Tontrolled Dice Shots A category of erapr cheating methods that dscns sepaate discussion is onli dice shots. Under certain conditions, some die cheats ea ac ily termine what number comes upon what apeats to be a random and ‘oncontoled roll even wih honest dice. Although thee are several diferent techie, they areal Bd on one underlying premise. Tv ode fora el to be tly random each die mus rll ike acarwheel and sin like top, bth eccrtngsmulincoely: clean ware to cial ether of ‘hese mations, he can contl he shot. ‘THE wir sHoT In the whip sot, the hustler clininates the cling catwhedl action, He Fick uy the die on ontop ofthe cther with the desaed numbers ontop of ‘ich ie. Hemsy rte the dice several imes before shooting them, bt his ‘means nothing, The dice ae in hs fst, upped between the sides of his forefinger and pinky, held lesely enough so that they can exele aginst ‘ach ocr but to tightly for the numbers to change postion. When the cheat shoots the dice, he tomes them out of his hand with «while ation, fiving them alot of Engl. Like tow spinning tps they teavel down the fable and evenly come to a halt with the ngnal two number stil entup. While the dice are rapidly spinning itis amet impossible ote that the top numbers are not changing Haters who se thi sha may employ bal shee dice with rounded comer) bec make the move eae: but since this syle of dice i often used by honest players, their pesence is har cenclsive. Some cheats contol only the lower ofthe two dice which make the move eae to prform. Italo make ita percentage move rather than a sure thing, but it becomes even mote dificult to detect since the legit ‘mately tumbling die elp among the fact that the othe die i spinning svthou ling over. Rather thant to spo the move, pat prevent re "ein se by iting that oth dice mart ounce off» wall o bas kboud in cover for the cl o count. This simple precaution wil put an immediate halt the activities of the whip shot expe “THE SLIDE SHOT. mote peimitive method of contllinga single di ithe de sot. The die ‘0 be contlled is grip by the pinky while the othe dei hel loosely above it When the dice ae teow, the eyeing top dc helps hide the Chat i Pet Dae Game | (4 fact thatthe bottom di only sides acts he table with the ane number on top throughout. Since the ene thing is over in 8 moment if more iil spot than you might think Rimight seem a if the ability to conto the mumber of just ne de iit snl of an advantage. Actually ts 2 ser strong move I isthe oe Stoney i the hustlers fiver. For example, nonally when a shooter’ pont ie four, the cds ae to to one agaist hit making This beau there sess ways of ling seven ard only three ways of ring» fur. Bo ifthe eat ila toon ome i, he rom basa even money chance of making the point He as one posible way of making the four, a 2-2, and he alo, fas only one possible way of making a seven, a2 Simila'y,ifthe point xine and the mechanic’ arner maker “don? side bet (bet thatthe shooter wll exen-ont), e ean grant that his ‘patter will win the bet by lingam ace ora two on oe dic each ine. That, ‘rakes i impossible to rola nine ard guaantes that the cheat must sve cont event ‘On the come-out, the chest will ill a ive none de. Thiecliminats any chance of erpping out he cannot cll a I-L, 1-2, oF 6 Irabo gives tim a 1 in 3 chance of winning on the fist rll instead ofthe in 4.5, chance the honest payer has. By cootolling2 five, th cheat can ell only 51, 5.2, 53, 54, 55, 5-6. Of thwe sin posible combinations, two ae automatic wits (5-2 of 6) In the same way, the hustler cam improve his ‘chances of making or not making any point or improve his ok of roling hhardway number oF winning any other reposition bet ‘THE DROP SHOT “The dop shot i another way of killing a number on one die. The dice are hel inthe sameway a fo the sie shot wth the key namber uppermost on the lower de, the one that rests aginst the pinky. Instead oftessing the dee Forward, the cheat throm them directly downer ont he pavng face ‘The op diets the lowe die, taping it agains the table and preventing it fom turning over. The tp de the fal off and ll fel. Since ti al ever in a instant, it ficult follow the action. Both thee shat aud Arp shot canbe prevented in the same way a8 the whip shot, by sisting, ‘hat both dice hits wall or backboard ‘THE PAD ROLL, “The ad al aes 3 completely diferent approach fom the