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?"