It has been my experience with craps, and with gambling in general, and with fishing, that the stories you hear are often tales of great accomplishment occasioned by the skill and good fortune of the teller. Many of the trip reports on this board…and it seems like all of them by one person 🙂 (not all them, so don’t any of you get your panties wadded up!) appear to be about the big wins that finally came once the shooter got in the ‘zone’. Like I said, there’s one guy on the GTC site who seems to never, ever lose, even with poor strategy and bad betting practices!
Especially for beginners at this frustrating thing called ‘dice control’, the expectation of consistently winning is great and, I think, largely unfounded. We all know that CFs win money from time to time on bets where the house has a huge edge. So, why should we think that a mere 6.5, 7, 8 or even a 10 SRR should always compel luck to favor us? Last time I checked, how to influence lady luck has not been part of any class taught by GTC or any of the other coaching operations.
With the foregoing preamble in mind, I would like to humbly offer the trip report that follows:
Full of piss and vinegar, the Diceman and I hooked up in Shreveport to teach the Louisiana casinos a lesson. As some of you know, I have had several very good trips to Vegas in a row and, I suppose had begun to get the feeling that I ‘owned’ any table I went to. Of course, confidence is a necessary element to winning while influencing the dice, so it is not a bad thing. However, craps, like golf has a way of bringing you back to earth…in a manner akin to failing to make 8 seconds in the PBR!
Diceman and I warmed up on the first evening and gave a good account of ourselves though we pretty much broke even before heading to the delicious and healthful buffet at the casino in question, whose namesake is the footwear of a horse. Feeling pretty good about the way the table and our dice were behaving, we ate, got a good nights sleep and took on two of the casinos the next day. The other casino is named after a cartoon character whose first name is Yosemite. Diceman’s dice looked good and so did mine. We were backspinning well and often killing the dice in a 6 – 8 inch space at the end of the table….and sevening out with alarming regularity. The long and the short of it is that good looking dice produced no long rolls….and, I mean NO LONG ROLLS. To make matters worse, it seemed that the slightest misthrow brought out the bitch…although Diceman at one point did make a point 9 after hitting the pyramids on the fly! : ) At the time, however, he was shooting in the face of a CF who was screaming like a banshee anytime the slightest win came for him! What an A-Hole. Anyway, I think the best I did the whole trip was a 15 on the first night. Diceman didn’t have any long rolls either, at least not while we were teaming. On the morning of my departure, I decided to try one more time. I follow a discipline rule that says try three times and if nothing happens, leave. Departure was no different than arrival. The dice gods struck me out on three quick appearances at the plate (this is a metaphor, by the way).
After the casino host took the payback on my markers and urged me to return soon, I slinked out of Louisiana with my tail between my legs. This contest went into the ‘L’ column.
All of you who control the dice and have some experience know this story. So, I’m offering this trip report for the new folks so you won’t get discouraged. I’ve got a trip coming up in March, to Vegas (if the schedule permits). In the meantime, I’m going to practice and work on some things and come back strong.
There is one thing we all have to know and never forget. No matter how good your throw is, LUCK determines a lot of what happens in a given point cycle with the dice. Luck can change, but nothing says it has to, including your fabulous throw. If you know you have an advantage, be proud of it, but know that your advantage does not always control outcome. Dice control is a sport, and the results we obtain in particular contests ALWAYS need the good bounces in order to happen. How many times have we seen the hitters on a baseball team get to the opposing Cy Young pitcher and chase him out of the game? A tiny mis-hit by Tiger Woods turns out alright after the ball clips a tree limb. Somehow he converts a birdie on what should have been a bogey. That’s good luck. Lady Luck could have clipped the branch and sent the ball into the weeds but instead bounced it into the fairway. Go figure. A three point shooter in basketball goes crazy and dials in on Tuesday but can’t even find the rim in Saturday night’s big game. IMO, the mystery of luck is right up there with the Holy Trinity in terms of figuring out how it works.
Luck is part of this game—a big part of it—and my advice is to work on your game all the time, but don’t beat yourself up when the results are not what you want. Work harder. Become better. Have fun. Win money. When luck favors a CF, he gets a 20. When luck favors a dice setter, he/she gets a 40. Buena suerte!
Peace.
Alamo
Replies:
Posted by: Finisher on January 25, 2014, 4:52 pm
I for one do not or not yet posted much about trips . Good or bad . I was just telling G1z. that maybe one of these days both my wife and I will win it seems that one may win but not both at the same time .
I hope some day luck will be on our side .Until then will kept practicing .
I play way to long to remember my rolls or other things that go on at the table just love this game .
There is a long roll going on some were just not with me yet .Maybe the next casino trip you never know .
