When the Screaming Starts

16 March 2021

By Frank Scoblete

Craps will bring out the screamer in many people. When numbers are hitting and players are winning it is like watching a primitive rite around an altar. Nothing is being sacrificed and the gods are just giving and giving some more. Happiness can be felt by everyone (except for the Darkside don’t players) and all is right with the world.

The high-fives will clap themselves loud enough for players at other games to turn their heads. Back slapping, sometimes even of the shooter, rings out and those with drinks will toast the shooter as if such a shooter is taking out a big ship on the ocean.

Of course, the opposite holds true as well. When shooter after shooter sevens-out early you can hear some of the moans, groans and whines throughout the casino. The craps table now sounds like a funeral procession with many dejected attendees heading for the cemetery. (Of course, the Darkside don’t players are happy but it is rare that they shout out their victories.)

Craps is a communal game unlike any others in the casino. The actual craps table does, indeed, look like a primitive altar. I’m guessing that some bankrolls have died there.

Still, I have heard, on rare occasions, cheers coming from blackjack tables. That usually follows a dealer breaking often when hitting his or her poor hands. If everyone is winning many decisions in a row, you might hear some wild applause and maybe even some shouts. There might even be some high-fiving as well.

Blackjack players are usually not too vocal because many players at the table will lose while some will win and what is happening to each player is noticed by all the other players. You don’t want to shout out “I’m winning, I’m winning! Hooray!” when the person next to you is getting clobbered. There are no Darkside players at blackjack looking to win on a seven-out.
[Please note: One caveat here. There are some insufferable blackjack players who blame other players for their losses. These are just people who do not understand the game. But they can be quite irritating nevertheless.]

I haven’t heard any communal cheers of joy at roulette. You would need most of the players to be betting the same numbers or propositions. Individuals might clap or say, “Great!” but you won’t hear loud sounds erupting like a volcano coming from the roulette tables. This seems to be a relatively individual game, as opposed to a communal game such as craps.

You can get cheers at mini-baccarat because it is possible for all the players at the table to be betting the same proposition, either banker or player. In addition, many mini-baccarat players are amazingly superstitious and they might think the gods are favoring them. This could cause some screams of joy.

[Please note: A caveat here. The superstitious mini-baccarat players might blame other players who are winning to be the cause of their bad luck. I had a player once leave her seat and get in my face because I was winning and she was losing. For some reason, she bet against me and felt my good luck caused her bad luck.]

Big wins by a slot player might cause said player to cheer but the player nearby is usually not so happy about that since they might believe all the good luck in the area was taken by the winner.

The casino doesn’t mind players screaming and cheering as that just makes for an exciting atmosphere. And people do go to casinos for excitement.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

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