I don’t gamble. I’ll bet on things or play games of chance for money on occasion, but putting my money on a losing proposition isn’t my idea of a good time. When I go to a casino I go to the poker tables and that’s it.
The whole culture about it just seems so self-defeating and depressing. The superstition, chasing the high of that one-in-a-million lucky event. It’s not for me.
My older brother is mostly the same way, with one notable exception: craps. He’d been talking it up to me for years, telling me how it’s the most fun he’s ever had in a casino, and I should just try it with him and see what it’s like.
It seems too complicated, I told him. He said that you can just bet the Pass Line, which basically means you’re betting that whoever is rolling the dice doesn’t roll a seven. It’s a social activity, he explained, because the whole table is betting the Pass Line and rooting for each other.
The way he described it, a group of a strangers drinking, cheering for each other on their wins, commiserating with each other on their losses, I could almost start to see the appeal.
I downloaded an app and started asking him questions, which he answered patiently. Eagerly even.
Then I saw it.
“What’s the ‘Don’t Pass Line’?”
“It’s a bet against the person rolling the dice. Nobody really bets the Don’t Pass Line. It’s a dick move.”
A plan formed in my mind. “Ok, I’ll play.”
That night, I’m sitting at the craps table. To my right, my brother. To his right, our little sister. They sit me on the far left so I can get a feel for it before it’s my turn to roll.
The rest of the table is a smattering of dead-eyed gamblers. They looked preemptively disappointed, but ready to be amazed. Like they were ready to get caught up in a run of good luck, but they weren’t going to bring it themselves. Not the party I was promised, but there was some promise there.
First up, my sister. She rolls to set the point. We all put our chips on the Pass Line. Some of the gamblers make more specific bets.
She rolls again, and we win! She rolls again and again, and we keep winning. I see the spirits lifting around the table. There’s talking, laughing, cheering, free liquor, free money, and suddenly I get it.
Eventually my sister rolls a seven and her turn ends, but that’s ok because she already won the table a shitload of money. I’m up like $150 myself.
The table knows us a little by now. I’m new, we’re all siblings, and surely my brother will continue the hot streak.
But a plan is a plan.
My brother takes the dice and rolls the point. Everyone places their chips. I place my chips.
The dealer asks me, “Did you mean to put your chips on the Don’t Pass Line?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant to do.”
Silence. Then my sister: “You’re an asshole.”
My brother rolls again: seven. The Don’t Pass Line wins me a couple bucks.
I take the dice and proceed to go on a mini hot streak myself. I win like another fifty bucks, but the table never recovers. The mood is dead. I killed it.
That was probably twelve years ago. To this day, if it comes up, my sister will only call me an asshole again. My brother won’t talk about it at all.
My brother takes the dice and rolls the point. Everyone places their chips. I place my chips.
The dealer asks me, “Did you mean to put your chips on the Don’t Pass Line?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant to do.”
Silence. Then my sister: “You’re an asshole.”
My brother rolls again: seven. The Don’t Pass Line wins me a couple bucks.
This doesn’t make any sense
Once the point is established by the shooter on the come out roll, you cannot play Pass or Don’t Pass lines.
So after your brother takes the dice and rolls the point. You cannot place your chips on Pass/Don’t Pass. Maybe why dealer was confused?
Don’t Pass Line pays on shooter rolling 2 or 3 on come out roll. You’d lose if he rolled a 7. Pass Line wins if shooter rolls a 7 on come out roll.
Second roll was a 7?
You’d have bet Don’t Pass before your brother ever rolled the dice for a second roll 7 to win the Don’t Pass
Bets after the shooter’s first come out roll are usually Come/Don’t Come bets.
If you made a Don’t Come bet instead of a Don’t Pass (Dealer was confused from your illegal play and considered it a Don’t Come bet.) You’d still lose if a 7 were rolled second. So that doesn’t make sense.
If your first bet was after your brother rolled once. The only way you’d win with him rolling a 7 on his second roll would be to play a SEVEN bet. Which would be an even bigger dick move than Don’t Pass because it’s a one turn bet that your brother was going to roll a 7.
I guess most likely you played the don’t pass before your brother ever rolled
It was years ago and I probably misremembered that part. I only skimmed your comment because craps is so boring, but yeah it’s probably whatever you said.
Is that part of the superstition of it? Why are you an asshole for making a different bet? Surely it would’ve been 7 anyway, so at least you got something.
If everyone plays the Pass Line (Shooter, the person throwing the dice has to play it) then everyone wins/loses together.
Everyone at the table playing the Pass Line is pulling for the shooter to make his point.
Now imagine if you have one person out of 8 playing the Don’t Pass. The person playing Don’t Pass line is hoping the other 7 players lose so that they can win.
It’s almost equivalent to everyone at the roulette table playing black. And you walk up and say “I hope it comes red”. Like why don’t you just hope it comes black so you can win when everyone wins?