Good Rolling. 😀 😀
Posted by: The Breeze on January 25, 2014, 5:20 pm
Posted by: DoughBoy on January 25, 2014, 7:38 pm
Posted by: The Griz on January 25, 2014, 11:05 pm
Alamo, we’ve rolled on the down side and upside, so I feel for ya pard!
Finisher, think G1Z was a typo for Griz, cuz ur right…
Only once have Lady Griz and I been both on the HOT side,
And that was when we were both random rollers!
Probably why if I roll with anyone else, they be GTC!
Great lesson for all, especially the newer members.
Listen up, because its all about the long-haul in this game.
Just had a brain flash when I first met Bman and started this crazy
GTC journey… 2009… Damn… Colts lost the Super Bowl and
I discovered dice control!
STILL on that road to discovery! Like its been said, it IS the journey
NOT the destination!
I have witnessed various GTC instructors that had the same issues at the table, but came back another day to roll like perfection.
There is no Golden Goose here, merely ways to help weave magic when the Toss, Training and Luck join hand in hand!
Great post Tex! Lets rock 2014!
The Griz
Posted by: brothelman on January 26, 2014, 2:18 am
I believe that playing partners need to be compatible right down to the types of food they like, because a great meal can sure make a losing session easily forgotten, betting and playing the same makes it easy to discuss strategy for the trip ie if you come bet and your partner sets for the seven on the come out he may not be the one for you to play with , because nothing hurts more than having your come bets come down on a come out seven only to have those numbers be the ones tossed right out of the gate especially thinking about the fact that he set for the seven.
Table conditions liked need to be the same by both, do not need to worry about hearing well we played on conditions you like I need to play some where else so my shoot looks good.
No matter what happens you will never win all the time that is a fact but knowing your partner and being able to tell when he is on can sure help a lot.
Great post Alamo
Posted by: OneMoonCircles on January 26, 2014, 7:35 am
As you all know you can be tossing great and go to hell or tossing lousy and all of a sudden it turns terrific. Variance. All of us here strive for that perfection or we wouldn’t be here in the first place. There are unfortunate (bad luck) things like CFers dropping money into our throw or tossing chips at the wrong place or time or just having a hand in line with your toss. How about a stickman that is so bored he isn’t paying attention and waving the stick and you hit it with your hand or the dice. A snarl may work but if you don’t have a bet down for the dealers putting one for them may change that.
Colorado casinos are cramped due to the law here and virtually all craps tables have high traffic behind the players. People run into you, other non table game people and casino personnel. These can be considered bad luck. So shit happens. It is difficult to try getting in a zone and being cognizant of others passing by at the same time. This is unfortunate but if you know how to overcome this please let me know how.
Lastly, we don’t win all the time but who wants to hear about all the unsuccessful trips? If this is a reminder to the new people then fine but I still like to hear of your wins. Just practice isn’t enough but "perfect" practice will go a long way to meeting your goals.
Good rolling everyone!
OneMoonCircles
Posted by: AlamoTx on January 26, 2014, 4:37 pm
Sorry to those of you who don’t want to hear about unsuccessful trips. You can continue to cruise along in la la land claiming to win every time you play and listening only to the good news, but life is an up and down affair, and so is dice control. Anyway, I’ll post when I feel it might be helpful. The title of the post can tell you right away whether to read it or not. Frankly, I don’t think that analyzing a loss is negative. If a good football team gets blown out on Sunday, the coach isn’t going to say "I know you guys don’t want to hear about the loss we just had, so we’ll only talk about the good games we have. OK, let’s all go practice". Like I said, some of you seem to win all the time and, if I should be winning all the time, I really need to work harder and smarter. I certainly admire your skill.
Alamo
Posted by: T-Burg on January 26, 2014, 9:16 pm
May the dice be with you
T-Burg
Posted by: DavidM on January 26, 2014, 10:20 pm
2013 was a very good year for me, in "our" game. Every trip WAS a great trip. Did not WIN every trip, but I did not blow my 401g away when I lost. When I was winning, I have learned how to increase that flow. Discipline has been my luck in all of the competitive sports (this is a sport) during my life. I am 70. Dad just turned 94.
Agree with Bman. Must be a fit, to be at table with someone. When Bman and I played, he cut me no slack, but guarantee he will do to work with. I play alone, and usually when the "wannabes" show and start talking…I’m gone.
Last trip a dealer made the comment to me.."darn David, I think you set the record this time for point – 7 out, yuk..yuk..yuk." Walked a great deal that trip, but it was a great trip, and I did finish the book I was reading.
Shoot with passion…
DavidM
Posted by: brothelman on January 26, 2014, 11:02 pm
The five horseman all liked gourmet food and nice shows
dice pilot and his crew all go the same way
section eight and raf are glued at the ;hip for the trip and practice
Doc is lost without out rose at the tables
When the contractor and I play our win to loss ratio on trips is huge as a matter of fact ad frenchie into the mix and the three of us are batting 1000% oh Waite we only played once lmao.
