Dice Control -- Is It Legal? Is It Possible?
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This subject comes up from time to time in magazines, books, and especially
on the Internet in discussions about casino gaming. Is it cheating to be able to set the dice in certain combinations and
to throw the dice in a manner which limits the appearance of certain numbers or produces a better chance that certain numbers
will show?
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In simple language, is dice control legal or
illegal?
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The debate becomes serious when some people look
at the exact language of various State's gaming regulations and make their own interpretations of that "legal text."
What appears to be the "law" or the "rules of the game" might not be the law or the rules even if you
read them in black and white.
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Take for example, the regulations
of the State of Nevada. The definitions of "cheat" according to Nevada gaming regulations are spelled out this way:
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"Cheat" means to alter the elements of chance, method of selection or
criteria which determine:
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(a) The result of a game;
(b) The amount or frequency of payment in a game;....
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From
this statement, there are those who contend that dice control is therefore a way to "cheat" because dice control
can alter the results in the game of craps (from non-random results), and dice control can alter the amount of frequency that
certain bets are paid off (for example if a "shooter" can avoid throwing a "7" then that bet would not
be paid as frequently as with a random shooter).
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Well, clear
as day it might appear that dice control including setting the dice for certain combinations and the skillfull throwing of
dice to avoid certain numbers or results might appear to be a form of cheating based on the Nevada language.
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But after several conversations with regulators in both Nevada and Michigan (which
uses similar language as Nevada to define "cheating") the regulators all agree that attempts at dice control including
"setting" are not cheating and is perfectly legal providing other conditions are met.
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Regulators from both Nevada and Michigan have told me that "dice control" and controlled shooting
and dice setting are legal as long as the following conditions are met:
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1. The dice are tossed in the air, above the table surface, and
2. The dice bounce
at least once on the table surface, and
3. The dice hit the back wall of the table, and
4. No artificial methods are used to limit the rolls of the dice or their movement including glues or paste.
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Clearly altered dice including dice with magnets or weights are not allowed. But this
is not a discussion about altered dice, this is only a discussion about the art of dice control, or an artful throw of the
dice to influence the results of the "throw" or toss.
Some players have mastered an
"illegal" throw called the whip shot or slide. This is also an artful "throw" but is not considered legal
and is not tolerated by casinos or regulators. In the "slide" the dice actually do not roll or turn over and are
whipped down the table with the same face or numbers always on top.
I have seen the whip
shot or slide used on rare occasions, and because it was used rarely (and probably surprised casino personnel) the "toss"
was not challenged. But, it could have been.
The former Chief of Enforcement of the Nevada Gaming
Control Board, Keith Copher, has given extensive interviews on the subject of the legality of dice control. He has called
setting the dice and "controlled shooting" an "expected part of the game" and a legal way to play.
I spoke with him shortly before his retirement. Here are some exact questions about dice control and his answers:
Q: "Does the Gaming Commission recognize the efficacy of so-called "dice setting" by gamblers as a
means to reliably produce non-random results of dice throws, in the same way it recognizes the efficacy of dice sliding?"
A: "Sliding (dice) is illegal because in sliding they don't bounce or roll the dice, and the dice don't
bounce off the back wall. In sliding the same numbers are always known, and that's cheating. But if the dice bounce and
hit the back wall that's okay and they can set them (the dice) any way they want to. The difference with a controlled
throw is that there is still a bounce and the dice are in the air."
Q: "Does the Gaming
Commission then consider "dice setting" to fall under the definition of "cheating"?
A: "No, as long as the dice fly in the air, bounce on the table, and hit the back wall. In some cases the casinos
are lenient about the dice not hitting the back wall, and these are still legal throws, no cheating."
Q: "Why is dice sliding banned, but dice setting not banned, if both are considered effective means to alter
the random outcome of dice?"
A: "Dice sliding is a method of cheating, but as long as
dice fly in the air, bounce and hit the back wall it doesn't matter how they are set. It's not cheating as long as
the dice fly in the air and bounce."
