St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-12-01
Trolling De BONES. /"
How Two Dice Are Made to
Work q Seductive
Game.
Once the Exclusive Pastime
OF the COlored Man, Now
1t Is Everybody's.
A Reporter Visits a Crap
Joint and Is Shown the
Elephant.
Funny Sayings Of the Players
"A Big Game Between
White Men.

until few months ago monopolized by
the colored man of sporting prOclivlties.
Lately, however, the ''disease" has
spread until now every bartender in all
the well-regulated saloons has become
an expert at shooting craps" Some
of the professional and semi-profes-
sional gamblers turn to shooting
craps" when game of draw, the mOnOt-
onous spinning of the roulette wheel. or
the mechanical movements OF the faro
dealer become tiresome, and they long
for excitement and a game at which
they can ''get quick turn on their
money. The game of craps require no
expensive layout. Two dice, which can
be purchased at any toy store for the
modest sum of 10 cents, is all that Is
needed to start the fun. AT this game
any number of players may engage, and
any amount of money from one cent to
thousands of dollars may be wagered.
When number of men start tO''shoot
craps" one of them, holding the dice in
his hand. will say. "ShO0t you for
quarter, a dollar" or any amount he
may designate. One of the party im-
mediately accepts the bet, which may
be repeated as long as the money holds
out. The two dice are shaken in the
hand and thrown upon a table: Inc
spots turning up are added together and
counted. If the dice should turn up
two skies, two aces or an ace and
deuce the one who was throwing would
lose all the money he had bet upon HIM
self, and those who had backed the
thrOwer would lose their money. SHOULD
the face of the dice when added togetslf
er count seven or eleven the throwef
would win. Should some other NUM-
Der be thrown, as for instance tve and
an ace, the thrOwer'S point would be
six, and he would keep on throwing UNI
til he had thrown six, his
point, provided, in the means
time, the face of the dice IN
any one throw did not count which
might be had by throwing an ace
and q, and a 3 or a ana z.
Should Z be thrown it is ''craps" and the
throw er loses. 1t is simple and speedy
game. and money is won and lost at
very rapidly.
Until recently there were several
''crap joints'' in Minneapolis, but the
recent raid by the police on colored
club on Second avenue south has made
them shy of strangers, and if any Of
Them are running at the present ting
none but the initiated are admitted. a
few evenings ago GLOBE reporter, IA
company with sable companion, drifE
ed into one of these places. Around q
common 4 inc table covered with bed
ticking were gathered perhaps scoH
of c0lored men. they were engaged m
shooting craps" The only thing notice.
able about the table was little raiL
made, of pine strip, about two and
half inches high. which was placeA
around the edge to keep ting
dice from rolling to the, foot
wnen an excitable player would SEND
them spinning from one en- of Tug
table to the other. The place was
lighted by oil lamps, and big stove itli
one corner, together with the animal
heat in the room made the atmosphere
oppressive. The company present in.
Guided all kinds of cOlOred sports.
Many of them were walters from the
hotels and restaurants. Some were
gentlemen, who when asked as to their
means of LIVELIHOOD replied, PPM play1
ing cards just now" There was plenty
of excitement around that board.
Everybody was playing. and playing to
win. As the dice were sent spinning
out of the hands of the shooter he ex-
citedly snapped his finger and called
uDOll -SOL1ic pdtIOil SdlltL VI SOOu VI OoA
luck to come-tO his assistance.
''Come a seben or eleben. 10 JOY"
exclaimed the shooter as he sent the
dice far down towards the other end of
the table. The faces of the dice
showed a 8 and 8. lights my point
come on eight. Get there, nanny. -"
"Seben's a-cOmmon, know it. Come
a seben!" Ally dar!' interrupted the
player next to the shooter. Sure enough,
the face of the dice counted seven. a
four and three being face up. The
''bones," as the dice are called, were
passed to the next man, who rnbbt
them briSkly between his hands, blew
his breath on them and sent them roll
ing across the table. exclaiming:
down in Georgia! Seben's a-cOmingn'
Instead of seven two aces were
thrown, and some one called "crapS."
and the man whose business it was to
see that enough money from the game
went to pay for the rent. coal and lights
quickly raked off coin and dropped it
through a slot into tin cash box in
front of him.
Gimme dem bones. Shoot for a dol
lab; shoot you for half" ''ShOOt you
for two dOllah," ventured SpOrtively
attired gentleman. as he shot the dice
across the table, to the accompaniment
of "Chicken for breakfast. Christmas
a-coming. Ralph, me boy" And so the
game went on. Money changed hands
rapidly, and some men who went into
the place with only IS cents, came out
with from $40 to $40. Others, who went
i'm with $50, didn't have 25 cents when
they quit. No matter how cool and inn
perturabble a man may he when playing
cards, once get him into game of
shooting craps. and he will make use of
all sorts of useless and nonsensical ex-
preSSlOnS, at which he himself wiki
laugh when he quits the game.
Two well-knOwn men about town
met one evening last week in down.
town saloon and, just for the fun of the
thing, Ommenced to shoot craps. At
first it was for quarter: then it gradu-
ally rose until the turn of the dice
meant the winning or losing of $50. 4
This was pretty stiff game, but both
men had nerve and they stuck to it
until one of them was over $500 richer
and the other one the corresponding
amount poorer. In many of the club
rooms the members pass away an hour
Or two day shooting. The amounts
won and lost however, are generally
small and the men who play limit the
stakes to nickel or dime. While
these players are men of education and
refinement they use just about the
same language ana go through the same
ridiculous motions when handling ''the
bones" as do their more humble BROTH
&f,r