Craps Stickman Sayings

Stickman: Dealer in charge of proposition bets and the dice; uses a stick with a hook to move the dice. Once the game is in action, these words and sayings are likely to be heard. Aces: A dice total 2 (two ones). Also called Snake Eyes Action: When bets can win or lose they are in action Any Craps: A bet that the next roll will be. The world is like a reverse casino. In a casino, if you gamble long enough, you're certainly going to lose. But in the real world, where the only thing you're gambling is, say, your time or your embarrassment, then the more stuff you do, the more you give luck a chance to find you.

• Craps Stickman Sayings Games
• Craps Stickman Sayings Game
• Craps Stickman Sayings Funny
• Craps Stickman Sayings Meme

More On Buy Bets and Craps Etiquette

By Jerry 'Stickman'

Hi Stickman.

I just returned from a week in LV (went to G2E) and just now read your article which I get via Casino City Times.

I spent the better part of a day hunting for a decent craps game.

I normally play in MS where the vig on Buy bets is collected only upon a win. LV was a culture shock in that regard. I won't play where the pirates do that. Bad enough they all collect the Lay upfront. MGM said they'd only charge me on a win but couldn't play there as they scent the air and that raised holy hell with my sinuses.

In my long and ardous trek I inquired about the policy on Buy bets at many casinos. None would refuse me a Buy on the 5/9 and most would give me a 'free' automatic buy on the 4/10. Usually up to $100.

After that, I'd have to pay first. I even had a suit at Bally's try and tell me the Buy was worthless on the 5/9 when we discussed their policy.

That dude was seriously math-challenged and he was like you and I in that we are all a bit long in the tooth.

I am going to take issue with you including the 5/9 with the 6/8.

It is never wise to ever Buy the 6/8 but it is wise to Buy the 5/9 at $30 plus assuming proper increments.

Quit a while ago you wrote an article on craps etiquette and there was one thing not covered and it has always been in the back of mind to ask you about it so I am.

Shooter whips the dice down the table and it careens into my stack of chips on the DP. A few get disloged. Do I restack (touch them) or do I wait and hope the dealer sees it and tidies up? I'd do it immediately but don't wish to be accused of adding chips to what should be a guaranteed winner (at that point in time). And I suppose a Pass Line bettor would not want to be accused of removing a chip or two from their stack which probably would be a potential loser.

Thanks for any reply directly or in a future newsletter.

Arnie.

Arnie,

I am glad that you took my advice about looking for the best buy bets. Casinos in Mississippi and Tunica in particular have some of the most favorable player rules in craps.

Most Las Vegas casinos do not allow a buy of the 5 or 9 – and those that do make you pay the vig up front. In that case you are better off forgetting about the 5 and 9 and simply place the 6/8 or buy the 4/10. If you really want to get on the 5 and 9, come betting is the way to go as it only has a 1.4% house edge.

All of the casinos that I play in Las Vegas have automatic buys of the 4 and 10 with vig taken on wins only when buying for $20 or more. I have gone up to the table limit and the vig is only on a win. I have never heard of the $100 threshold that you mention.

Regarding buying the 6/8 and 5/9, in the article I agree with you. One is never better off buying the 6 and 8. When I stated that it is not worth buying the 5, 6, 8, and 9 I was talking about buying the number with a 5% vig and paying it up front. I used an example of buying these number for $20. Later in the article I mentioned the effects of being able to 'push the house' by buying for $25, $30, $35 or $39 and paying just $1 for the vig. I also mention that buying the 5 and 9 with the vig taken on wins only is more advantageous than placing them. I am sorry for any confusion I caused.

To your question about restacking dislodged chips – I would wait for the dealer to restack them. If he (or she) seems oblivious to the situation, I would try calling their attention to it. However, if the dice are being pushed to the shooter and my chips had not been restacked, I would quickly restack them myself. Generally you will not have any problems with the dealers if you place a small bet for them every so often.

Now I am going to take exception to a comment of yours – the one where you implied being math challenged and old go hand in hand. I hope you are not be calling me math challenged – or OLD! I am just kidding of course; however, I don’t feel any older than I did when I was in my 20s and 30s. Age is a state of mind – and many suits (especially at Harrah’s properties it seems) are just not interested in doing anything that might favor the player a little. It is sad but true.

Arnie, you seem to be making all the right moves in order to get the most from your gambling bankroll. If you are really serious about getting the edge at craps you should consider buying the Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution book, or the Beat Craps By Controlling The Dice DVD. You may even want to consider registering for and attending a Golden Touch dice control class held in various locations throughout the year.

May all your wins be swift and large and all your losses be slow and tiny.

Jerry 'Stickman'

Jerry 'Stickman' is an expert in craps, blackjack, video poker and advantage slot machine play. He is a regular contributor to top gaming magazines. The 'Stickman' is also a certified instructor for Golden Touch Craps and Golden Touch Blackjack. His current book 'Specific Slots Machines That Give the Players the Edge!'provides mathematically proven advantages over the house on some slots! For more information visit www.goldentouchcraps.com or www.goldentouchblackjack.com or call 1-886-738-3423. You can contact Jerry 'Stickman' at stickman@goldentouchcraps.com.

