One of the questions that often troubles players is whether casinos can use loaded dice in craps to cheat. While the short answer is ‘No, they do not’, the topic deserves a closer look. There are several reasons why you should not doubt the integrity of the dice used by casino employees in craps.
Like many other casino games, craps gives the house a certain edge that guarantees the casino a win in the long run. Because the casino already has an advantage over players, it does not need to resort to cheating to beat them. Therefore, you do not have to worry about being tricked while playing the game.
In addition to having no need to cheat, casinos avoid interfering with the dice in craps because doing so could actually give players an edge. While loaded dice might occasionally favour the casino, they could just as easily tilt the scales in favour of the player. The last thing a casino wants is to hand craps fans an extra advantage over the house. That is yet another reason why casinos do not use loaded dice in craps.
Even though it is highly unlikely that you will come across a casino using loaded dice, it is still useful to know how you could take advantage of such a situation. To learn more about the dice used in craps and how you might benefit from changes in their design, keep reading.
The Use of Dice in Craps
If you visit a brick-and-mortar casino, you will notice that most table games do not allow you to touch any of the items on the table. Because players are not permitted to handle the cards, they must use specific signals to indicate the action they wish to take. The wheel on roulette tables is also spun by the dealer, who launches the ball into the spinning wheel.
As you can see, the casino makes sure that players cannot interfere with table games in any way. However, this is not the case with craps, as players are the ones handling the dice. This shows that the casino is not worried about the outcome of the roll, even when a regular player is in control. If there were any reliable way to control the dice, the casino would not allow you to roll them yourself.
One thing to remember about dice is that their design means the total of 7 is expected to appear more often than any other value. This is because more number combinations total 7 than any other figure. A 7 can be rolled with 1-6, 2-5, or 3-4, as well as 6-1, 5-2, or 4-3. The next most common totals are 6 and 8, which can be rolled in only five ways each. Other numbers have even fewer combinations, with 11 having just two possibilities – 6-5 or 5-6.
Understanding how many ways each total can be rolled helps illustrate why the casino has no reason to use loaded dice in craps. In the long run, the house will always win without any need for cheating.
Ensuring the Fairness of Dice Used in Craps
Before dice are used in live play, casinos must ensure they will always produce a fair result. To this end, the dice undergo a series of tests that guarantee their integrity and fairness. When they are manufactured, dice must be weighed and balanced to ensure a fair and random outcome on every roll. Poorly designed dice can cause biased results because certain sides may appear more often owing to faults in the design.
Each gaming board has its own guidelines for dice testing, but they all follow inspection requirements imposed by the New Jersey Casino Control Commission – the body governing gambling activities in Atlantic City. Casino dice must be stored safely until the tables open for business. However, before they are used in any game, the boxperson must test their integrity.
A visual inspection is the first and most basic test conducted to ensure there is nothing unusual about the dice. The boxperson checks that all opposing sides of a die add up to 7 and that every face carries the casino’s name, logo and a serial number. If these requirements are met, the boxperson continues with a further visual check, making sure there are no defects on any side.
After the visual inspection, the boxperson uses a set of tools to confirm there is nothing wrong with the dice. To be certain that each side is exactly the right size, an electronic micrometre ensures accurate measurements. The die is then inserted into a balancing calliper to be weighed properly. Using this tool, the boxperson weighs every side, ensuring there are no loaded dice or floaters.
The edges of the dice are also checked to make sure they are square, with the boxperson using a steel set square for this purpose. Meanwhile, a simple magnet is used to confirm that no metal has been integrated into the dice.
Reasons Casinos Do Not Use Loaded Dice in Craps
Simply claiming that casinos do not use loaded dice may not be enough, so here are a few reasons why this is rarely, if ever, done. When you consider the lengths to which casinos go to ensure the integrity of craps dice, you will see that there is more to lose than to gain by tampering with them.
Winning odds of the casino
One of the primary reasons casinos do not use loaded dice is that there is no need to cheat to beat the player. Thanks to the house edge on every craps bet, the casino will always win over time without resorting to cheating. If the casino did use loaded dice, it would alter the mathematical odds and could even result in greater losses in the long run.
Loaded dice can work against the casino
If the dice in craps have been modified, some sides will appear more often. Because the roll is no longer random, the altered frequencies change the house edge on certain bets. While the modified dice might sometimes benefit the casino, they can just as easily give a bigger advantage to the player.
