Altering the shape of casino dice to have an advantage play at craps?

When you play craps in a casino you hope that the dice are fair -- and if they are not fair, then you hope you know how to take advantage with your bets.

Casino dice used in craps are supposed to be evenly sized and weighted cubes with each face having an equal chance of landing up. But is there a way to change the shape of the dice during play to alter the distribution of numbers?

I've heard of stories -- and keep in mind I can't verify if this is true or not -- that casinos will tell craps players not to rub the dice on the table because it can wear down a face on the dice and alter the shape of the dice.

For example, if a player has both sixes "up" and holds the dice showing boxcars, and rubs the "aces" side into the felt of the table, can that alter the shape of the dice and impact the game?

Could a team of players -- each taking their turn with the dice over the course of several hours -- wear down the faces enough to have an impact?

Casinos frequently change the dice used at craps, and often it's because the corners get damaged or worn away, and if a particular corner is worn more than other corners that could also affect the dice. But by how much?

There are different ways to alter dice including adding sticky substances to a face of the dice so that "sticky face" will be more likely to adhere to the table. Adding sticky substances is relatively easy to do. A few years ago at the MGM Grand, when it was my turn to shoot, I picked two dice and they were so sticky that when I went to toss them they were actually stuck to my finger tips. I stood there with the dice stuck and said to the floorman "would you mind cleaning these?"

I don't play at craps, so this is a guess: would repeated rubbing of the dice on the felt by player after player (if allowed) be more likely to alter the playing surface rather than alter the dice? Replacing the felt can't be cheap or convenient and at some point, couldn't throws be influenced if the felt was compromised?

Vic, you are absolutely correct that altering the felt affects the action of the dice. The worst thing that can happen to the felt is if a player spills his drink on the table -- the wet spot can stop the dice from sliding, spinning, rolling. This is why dice crews are always reminding players not to hold their drinks above the table surface and to use the racks under the table to store their drinks.

A worn felt will also affect the dice -- as well as make the table look like a wreck. The one time I played at Casino Royale at their 100 times odds table there were actually rips in the felt which made me feel like I was playing in a dump. Tears in the felt can also affect the roll of the dice.