11 Common Casino Items, Extremely Close Up
If you visit casinos, in Las Vegas or elsewhere, you’ve seen these items before. You just haven’t seen them like this!
1. Craps Stick
This device is used by the “stickman” (yes, it’s a “stickman,” even when it’s not a man) to retrieve the dice. They may also be used by shady stickmen to “short stick,” which means pushing the dice to a female gambler just far enough so she has to lean forward to pick them up, cleavage-wise.
2. Paddle
On casino table games, there’s a slot where your money goes and never comes back. The paddle is used to push the money through the slot.
Here’s a normal view of a paddle so you know one when you see one.
3. Cup Holder
These handy devices keep your cocktail safe.
Casino cup holders have a special lip that goes under the table’s arm rest, a little insurance to keep us from being whacked by pit bosses.
4. Dice
There’s nothing like the feel of dice in your hands. Just don’t switch hands while you’re shooting at craps. Casinos prohibit hand-switching to avoid the possibility of cheating.
5. Discard Tray
This is where your cards go after they’ve been used. Discard trays are often translucent and red to help casinos catch players marking their cards.
Amazing the things we take for granted when we see them in a casino.
6. Gaming Chip
Casino chips are also called checks, cheques or casino tokens. There are several reasons casinos use chips rather than cash, but the main reason is customers gamble more freely when they use chips rather than cash. Surprise!
7. Felt Brush
Brushes are used to keep felt tables clean in casinos. Leave brushes off our list? We bristle at the idea.
Here’s another look at the typical felt brush.
8. Roulette Marker
When a number is called in roulette, the dealer places a marker on the number. Players are asked to wait until the marker is removed before retrieving their winnings.
A roulette marker is also called a “dolly.” That’s because the profile of some markers looks like a doll.
9. Craps On/Off Puck
A craps puck, also called a “buck,” marks the number you’re shooting for to win. One side of the craps puck says “On” and the other says “Off.” When it’s showing “Off,” you need a seven or 11 to win. When it’s “On,” you need to hit the number the puck is sitting on (the “point”) before a seven to win. Wow, quickest craps lesson, ever. Just ask your dealer for help.
The house edge for a Pass Line bet in craps is a mere 1.4%, making it one of the best bets in a casino.
10. Bingo Dauber
Bingo players have the option of using machines to track their games, but lots of players still love to daub. Dauber manufacturers say purple is the most popular dauber color.
Some people make their own dauber ink. These people clearly have issues.
11. Craps Pyramid Bumper
OK, here’s our favorite close-up of the bunch. To ensure craps dice land randomly, there’s a portion of the craps table wall covered with pyramid-shaped bumpers. Some players claim they can influence the dice through practice and skill. The bumpers are intended to squash that possibility, real or imagined. This is why you’ll hear dealers and pit bosses insist, “Both dice need to hit the back wall.”
Some gamblers believe they can influence their roll by “setting” the dice, or putting them in a particular configuration before the throw. Players believe casino staff discourage the practice because dice-setting is a threat to the bottom line. It is, but not for the reason they think. Casinos don’t like dice-setting because it slows down the game. The quicker the pace of the game, the more money a casino makes.
We hope you’ve enjoyed our close-up tour of some common casino items. Maybe you’ll see them a little differently the next time you play!
Special thanks to our friends at the Gambler’s General Store for letting us photograph their stuff.
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