Illegal
West Side Club, Chicago, IL
Loaded Dice
White 3/4", White, Birdseye Spots, Rough Finish
Circa 1905 to ?
Very Scarce when Loaded
The West Side Club was a harness race track in Chicago beginning in 1905. I can't find any documentation as to when it might have closed. It would make sense that these dice would be from a gambling room at that track, as all of the West Side Club dice have come from the Chicago area. I'd be interested to hear from anyone who has additional information about the West Side Club.
These are either Winner or Loser percentage Dice. They won't always come up the same, but both dice have been verified as loaded by spinning on a die vice.
These could have been made by, or for, a customer to palm into and out of the game to gain a percentage, or, more likely, were used by the house to increase it's percentage. Without a die vice they are difficult to verify they are loaded, and it's unlikely that the house, if a bust-out joint, would permit the customer to examine them to this extent.
Some clubs weren't satisfied with the average 1.4% advantage of craps, and wanted to take the marks money much more quickly. Even a single percentage point of advantage over honest dice would reduce the amount of time necessary to fleece the patron.
Or, they could have been used by a dice mechanic shooter. The mechanic would have to be extremely good at getting the cheater dice into and out of play without detection. Being a cheater, and getting caught in an already illegal game, could result in serious bodily injury, or more likely, termination.