If you are a dice controller, the determination of the
gaming authorities might be of little help to you if a casino challenges your "dice control." There are numerous
reports of casinos that have told "shooters" that they cannot "set" the dice, or that they must "pick
'em up and throw them."
Casinos, can and do, set their own "rules of play."
Casinos can decide not to allow dice setting or controlled shooting, just as they can block "card counters" from
playing blackjack.
Card Counting is not illegal in Nevada and other states. In fact, various courts
have upheld the legality of players using their skill (card counting) to win the game of blackjack. But the casinos, being
private businesses, are not obligated to allow card counters to play in their establishments.
And
so it is with dice controllers or "dice mechanics," as some are called. While setting and controlled shooting is
legal the casinos do not have to let you play or shoot. They can say, "throw the dice our way or take the highway."
Casinos can also enforce the "back wall" rule differently. All casinos maintain that for a dice throw to
be legal that both dice must hit the back wall; but this rule can be enforced and interpreted differently.
Some casinos will allow a throw when both dice end up short of the back wall by several inches or even a foot or
two feet. But some casinos might call "no roll" when both dice fail to reach and hit the back wall.
I know of some casinos who maintain that the dice not only must reach the back wall but must bounce off of the
backwall by at least several inches.
I've also heard of casinos who will declare "no
roll" when the dice do not hit the back wall and a "winning number" shows, but will let the "short roll"
count if a "seven out" or losing number shows.
If a casino abuses the rights of the
consumer, then the consumer should lodge a complaint with the casino management. If the consumer feels the management has
been unfair or has taken advantage of the consumer, then the consumer should take his business elsewhere.
Should you complain to gaming authorities? It depends on just how "one sided" the casino managment has
been.
But as the strategy of "dice control" gains popularity and more players attempt
it and some players master the skill, you might find that more casinos are less tolerant of short rolls and might even be
less tolerant of dice setters and controlled shooters -- even to the point of blocking them from play.
I was intrigued to see this exchange between two craps players on an Internet discussion board on the subject
of the illegality vs. legality of dice control.
The first comments came from a writer who suspects
that dice control is illegal and cheats, and he wrote:
"Card counting is not criminalized
because... it does not involve any manipulation, control, or influence upon the gaming device, in this case, cards. Same with
looking for a dealer who, through sloppy procedure, inadvertantly flashes the dealer's hole card. Both are passive, and
involve human observation only. Dice setting, were it to be demonstrated effective, is a different kettle of fish entirely,
as it involves a conscious attempt to manipulate and control the gaming device through overt, intentional action. Its espousers
allegedly 'teach' the shooter to remove randomness from the game, and that would be a crime...if it works."
This player continues: "The only fundamental difference between dice sliding (crime) and dice setting (not yet
considered a crime) is that those who implement and enforce the law know that dice sliding works as claimed, affecting the
outcome of the roll in objective and replicable fashion. I think however that we'll be seeing sterner countermeasures,
including (God help us) throwing the bones (dice) from a cup, or requiring that the shooter shake and not set the dice, as
opposed to criminalization. But if it worked, it could be deemed criminal conduct."
Another
player, who says dice control is not a crime or cheating responded this way:
"But the most
important thing you are overlooking is this: the dice are given to the player to throw. The casino is transferring the fate
of the roll from a dealer to the player, and it is surrendering the control of the dice to the player. Now, it becomes an
expected part of the game that the player will throw the dice so that he has an advantage. There are boundaries for what the
player can do-- he can't substitute glued or loaded dice, or magnetized dice -- but when the control of the dice were
transferred to the player the casino has surrendered and accepted that the player can have the skill to win his bets."
The debate continues. Some players challenge dice control as do some casinos.
The bottom
line is that the casinos make the rules that fill in the gaps between what the gaming regulators and the courts say are the
rules.
So this advice from "dice setters" and "controllers" I have come
to know:
1. Don't be so obvious that you are setting the dice, and do it quickly.
2. Hit the back wall each and every time.
3. Do not delay the game with setting and throwing;
practice at home so you can set and throw in a reasonably short period of time-- that's seconds.
4.
Do not attempt dice control at casinos that are clearly opposed to dice controllers.
