Mike-ro-wave,

Alligator Rose and I practice both together and separately, depending if both are at home at the same time when we practice.

By ourselves, we have a spot marked as to where we should to stand for a 12 foot or 14 foot table so we always know where to stand. We stick the dice ourselves and if playing with chips working on our betting, we also make our own payoffs. A player must know what he will be paid as dealers can make mistakes in the middle of a good roll with a lot of bets on the table.

When we are together the one not rolling (the coach) is watching and makeing corrections/suggestions (which are often needed). The coach will also stick the dice.

When working on our betting we keep our buy in in the rack and some chips on the table right below us so that we don’t have to reach across the table to make a winning payoff.

I know what you are saying, you get in a zone and are doing good, and the first thing you know you are so busy working on sticking the dice and doing the dealer’s and stickman’s job that you lose your consentration and the dice get away from you. It is important to have some distractions in practice as your certainly have them in the casino–pretty cocktail waitress in the short dress, player arguing, player wanting to high five, you get the picture. As controled shooters we must learn to "re-focus" and get back in the game when a distraction occurs.

I sometimes will learn the TV on, it is over our craps table, so I can learn to ignore what is going on around me.

Just a few thoughts. Hope it helps.

Doc

This is just what I do.

Depends on what I am doing in practice but usually I have a few pair of dice that I will throw before I go to retrieve all at once. This is good when you are practicing to hit a landing zone on the table because as pairs of dice land you will need to shoot around those dice just like chips on a real table. Even when I am practicing with my glued together pair of dice I have multiple pairs to throw. When we shoot "casino sessions" then my husband and I act as stickman for each other to try to simulate real casino conditions. I think when I first started practicing dice control at home that I measured and put a strip of masking tape on our tile floor so I could start my throw at the same exact place every time.

They do call us rhythm rollers for a reason but just remember that in the casino the rhythm of getting the dice back won’t always be the same as payoffs may take longer for some numbers than others or a payout may be questioned by a patron, etc. You do eventually need to learn to reset your mind and "start" your rhythm each time only as you touch the dice. That is when the rhythm should begin for each throw and ends when you have completed the throw. In between throws you are just relaxed and in the zone until the dice are pushed to you again. 🙂

Thanks guys. I will mark my spot with tape and sometimes get my wife to help. I will work on giving my focus "more focus." 🙂

Mike-ro-wave

This may sound strange but I actually prefer the distractions of retrieving the dice and writing the result. Sometimes I will even walk into another room and back to simulate time and payout conditions for a crowded table.

Like Doc Crapology I have specific spots marked so I know where to stand. The distractions keep me focusing on each throw, each one stands on it’s own merit so to speak and I find that when I have longer rolls I am staying focused even with the moving and distractions.

In this mornings practice session I rolled a 6, 10, 10, 7, 10 minutes later an 8, 10, 10, 7, shook off the "what the $#^#*" and 15 minutes later rolled a 30 with only 4 crap numbers and the final 7.

I think the practice distractions actually make it easier for me to re-focus on each throw, find and stay in a throwing zone, sort of a mental muscle memory.

Of course there are a few rolls when I just can’t seem to get everything coordinated, a lot of sessions where I’m doing ok [right at the edge of being in the zone] and sessions or rolls where I’m in the zone as soon as I pick up the dice for the first throw.

This is what has worked for me and I hope it helps.

If you have a table, then marking spots for the various tables you might shoot at is a great way to easily get ready for a shooting session at a particular casino.

If you have a throwing and receiving station, keep a tape measure at the throwing station to check your distance for your intended table (12′ or 14′).

The interruptions, after or before a throw are always there. They just have to be dealt with to keep your concentration where it needs to be.

Sometimes, at your local casino, your spot might not be open. Take the time and just watch. Maybe work the 5 count in your head, watch the players, dealers, box man. Quite often many of the same players are there time and time again, and you can be ready for the obnoxious one, the shouter, etc.

I’ll spend several hours while my wife plays the slots doing this. Even if my spot comes open, if I have been watching for quite awhile, I now know don’t shoot because all of the watching has tired me out. (been there, done that, and won’t do it again)

Good luck in your journey that we are all going down together.