For example, imagine corrupted dice designed so that the 6-1 combination appears more frequently, causing 7 to roll more often than it should. Players making the pass/come line bet would then win more often on the come-out roll. This would produce more short rolls, with a higher number of point-seven-outs than usual.
If players fail to notice the trend, those making Place bets or opting for the Pass and Come bets will suffer repeated losses, bringing the casino a sizeable profit. However, experienced craps players can quickly spot the irregularity and adjust their wagers to exploit the modified dice.
How to Make Use of Loaded Dice in Craps
As noted above, there is no reason for a casino to use loaded dice in craps, as that can actually reduce the house’s winning odds in the long run. That said, if you ever find a craps game where the results of most rolls seem suspiciously similar, you might want to know how to take advantage of the situation.
Consider, for example, loaded dice that make the 6-1 combination appear more often. In this case, the optimal way to play craps would involve the following steps:
Bet on the ‘Don’t’ side of craps
If the dice roll 7 more frequently, you should favour the Don’t Pass and Don’t Come bets, as this minimises the risk of losing when the dice show 7 or 11. You can also benefit by increasing your wager once a point is established on your Don’t Pass bet, or when your Don’t Come bet moves to a number.
Choose Lay bets
When a point has been established, you can place larger Lay bets against the point or another number that is less likely to appear. If the dice are loaded, monitor the game for a few rounds to identify which numbers are appearing less often.
Pay attention to all trends
Rigged dice will not only increase the frequency of a certain combination but will also change the odds of other numbers appearing. By staying alert, you can notice every trend in the game whose odds have shifted and decide on the correct Don’t Pass/Come or Lay bets accordingly.
Make Hop bets
Typically, players are advised to avoid Hop bets because of their extremely high house edge. However, if the dice are loaded and you have observed that the 6-1 combination keeps rolling, you can exploit Hop bets by wagering on all outcomes containing either number.
Place a Horn bet
This type of craps bet is also usually avoided. Like Hop bets, it carries a far too high house edge. Yet, when you know that 6s and 1s appear more frequently, the chances of rolling 1-1 or 1-2 in succession, or seeing 6-6 follow 5-6, rise dramatically, tilting the balance in the player’s favour.
Play Any 7 or Hop the 7
Bear in mind that the bets mentioned above are still preferable to this one, even if the dice are loaded. In a standard game with perfectly balanced dice, playing or hopping the 7 carries a house edge of 16.7%. Even if 7s appear more often than usual, the house advantage remains very high, making this bet extremely risky. If you feel luck is on your side, you might place this wager occasionally, but do so sparingly.
Why Would Players Doubt the Integrity of Craps Dice?
As discussed, casinos have no real reason to tamper with the dice in craps, as doing so could give players a bigger advantage and reduce the casino’s potential for long-term profit. So why is the worry about loaded dice such a common concern among players?
One reason is that craps is a game full of trends. On average, a 7 should appear once in every six rolls, but the key phrases here are ‘on average’ and ‘in the long run’. No results are 100% guaranteed or predictable. You may sometimes encounter a hot streak in which no 7s appear for several rounds.
If you play at a craps table where an unfavourable trend wipes out your bankroll in minutes, it is natural to question the integrity of the dice. However, such streaks are common in craps and have nothing to do with tampering or cheating.
Another legitimate reason for doubting the dice is that some manufacturers do produce dice with minor imperfections. For this reason, you will notice that dice are replaced every four to eight hours. Moreover, every new die is inspected by the boxperson before it enters play.
A visual inspection can sometimes be insufficient, as tiny imperfections may be invisible to the naked eye. If the casino has any doubts about the dice, they are replaced immediately. After all, the casino cannot risk jeopardising its long-term advantage or reputation over a flawed pair of dice.
Closing Thoughts on the Legitimacy of Craps Dice
So, do any casinos use loaded dice in craps? The answer is ‘No’—at least not intentionally. While there have been isolated incidents in small tourist-oriented venues, no major casino has been caught using such tactics. The main reason is that altered dice can actually cost the casino money in the long run.
It is possible, however, for dice to leave the factory with minor imperfections that cause certain sides to appear more often. Whether these results stem from pure luck or an imperfect design, it pays to spot trends quickly and act before the casino replaces the dice. Keep in mind, though, that craps tables with genuinely loaded dice are exceedingly rare, as they offer casinos no real long-term benefit.