I don’t think it’s because the bet is different so much as it’s because the bet is against the person rolling. I’m betting that that person is going to “lose”. It’s just bad vibes.
But yeah, obviously my bet didn’t affect the outcome. That just makes it funnier that it worked out that way.
The time I won at craps.
I don’t gamble. I’ll bet on things or play games of chance for money on occasion, but putting my money on a losing proposition isn’t my idea of a good time. When I go to a casino I go to the poker tables and that’s it.
The whole culture about it just seems so self-defeating and depressing. The superstition, chasing the high of that one-in-a-million lucky event. It’s not for me.
My older brother is mostly the same way, with one notable exception: craps. He’d been talking it up to me for years, telling me how it’s the most fun he’s ever had in a casino, and I should just try it with him and see what it’s like.
It seems too complicated, I told him. He said that you can just bet the Pass Line, which basically means you’re betting that whoever is rolling the dice doesn’t roll a seven. It’s a social activity, he explained, because the whole table is betting the Pass Line and rooting for each other.
The way he described it, a group of a strangers drinking, cheering for each other on their wins, commiserating with each other on their losses, I could almost start to see the appeal.
I downloaded an app and started asking him questions, which he answered patiently. Eagerly even.
Then I saw it.
“What’s the ‘Don’t Pass Line’?”
“It’s a bet against the person rolling the dice. Nobody really bets the Don’t Pass Line. It’s a dick move.”
A plan formed in my mind. “Ok, I’ll play.”
That night, I’m sitting at the craps table. To my right, my brother. To his right, our little sister. They sit me on the far left so I can get a feel for it before it’s my turn to roll.
The rest of the table is a smattering of dead-eyed gamblers. They looked preemptively disappointed, but ready to be amazed. Like they were ready to get caught up in a run of good luck, but they weren’t going to bring it themselves. Not the party I was promised, but there was some promise there.
First up, my sister. She rolls to set the point. We all put our chips on the Pass Line. Some of the gamblers make more specific bets.
She rolls again, and we win! She rolls again and again, and we keep winning. I see the spirits lifting around the table. There’s talking, laughing, cheering, free liquor, free money, and suddenly I get it.
Eventually my sister rolls a seven and her turn ends, but that’s ok because she already won the table a shitload of money. I’m up like $150 myself.
The table knows us a little by now. I’m new, we’re all siblings, and surely my brother will continue the hot streak.
But a plan is a plan.
My brother takes the dice and rolls the point. Everyone places their chips. I place my chips.
The dealer asks me, “Did you mean to put your chips on the Don’t Pass Line?”
“Yes, that’s exactly what I meant to do.”
Silence. Then my sister: “You’re an asshole.”
My brother rolls again: seven. The Don’t Pass Line wins me a couple bucks.
I take the dice and proceed to go on a mini hot streak myself. I win like another fifty bucks, but the table never recovers. The mood is dead. I killed it.
That was probably twelve years ago. To this day, if it comes up, my sister will only call me an asshole again. My brother won’t talk about it at all.
This doesn’t make any sense
So after your brother takes the dice and rolls the point. You cannot place your chips on Pass/Don’t Pass. Maybe why dealer was confused?
Second roll was a 7?
You’d have bet Don’t Pass before your brother ever rolled the dice for a second roll 7 to win the Don’t Pass
Bets after the shooter’s first come out roll are usually Come/Don’t Come bets.
If you made a Don’t Come bet instead of a Don’t Pass (Dealer was confused from your illegal play and considered it a Don’t Come bet.) You’d still lose if a 7 were rolled second. So that doesn’t make sense.
If your first bet was after your brother rolled once. The only way you’d win with him rolling a 7 on his second roll would be to play a SEVEN bet. Which would be an even bigger dick move than Don’t Pass because it’s a one turn bet that your brother was going to roll a 7.
I guess most likely you played the don’t pass before your brother ever rolled
It was years ago and I probably misremembered that part. I only skimmed your comment because craps is so boring, but yeah it’s probably whatever you said.
Thanks for the correction.
Is that part of the superstition of it? Why are you an asshole for making a different bet? Surely it would’ve been 7 anyway, so at least you got something.
Craps is almost a team game.
If everyone plays the Pass Line (Shooter, the person throwing the dice has to play it) then everyone wins/loses together.
Everyone at the table playing the Pass Line is pulling for the shooter to make his point.
Now imagine if you have one person out of 8 playing the Don’t Pass. The person playing Don’t Pass line is hoping the other 7 players lose so that they can win.
It’s almost equivalent to everyone at the roulette table playing black. And you walk up and say “I hope it comes red”. Like why don’t you just hope it comes black so you can win when everyone wins?
I don’t think it’s because the bet is different so much as it’s because the bet is against the person rolling. I’m betting that that person is going to “lose”. It’s just bad vibes.
But yeah, obviously my bet didn’t affect the outcome. That just makes it funnier that it worked out that way.