First time creating a thread here, and with this is being written on a phone, I apologize in advance for potential spelling errors and the length of this post, but here goes a recap of my first craps weekend, post-class! Writing everything down helps me retain these lessons learned, too.

I left Vegas after a very successful weekend. Not because I won a lot of money, but I picked up some incredible lessons I thought others might want to be aware of. This weekend has definitely made me a stronger player going forward.

First, some context: I’m flew out from the SF Bay Area for my cousin’s 40th birthday celebration. He, my other cousin, and his friends made the trek from SoCal. I took this weekend as an opportunity to hang with them while getting in my first set of craps sessions since I took Dom’s class in August. For better or worse, I couldn’t join them in some of their activities due to my recent hernia surgery. Bad because I couldn’t enjoy spending time with my cousins (they went ATV-ing). But good in that I booked those times for myself at the table.

I sold my old practice craps table over the summer, so I’ve been without a rig for some time now. After the class, I’ve been working on my mechanics by throwing dice onto my couch from a chair that measured 90" from the chair to back of the couch. Not concerned about the results but rather, I’ve been cognizant about my grip, my release point, the tightness of the spin, the angle of the release, how close the dice are when in the air, amount of spin, etc. Calibrating my arm to 90" of play, I figured, would be crucial since, as a right hander, I only stand stick left. Prior to my surgery three weeks ago, I had been practicing 4-5 times a week at roughly 45 min at a time (I’d only practiced twice since the surgery, so I felt very rusty).

Over 6 sessions at the table, I broke even. Which was great. While practicing at home is FANTASTIC for working on nuances of my mechanics, it couldn’t simulate actual game play: the noise, constant chatter from players/dealers, but most importantly, the anxiety. Anxiety because this would be the first time I’d be playing since the dice class. I lost money on three of my first four sessions before recouping everything back on my last two.

So, here go my personal lessons learned, comments, observations, etc…

1. Like a game day jersey/gear, I realized I needed my own "craps clothing". Comfortable shoes and loose fitting clothing. Imperative to ensure my arm motion wasn’t impeded by tight sleeves or whatnot. That meant, at the end of the day, my "craps jersey" smelled like smoke, but at that point, I could care less. Comfort was way more important to me.

2. To be an advantage player, you need to prepare like an athlete: the physical aspect of the game comes from practicing the grip and throw over and over again. The mental toughness comes from real game experience.

3. Re: mental toughness, why actual game play? Again, that’s the only way to learn how to deal with the noise, chatter, the stop-and-go of game play, and all the distractions that go along with casino play.

4. I think the 5 count receives a lot of scorn, but it does two things: generates good table/player discipline, and it protects your bankroll. My cousin continually lost money on players who would PSO (point-seven out), while I held onto my money. This kept me at the table longer to either find a hot shooter or BE the hot shooter.

5. Anxiety sucks, hence, real table experience is vital. When I lost money on those 3 out of my first 4 sessions, I couldn’t really blame other players for my losses. It was me. Once I was the shooter, my hand started shaking so much, when I shot the dice, they were spraying ALL over the place. If someone was 5-counting me, they would’ve been smart! Over $40 would be on the table, and BAM! I’d either PSO or 7-out before the 5-count. It was actually pretty depressing, at first. Once I started shooting with more regularity, I started calming down.

6. On a table full of players, there is NO rhythm to the game, which made it annoying. As a shooter, I want the dice passed back to me as quickly as possible, but that wasn’t the case as dealers were paying people out, taking on new players, or helping inexperienced patrons. It’s better to play on a table where it’s roughly half full if you’re the shooter.

7. As a corollary to the above comment, it’s better to shoot at an empty table! Frank Scobelete wrote that playing early in the morning is the best way to practice because there are no other players. The dice will get passed back to you quickly allowing you to get into a nice rhythm. Heck, that may also be the best way to win money, too!

8. Bankroll is also key. At the seminar, Dom encouraged us as players to save money for playing, pack it away, so there’d be a lot less bankroll anxiety when playing. I brought sufficient funds and made sure that I only wagered and won/lost what I had either budgeted or was comfortable with.

