I was in Vegas at Caesars Palace on Wednesday and the craps table I was at went through a procedural meltdown. Everyone was at fault, and it cost some players a lot of money.

Here is the situation:

I was the shooter and I already had three points made -- 4, 5 and 6 -- in addition to a couple of come-out winners. The bets were being pressed up high because my rolls between passes were long. The table is loud with enthusiasm.

And that's when a new player squeezes into a spot at the far end from where I was standing.

And that's when the meltdown in procedures started. I will list everything that went wrong:

1. The new player bought in while I still held the dice. Proper craps etiquette is to wait until a new player has the dice, or at least until the point is made and there is a pause in the action. This player (and we found out later he was new at the game) didn't wait -- threw a $100 bill on the layout just as the dice were being pushed to me for my next throw.

2. The base dealer at the end of the table didn't wait to sell the chips to the new player and took the $100 bill off the layout and put a stack of red chips (20 $5 chips) in the middle of the layout at the back wall -- right in my "landing zone."

3. The stickman did not wait to push the dice to me even though a new player was buying in and a stack of chips was visible on the table.

4. The new player reached for the stack either unaware that I had the dice and was about to throw or didn't care.

5. I didn't look up to see the stack of chips or that the new player had his hand on the stack fumbling to pick them up and my dice were released. I should have seen what was going on and waited -- I knew damn well those chips were right in the center of the back wall where I aim my throw.

Yes, both my dice hit the new player's hand and with three points made and only one pass away for a 4-point Fire Bet payoff the dice rolled off the player's hand showing 7-out.

The table went nuts. Players were yelling at the base dealer and at the new player. While I was calm I said to the stickman that he shouldn't have pushed the dice to me while a player was buying-in.

One player who had about $500 on the layout went ballistic. All action stopped as players called for the pit boss. Meanwhile the layout was cleared of all bets. And the new player said he didn't do anything wrong.

Later I found out from the base dealer that the player who lost about $500 went to the casino general manager and filed an official complaint. Security was notified, the tapes were being reviewed, and the base dealer was notified of the complaint. (What will happen is probably nothing.)

What I found at later is that dealers at Caesars have been told not to delay the game, and if a new player wants to buy in they should not only let him buy in but allow him to buy in even if another player has the dice and is about to shoot. In other words, nothing is to stop the action or getting new money into the game.

This never would have happened in the old days when there was a boxman controlling buy-ins and chips, and when players knew proper table procedures, and dealers weren't rushed to get new money and new players into the game.