ConsultGLP

Is rolling a die completely random in casinos?

When we have a standard and fair six-sided die, we believe the odds of rolling a particular number are 1/6 as there is an equal probability of rolling each of the numbers 1 – 6.  But, will the number 1 (and all the other five numbers) come up one-sixth of the time as predicted?  We know that if someone rolls a die, the initial force on the die, the topography over which the die is travelling and the laws of physics are going to affect the final results.  Is it possible, at least in theory anyway, for us to predict its outcome and benefit from an advantage of it?

The potential monetary gains have drawn gamblers in the world’s casinos to make all sorts of dice throwing methods in order to solve this tempting problem.

In casinos around the world, there is a popular game called “Casino Craps” or “Bank Craps”. It is played on a purpose-built table and two dice are used for the game. These dice are made even with very high standard quality and are routinely inspected for any damage during the throwing. As a matter of course, the dice are replaced with new ones after about eight hours of use to maintain their fairness. Also casinos have implemented rules in the way a player handles them. Why would they do this?

A story goes that in the middle of the 20^th century, a gambler spent a good deal of time developing a manner of throwing the dice in which they spun frantically but did not tumble.  By using this method, the gambler had managed to achieve good outcome but the results were so profitable that the gambler was finally banned from entering casinos.

Today, a rule in playing the Crabs game requires that the shooter (the player) must handle the dice with one hand only when throwing, and the dice must hit the walls on the opposite end of the table. The wall at that opposite end contains numerous bumps that presumably randomize the outcome of the throw!

Hence, gamblers are advised to leave their chance of winning to randomness behavior of the dice on a carps table and accept the odds gracefully..