Is it possible to get an edge over the casino - an actual measurable
statistical advantage? That's what this report is all about. Let's start with
craps and dice control (Ref: Casino Gambling, Chapters 10 & 11). Using Dice
Control and/or betting on another shooter with Dice Control skills, the
advantage is achievable and measurable.
Get out a pair of dice and hold them in your hands. Do that now and then come
back here and continue reading (if you don't have a pair, I suggest picking
one up from the drugstore or casino next time you go). Put the two fives on
top with the 1s pointing to the left. Now look on the inside faces - open up
the two fives. What do you see? A six on the left die and a one on the right
die - the seven.
Now look at the two outside faces - the left face and the right face. You see
the other 1 and the other six - another seven. In setting the dice in this
way, we are putting two of the sevens out of the way - one on the inside and
one on the outside. I know, I know, they may not stay there as the dice fly
through the air, but as you learn to control the dice and keep them more or
less together through their orbit, the chances of these two sevens coming up
are minimized. Not eliminated, minimized.
In Chapter 11 of Casino Gambling we developed the calculations for deriving
the player advantage. And we showed that just one controlled throw out of
every 43 rolls of the dice would eliminate the house edge and yield a
break-even game. So, it's not that difficult to attain an advantage. The set
I showed you above we call the hard way set because the pairs show on all
four sides: 5,5; 4,4; 3,3; and 2,2. This is a good set to use when you get
some experience in executing the controlled throw, but not when you are first
starting out as a rhythm roller. Use the Quick Set shown on page 130.
Here is what to remember about the Quick Set: the dealer will never push the
dice back to you with a seven on top - this is considered extremely impolite
and is just never done. But the dice may come back to you with a seven on the
side. Notice this when the stick man pushes the dice back to you prior to
your throw. If you see the seven on the side, simply rotate either die a
quarter turn to take off the seven. That's all. Try it now with your two die
- set a one and six on the side with a 3 and 2 on top. Rotate the right die a
quarter turn to take off the seven. What do you see? You should see a 3, 1 on
top and a 1, 2 facing you - the seven is gone and the chances of throwing a
losing seven thereby minimized.
To summarize, the first lesson in advantage craps is setting the dice. Or at
least understanding how the set affects the outcome. Do you need to set the
dice to gain an advantage? No you don't. But setting will achieve the highest
advantage possible.
Finding and exploiting other rhythm rollers
Spekul8r@earthlink.net wrote about his experience of using the data in Casino
Gambling to find another rhythm roller. He turned a 20-unit buy-in into 340
units in 36 minutes. How did he do it? By using the techniques described in
Casino Gambling and scouting for other rhythm rollers.
Here are the questions to ask yourself as you observe other shooters at the
craps table: Question 1: Does the shooter set the dice? Question 2: Does
the shooter shake the dice in his hand before throwing? Question 3: Does
the shooter throw the dice the same way each time; i.e., is his form the
same, or nearly the same, on each throw? Notice the rhythm of the throw.
For Question 1, you would like to see the set, but this isn't mandatory. For
Question 2, if the shooter shakes the dice, his throw will probably be
random; watch his form carefully and you will know. For Question 3, if the
shooter throws the dice with no apparent form, it is obviously a random
throw.
You want to see the same release, and you want to see some elevation on the
launch (not too much, visualize about 45 degrees and you will have it).
After the launch as the dice come down out of orbit, you want to see the dice
landing approximately the same distance before the back wall each time. If
the dice are skipping down the table or if the shooter is "feeding the
chickens" as we call it, you are looking at a random throw (visualize a
farmer's wife with a box of feed in her left hand and her right hand reaching
in and scattering feed in a repetitive movement - that's "feed the chickens"
- a random throw). Make it a habit of studying the other shooters and you
will find one which delivers an advantage.
One more point, even if you get the right answers to these three questions,
you may not get an advantage hand; i.e. a hand of greater than six rolls.
One reason is that the shooter may not be setting and inadvertently picked up
the dice with a seven on the side yielding a higher chance of throwing the
seven.
Another reason may be a random outcome of a controlled throw. The dice will
bounce after landing. The key words here are **altering the natural outcome
of the dice.** This will not happen on every roll, not even for a skilled
rhythm roller like me or my teammates. But you will find shooters like Mike
did that will hold the dice for 36 minutes and deliver some fantastic profits
on a long hand.
To end this lesson, let me ask you a question. Would you rather put your
money, or increase your bet on a shooter who throws at random, or one with at
least a modicum of control? Every crap shooter wants the long hand. This is
what it's all about. You have a better chance of realizing this goal with a
controlled thrower. So evaluate the other shooters. Increase your bet if
you see control; decrease your bet if you see random. In your next casino
session, make it a point of studying the other shooters. Bet with those that
show some control. Lay off or make a table minimum bet only on those that
"feed the chickens."
Jerry Patterson is the author of two best selling books: Blackjack - A Winner's Handbook and Casino Gambling.
If you like the information in this report, you should purchase a copy of Casino Gambling. There are six
chapters in this best selling book on craps, five of which are on dice control. They are:
- Chapter 09: Basic Craps
- Chapter 10: State-of-the-art Advantage Craps Systems
- Chapter 11: Calculating the Player Advantage for Dice Control Craps
- Chapter 12: The Rhythm Roll (Dice Control) for Casino Craps
- Chapter 13: Betting Tactics for Advantage Craps
- Chapter 14: How to Maintain and Improve your Craps Advantage
These chapters give you all the data you need to practice and create your
advantage at the craps table. If you become serious about the game and want
classroom, dealer school practice and in-casino instruction to complement
what you've learned in the book, you can check out the PARR Home Study Course.
[Article submitted June 2002]
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