9. As a newbie dice controller, to limit crazy swings, I opted to back up my flat bets on the pass/come with lower odds. Mathematically, I’m taking a slight hit, but the weekend was all about practice and getting used to the flow of the game as a burgeoning advantage player. It helped me stay in the game longer which, in turn, gave me more opportunities to either find that hot shooter or BE the hot shooter.

10. From the seminar, I learned to do the 5-count or count my throws using the chips on the chip rack. It’s simple and super-convenient.

11. My first hot roll was a 16 roll session where I went from a $60-$70 deficit and turned it into a $42 profit.

12. My last two sessions were VERY profitable. I was down well over $300 for the weekend, when the dice were passed back to me for what I had planned on as the last shooting session for the evening. I nailed 4 points and a handful of come bets which brought me back to nearly even. The dice were coming off my fingers nicely, and with only two other players at the table at 12:30 am, payouts were kept to a minimum which allowed me to get into a zone. There’s nothing like establishing a point, hitting a point, hitting a Yo on the come-out, establishing a point, hitting your come bet, and then hitting your point immediately. I played again in the morning with no one there, and I got into another zone. Though I sevened out 3x, the dice were passed back to me quickly which allowed me to make a small profit, thus helping me break even. My only regret was that I didn’t wager more on the odds, but was again, a conscious choice. The sessions were more about practice, getting experience as a dice controller, and figuring out HOW to throw in a casino after 3 months of consistent practice.

13. The upside of shooting at a table with multiple players is that you may be able to blend into the crowd even as a hot shooter. A lot less so if you’re at an empty table or a table with only one or two players. Dom is right: DO NOT draw attention to yourself. Again, easier to do at a table if it’s 1/2 full, but…

14. …as a hot shooter playing alone, the pit boss, dealers, and stick man/lady have their eyes zeroed in only on you! After hitting multiple points on that aforementioned empty table, the stick lady started talking to me. I wasn’t prepared for it, and I noticed it started to mess with my concentration which, in turn, elevated my anxiety. The end results were poor, wobbly throws and dice missing my landing spot on multiple occasions. Which also meant that I started rolling 7s. Which meant that I started 7-ing out a lot quicker. I dub these seemingly innocent conversations as "soft back-offs". The stick lady wasn’t strong-arming me like I would expect (or have read about), but her insistence in trying talk to me WHILE I was THROWING definitely rattled me. Blecht. I thought I could mitigate these conversations by betting for the dealers, but I guess that wasn’t the case. Better mental toughness next time!

15. Speaking of betting for the dealers, Dom is right. They prefer players putting down separate bets for them. After coloring out, I asked them if they preferred players straight tipping them or tipping by betting, they unanimously acknowledged the latter. "More fun to play with you," they told me. Except when I was shooting well, apparently! But pass/come bets with some odds are the most appreciated. Hardaways are also nice, they told me, but I don’t do prop bets where the house edge is more than I can mathematically stomach.

16. Finally, I STRONGLY advise anyone who wants to become an advantage player to keep copious notes and basic stats. For the last 6 years, I’ve recorded all of my craps sessions immediately after playing in Google Keep to track stats, my strategies, conditions, etc. Once extensive enough, I’ll start dumping the numbers into a spreadsheet for analysis to trend how well I’m doing over time. Dom’s suggestion of the Easy Bankroll app for our phones is also a great way to quickly record and track profits and losses over time. It’s a simple way to track progress to note if there’s legitimate improvement.

For those in this forum who haven’t attended one of the seminars, I strongly recommend that you do so. Dom told me over the phone that it’s an investment, and I can’t help but agree with him. My friends, family, and colleagues laugh at me, but I tell them that craps is a simple game of math and Newtonian physics. If a player can control the physics by eliminating certain variables (and essentially making them constants!), he/she is now the advantage player. Which should equal larger payouts and more satisfaction at the end of the day!

I have 3 potential trips out to the casinos in the next 4+ months: two trips to SLT and maybe one more to LV in mid-spring. My "practice rig" of throwing dice onto the couch is quickly becoming obsolete, so I’ve been saving money for a REAL craps table, in hopes of ordering one in the next 30-45 days. Unfortunately, my "man cave" can only fit a 10 foot table otherwise I’d purchase a 12 footer. I’m eager to play again, and with some focused practice, I hope my bankroll will really start to swell! Hey, who knows? Maybe this’ll be my new alternate source of income!

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