ther contd shots we have looked aso fr. Instead of eliminating the rolling action, climinats the spinning ation, ‘The cheat cannot enuse a particular nraberto come up, bute ean prevent ets numbers ora coming wp ad a that way, tthe on his favor ea illseaon, easier Row a har Can cininate any chance of rapping ton the come-aut. He pik up he the side by sie 0 thatthe inte numbers —the ones that are touching — fave cer snes or ones, He then rls the dice without allowing these ‘numbers to change. When be shoots the dice, he alls them tall evenly tut ofhis hand ke two catvbecs Sine the six and one es are the ales tthe wheels, thee mbes cannot come up when the die stp rolling Without a six ora one itis imposible to rll eas The pad ol derives its name fom the act that the move will work only cv asf surfce such a a bat, a org, sof dit, or sandy beac, Thin move had ats heyday ding the Fist and Second World Wars when sole fen payed caps onthe bons inthe racks. One way to poet dounls avod plaice on dae kins a sures mentioned. Another Say so inst on the we of wall or hctboud, Bete stil, do both ‘Contalled shot expert love to run up agains amateurs sing percentage ice. By contig one di, a butler can make mitng dice behave Hike ‘poss oF passing dice behave lke misous. The amateut has 30 much tanfidence in ht galled ice that he invariably ends up losing every cent backing them. An hones player ight op beting afer incung x few Tomes, bit the larenous rater wil keep chasing his money, certain hat ithe keeps being. the percentage will have to tart working in his foe. Hustle who we contolled shot wil be ure to sa the game ft fon any wall werking soil ever, they wil tat playing ons table stated rea the center ofthe om aren abr or counter, werking a tet game, they wil play ina wide-open area. That means that if yu insist on the dice bring bounced ofa wall, everyone will have fo go through the incomve- rience of moving the ene game. The other plyess may not want to ‘other. Tha sj what he cheat ae hoping, I thls the eae, do play A yon going to play expe wont wall, Yo my a well ot honed he Ines your money and rake it ease for everyone ‘THE GREEK SHOT {rma vam you, however, that thet one comtlla die shat wich ca ‘betmed even witha wal or backboard the Gree sot Once again, the dice ae picked up ove above the ater with the number tobe hile uppermost ‘on the loner de. The die ae then thr 0 they wl it exactly where the all and four sce. ‘They seat a point, one above he other chat ‘he lowermost dis rp on thee side. The wall ison onesie, the Boor is diz beneath it, and the oer die i diet above it So mapped the die cannot tur exer and mus bring up the desied number, The othe die immediately bounce off and rls randomly, but ot before ensuring that the Botton die is kept ron sling. The move works jst a5 well against Barkboard uns it the itd rubber Kind wed in exsine. Thi isan cexrerely difclt shot to perfor, but there ace those who ean do it “Arve way of beating the buckboad is ots the die so that one die bonunces of it while the eter one, the eonolled one, stops bac short at the backboard. Hone snot watching closely i wil sen sf both nthe ‘oat, This move a cven Beaten casino hen wed agit inexperienced rp table crews. The nr that i ot enough to have wal ot bard these. You mast ‘ns that Both ice tf and that they hit tight ea the botlon He these rules ae sritly enforce, you wil be feat longa the dice are honest Bar Dice Games In cetin put ofthe country (San Francis and Chicago, for exarnple) ‘eta dce ates played in bas ae very popula. Aron them ae Indian Dice, Buck Dice, Bors Dice, and La’ Dice. Although thee are countless ‘ations, almost all of these games ate pte afer daw poker and we fede hich ae thrown fom adie exp. Alhough spel poke dice are ailble which ber playing eu fice instead of spo, most players use regular dice. Thus, a player may rll a full howe of re sites and two ‘ers. Typically, each player hat to rl or, in sore gc, thee ols fo make his hand, For example, if he rolls to Fives the Fist time, he can ell the thee unmatched die again in an efit wo inprove the hand. tn some ‘ames ace the one pot ae conshered wider, the highest int “1H DUMP sor “The standard method of cheating at thes games the dump shot. These are many dffent methods of performing a dump shot. The essence of the rove, however, stat one ofthe dice