Loaded Craps Dice – Weighted
Craps is a casino game in which participants place wagers on dice rolls. In this game, it can be advantageous to have certain sides of the dice facing up more often than the others. Because of this, cheaters sometimes sneak manipulated dice into the game. Often, these dice have some sort of internal hidden weight that alter the ways in which the die rolls and lands. All forms of casino cheating are highly illegal, and players who choose to introduce weighted loaded craps dice into a game will have to face serious consequences.
How Loaded Craps Dice Enter a Game
The most common way for loaded craps dice to enter a game is when a casino patron is working in conjunction with the craps dealer in order to cheat. This is because most craps dealers are trained specifically to look out for various forms of cheating, and it would be very difficult for the cheater to get away with his scheme unless he had the dealer’s blessing. Another way to cheat is by covertly switching out the legitimate dice with a loaded, weighted pair. This is extremely difficult, as craps dealers call out “no roll” or “dice down” whenever they lose visual contact with the dice. Once the dice are returned, he’ll swap in a fresh set of dice from the casino’s stockpile. Switching in a pair of loaded dice takes incredible slight of hand, and even if the dealer doesn’t see the cheating, the security cameras may.
Different Types of Weighted Loaded Craps Dice
Floaters are dice that have had their weighting altered by hollowing out a portion of the die. The hollow section of the die will be off center in order to bias the die’s rolling properties in a certain way. These types of weighted Craps dice earned their name because they float instead of sink when placed in a glass of water.
Tappers are loaded Craps dice manufactured with a special chamber inside of them. This chamber looks like a dumbbell. Half of the dumbbell is located in the center, while the other half is located in one of the die’s corners. The dumbbell chamber includes a small amount of mercury. By default, the mercury is located in the center of the die, making the die behave in a legitimate fashion. By tapping on the die, the mercury moves into the chamber of the dumbbell located in the corner. This changes the way that the die rolls and lands. Some tappers include a tiny weight attached to a thin internal wire. The weight move to a different side of the wire when it is tapped. The weight is usually saddled with small rubber bumpers to prevent noise. Both forms of tappers are unreliable.
Another type of weighted loaded Craps dice has a semi-solid material inside of it. This material must have a melting point just below your body temperature. Usually, wax is used as the substance. When the cheater clutches the die in his hand, the wax inside of the die will melt and shift to whichever side is currently facing down. This allows the cheater to modify the die in whichever way he chooses and increase the chances of his desired side facing up when he rolls the die.
Standard plastic dice can also have their weight properties modified before entering the casino. When a plastic die is heated in an oven with a desired face pointing upwards, the internal plastic will soften and gently pool at the bottom of the die. When done correctly, this type of loaded weighted Craps die will be indistinguishable from a legitimate die.
Some weighted Craps dice have a stationary weight inside of them. The weight is usually made of a heavy metal, such as gold, platinum, or lead. Often, this weight will be placed just inside of one or more of the black dots on the die. This allows a transparent die to be weighted without detection by a casual observer. The only way to detect this type of weighted die is by closely inspecting the die and finding a pip that is slightly deeper than the rest. Other kinds of weighted dice, known as Iced Dice, have a stationary piece of lead inside of them. These dice must be opaque.
Standard Casino Dice
Standard, legitimate casino dice are typically red and transparent. This makes nearly impossible to hide a weight inside of a die, except in the case of a die with a tiny weight just underneath a black dot. If you were to attempt to introduce a pair of dice to a Craps game that do not look identical to the casino’s standard dice, you’d be immediately caught as a cheater.
Consequences for Cheating at Craps
The bottom line is that cheating at Craps, or any other casino game, is illegal. In the state of Nevada, casino cheating is considered a felony. Although laws in other jurisdictions are generally less specific, casino cheating is usually treated as fraud. In any case, cheating at Craps and being caught will come with serious consequences, including being banned from the casino, heavy fines, and jail time. Many casinos used advanced security systems, including cameras and facial recognition, in order to detect cheaters and recognize a known cheater instantly when he enters a casino.
It should be obvious that cheating at Craps with loaded weighted dice just isn’t worth it. All but the most novice Craps dealers will instantly be able to detect foul play, whether it’s swapping in a pair of loaded Craps dice or stealing chips from a fellow player. For this reason, it’s quite rare to see players attempting to cheat at Craps. If you suspect that a player at your Craps table is trying to cheat, it’s best to report that player to casino authorities immediately.
