Craps: The Gentleman’s Game

While online gambling has pretty much done away with the social nuances and divisions that you might find in  land casinos, it is still interesting to note that some games are considered more steeped in tradition than others.  Take craps for example – this game is not called ‘the gentleman’s game’ for nothing, as it not only boasts a rich history, but also incorporates certain rules of etiquette that should not, in a perfect world, be breached.

With that in mind, here are a couple of dos and don’t when playing craps on the casino floor:

• Don’t blow on the dice – This is considered ‘common’ and bad mannered.  The general idea is that nobody wants to get your germs, which they have a greater chance of doing so if you’ve spread them all over the dice.
• Do handle the dice with only one hand and don’t rub them anywhere on your body – Professional cheats used to conceal crooked dice in pockets and would swap the casino’s dice for their own by supposedly rubbing them for ‘luck’ with both hands or over their thigh, for example. Craps etiquette dictates that if you want to switch dice from one hand to another, place the dice on the table with one hand and then use the other to pick them up.
• Do aim to hit the back wall when throwing the craps dice – if not, this could lead to your throw being disqualified.
• Don’t put your hands on the craps table if you are only watching the game – standing a relative distance away from the table with your hands down is a must for any craps spectator.
• Don’t touch the dealer or other players, even as a friendly gesture or handshake – This unofficial no-contact rule is to rule out any possibility of cheating between you and the dealer and/or other craps players around the player.
• Do tip, though. It is quite acceptable to place a bet on the craps table ‘for the boys’ in the form of a tip.
• Don’t swear – Any curse words or other profanities are definitely frowned upon.