Quality Assurance Guidelines For Balancing Dice Management 

The Following Instructions were developed by LittleJoeCraps.com and are best used with the following instrument to test the balance of dice:

While testing procedures to follow for dice in most State Gaming Commission Regulations is addressed, there are not any specific instructions or required training on how to actually conduct and use the tools that are stated in the Regulations. Some of the tools that are to be used could be relegated to an individual's common sense on how it should be used; however, after many years of observing casino employees conducting the inspection and testing of dice, it is clear that the majority do not know how to adequately conduct these tests, or do not take this requirement seriously. This is especially true, and most importantly, with respect to testing the dice for balance.

While the Balancing Caliper could be considered a crude tool and method to address if a dice cube is balanced, if used properly and the individual conducting the test knows how and what they are looking for, it can be effective.

The degree of imbalance in a die is variable,but if it can be determined that there is any imbalance in a die, it and the entire sleeve of matching serial numbers must be rejected for acceptance and use to comply with the balance requirements in the Regulatory Language.

1. The Balancing Caliper shall be placed on a solid flat level surface to conduct the tests. (ie. the table bank roll cover).

2. There are two methods that can be used to place the die into the cups of the Balancing Caliper. The first can be used mostly for speed and ease in performing the general balance testing - the opposing corners of the die shall be placed in the cups of the Balancing Caliper while adjusting the cups to allow the opposing corners to rest loosely near the bottom of each cup and with the axis between the two opposing corners as level as possible. Proceed with the test as stated in #s 3, 4 and 5 as follows, except when an imbalance is suspected.

If an imbalance is indicated or suspected while performing the test by the first method, the test shall proceed using the second method that differs only by more careful placement of the opposing corners as near to the center of the cup and careful adjustment of the cups to allow the die to rotate freely without slowing and affecting the spin rate, yet maintaining the axis between the opposing corners to remain as level as possible when conducting tests as stated in #s 3, 4 and 5 as follows. This second method is more precise because the opposing corners are rotating and sitting on a more vertical surface of the balancing calipers cups.

3. Spin the die and observe that it is spinning freely with the spin rate not being affected by the cups being too tight to effect a slower spin rate. This rate does not have to be fast, and an imbalance will show itself on how the spinning die comes to a stop.

4. A balanced die will come to a slow stop and it will not stop and reverse direction and then spin in the opposite direction. An imbalanced die will stop spinning and reverse the spin direction and rotate in the opposite direction, and could stop again and rotate in the opposite direction again and again. This is the heavy imbalance side of the axis seeking its bottom in relation to the Balancing Caliper. The tester must observe which numbered face comes the closest to an upright position in relation to the Balancing Caliper, and then,

5. Proceed to spin the die again in the opposite direction as the first test spin while observing the same as stated in #s 3 and 4.

Note if the die reverses spin rotation again and which the same numbered face is most upright again. Many times it will be the same face that is most upright, or the same face will be the second most upright. In which case,

6. The die must be removed from the Balancing Caliper and retested with different opposing corners. The tester must be looking for similar results as the previous tests and must follow the same procedures as above.

7. It has been determined in #s 4,5 and 6 above that the die is imbalanced and the sleeve must be rejected. There is no need to test the remaining dice in the sleeve of matching serial numbers. The rejected die must be identified and noted which numbered face(s) was coming the most upright when the die came to rest. Then follow the procedures for rejecting dice from play.

So who Loaded the Dice ??!!

The $64 million most irrelevant question - doesn't matter who loaded the dice ... What matters is who allows loaded unbalanced dice onto live casino craps tables again and again ?!!

Crappy Dice in Kansas ...

....  I received this private email from Linaway with permission to publish - more testimony of unbalanced dice:

The dreaded dice disease of heavy die faces is spreading everywhere apparently. Now, you know I am a retired Master Electronics Technician. ... my background once again has served me well in my so called Golden Years.

In my better than 40 years in aviation, most of it was in Quality Control. Yet I was an electronics technician, I held a full set of Inspection stamps. I know crap when I see it. ... over the years because of those things some tried to slip by me gave me cause to come up with a “saying”. 

You won’t sell me a bar of soap or the wrapper it came in until you clean up your act!

I did battle with hoards of salesmen, planners, engineers and department heads throughout my tenure. I was the final say in many instances and my Group and I, which was made up of me, became one tough SOB! Tough from the stand point of doing the job correctly and not sticking it to the customer with a load of craps. Actually the expression was a load of poles.

I offer this story so that you know I come to you with nothing but facts. 

Boyd Gaming Corporation is the acting Administrator of the Kansas Star Casino which sets about 10 miles south of Wichita, Kansas near Mulvane. Right on the turnpike. This joint is as crooked as a dogs hind leg. The casino itself is owned by the Kansas State Lottery. Which of the two are the greediest? Obviously with the State owning the joint, Boyd comes in second. 

Slot machines are so tight, you couldn’t get a win with a sledge hammer. Now, I hope you agree that my son and I know as much about the dice as anybody around and probably more than most. 

A 45 minute drive to get there.  We bought in at 12:30 PM and left the table about 25 minutes if not less later. WHY? Dice outcomes were primarily 1/6 and 2/5 sevens, not much trash. However, right after I bought in, the guy to my right did the 7 nasty. I didn’t pay any attention to that 7, busy getting my chips from the dealer and in the rack.

