Nope. What you could be witnessing is a security measure so that the boxperson can check if the dice are legit. In a process known as "squaring the dice", the stickman is supposed to bring the dice in front of the boxperson (hopefully the same way they landed), flip them over so the bottom is now face up, and then angle the dice so that the boxperson can see two sides of each die facing him. The other two sides of each die can be seen in the mirror that lines the wall underneath the stickman. By doing this, the boxperson will have seen all six sides of each die. This is typically done after the come-out roll.
"How does checking the sides help find weighted, or other kinds of fixed dice?"
Other security features can be built into dice to prevent dice switching. Dice have what you can think of as serial numbers on them, but a casino logo can also be on the dice as well as a single letter printed on the reverse side of one of the white pips. If there's any doubt about the dice, there are die calipers that they can use to make sure they are balanced. I'm sure there are other security features as well.
"You said they only square the dice after the come-out roll, but sometimes I see the stickman play with the dice even if it's not after the come-out roll."
That's right. The stickman is also supposed to avoid sending the dice on the totals of 2, 3, 7, 11 and 12 (known as naturals). The only reason for this is to accommodate superstitious players... of which there are plenty on Craps. If you're a dice setter, sometimes the stickman will recognize this and set them for you before sending them out. But he/she will only do this if it is allowed, there is time to do it, knows how you set the dice, and if you're nice to them.
No comments:
Post a Comment