BINGO

Archive for September, 2009

A live casino craps table is typically manned by a crew of four people. The “boxman” sits at the center of the table by the casino’s chip stack. Her job is to control the game, ensure the dealers don’t make mistakes, and to protect the casino and players from cheats and thieves. Two dealers stand to the sides of the boxman. They collect bets when the casino wins and pay bets when the players win. They also position players’ chips for bets that are not self-service (i.e., players are not allowed to position their chips on the layout for certain bets, so the dealers do it for them). The “stickman” stands at the center of the table across from the boxman and calls the game. The stickman also retrieves and controls the dice after each throw.

A good stickman can add tons of fun to the game. If he’s good, he’ll use a big vocabulary of craps jargon to add humor and make the game more interesting. For example, if a die bounces off the table and lands in a player’s chip rack (i.e., the wooden shelf around the table perimeter where players hold their chips), the stickman is obligated to say, “No roll,” and then he retrieves the die for the boxman to inspect it. The stickman then pushes the dice with his stick to the shooter to roll again. A good stickman adds lively banter to the game to make it more fun for the players. After all, the more fun the players have, the better mood they’ll be in, which increases the likelihood that the players will make more bets (good for the casino) and give the dealers more tips (good for the crew). To liven up the game, instead of boringly saying, “No roll,” a good stickman might say in a loud, rhythmic voice, “Die in the wood, roll no good,” or “I can’t read her, she’s in the cedar.” The game is much more fun when the stickman spouts all kinds of craps jargon and rhymes.

Before arriving at your casino of choice you should be mentally prepared. Casinos now days are more like a circus then a casino, between the lights the bells and whistles, signs flashing all over the place and the waitresses in the little mini skirts. Preparing yourself for this before hand can mean the difference between going home richer or poorer.

It is simple to focus all your concentration on to your game when you are playing in an online poker room, online casino or online sportsbook, because you are in a controlled environment, but a casino is not a controlled environment, or at least not in your control.

In every casino you will find two types of people. The first are those who are having fun and those who are here to win. It is usually easy to spot the difference. The first kind is enjoying free drinks, smiles allot and can usually be found playing in a pack with their friends or others who they came to the casino with. The second type will usually be sitting at the table with a very focused look on their face only occasionally glancing around to see what’s what. This article is geared towards the players in the second category.

One thing I can not stress enough is to always remain focused. If for any reason you find yourself unable to remain focused because you are too tired or hungry, leave the table and get some food or a nap. The table will be there when you get back, but when you are at the table your focus must be on the game at hand. If you find that you are unable to keep your mind on the game you are playing, maybe you should try keno or some other game.