A live casino craps table is usually run by a team of four people. The “boxman” sits in the center of the table next to the stack of casino chips. Their job is to control the game, make sure the dealers don’t make mistakes, and protect the casino and the players from cheaters and thieves. Two delivery men stand on the sides of the boxman. They collect bets when the casino wins and pay bets when players win. They also place players’ chips for bets that are not self service (ie players cannot place their chips on the layout for certain bets, so the dealers do it for them). The “stickman” stands in the center of the table in front of the boxman and calls the game. The stickman also retrieves and controls the dice after each roll.
A good stickman can add tons of fun to the game. If he’s good, he’ll use a lot of craps lingo to add humor and make the game more interesting. For example, if a die bounces off the table and lands on a player’s chip rack (i.e., the wooden rack around the perimeter of the table where players keep their chips), the stickman is required to say “No roll” and then retrieve the die for the boxman to inspect. The stickman then pushes the dice with his stick towards the shooter to get him to roll again.
A good stickman adds animated jokes to the game to make it more fun for the players. After all, the more fun players have, the better moods they’ll be in, which increases the likelihood that players will place more bets (good for the casino) and tip the dealers more (good for the team). To live the game, instead of boringly saying, “Don’t roll,” a good stickman might say loudly and rhythmically, “Die in the woods, don’t roll right,” or “I can’t read her, she’s in the cedar.” The game is much more fun when the stickman drops all kinds of slang and dice rhymes.
Over the years, dealers have come up with a lot of cute lingo for the results of a roll of the dice. The following are the ones I commonly listen to when gaming. I suspect there are so many that I haven’t heard. Listen to them the next time you play. The number 2 (ie a 1 on one die and a 1 on the other) is called “aces”. Aces are more commonly known as “snake eyes”. They are also called “eyeballs”.
The number 11 (that is, a 6 on one die and a 5 on the other) is called “yo”, which is short for “yo-leven” (with emphasis on the “yo”). The stickman says “yo-leven” to distinguish “eleven” from “seven” so players don’t misunderstand the call.
Number 3 is an “Australian me”. When a 3 comes up (ie a 1 on one die and a 2 on the other), the opposite number (ie the number at the bottom of the dice) is 11, which is “down”. In dice, 1 is opposite 6, 2 is opposite 5, and 3 is opposite 4. So when a 1-2 combination is shown, the opposite side “down” (i.e., the bottom of the dice) is 6 -5.
The number 12 is called “boxcars” or “midnight”.
The 3-3 combination (ie a Hard 6) is sometimes called “Brooklyn Woods”.
The numbers 2, 3 and 12 are called “craps”. Note that when a shooter sets up a point and then rolls a 7, it’s called a “seven out.” A seven out is not a game of dice. Remember, a die is the number 2, 3, or 12, so when the shooter rolls a 7, don’t show your inexperience by yelling in disappointment, “Oh man, he screwed up.” The correct whimper is, “Oh man, he did seven.”
The number 8 is sometimes referred to as the “Decatur Eight”.
Number 9 is sometimes referred to as “Jesse James” (he was shot with a .45 and the 4-5 dice combination is a 9). The number 9 is also called “Study 54” when the 5-4 dice combination is shown (the 5-4 combination is a 9).
The 4-4 combination (ie a hard 4) is sometimes called “Little Joe”.
The 3-2 combination is sometimes called “OJ” (OJ’s jersey number was 32).
The 5-5 combination (ie a Hard 10) is called “lady’s delight”.
The 1-4 combination is occasionally called “one-eyed chicken in the brush.” I have no idea what that means, and neither did the dealer when I asked. He said he learned it years before from another dealer and has been repeating it ever since.
Listening to Stickman bark funny dice lingo makes the game more fun. It also makes players interact more, which generally increases their enjoyment. Imagine the shooter rolling the dice and they show a combination of 1-4. Imagine the stickman softly saying, “Five.” Now instead, imagine the stickman yelling, “One-eyed chicken in the weeds!” The players laugh and start asking each other, “What did he say?” Your questions then lead to more conversation and interaction, adding to the fun for everyone. The casino values a good stickman because happy customers are more likely to be repeat customers.
