You wouldn’t drive off the tee while another foursome was still on the fairway, nor would you make your approach in bowling at the same time the player to your left or right was lining up a shot.
Proper player protocol counts in gambling, too. Knowing how to play the games isn’t enough. There are accepted rules of etiquette that one must observe to make the playing experience as enjoyable as possible for everyone, including the dealers.
Unfortunately, many gamblers learn the hard way. For example, the tourist waving a five-dollar bill in their hand who squeezes their way into a red-hot craps game and plunks the greenback on the layout shouting “hard eight” just as the shooter lets the dice fly. Of course, the dice hit his hand, the stickman’s call is “seven out”, and the perpetrator of the crime will be lucky to escape with his life.
Contrary to craps table scenes from the movies and TV, experienced players know the number seven should never be cheered or even uttered. Sure, it’s a natural winner on the come-out roll, but after that, its appearance can only cause damage in a majority of cases.
Experienced craps players, a very superstitious lot, will always refer to seven as “red” or “big red,” if indeed reference ever has to be made.
It’s no secret the vast majority of craps players are “right” bettors. They’re always rooting for the point, cheering when the number hits, high-fiving one another as the roll picks up steam, and heaping praise on the shooter the longer they hold the dice.
It’s basic human nature to want to play the game that way. There is really nothing quite like a craps table when the dice are hot. The synergy of warding off the dreaded “big red” and the stickman’s mournful cry of “seven out” is contagious.
Wrong or “don’t” bettors are generally despised by right bettors. They usually stand at one of the hooks at the table, silent and inconspicuous. This columnist has always taken delight in watching them lose. Nothing makes me happier than to watch a shooter make their point when there’s a stack of chips sitting on the “don’t pass” section of the layout.
Don’t bettors wait patiently for the seven to be rolled. When it is, they must celebrate in silence and collect their ill-gotten gains without fanfare.
Right betting is a team sport. Wrong betting is for loners. Yet, the true beauty of the game of craps lies in the fact that players may capitalize on both hot and cold playing situations. Is there another game in the casino that affords you that luxury?
The vast majority of craps players bet that the dice will pass. Cheering for the point creates the camaraderie that makes the game of craps so special. The cheers that erupt from a hot craps game can be heard on the farthest points of the casino floor.
When the blackjack dealer is beating the table hand after hand, the only escape is to move on. In craps, cold tables are regarded as ones where the seven is popping up with regularity. They’re the kind of tables where after the shooter rolls a point, they hit a number or two, then seven out.
Right bettors are getting killed, but if there’s a maverick don’t bettor on the hook, they are having a field day fattening up their rack of chips while those of their tablemates are evaporating faster than a drop of water on the sidewalk on a 100-degree day.
The only thing a don’t bettor must overcome is the stigma of silently rooting against the shooter that the point will not be made. It means subjecting yourself to being an outsider, the “bad guy”, the casino version of a mercenary.
Once a point is established, the odds are stacked against pass line bettors whereas don’t bettors are in the driver’s seat. That’s why a pass line bet is a contract bet. Once you place it, you cannot pick it up. A decision of the dice has to be reached.
Don’t bets can be picked up by the player at any time. The box man is only too happy to see a player retract a bet that has the possibility of winning when the odds are working against the house.
Learning the rules of the game is one thing; observing playing etiquette is quite another. As established before, players often must learn the hard way.
Keeping hands away from the layout when the stickman is pushing the dice to the shooter is a must. Dealers often caution abusers of this rule with the admonition “hands high”.
Another good rule to follow is to refrain from spontaneously placing chips on the layout and giving betting instructions to your dealer haphazardly. Dealers take instructions from their players in order, just as they pay their players in order.
Being knowledgeable about the rules of the games doesn’t necessarily imply a player is familiar with proper protocol. Good manners, as we know, can be just as important as good strategy when it comes to making gambling an enjoyable experience for both the players and the casino personnel.
For roulette, players must observe the rule to never pick up winning chips from the layout or start to make new wagers until the dealer has settled all winning bets and has picked up and removed the marker from the previous winning number.
Roulette chips are non-negotiable and should never be taken away from the table. They have value only at the game.
Courtesy should always be exhibited to fellow players at the roulette wheel when placing wagers. Many hands and arms are in motion at a crowded table. Players must make their moves at the right time and in turn. The dealer has a good sense of the tempo of the game and knows when to drop the ball.
Similar courtesy holds at the blackjack table. Conveying playing decisions clearly and decisively to the dealer is a must.
Players should wait until they are ready to leave the game before “coloring up”, a request that is best made during the shuffle. Interrupting the flow of the game with transaction and change requests is downright rude.