kept rom tumbling tandonly i the cup with the othen. Then the dice ae poured ut of the cup in sich 2 sy thatthe conled die doesnot tm over. CContllng ony one die out ef five may nat sem likes major advantage,tutti In an acs wild game, the cheat ean conto one dic on his rll kl seco ace n the fllow-up roll. This is he playing card game of dene wld porn which you brow in skance you TE playing with nothing wd, the ing to eat a second six by luck. I arvple, he wil kil nother four nthe core ll ar thie of a ied. ts he playing drew poker with aa peepee it | rey otal ete Ait th know oer «doren diferent dice c none die two die), all of them ll into one of thee categorie: toling the die while its inthe cup, controlling the de by keeping it ering the de by keeping ita away the cup. Il give you an example ofeach approach to get the idea In theft method, the chet picks up the Sve dice and oss them ito Warn i dag sje est atte see Gs eg ia wader the eine, clipped between the sides ofthe forefinger and ing finger. With the same hand, he pick up the cup, covering the mouth ofthe cup wit his ingest the controled ie goct nade the cop agate inners bat il elppa bythe fingers The dice are td bac and forth without Iitng goof the contalled dc. Preparatory to ling the die, the 10. char las hab abit fr the dc to el the Chetek dc jt tse he Bp of ec 0 pt fron ill cheat tas the cup inthe ater hand andl reac the des it sides back into the cup again the othe dice without cling over All that fain sto dump the ice 30 the cone one dan roll cover. This is done by quickly turning the cup over ust above the tbetop in 2 pouring actions the cher dice al oa top othe consoled one to hep it from moving before they fall oR. Ateatively, the dice may be sl onthe table with aback andfoth motion; again the contlled die doesnot tum ‘ve, Naturally, the contolled die ust be picked up such away that the ‘desied number will eventually sow. he dumping ation is used, the number apport the middle ng wal be rolled I the sliding action ix sed, the number against the ide ofthe ferefnge wl be ell BEATING THE TRIP CUP Some players use a cup calle a “rp cup” which specially designe to ‘prevent this kind of move. The eup contains lip just ise the in ofthe up which tps the dice as they come out Another design volves ruber rising running al slong the intenor ofthe cup. In eter ac, the esl thatthe dice cannot be tse out ofthe eup without ting over. These cups are designed to kexpthe game honest and they do help in tht die. Hon. However, this is just another example of he cycle | have mentioned Before: Her intents cheating meted payer vent 2 precaion 1 prevent the cheating method then cheats invent aay ofccumventing the Sate eee erty ee eee without humbling over fly. Therefore, the solution isnot fo put the ‘eontclled die in the eup in the fist place lo one echniqu, a the dice ae picked up and droppat in the cup, one of Hem i palmed inthe thumb ‘crotch, The cup it then picked up the sam hand and shaken the fingers overng the out ofthe expand he eld cut de concealed between the tame of the thumb andthe ouide ofthe cup. ‘The cup is tranfeced frm ‘ne hand to another in reparation for lng the die out. The hidden de i alo secretly transfered fom had to hand. This is done in the lowing say: The empty hand takes the cup withthe base ofthe cup going agin the palm andthe inges extending along the ie ofthe cup. As this done, ‘he held oa des elippdesween the tp ofthe mide a sng Singers ‘he other had, aow empty, removed fromthe mouth ofthe cup. Al hi ‘occurs on the underside ofthe cup out of sight. When the die ate lle ‘ut the hiden die is simply tlesed fom the fingers onto the table jot the dice roling out of the cup. Agi, the de ws inital packed wp 20bls. I sour opponent has something going for hr that you don, ods ae bell et yor money eres one to watch out fori you play List’ Dice This is a venion of ker Dice in which payers are allows Yo bla. Fach player ae his cup and et of five dice. The payer inves the cup am the table so the dice ‘emma hidden nde it He now tls the cup aay fam hin so tha he ea fee what be has lle but is opponents canne. Then he coves the dice gain and announces hishand. Whit makes the game interesting that the pliner maybe or tel the uth and the other players have to guess which i ‘When hse works thi game, he cup the dice cup betwoen his