But one of the worst things is definitely the name. Who decided it would be a good idea to call it “Craps”? Well, probably someone with a similar story to the people you’re about to meet below. For these people, it’s Craps by name and Craps by nature, because these are some of the biggest losers in the history of Craps.
#4 Craps Loser: The Phantom Gambler
Meet William Lee Bergstrom, AKA “The Suitcase Man” or “The Phantom Gambler”. We met him in our other article, “Craps: 5 Biggest Winners”, because he’s one of the luckiest Craps players too!
One day, he walked into the Horseshoe Casino, Las Vegas (now Binion’s Gambling Hall and Hotel) with a suitcase full of money: $770,000 to be exact. He sat down at the Craps tables and placed it all on a single bet, double or nothing.
Luckily, he brought his spare suitcase with him, because he walked out with two suitcases full of money! He did this thee more times over the coming months, walking away with ~$600K, ~$200K, and ~$100K respectively.
Sounds lucky, doesn’t he? So how has he ended up in this article? Simple, his aim the entire time was to be able to place a $1m on a single Craps bet, which he did, and subsequently lost– what a crazy cat! All that money, gone on a single bet.
#3 Craps Loser: The Problem Gambler
If you thought losing $1m on the Craps tables was bad, then wait until you hear about Bruce Tassone. He lost $3,000,000! Ok, so it wasn’t on a single bet, but who cares? That’s a massive amount of money to lose.
It’s the type of loss you can expect from a gambling addiction (which he had), and so is embezzlement (which he did). Yep, he’s sitting in jail right now, after embezzling $800K to fund his habit.
And after all that? He’s trying to sue the Connecticut casino where he lost the money! He claims it’s their fault, because he told them about his gambling problem, to whit they started spamming him with junk mail trying to lure him back with promises of coupons and discounts and the possibility of huge jackpots.
They threw the case out of court…
…BUT, it does highlight something for the gambling addict to be wary of: keep your address secret! Some of the more unscrupulous casinos WILL try and lure you back by playing on your addiction.
#2 Craps Loser: The Criminal Numpty Gambler
Next up, meet Derek Bethea – one of the cheekiest gamblers you’ll ever encounter. This guy placed bets on the Craps tables AFTER they’d come in. How he sneaked them past the croupier, we have no idea, but he did. Although, the sneaky streak didn’t last long…as far as we know.
One night, at the Borgata Casino, Atlantic City, Derek placed a ~$1000 bet on a winning number, which the casino honoured. The following night, he placed a ~$500 bet on a winner, and again, the casino honoured the bet. Finally, the subsequent night, he placed a ~$250 bet in the same manner as before. BUSTED!
Tip for would-be scammers: maybe you shouldn’t try doing this three nights in a row at the same casino. Yep, even if you think you’re being clever by lowering the bet each time in an attempt to make it less conspicuous, you aren’t. It isn’t clever and the casinos are watching out for it.
Not only that, but if you’ve been caught doing the same thing before, then don’t do it again. And if you’ve been caught twice before? Then what the heck is wrong with you, Derek?
He’s already spent two different jail sentences for the same crime! Now he’s in the slammer once again. For goodness sake, Derek, learn the lesson!
#1 Craps Loser: The Spectre behind the Screen
You! Yes You! If you think you’re going to get lucky at the Craps table, you might want to think again. First, as with any casino game, the usual rule applies: “the house always wins”. Craps has…um…crap odds; it’s one of the worst games around for that.
Another problem is the fast pace of the game. The excitement is unbelievable. It’s a lot of fun and that causes problems. People are often so wrapped up in the game, that they forget to get tactical, which is what you need to be if you want to win.
Finally, you probably don’t have the capital needed to win a decent amount. The odds are stacked against you, and you’ll usually need to blow through big wads of cash before you get your “big win”. That’s why people have to walk into the casino with suitcases full of $770K, embezzle criminal levels of money, or just cheat.
Our advice?
If you want to play Craps, do it for the fun of the game and not the big bucks.