by Frederick Mann
(Excerpt from WealthBooster Magazine -- Issue #7 -- January 26, 2001)
I like to play craps. It seems that I've found a way to win fairly consistently. A number of factors, when combined, give me a winning edge.
I play on the "don't" side, usually on a table where I'm the only player. I go to the casino with an amount that totals 5 bets. If I play with $25 chips, I risk $125. If I win or lose 5 bets, I stop. If it seems to take too long (more than 30-60 minutes) to get ahead by 5 bets, I try to stop when ahead by at least one bet.
On my come-out roll, I win immediately if I throw 2 or 3. If I throw 7 or 11, I lose immediately. 12 is a wash or push. If I throw any of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, then that number becomes the point. If I throw a 7 before whatever number is the point, I win. If I throw the point number before the 7, I lose.
If the point is 4 or 10, with randomly thrown dice, I'm a 2 to 1 favorite to win. (There are twice as many ways of throwing a 7 as there are of throwing a 4.) If the point is 5 or 9, with randomly thrown dice, I'm a 3 to 2 favorite to win. If the point is 6 or 8, with randomly thrown dice, I'm a 6 to 5 favorite to win. Obviously, 4 and 10 are the best points to make.
After winning or losing a bet, I start again with a come-out bet on the "don't." On the come-out roll I set the dice to maximize the odds of throwing a 2, 3, 4, or 10. I grip the dice in a way that makes it possible to throw an ideal pitch. The ideal pitch is such that the dice follow similar trajectories and rotations, land short of the back wall, just hit the back wall, and come to rest with minimum roll. I use a simulated craps practice table at home to improve my pitching.
If my point is 4 or 10, I set the dice to minimize the odds of throwing a 4 or 10, while maximizing the odds of throwing a 7. Similarly, for points of 5/9 and 6/8, respectively.
The set, grip, and pitch are sufficient to overcome the edge the casino has with randomly thrown dice. These factors give me a winning edge. I win 5 bets considerably more often than losing 5 bets.
Money management is also important. Say my craps bankroll is $5,000. I would go to the casino with $500 and play with $100 (black) chips. (If I were to experience a really bad losing streak, and my bankroll were to drop to $2,500, then I would scale down my bet to $50. Another option would be to size my bet at 2% of my bankroll. If my bankroll drops to $4,500, I reduce my bet to $90. I could similarly increase my bet as my bankroll increases.)
How the dice bounce off the table surface is important. The less bounce the better. Some crap tables almost seem "spring loaded" and you get extreme bounce which nullifies your ability to control the dice. On some old tables you get uneven, unpredictable bounces. All such tables need to be avoided.
I always tip the dealers when I win. If I stop ahead even one bet for a session, I tip the dealers up to half of that bet. In some casinos, the personnel get paranoid if both dice don't hit the back wall. In some you can get away with a fair portion of your pitches stopping just short of the back wall. The way I pitch, sometimes one or both dice drop with no bounce at all, short of the back wall. When both dice fall short I usually apologize and make a lame excuse: "Sorry; I feel a little weak today"; "Sorry; I can't help it if the dice sometimes just stop dead"; etc.
Control is a key factor. Without the degree of control I exert over the dice, I would not be able to win in the long run. The more I can increase my degree of control over the dice, the greater my winning edge.
Keeping statistics is very important. For each session, I record the date, the casino, the most bets down during the session, the most bets up, the end result, and the duration of the session. I can use these statistics to improve some of my parameters, e.g., increase or decrease bet size in relation to bankroll.
Discipline is extremely important. I have established what I need to do to win. I stick to my methods, rules, and guidelines.
The combination of the above-mentioned factors give me a winning edge. My purpose here isn't to teach anyone how to win at craps. (Don't ask me for more details. All such requests will be ignored.) The point is that winning requires a combination of factors that include learning, knowledge, and skills. Similarly, winning the game of making money on the Internet requires a combination of factors. They are covered pretty well here. I recommend that you check them out. No matter how successful you are, you can always increase your winning edge!
If you're not making money (or you're losing more than you're making), you haven't yet developed your winning edge. You may lack important knowledge and/or skills.
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