Introduction - It's been said that "the best throw at dice is to throw them away." That could or could not be true depending upon how you play the game. It's quite true that there is little if any actual skill in shooting craps. It's a game of pure chance. But there is something to be said for knowing the odds for various bets, and not betting when those odds are ridiculously against you. And that's what this book is about.

01. Dice Came First - Dice were probably evolved from knucklebones, and knucklebones from odd-shaped pebbles. The word "probably" is used because those small cubes of bone, ivory, wood or plastic have a contradictory, but romantic, history. We'll touch upon some of it here for the sake of the curious.

One thing seems certain, knucklebones or dice go back nearly to the creation of man. And wherever dice have been found, whether in the- tombs of ancient Egypt, of classic Greece, or of the far East, they differ in no material respect from those in use today. Of course, they were not always simple spotted cubes.

02. Private Game - Most people begin shooting craps at home for pennies, or maybe with the fellows for quarters, so we'll begin here. Just in case you've never played the game at all or are a beginner we'll start with the fundamentals of play.

You throw a pair of dice, two cubes, bearing dots 1 to 6 inclusive. If the dots total 7 or 11 on the first roll, you win your bet, and the throw is called a "natural."

03. Gambling House - Now you're ready for the big time, ready at least for an introduction to the gambling house game. Just make believe that you're standing around listening and watching, which is a wise way, first off, to approach gambling house craps or any other gambling house game. To be sure, it's quite unlike what the "friendly private game" player has been used to.

04. Science Of Dice - Every crapshooter wants to be a winner. And your chances of being a winner, more often than not, are best when you consider certain mathematical facts.

So we're going to talk about probabilities and statistics here, as they apply to throwing two dice. And although skilled mathematicians figured it out, you don't have to be one to understand the science of dice. We'll keep it as simple as possible.

05. Sharpies - So much for the true science of dice. Let's go now to another type of science used—the science of the dice cheat or the sharpie in the game of Craps.

Dice cheats, crooked dice, freak rolls and the tricks of the game are as old as the game itself. As soon as man discovered that two cubes could be used for games of chance, man also discovered ways and means to help chance along. Some of these ways and means are ingenious. And it will pay the crapshooter to know as many of them as possible. In fact, it will cost you money if you don't.

06. Dice Games - Other than Craps, there are various other games of chance played with dice. We'll discuss and illustrate the more popular ones here. And only one or two of these are still played in gambling houses — Craps being the big dice game these days. But you might want to play these other games with the fellows, or they may come back to the gambling halls. So here they are:

A Glossary Of Dice Terms - Like all games, Craps has its own vocabulary. So if you're going to play the game, you'd better learn some of the common dice terms. For one thing, you'll know then what the other fellow's shouting about. Also, it will make you feel more like a professional when you roll those Bones — those Dice.

Baby Needs A New Pair Of Shoes — Just a saying in the hopes that it will help you win your roll.

THE END