This article is going to show you how to cheat at craps.
I can already hear you asking, why on earth would you show me how to cheat at craps?
The answer is obvious — to help you win more money, of course!
I’m joking. The reason why you should know how to cheat at craps is so that you know what to look for. Let’s face it, anytime there is money to be won or made, there is someone looking for a way to cheat the system. It doesn’t matter what game or sport it is. There’s always someone who has a lack of a moral code willing to do something unethical to make more money. That’s the sad truth.
But by being prepared you’ll be able to point out any oddities when and if you see them, assuming the casino hasn’t already seen them first. What’s more is that cheating is more common in a private street or home game since most people don’t have the technology that casinos do. Anyway, the bottom line is that the more you know about craps cheating, the more you can do to prevent it from happening.
Methods for Cheating at Craps
There are numerous methods for cheating at craps. Some require that you modify the dice, while with others you’ll need to have a quick slight of hand. Let’s look at each method more in detail.
Method #1 – Modify the Dice
One method for cheating at craps is to modify the dice. For example, you could:
- Load the dice. You could add weight to the dice so that the weighted side is more likely to land faced down on the table, with the preferred side face up. If you’re playing at a sketchy casino, or if you’re running a home game, another option is to load the dice with magnets and have metal sheets or coils running underneath the felt.
- Remove material. Same concept, except that you’re removing material from the dice so that it’s weighted to one side. These also go by the name of floaters, because when dropped in water, they’ll float instead of sink.
- Rounded or beveled dice. Another modification is to round or bevel the corners or sides of the dice. The dice will have a little extra ‘roll’ to them, so that they’re not as likely to stop on certain sides — say any two numbers that make a 7 (although since so many numbers make 7, probably the more probably numbers would be rounded)
- Shave the dice. Shaving the dice on one side will turn the dice more into a rectangle than square. With more surface area the dice is more likely to stop on the rectangle side.
- Smooth/rough up the dice. You can smooth one side of the dice so it’s more likely to keep rolling on that side, and then rough up another which will cause more friction, making it more likely to stop on that side.
- Tapped dice. Tapped dice have hour-glass parts in them that contain mercury (or some other kind of fluid). The idea behind this is that you can tap on the dice to move the tap from one spot to another, which will create an unbalance.
- Paint the dice. Another trick is to paint the dice. This will create a stickier surface. Some paints (or liquids) are designed to get sticky with a little bit of moisture — sweat from your hands or from someone blowing on the dice.
These are the most common ways to modify dice. I’m sure there are new methods or techniques to improve these methods popping up all the time since cheaters have to adapt to casinos getting better at catching them.
Method #2 – Manipulate the Dice
So another method for cheating at craps is to manipulate the dice. Instead of doing something to the die itself, you hold and throw the dice in such a way that it lands on the numbers you want more often.
One well-known form of manipulating the dice is to slide or scoot them. What this means is that instead of throwing the dice so that they tumble and roll, you throw them in such a way that they just slide on one side to the other end of the table.
Many experts say that this isn’t easy enough to do for anyone to become consistent at it. However, people are still caught and charged for doing it. For example, in October 2011, one former and one current PokerStars Pro was caught cheating at the Wynn in Vegas. Apparently they won $700k, with $150k being won in just 7 rolls. Whether or not sliding can be a consistent technique, it’s clear these two were up to something.
Method #3 – Steal
Of course, another way to cheat at craps is to flat-out steal. There are a couple of ways you can go here:
- Steal from other players. When no one is looking you can reach over and take someone else’s chips.
- Steal from the table. Same idea, but instead you’re reaching out into the table to grab chips.
- Past post. Past posting is a term for placing chips on the table after an outcome has already been reached. For example, if the shooter rolls a point you might try to quickly place some chips on the pass line.
These methods are clearly more risky because you’ll need to be extremely quick to pull any of them off.
Cheating Online — Is it Possible?
It’s not possible for players to cheat online at craps. The dice are controlled by a random number generator (RNG), which means that the outcome of the dice are determined randomly by a computer. No one actually handles the dice.
The only way to cheat online at craps is if you’re the casino, or you have some sort of inside access to (someone at) the casino. Then, and only then, will you be able to find a way to cheat. The problem with this is that online casinos are audited regularly for fairness and randomness. So whatever scheme you (or maybe the casino) was trying to pull would very likely be found.
Obviously an online casino could do this to their players. But it’s not something I’d put too much thought into. After all, craps odds are in favor of the house. So by being fair on their end, they are able to get plenty of players to trust them enough to sit down and play, ultimately making them money. In other words, there isn’t an incentive for casinos to cheat (in the long run, at least).
Should You Cheat at Craps?
Obviously not. Unless you want to risk being placed in a 6×10 concrete room with bars on it, and like showering with other people of the same sex.
If you do, hey, I’m not judging. I’m just making it clear as to what you can expect to happen if you’re caught.
And it’s a high probability that you will be caught, considering the technology that is out there. In a brick and mortar casino, there are cameras everywhere monitoring your every move. On top of that, you have employees that are taught what to look for and how to handle it, all based on the videos.
When you get caught (because most cheaters get caught eventually), it’s not just the embarrassment of being walked out in cuffs or banned from the casino that you’ll (only) have to worry about. In most scenarios, you’ll have to pay the money back. And in states like Nevada, cheating isn’t taken lightly. It’s a felony. You’ll be put in prison with other guys who did the same (dumb) thing.
And if that’s not scary enough, then think about the consequences of cheating at a private game. The brick and mortar casinos can’t really hurt you. But what’s stopping someone from hurting you from inside their own home?
That’s a scary enough thought to keep me from cheating at craps, that’s for sure.