I have an arrangement in the 2V that gives me some great comeout rolls. This I began with. Guess I should tell you I was at the right side of the table end and my son was next to me on the left about center table. I rolled two yo’s and set the point of 8. Just did meet probability of 10 rolls including the 7-out of 2/5.

I didn’t think anything about it until my son got the dice next, set the point and PSO. The nasty being 1/6. Only one other guy to left of my son and he colored and left. Dice went to opposite table end. Guy sets in the HW’s, immediately rolls a pair of 6’s showing on the dice. HELLO! He then sets point of 1/5, HELLO AGAIN! Then immediately rolls an 1/6 7-out.

No way can an 1/5 be in a HW outcome. The 1 is present and shouldn’t be, it should be in the rotational axis aka axles of 1661 or one of the other 4 axle variables. Same with the pair of 66’s on top, those two should have been in the axles. Then the ah crap 7-out as 1/6 should not have been present for they are harbored in the HW axles.

I got to thinking about my prior roll and the pair of yo’s. What I thought was my haha skills in all probability was nothing more than unbalanced dice results caused by heavy die faces of the 5 and 6. Meanwhile as the dice quickly moved from shooter to shooter, lots of 2/5’s showed up. My next shoot wasn’t so good and the 2/5 7-out quickly got me. Son had similar. We said to hell with this and drove home.

One moment of glory manifested itself in our presence setting in front of the boob tube. Kansas City Royals, which we call our home team even though they are just across the river in Missouri. Broke a record never before done. They won in post season 8 straight games without a loss and now are in the cat birds seat. They will be playing in the World Series. Took the 29 years since their last time there.

The moral of my story is “BIASED DICE” are present in the south central part of Kansas now. Kansas Star like Prairie Band casino has seen the last of me and mine. Prairie Band is about 20 minutes north of Topeka, Pottawatomie tribe, and Kansas Star 10 minutes south of Wichita.

I only know about the dice we saw today in a very brief session. The dice being bad was obvious. Sad thing about this is, my son and I with our in depth knowledge of dice instantly saw what was going on. Unfortunately those few on the table did not and the 1000’s more that will unwittingly play this casino is getting ripped off.

Take care,
Linaway

Wake up Dice Community!

....  I received this private email from M of Oregon - lots of truth in what is written:

Readers should know that Bad Dice are probably going to show up on tables where the casino is struggling to make a profit, or where there is no regulations (such as Indian casinos). The dice community tends to assume that all tables are fair and playable, that any casino you walk in to with a Craps table open you can shoot up a profit and walk out of the door much more rich than when you came in. Not only is this absurd to assume but can be very costly as well.

Games with low house edges the Indian casino will 'sweat the money', and they will really make it hard for anyone to win with those games. When the casino cannot offer a degrade version of the games, such as 6:5 blackjack or the watered versions of the game, they simply won't offer it. Many Indian casinos won't offer baccarat because there is no way for them to change the odds.

In the case of Craps, it is a traditional American Casino game and an Indian casino won't really be a casino without a table in operation. The casino cannot change the craps odds to gain the house edge, so they simply buy dice that are unbalanced to such a degree that it pushes the house edge 3 to 5% their way.

So, Indian Casinos are money machines for the Investors, the Tribe and The State. Each party here has an expected schedule of payments must be meet. The idea that the casino will risk itself to not make profit at any given quarter is absurd.. Of course they are going to offer the worst odds for slots and Video Poker and degraded table games to ensure they make profit, if they can't then they just won't offer those games. Most Indian Casinos have little to no local competition, so even if they screw over the players with bad odds and games, where then will the players go? Some will just stop playing, but most will come right back again and gain to keep trying to win.

"A definition of crazy is to do the same thing over and over again with the expectations of different results each time."

Corporate/privately owned casinos have much more local competition where screwing over the players with bad odds and dice only drives the players away to the casino down the road. However, as has been pointed out, on heavy attended casino events such as a 'Fight Night' the Bad Dice may come out at some casinos to reap in some extra cash and limit their potential exposure. However, the casino may alter the Craps tables by installing the larger 5-diamond backwall and installing a rubber washboard in the backends of the tables that is just under the felt and padding. These two changes that are becoming popular, and sending the dice much more flying off the table than before , makes it very hard for the DI to operate. About a year ago my friend Jimmy who is a pro craps player came back home and said that, "they must have done something to the tables for I have never seen so many 'dice off the table' rolls in my life". - Oh, they did do something to the tables.

The Dice Community needs to wake up that the casinos have caught on to all of the DI means and methods and taken counter measures to protect themselves. And that means, altering the backwall, adding washboard rubber in the landing zones at the back ends of the tables and perhaps using unbalanced dice that are impossible to control - They have done this and it has its intended effect. DI is much harder to employ as a player these days, and some of these means to foil the DI has put more edge in the game than wanted.
 
Player beware! Check out the casino before you smack down a few hundred on the Craps tables. Is the blackjack they offer there good? What is the Video poker pay tables at? Do they even offer video poker at all? Are there many slot players or just a few? Do they offer baccarat? What is the overall mood of the casino? Is the staff there happy and helpful? Are people showing up there to gamble or for other non-gambling reasons?
 
Why the Dice community ever thought it was immune to the casinos changes and greed was only a fancy. Truth is that the casinos have been putting the screws to us as they are all the other players too.

Wake up Dice Community!