Boxcars is the outcome of rolling the
dice in a game of
craps and getting a 6 on each die. The pair of 6 pips
resembles a pair of box cars on a freight train. In modern
parlance, it refers to such a roll in any game involving 6
sided dice which are marked with pips. The probability of
this roll is 1 in 36, or about 2.8%. One of the 4 bets on
any common craps table. It is on the 'high side' of the horn
bet in which the player can either bet on the 2,3,11, or 12.
When the player throws in money and calls out "midnight" or
"Boxcars", the dealer will usually 'book' the bet as a bet
on the 12, so as to not create confusion.
Also called
Midnight.
Related terminology
In some
role-playing games, especially ones where a roll of 3
six-sided dice is a standard action-resolution mechanism, a
roll of three "six"s is often referred to as a freight
train. In roll-low systems (such as GURPS), where a roll of
18 represents a critical failure, or in In Nomine, where a roll of 6 6 6 represents infernal
influence on events, it is referred to as a "Freight Train
from Hell."