JoemanYou'll often hear 'no-field 5' to distinguish it from the similar-sounding call of '9' (and to remind players and dealers that the field bet is lost). Or 'the aces' or 'the eyes' for a 2.
Not necessarily 'common' these days, but there's always 'little Joe form Kokomo' for a 4. You still may hear 'Eighter from Decatur' every once in a great while.

Craps Stickman Sayings Games

My all-time favorite call I heard years ago was 'Brooklyn Forest' for a hard 6.

What are the typical phrases that stickmen use to call a craps game in progress?

How about, 'Seven out! Line away!' Ugh!Paigowdan

What are the typical phrases that stickmen use to call a craps game in progress? The only one I can think of is 'Yo! Eleven!' Every number has a nickname, right? Easy eight, and so on.

2 = 'TWO crap Aces,' if coming out, 'Take the line, Pay the don't'
3 = 'THREE crap Ace-Deuce, if coming out, 'Take the line, Pay the don't'
4 = 'FOUR Hard/Easyway,' if coming out 'Mark the Four,' if a winner, Pay the line, take the don't. If the four were laid, 'Down behind the four.'
5 = 'FIVE, No Field,' if coming out 'Mark the Five,' if a winner, Pay the line, take the don't. If the five were laid, 'Down behind the five.'
6 = 'SIX Hard/Easyway, NO Field' if coming out 'Mark the Six,' if a winner, Pay the line, take the don't. If the six were laid, 'Down behind the six.'
7 = 'Seven winner, pay the line' or 'Seven OUT, take the line, pay the don'ts and last comes'
8 = EIGHT Hard/Easyway, NO Field' if coming out 'Mark the EIGHT,' if a winner, Pay the line, take the don't. If the eight were laid, 'Down behind the eight.'
9 = 'NINE, Field roll, if a winner, Pay the line, take the don't. If the nine were laid, 'Down behind the nine.'
10 = TEN Hard/Easyway, Field roll' if coming out 'Mark the TEN,' if a winner, Pay the line, take the don't. If the ten were laid, 'Down behind the ten.'
11 = 'Yo Eleven.' If coming out, 'Take the don't and pay the line. If a point and a DC (don't come) bet were present, 'Take the DC
12 = 'TWELVE crap,' if coming out, 'Take the line, PUSH the don't'
Easy and Hard apply to 4, 6, 8, and 10, as to whether they were form by two identical dice numbers (such as a 5-5 dice roll forming a HARD ten) or easy (such as a 6-4 dice picture).FleaStiffontariodealer

The thing to remember is that the Stick is actually calling the game TO the base dealers, telling them each time what to do and what sequence to do it in.
You get variations such as 'light up' for 'mark'.... it still means take that hockey puck and turn it from its dark side marked off to its light side marked on and position it on the newly established Point Number.

Yes, the stickman is calling the game for the base dealers, not necessarily the players. Especially on a crowded table, it can be easy to forget to take a losing DC or lay bet or move a DC behind a number, since those bets are more rare compared to pass line/come/field/etc.
A 'proper' stick-call, which you'll probably only hear by an inexperienced dealer at a break-in house or some veteran who loves his job too much, is something like this: 'Four, easy four, down behind the four, field roll four, don't's and comes travel to the four.' A proper stick call is also the order in which the dealers are supposed to take/pay bets. And technically, the don't-come bets are supposed to get moved before the come bets.
What can get really frustrated is on a busy table where people are playing come-bets occasionally, you (dealer) will run into this scenario. You have 6 people on your side, players 1, 2, and 5 have a come-bet on the FOUR. The following roll, players 2, 3, 5, 6 have a come-bet in the come area and a FOUR is rolled. Proper order to pay/move bets is to pay #1, do off-and-on for #2 (unless flat-bet is different amount), move come bet #3 to the FOUR, do off-and-on for #5, then move #6's come bet. Not sure why I wrote that, but I did.

Craps Stickman Sayings Game

That isn't to say some stickmen won't add some 'flare' for whatever reason, and say stupid sh*t like 'Little joe from cocomo' or whatever. The dealers I've worked with that'd do that, at least the ones that were encouraging players to join their table (ESPECIALLY a dead game), didn't last long. One guy, I think his nickname was the flea-catcher or flea-bringer or something, ended up crying for a majority of the shift because none of the dealers liked him. He ended up moving shifts, because no boxman wanted to sit on the table he was dealing on. The boxmen would rather be stuck on the worst (busiest) tables all night with a bunch of players constantly asking for then paying off markers than sit on flea-catcher's table with 1 player.
If there's a hop-bet, stickman should call out the way it landed. ie: 'Nine, center nine, came six three' or 'Five, no field, five, came three two' (or 'trey deuce') If a player hopped a 5-3, then the dealer would call out how the dice landed IF an 8 is rolled, otherwise, no need to call how it came (unless it's a hardway, for instance, like hard 4/6/10).

Craps Stickman Sayings Funny

what number did I get on the e.o.

Craps Stickman Sayings Meme

+1