Thursday, December 26, 2013

Tipping the Boys at the Craps Table - a story...

Today, I’d like to take the opportunity to tell one of my favorite Craps stories, as it involves tipping.  I’d also like to let you know that the new book, “The ABC’s of Craps,” is now available on iTunes (as are all my other eBooks).  But there’s a coupon below.  But ya gotta read the story, first…

A business acquaintance (let’s call him “Sam”) met up with me and a few other colleagues and proceeded to take up to Mandalay Bay for a fantastic gourmet dinner.  The entire time Sam told us that everything was gratis, on the house, as he was a “known commodity” here (a high roller).  Afterwards, we went to shoot Craps, and he proved his point by playing nothing but black and yellow ($100 and $500 chips) with a few greens ($25) for the hardways.  Even though I had just received a promotion and a raise, it was all I could do at the time to make the $15 minimum at the table.  I played conservatively, making my meager bankroll last.

It didn’t help that we were at a chilly table.  Sam was getting agitated, as he pushed whenever he won, only to see anything resembling a win evaporate quickly.  His agitation increased when the dealers became sloppy in their chip handling and inattentive to his continual betting the one-roll center bets, all the numbers, anything to recoup his losses.  They were distracted no doubt by two of his co-workers who were younger, bustier, and less clothed than we older gents.

After about 45 minutes Sam had had about enough, and decided to “reward” the boys for their “hard” work.  “Watch this,” Sam said, as he called out, “Half and half on the yo,” and tossed two green chips to the stickman.  This meant that both he and the dealers had $25 each on the next roll, shooting for an 11. 

And the 11 hit, paying off at 16 for 1.

Normally, dealers pick up their tip bets as soon as the “winner” call is made, but once again they lagged…long enough for Sam to shout, “Push it – let it ride.”  Sam knew that he’d screw the boys good, as the odds of the shooter rolling an 11 again were slim. Instead of $375 in tips, they’d get zero.

Of course, the 11 hit again.  This time, the dealers were too quick for Sam’s “Let it ride” call, and diverted their winnings – more than $5,600 – to the boxman for safekeeping.

Sam did get some measure of revenge, as his bet was still out there, and the dealers left it.  And 11 hit again, making Sam’s take a cool $84,000 and change.  I was flabbergasted…and even more so when Sam took his winnings to the cashier’s cage and announced he wanted to pay off, “part of his marker.” 

Yeah - even after his big win, he still owed the casino a few thousand more.  He never said exactly how much more, but I finally understood why dinner was free.

And here’s a final reminder…from now until the end of 2013, you can take 30% off The ABC’s of Craps and 20% off any of my other eBooks.  Go to: http://www.smashwords.com/profile/view/mexinger
And use the specific coupon code shown below for each book, and thanks! 

  • The ABC’s of Craps – was $3.99, now $2.79 – Use code HE85J
  • The ABC’s of 21– was $2.99, now $2.39 – Use code XF67M
  • Be The King! (of Small-Stakes Tournaments) – was $6.99, now $5.59 – Use code NQ65Z
  • Let the Chips Fall: A Collection of Short Stories About Gambling – was $2.99, now $2.39 – Use code CX87K

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