Craps

50-50 practice

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Hi, all. I’ve been practicing (almost) daily with my grip and toss. Initially, I was going about 75-25 but then I saw a post by Mr. Finesse about how in the beginning it should really be 50-50 grip/toss so I have switched to that. Generally, I start my practice sessions by tossing for about 15 minutes to see what my dice look like, i.e. splitting, right trails left, etc . . and then using the last 15 minutes to correct my grip and only practice that. A question I have though, is how do I know if my grip "practice" is correct. I go with the philosophy of GIGO (garbage in, garbage out). If I am practicing my grip, and it is wrong, I am worried that it will translate to the toss. I think I have a good feel for when I have a light grip on the dice or when my thumb is too low on the dice but not sure how to make sure I am not practicing the grip wrong. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Jim T.


Replies:

Posted by: Set44 on November 15, 2013, 8:57 pm

Jim T,
Try practicing your grip by using a hardway 8 set up. Have the 4’s on top and the 5’5 facing you having the Aces to the left. You can then see your thumb centered around the pips on the five side and just how deep your thumb is on the dice. Then you can also see how your fingers on a three finger grip are over hanging on the opposite side of the 5’s and weather your fingers are lined up in a straight line, and also how deep your fingers are on the dice. Also, have an old pair of dice with you at all times. Have a set in your car. Anytime you can practice setting your grip when ever you can during the day. You will have dozens of practice pick ups and setting before you hit your practice table for your throw practice. Good Luck Today, it is a good day for dice. Set44 😀 😀 😀

Posted by: Jim T on November 15, 2013, 9:28 pm

Thanks, Set. This is actually the set I have been practicing with since the class due to something Mr. Finesse said about the pips on the fives as well. In terms of my thumb placement, I try to shoot for my thumb being able to cover the top pip of the five on each die but not so far down that I am touching the center pip. Also, what you said about my fingers over hanging on the opposite side of the 5’s. How would I check that exactly? I found that my first few tosses one die was lagging the other so I brought my fingers in a bit to the point where if I feel one or the other finger feeling the edge of the dice, I know I have the grip too far out. Is there something different I should be doing other than that?

Posted by: Goddess on November 16, 2013, 8:43 am

Hi Jim T. Do you have a gripper? (If not, you should definitely get one from Dom. It is extremely helpful.) Try working with it only to sense how your fingers should feel when they are aligned properly in the gripper. Put your fingers in the gripper, then take them out and look at the three fingers so you see what they should look like. (Use a mirror.) Notice if the pips are even, and the fingers are not grabbing the corners of the dice. Once you know how your fingers should feel and look, then return to practicing the entire grip.

I always work on individual components of both the grip and toss where I am having difficulty until they feel and look right. Then I put it all together. I also recommend this to my students.

Goddess

Posted by: Eagle Eye on November 16, 2013, 4:35 pm

I use the gripper half of the time during practice and the other half of the time I free-style the grip. A mirror helps me out with the delivery. You will see your inconsistencies with the delivery in a mirror or video. I work on one thing at a time and try to master it. One day I practiced the whole day just on getting the dice to land flat. Well, the next day, muscle memory stepped up my game. Being in a good state of mind helps. Sometimes I won’t touch the dice because I know my mind isn’t in it.

Posted by: Jim T on November 17, 2013, 4:18 am

"Goddess" wrote: Hi Jim T. Do you have a gripper? (If not, you should definitely get one from Dom. It is extremely helpful.) Try working with it only to sense how your fingers should feel when they are aligned properly in the gripper. Put your fingers in the gripper, then take them out and look at the three fingers so you see what they should look like. (Use a mirror.) Notice if the pips are even, and the fingers are not grabbing the corners of the dice. Once you know how your fingers should feel and look, then return to practicing the entire grip.

I always work on individual components of both the grip and toss where I am having difficulty until they feel and look right. Then I put it all together. I also recommend this to my students.

Goddess

Hi, Goddess. I do have a gripper, one of the first things I bought once I learned about GTC. I will definitely do what you suggest for both the grip and for individual parts of the toss. Thanks!!!!

Posted by: Finisher on November 17, 2013, 8:26 am

Jim T I will grip the dice then use the gripper to see if it is correct . If not then I will practice more with it . It does not take much to make a difference .
Good Rolling. 😀