Craps is not only the most exciting of all casino games, it is second
only
to blackjack when it comes to giving the knowledge player a chance to
come
out a winner. Much of the fear of playing craps can be dispelled by
gaining
a clear understanding of what you can expect to encounter before first
stepping up to the table. If you take the trouble to become thoroughly
familiar in advance with every aspect of procedure at craps, once you
start
playing you will find that the alien will quickly become the familiar.
Before long, you will be playing with as much confidence as all the
veteran
players crowded around the table. What is much more important, if you
follow
my advice on strategy, you will also be playing far more intelligently
then
even most veterans, and you will walk away a winner far more often than
they
do.
THE ELEMENTS OF THE GAME
1.THE PERSONNEL
The first requirement in removing the mystery from the game is an
understanding of the duties of each member of the crap-table team. A
crap
game is conducted by a crew of four dealers, only three of whom are on
duty
at any given time. In addition, a supervisor called the boxman sits at
the
center of the table on the casino's side of the pit and oversees the
game,
guarding against any errors or irregularities. He is the final arbiter
of
any dispute at the table. He is easy to identify, since he is the only
wearing a suit rather than a dealer's uniform. In some casinos, if a
table
is very busy they will have two men sit box, one to watch the left half
of
the layout and the other to watch the right half. In this case, the two
men
will sit side by side.
Two dealers are stationed on the inside (pit side) of the table, one on
either side of the boxman. Each of these two dealers is in charge of
collecting and paying all bets on his half of the layout. Since the
left
half of a crap layout is identical to the right half, both dealers have
exactly the same job. The only reason for having two dealers and two
duplicate layout patterns is that no player will have to stretch all
the way
across the table to place his bet. These two dealers also have the job
of
changing cash into chips for the players. When you buy in, place your
cash
on the layout in front of you. The dealer will pass the money over to
the
boxman, who will count it and announce the total to the dealer. The
dealer
will then count out the proper amount in chips and pass them over to
you.
Finally, the boxman will deposit your cash in the drop slot in front of
him.
You may also have the dealer change your chips to those of different
denomination.
Standing on the players' side of the table at the center, opposite the
boxman, is a third dealer, who plays the role of the stickman. He is in
charge of the dice. He has a long wooden stick curved at the outer end
that
he uses to gather in the dice after each roll and push them to the
shooter
for the next roll. It is also his job to announce the number that is
rolled
on the dice each time. This is for the benefit not only of the players
but
also of the two dealers, since they are not supposed to take their eves
off
the layout at any time. They must rely on the stickman's call to know
how to
settle the bets.
The stickman also helps the boxman oversee the game. When bets are paid
and
collected, he watches the dealer at the end of the table at which the
dice
have to come to rest, while the boxman watches the dealer at the other
end
of the table. Finally, the stickman is also in charge of the
proposition
bets, which are on the central part of the layout directly in front of
him.
When a player wants to make one of these bets, he places his chips in
front
of the stickman and indicated the bet he wants. Later, the stickman
will
instruct the other dealers on taking or paying these bets. He will tell
them
the amount of each payoff and which player to give it to.
Each crap-table crew also contains a forth dealers. The dealers rotate,
each
taking his turn at the stick and at each of the two ends of the layout.
Since there are only three dealer positions, this always leaves one
dealer
free to take a break in the dealers' room. Craps is the most difficult
of
all casino games to learn to deal and the most grueling one to conduct.
Crap
dealers are recognized as the most skilled of all casino dealers. If
you
think it's confusing for you, imagine how demanding it is for a dealer,
who
has to simultaneously keep track of the progress of the game and the
bets of
a half-dozen players, many of them having several wagers going at once,
while simultaneously watching for cheating. When you consider how
costly a
mistake on a dealer's part may be, you can realize how much pressure
the
crap-table crew is under. Taking frequent breaks is necessary for
dealers to
maintain the required level of concentration.
The complexities of dealing craps and the many opportunities for error
are
also the reasons why there is more extensive supervisions of craps than
any
of the other games. In addition to the one or two boxmen, there is also
a
floor man inside the pit, who typically has two crap tables assigned to
him
to watch. While the management of the game is generally left in the
hands of
the table crew, the floor man can and, if necessary will, overrule any
decisions in the course of the game.
Most of the time when playing you need only be concerned with two of
these
people, the stickman who will offer you the dice each time it is your
turn
to bet, and the dealer on your side of the layout, who will pay off and
collect your bets. Don't worry about the proposition bets; they are
strictly
for suckers. You will be staying away from them. see more > > >
