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BGonline.org Forums
Why I LIKE the Meyer Dice Tube
Posted By: Colin Owen
Date: Tuesday, 7 December 2010, at 6:46 p.m.
Recently, I bought the latest version of the Meyer Dice Tube. In truth, I was hoping that, with the extra couple of rods, and the fact the rods were now made of rubber, the dice would take a good deal longer to get to the bottom. But there is only a slight delay compared to the original one. I accept there is a question mark about the possibility of altering the dice roll as the dice come to settle at the bottom - if you don't put it down and let go of it quick enough. Even with the new version there's not a huge amount of time after flipping it, to put it down and let go. But does anyone really think it would be harder to influence the outcome rolling from a cup?!
Are there any organisations that specify what a bona fide dice shake is? For example, is it acceptable that a player merely skids the dice around on the bottom of the cup? Many players do.
How many organisations specify a minimum number of such shakes? (I believe it's only the WBF)
How far above the board should the dice be released? One specifies that the cup must not be touching the board, but is a few millimetres above the board ok?
What is the acceptable minimum depth of the lip of a cup? etc etc
The truth is that the rules are so woolly that the potential for a player to try to cheat with his roll is pretty great. Add to that, many seemingly honest players take offence to the idea that they created doubt with their actions - even when they're blatantly illegal, like not shaking their dice at all. And many organisers/directors clearly sympathise with such players, for example, finding the idea of using baffle boxes 'invidious' or 'against the ethos'. If your opponent doesn't shake his dice at all, or looks in the cup, and then rolls a perfecta, what do you do? If you want a quiet life, we all know the answer to that question. This is exactly the atmosphere that cheats want; and they've got it!
Players who read Bob Koca's entries on this forum will know that he is not keen on baffle boxes (unlike myself). But take a look at the picture of him rolling on 'The Backgammon Learning Centre' site (under 'Interviews'). Anyone who drops the dice from that height doesn't need a baffle box! Yes, I know he might have dropped them from lower, and then followed through, but let's assume he didn't. In fact, if he actually dropped them from only half that height, then it would still be virtually impossible to control them. I learned this from the book 'Gambling Scams' by Darwin Ortiz. The author emphasises that, in order to protect oneself from dice manipulation you should insist that the dice freefall from six or seven inches above the board, and that no dice mechanic can control dice from a lipped cup under those circumstances.
Because of Ortiz's book, I have no problem believing the results Brett Meyer obtained with an EMPTY tube: the dice are freefalling 8 inches through it. Add in about a dozen carefully spaced rods...
The question is this: What would a skilled cheat prefer? To use a cup, or the Meyer Dice Tube? I have little doubt it's the former. And baffle boxes - even without cups - would come a very distant third.
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