hands ase tte it forward. The fingers are ot the side ofthe cup fing his ‘ponents. Histhambs are on hit se of the up. This a tard wy of tilting the cup since the hands help hide the dice fom the other plays. When the cheat bring the eup back down to cover the dice, he Jets one thumb hit one ofthe dice, tutsing it over on tide to bring up a more ddsiable number. The only way to se the mote isto watth over the Inuser’s shoulder, but no Liars Dice player woud let someone stand be hind im during the ame. ‘Aluslee using this move gains substantial ege Ife combines it with cnc ofthe other dice cup mvs tl ene dc, he wil le unbeatable, Your ‘only protection eto yt cp yor opponent tombs in ew atl me. ‘A lucky opponent whose hb his a habtof going out of ight for a spit ‘second ashe ings the cup down 2 aod aso to stop playing. ‘THE TAT Before leaving the subject fbr die games, [want tol you about an old scam called the tat that was very popular yeas ago. W's worth discussing ‘because thse things havea way of coming back from time to tine and because isan exception tomy eater daterent hat opr ae not wed 40 heat tba dice Although the tat played with dice and offen worked in tsi sit really a bar dice game, i con gue “Two hustle spt a group of guys who ae etyng ata bar or night and wou their way int the group. By buying» couple f rounds of drinks and telling few raunchy jokes they quik establish theses a allright {nyt Meanwhile one of tham dros die someplace wher i's likly to be Foun by one of the party. Heme ofthe marks doesn't eventual find it the hoster will point i out. One con man then tema, "If only we had nates one, me could tlle cap game. Bet there's nothing more Uweless than singe di.” Thats the other hole’ cue to comment that he knows a game using only one die. He explains thal everyone bas to ow a dollar into the pat ‘Then cach shakes the die three times and asthe total. The one wth the Fishes total wins, The die is then dropped into a hat and shaken. (This was the das when men wore Bats Today, a colle cup might be wl ‘instead hh huss ply faity uni they can manage to up the stakes. At that prin one of them subtitites om his rll minpoted di, called a ta, hich bears ony the mumbes five and six. Since the player are looking down ato the ata the de, they can sce the top number but nthe ides fad therefore can't se the dupiate numbers, By goign and out wth Ue tat, the cheats tke the suckers for as much as they dare that pint, the her who ha wen net of the money depts hile the hes ticks round a litle while to col ot the marks. Eventi- Aly, he take off, lensing the honest die behind forthe suckers inet lr eas content ‘One variation an the modus operand isto ws a sugar cube on which one ofthe huss draws dice spt. This makes the whole thing seem ime provi; naturally, the cheats previously prepare anaer cube withthe misspoting Backgammon Baclgammon i probbly the fastest growing gambling game inthe county. less auo the fastest grosting Bld in presionalchesting. In rent yeas, seve professional craps hustlers of my acquaintance have switched to Backgarimon. The seasons are spe: Backgammon ofl avery fue ‘cro to prey om; backgammon players ae even more naive on the subject ‘of cheating than are cap ples and the eles ofthe gane ae tailor-made for cheating. Thee aspects of backgammon rules and playing practices ‘make it prticulaly vulnerable cheating: the fac that the die ate howe, from a cup, the fact hat each ple: has his own dice and dice ew and the presence ofthe doubling cube ‘Consider the flowing saement “The advantage of wring cup i that when dice are shake a then throw from 4 eup there can be lle any ‘question about the legitimacy ofthe rl: when dice are thown from the hand, sspicions may—and sometimes doar. I, for one, will never py in a stange place without using a cup.” That quotation is from, Backgammon for Blood by Bruce Becker,» popular book on the subject. If ‘you pay backgammon fo money, [recommend that yu go back and ead152 / Ganing Soom the seston on Bar Dice Games dealing wih dump shots and heldout move. Esery one ofthese exp moves ean e and is being used today to Cheat a ckgsmmon, With advice Tike the above being offer to players br an authority om the game, it any wonder that profesional dice me chanics are atacted to backgammon like shal to a Blosted body? MORE CUP MOVES Although ll of the