Craps Shooting

Brick and mortar casinos require a Craps player to throw or shoot the dice against a backboard so that they rebound before coming to rest (online casinos will simulate the rolls using software).  This is supposed to ensure the roll is random but many crapshooters try to control the outcome and change the odds.  The subject of controlled throws on casino Craps tables is a hot topic.  It's sometimes called rhythm rolling and dice setting because players are said to develop a rhythm of holding and throwing the dice in a set way.  If anyone could alter the outcome of the dice, even slightly, they would be rich beyond their wildest dreams and casinos have been scammed in the past.

 Dice Setting, Rhythm Rolling And Controlled Shooting

Hand Rolling Dice in the Private Game

Without doubt it is possible to control throws in a private game and there are a number of techniques around. The best way to prevent a controlled throw is to insist that the dice are rattled and thrown against a backboard, although even this is no guarantee. The Greek shot is a technique of throwing a pair of dice so that they hit a backboard but so the bottom die does not turn. Only a real expert can pull this one off.

The first move cheats learn is rattling the dice without rotation... The Lock Grip

The first and easiest controlled throw cheats learn is... The Blanket Roll

The next most common controlled throw is...  The Whip Shot  

Dice Throwing Cups

A cup to hold and roll the dice can help to overcome the problem of controlled throws and can help to ensure that the dice are shaken properly and fall at random.  However, the use of throwing cups for dice does not always guarantee the dice fall at random. In fact some cheats prefer them. Crooked dice can just as easily be thrown and even straight dice can be controlled with practice. Cheats develop techniques where the dice are placed in the cup and are then slid out of the horizontally held cup rather than rolled.

Both the Greeks and Romans used specially made throwing cups and some incorporated cross bars inside to prevent controlled rolls.

Today purpose made ribbed dice cups can be purchased with a rubber ribbed interior. Tripped cups have a lip around the rim.  A slick cup is polished and smooth on the inside to facilitate controlled throws.  Cheap dice cups are available in plastic while more expensive deluxe dice cups can be bought made from real leather.

The best safety check against controlled throws with a cup is to insist that the dice are vigorously rattled and that the dice cup is completely tipped upside down.

Techniques for Controlled Throws with a Dice Cup...

A relatively simple crook's move with a dice cup is a...   Dice Cup False Shake

Dice Trays and Bowls

Dice trays are used to prevent dice rolling off or outside the playing area.  Usually wooden, they come in various shapes, often hexagonal, octagonal, rectangular, etc, and have a surrounding wall an inch or few high, often with a green felt-lined base.  Sometimes a groove is included in the surround for holding out-of-play dice.

The French game of Shut The Box is usually played with a traditional wooden box which incorporates a throwing tray.               

Chinese dice games (like Cockfighting, Grasping Eight, Strung Flowers, Heaven and Nine, Pursuing Sheep and  Sic-Bo) are often traditionally played with a flat-bottomed porcelain bowl to throw the dice into.  Highly decorative antique dice bowls from the Ming and other dynasties often fetch high prices at auction.

There are crescent shaped bowls available for storing out-of-play dice and for presenting them to players.  You may come across them in casinos on their Craps tables holding a number of special casino dice for the shooter to make a selection from. 

Dice Rolling Devices

Operators of the game Chuck-A-Luck often use a specially made chuck cage (an hourglass-shaped wire cage that rotates) to roll the dice.  This is supposed to assure players that the outcome is random.  However, crooked dice could be substituted for straight ones including electric dice with an electromagnet placed underneath the chuck cage. 

The games of Grand Hazard and Chuck-A-Luck used to be played using a special hazard chute.  This was a cone or horn shaped device that often had inclined trips inside to ensure random rolls of the dice.  (For more on hazard chutes see The Wild West term "Tinhorn".) 

Spring loaded transparent domes with dice inside have been used for children's dice and board games.  They are operated by pushing down on the plastic dome and then releasing it.  The base then snaps or springs up causing the dice to jump and bounce around inside.  

Many patents exist for other dice rolling devices that haven't succeeded in gaining widespread use.  Maybe some of these ingenious contraptions will be featured in the future on dice-play.