Cates v. State

The basic question presented by this appeal is whether an individual who has lost money in a “crap game” and who, by the use of a weapon, takes the money from the person to whom it has been “lost”, can be successfully prosecuted for robbery with a dangerous and deadly weapon.

Robert Craven Cates, appellant, much to his later chagrin, invited an Air Force sergeant to' participate in a game of “craps”. The sergeant testified “I gamble well. ... It is not a matter of how good you shoot dice. It is how you place your bets. ...” The sergeant was apparently a man of his word because he placed his…