Photo Courtesy (Nevada Casino History) I make money playing blackjack because I count cards. However, I've been very lucky at the craps table too. Ever since I got my first crash course in the game at a casino at Lake Tahoe I've loved the game. Blackjack is cerebral, craps is gritty - aggressive and imminently more exciting.
The first time I ever played the game was at Harrah's. There were a few players, but I stepped right into the next shooters spot and the dealer gave me change for my $20 bill (20 $1 chips) and offered me the dice.
I picked two and gave them a little roll down the table. All right, a wimpy roll. One managed to hit the back roll and the other didn't. The sickman said, "Second roll yo bets are lucky now, two way bets are lucky bets."
I had no idea that "yo" was short for yo-leven or eleven. Harrah's teaches their dealers to enunciate some calls so their is no confusion between seven and eleven. I also had no idea what a two-way bet was (a bet that includes something for the dealers).
As luck would have it, I hit my number and got paid. Then I rolled a seven, than an eleven, then mad a number and hit it too. In all, I held the dice for 15 minutes and made 13 straight passes.
Since I was just 17 years old and a newbie, I didn't change my pass line bet from $2. I won 13 times, lost once, and raked down $24. I was pretty happy until the inside dealer said, "You know, if you let that ride you would have won over $1000."
I didn't say anything, but a guy at the other end of the table (who now had a pretty full rail of chips) took pity on me and tossed a $100 black chip down to me. Awesome!
I walked straight to the cashier's cage and got $144 for my chips. I stiffed the dealers and the cage because I didn't know about toking the dealers. Then I walked through the snow to Monk's Pizza by the Greyhound bus station and ordered a pizza.
I was younger then, I ate the whole thing myself and washed it down with a pitcher of Pepsi. I had found heaven on earth. Craps - a game that can get you free pizza.
