Besides, it's old hat now. Gambling houses watch for all types of deformities — the wooden leg, the limp, the man with the cane, etc. So it won't work.

Since many methods of switching dice leave the sharpie with two sets of dice in his hands — the house dice and the phony dice — how does he manage from there? Basically, all such hand switches are based on the theory of the hand being quicker than the eye. You know how some can perform that disappearing coin trick — rolling the coin through the fingers. Finally, it disappears. Well many sharpies can do the same with a pair of dice.

In fact, there are many places to hide the house dice temporarily about the hands — while using phony dice. There's the cuff of a shirt — a sticky substance holds them in place. Also, of course, the hand that isn't rolling the dice makes a good storehouse. Believe it or not, one dedicated sharpie had a good portion of the palm of his left hand removed by surgery for such a purpose. He could then really hide those house dice while he used his own.

And then there's the "one hand switch" which requires some practice. Also, big hands are a definite advantage. Try holding two sets of dice in one hand, throwing out only one set and retaining the other, and you'll see what we mean. But the sharpie has little trouble. The crooked dice rest between the palm and the third and little finger, ready to be switched for the honest dice. The honest dice are held by the thumb and first two fingers. Presto, they change places. The phony cubes hit the table — and the house dice stay secure between the palm and third and little finger, ready to be switched back into the game when necessary.

Those who have difficulty working with four dice, use only three. That third one is phony, of course, and for certain combinations works well with one honest die. It can change "passers" into "missouts" and vice versa. All such single phony dice are specially loaded to fit the "Three Dice Combinations" — meaning that one phony die with either of the two honest dice will give the sharpie definite odds in his favor. They don't always work, but they work most of the time. Another advantage is that the "single die switch" is easy to perform but difficult to detect. The switcher merely picks up one cube and makes the change while reaching for the other. And the watchers feel that the dice never leave their sight. They don't — but they have been switched.

There are sure ways of detecting the crooked crap table or the crooked gambling house — if you stay around long enough to spot them. Remember, they employ all the  tricks in the game, and daily invent some of their own. Crooked dice prevail, but also all the other devices: stooges, feeders, crooked stick-man and house men in general, magnetized tables, electric dice, gyp layouts, all the switch methods possible — the ways and means are beyond the average man's imagination. How does one spot such things? You just have to keep your eyes open, and once you're sure it's a joint, get out of the place. That's the only way to protect yourself. You can't beatem not really.

Detection is what you're concerned about — not joining them with the foolish belief that you may turn the tables. So here we'll pinpoint a few of the goings on that usually indicate a "bustout joint" — as it's called:

Watch how often the dice are handled and by whom. If the place is a bit careless in this respect, it's probably crooked. The stickman has to be a bit careless to allow switchers and feeders plenty of time to operate.

In the typical "bustout joint" the house itself brings the phony dice into the game whenever bets are stacking too high against the house. The stickman makes the switch to a stooge. So if a player is winning a lot watch the stickman.

If you see a stickman rap the knuckles of a player  take notice. They do this in honest houses but here it's done to prevent a shooter from setting the dice for a freak roll. In the crooked house, it's often done so the player won't have a chance to examine the "phony dice."

But don't watch the stickman so much that you miss the stooge or feeder. He may be a customer standing right next to you who is playing an inconspicuous game winning a little and losing a little. Then suddenly, when he gets the signal and it could be anything he puts the phony dice into the game.

A "gyp layout" one giving poorer odds than average is usually a part of the crooked gambling house. But a gyp lay out in itself is no proof that the house is crooked. Remember what we previously said the house isn't actually gypping you when you accept bad odds. You're gypping yourself by playing on such terms.

Electric dice those loaded with steel plugs are heavy to the feel of the experienced crapshooter. So get a general idea of the weight of an honest pair of dice.

But even honest dice can do some interesting tricks. For instance, if the dice you're using start to "act up" on only certain spots on the table chances are that the table is rigged with a magnet under those certain spots.

THE ONE HAND SWITCH

This only looks obvious and easy to perform. But when the sharpie pulls the one-hand-switch it's the old story of the hand being quicker than the eye.

The crooked dice rest between the palm and the third and little finger, ready to be switched for the honest dice. And where do the honest dice go? They stay between the palm and third little finger, ready to be switched back into the game.

A RIGGED CRAP TABLE

The house has a bigger advantage than usual if it uses a magnetized table. The magnet is fastened to the under-side of the table and fed by dry or storage batteries. One or several magnets are used, and a button on the stickman's side controls it all. So if the dice start jumping around crazily watch out.

A RIGGED TABLE FOR ELECTRIC DICE

Some simple wiring, a metal plate beneath the cloth of the crap table, so-called electric dice with steel plugs in certain spots, and a switch for the stickman does the damage here.

At the turn of the switch, an electro-magnetic current shoots through the plate and controls the dice for the house.

Despite the prevalence of sharpies, crooked dice and crap tables, a great many crap games fall into the "honest" category. And your best bet here is to shoot craps in a licensed gambling house — preferably the big ones with a reputation behind them.

It is reasonable to believe that such houses can't afford to use phony dice, rigged tables, feeders and the like at the expense of losing their license — and this a most profitable income. Besides, the odds are already in their favor - legally.

While you have a right to expect fair treatment (and you get it) at every licensed gambling casino, you should never expect to beat the business, particularly in the long run.

Nor should you expect all gambling houses to offer the same odds. Rules and percentages vary. So do some shopping around for the most favorable odds. These are found most often in the bigger casinos. It's like the price of food at a super-market and the small grocery store.

And by all means, remember the odds and probabilities in the game of Craps. Hunches, hot and cold streaks, dumb luck all play their part. But first and always craps is a game of chance and you have to take it from there.

So here's hoping that chance is on your side enough to make the game both interesting and profitable.