cup moves ae sed a backgammon, bul peer one moves in hich the contre de within the ep rather than those in which i is held agains the ouside of the cup or palmed inthe and roti on the ble. This is becausean ale player may be abl to detect he sound difernce when galy one die is rathng around in the cup. 1 the “ont dhe lipped by he Enger at the auth of the cup, the Tove die il sill ate again itgivng a goed sound, (OF cure, this int consid ‘cation n hr dice gamer where ve die are sed) Tit’ why i pain lay important use a nip cup when playing backgammon. The cheat will ot beable to contol de within the cup and, ile hold outa de oubide the cup you my be able to pot it by lating emeally Henever, there some move that gives the hustler the bast ofboth wo. {eget the ight sound and it beats the ip cup. The cheat grips the empty cup with one hand so the fingers cover the mouth ofthe cup. He then reaches ot and clips ane de between his fncinge and muddle Gnget and feed tnt the cup. He pretends to do the same tng wih the second de but istead of aligning imo the cup, he keep the die clipped between forefinger and midleg, presed agaist therm ofthe cup. The dei cally ouside the cup, between he tim and the fing Hat cover the ‘mouth ofthe cup. However, hiss hin fom the other player by leping the cup head-on toward him soe es ust the ack ofthe ges. Now the cup i aiken back aed fot so the lowe die inside the cup ‘epee hits the one ouside. This mutes the son of two dice i the cap. When the dice ae tosed out, the cheat actual places the indi on the able with his finges (natal, the dese number is facing upward) 4 immeditl fellows tough by tossing out the loose die ots the ‘ter die hard enough wo give ita spin but not hard enought tur it vet ‘Asi, the opponent cannot tll hat the Rest ie dnt come fom within ‘the cup Because the bucks of th hur Singer black the action. Someone siting at the side ofthe cheat might be able ose the move, bt ha just ont ut another of the advantages of fackzarmon aa husling mame ‘The cheat has fal only one pero, which a To eae than eng 3 com of people ll rou him a if sully the case at expe Tes ese posible fo the hte to contol bath dice if he dice ae large ‘enough or the cup small eng. He place the to dice i the cup, ene Stop the othe, with the dese numbers facing anay from the side ofthe ‘up. Now he shakes the cup, but not too violently. He actually shakes t Tack and forth just enough forthe dice to lie to and fro between the etm ofthe cup andthe hand covering the mouth of eeu, but rater, ely the dce dont tam ove, Thats the rns foc wanting the dice to ‘Lge in teltion tothe cut makes easier to kez them fom ening ‘overs they shut back ae forth, Eventual, he slides the dice out they tide smecthly onto the ble ike slater om a frozen pond, the desired umbers still on top. He may even throw the dice aint the sie of the Thar for efect,but this won cause the die to tun oer 2 st will igre them a ight pining action which enhances he ilo, You may be ‘hl to aot this move by the gene way the cup shaker By mow you may have come tothe conclusion thatthe bes idea i to throw the cup avy and ll the dice Barehanded. Before you tak tha ste, ‘ou may want to reread the seston ofthis chapter wich deals with bree hand dice control shots lik the whip shot, the sie sho, the drop shot, and the Greek sot. The ansuer is nat get ofthe dee cup but nist hat ithe ws in sucha nay 3 fo prevent the possi ofany cup mes. ik thatthe cup be held half a dozen inches above the table the dice ate ‘ued ou. at secommended earlier. Dan’ let your opponent bring the ‘month of the ep near the tabletop. His imperative that ou see both dice falling dowaward though te ar for several inches. Use the tp up and init om tat eal Daring the end phase ofthe game, players sully id they wa fo ll 2s many high numbers as pssible and certainly as many duis as possible ‘Some cats accomplish thy svitching in a pio 45-6 top at this point inthe game. These dice guarantee tat he wil oll only high numbers and the wl oll doubles one tid ofthe time mentioned ear that tp are ‘ot gently used at bar dice games becase itis ot practical fo the hustler to smic the er ou sight afl isl befor his opponent roll. This nat 2ralem atkacgamno since ech pe sly shin pie ie and cup. A BACKGAMMON JUICE JOINT ‘Te juice joint ilo ws in tackgarmon in a ver simple bat ingenious