Craps Creeps

20 December 2022

By Frank Scoblete

Craps is probably the most exciting game in the casinos. Certainly, craps players think so; just ask them. You will also hear outrageously loud cheering at craps tables when things are going right for the players and, if you pass one or observe one, you might also hear loud moans as players lose their money.

Craps is a communal game as most players are rooting for the dice to make as many numbers as possible – except for the seven which will lose them all their bets except if they are betting on the seven.

[Please note: On the come-out roll, pass-line players do wish for the 7 as that will win the initial pass-line bet. So will the 11. But the 2, 3 and 12 are losers.]

Take a look at a craps table. It does look a little like an altar and we know what altars used to be, places where people sacrificed animals and other people.

Thankfully, casinos are only interested in your money. They aren’t looking to sacrifice you. They also give you a chance to win money from them, and despite the casinos’ edges on their games, players can still get lucky and win.

Yet, there are individuals that are looking to steal your money when you play craps. These are the craps creeps (or craps criminals) and they can be found here and there in the casino world, especially the casinos that have lively, crowded craps game.

The craps creeps are not looking to buck the house edges at the casinos’ craps games. Why bother? They are instead looking to lift the players’ money without the player knowing it.

They have two ways of doing this. One, they can steal the money from the pockets or purses of the players. And, two, they can steal the chips off the players’ racks as the players concentrate, and as the players cheer and moan during the game.

And, oh, okay, third, yes there is a third. The craps creeps can attempt to sell the players phony strategies right there at the table. FREE! Except you pay a fee if the strategy helps you to win. Any worthless scheme can occasionally work and that winning scheme then allows the craps creep to share in your winning money. Oh, and the player gets to pay for all the losses.

Does the craps creep’s scheme work? Yes.

Players can get desperate if they are losing and they might look for immediate help. The craps creep gives the players the help for which they hunger. The player has two ways to lose here: he or she can lose to the casino or the player can lose some of his or her win to the scheming craps creep. This is a no-win situation.

The craps creeps who have the ability to steal chips right off the rack of craps players are well known. No, not by name, but by profession. A shooter is having a great roll. The money is flowing into the players.

The craps creep, who usually has very small bets during the game, will lean into another player (who is winning big) and gently remove a few high-denomination chips from the other player’s rack. When the roll is over, the creep heads for the cage or leaves the casino to come back at another time and cash in the chips.

These craps creeps can also remove wallets from men’s back pockets or from women’s purses after bumping into them. There can be two or more creeps doing this so the situation is not one-on-one.

Beware the craps creeps, folks, the casinos’ edge is one thing but these creeps are totally another thing – a bad thing.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete’s web site is www.frankscoblete.com. His books are available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, libraries and bookstores.