foxm. The dice are galled with meal sigs ax explained caer 0 Gatnen rolled vera magnetic ld they will ome up 66."The magnetic eld inthis eae is not provided by an electomagnt bul rather by a small pone magnet strapped tothe chet thigh side is pants just above the ee. When the fuer wats to tum onthe ie, be bins his knee up ‘unr the table oi resis agaist the tabletop the dice are led onto this sal area ofthe table, they wll come up ses. ‘hackgarmon hustler wl want gated dicen operation only during end play, For the rat ofthe game ae will want ordinary dice which he wil ether hot favor control by means of the varius dice cup moves we have tanec. With magnetic tie, thi s no problem. The dice will behave ‘poral throughout the gare as longa the user heps the magnet away fiom the table. When he wans double ic, he jut press his nce othe tabletop and the dice are magically tansrmed into gaff. In the case of tops, owever, 2 dice sits necenary to bing them into play near the fend and take ther out again when the game is over DICE SWITCHES. “This can be dane by means ofthe thumb vite. The cheat wl pick up the ‘fl orn his ap and old ea iden cupped ges. He then picks ‘op the regular dice and appaenty drops them fn hi ep. etal, the levels ate stained in the thumb extch atthe Engerpalmed dice are dropped in. He may then use the same hard to coner the mouth ofthe cup and shalt the palmed dice being hidden aginst these ofthe cup, othe will shake wit teeter hand, the hand with the held out ice gong the fable edge or bing droped in the lap He may indead se the pln etch which leaves the svitched out dice ‘rapped inthe palm between the base ofthe thumb andthe edge ofthe palm a the pfs are dropped in the cup. tn this eae, the cea wl old he up [etueen both hands ashe shakes it His empty hand wl over the mouth of the expat the other hand olde the base ofthe cup. This completly hides the palmed dice fom view. Later dhe site is repeated to clean up and eave the square dice in py, The fact that dice used at hackgxmmon are cen smaller than those tpieally used in crap games makes the switches ‘The Buttofiy Cup Alternatively, the dice may be switched by means of a Duttefy cup. "This is a specially galled dice cup which performs the sich ‘mechanically without any need for deight of hand. The typical design for a ‘quay leather cups eylinder shape with a curved exp stitched none end to sel it of. nthe butterfly cup, this cap contains two compartmens ach lange enough to hold « pir of die. The bottom of dhe cup contains a semiccular opening 20 that one ofthese compartments eas into the up tile the other is sealed cf. While the cap appear tobe sited to the ‘linda patof the ep, iti really atached by means of grooves that it fan be turned. The gf dice are in the seae-off compartment. When the regular dice ae towed in, they go int the open compartment. Unies cine of shaking the cup betwen both hands, the cheat seselly gives the ‘apa haléturn This wale off the compartment withthe square dice ane ‘opens the compartment contining the tps, which are then rolled oat A. peat ofthe action later wl brig the oguures back into play. The inside of the cup ial dead black for camouflage purposes: someone glancing inside will notice nothing asl DOUBLING CUBE HUSTLES “The one factor that has made backgammon sich 3 popular gambling game in recent years is the introduction of the doubling cube. In essence, at any pint in the game, one player may challenge the othe by turing over the Cube. This means that he challenged player must either age te double the stakes oer the ge. Since the cheat hows he ng to win, his interest orate the stakes a far a he can, He wil allow the game to develop to the point where his opponent has the advantage. At that point he wil um the cube. Naturally, since the mask has the stonger based, he will take the bait, no walzing that the tie wil soon tur, “Attest of each game, each player mus roll ne die to determine who will move fit 354 common practice in many cele that, beth get the ‘ame number, the doubling cube ges one tun. A hustle will sometimes ‘eit ut his opponent has rolled, thn we contd shot ove himself the same number fr a doubled wage. The way to put an edo this scam i to make sure that both yo and sour opponent rll your dive atthe same time. If you allow him to roll afer you do, you willbe open to this move