Now is it luck that we all have met only god knows that answer but I no for fact that I have asked the dice to get lucky at least 68 times so give me all the luck in the world.
To be great is great but to be great and lucky there is nothing better!
Posted by: OneMoonCircles on January 27, 2014, 7:43 am
No one has said they win all the time. Well maybe a couple of the jerks here have but we all know they are full of it. I don’t win all the time either but when I lose I don’t say much because I don’t have anything to offer to help others by sharing the information about the loss. When you had a 10 going and then 7’nd out it may have looked like a great toss but something was wrong and not just bad luck. If you have to have something to blame other than yourself then say it was bad luck. Everyone of us has had a roll (actually many rolls) that looked perfect but came out as a 7, and those will continue to plague us, aggravate us, but they will happen anyway and due to a flaw in that particular toss.
OMC
Posted by: Goddess on January 27, 2014, 10:35 am
One must also be able to zone in, and not let peripheral noise have an adverse effect. When Sandtrap had his 90 roll, 4 of us were on an almost empty table in the evening, and there were absolutely no distractions, with dealers who never delayed the game. The conditions were perfect for someone whose technique was particularly good during that session.
Goddess
Posted by: TheLion on January 27, 2014, 7:37 pm
With my plan, strategy, selecting a "great/playable" table, and the amount of practice I do, I try to put myself in a position where the good days out-number the bad.
I played high-school baseball and then 10+ years of slow-pitch softball — I had my share of 0 for 5 collars……and quite a few 5 for 5 days. Among those days there were times that I hit the "crap" (pardon the pun) out the ball and it was caught for an out….. and there were times that I may have gotten a "cheap" infield hit or bloop single.
At the end of the season, my goal was to be successful ….that’s how I try to be at craps
Posted by: AlamoTx on January 27, 2014, 10:40 pm
There is a great book called the "Celestine Prophecy" that some of you may have read. I tend to agree with its author that there are no coinicidences, but I also think it’s a lot more complicated than that. Craps, like golf, at the skilled level, is a game to be played not mastered.
Peace to all of you and Keep On Rollin’.
Alamo
Posted by: TheLion on January 28, 2014, 3:01 am
Don’t be too hard on yourself. Trust in your shot and ALWAYS believe in yourself.
Sometimes it’s just not your day….if it’s not working, color up….go have a drink/eat….watch sports; come back few hours later and try again
Posted by: Finisher on January 28, 2014, 6:16 am
I have changed my old ways some since being with GTC . I now save a lot by not betting on ALL players . I need to limit my play more this I know but hard to do . I play after break fest till it is time for dinner with just bath room breaks . We only eat 2 meals when in casinos .I think I will try taking a nap next trip .
I am a low roller so can last for awhile if the dice are rolling a little my way at all .
Most of my sessions are losses . I think that some could have been winners if only I would have stopped sooner .This is a journey for sure .
Good Rolling. 😀 😀
Posted by: TheUsualSuspect on January 28, 2014, 3:03 pm
Posted by: Dr Crapology on January 28, 2014, 5:36 pm
Hope to see many of you in AC.
Posted by: Eagle Eye on January 28, 2014, 10:16 pm
Clem Caserta a.k.a. Jimmy whispers is creating a new domain in Tottenville High School and hopefully all schools to slow down bullying.
Posted by: Finisher on January 29, 2014, 4:54 am
Lindblum Tech.
Good Rolling. 😀 😀
Posted by: Eagle Eye on January 29, 2014, 5:51 am
Posted by: DoughBoy on January 29, 2014, 8:14 pm
Posted by: AlamoTx on January 29, 2014, 9:07 pm
So there’s no confusion, I am proud of my game. I just wanted to share some of the not so good stuff ( I had a pretty good trip to Vegas before, and that one got shared ). I’m just into reality, and I think new people need to know not to get discouraged. We all have setbacks in our game.
But, if you do win all the time, I’m happy for you. I’ve been playing this game since 1982 and influencing the dice since whenever it was I took my first course in Tunica. It is definitely a game to be played, not mastered.
Peace bro.
Alamo
Posted by: Eagle Eye on January 30, 2014, 12:12 am
Posted by: Eagle Eye on January 30, 2014, 12:17 am
Posted by: TommyC on January 30, 2014, 3:14 am
Our dice were looking good after several hours of practice this weekend, Especially his dice, they have been glued together for about a month , he practices nearly every day, I was real pumped about us going. He started out on fire with a 10 and several repeat numbers. The rest of the afternoon was not good, We could not get anything going. Can’t wait until the GTC instructors/mentors help him further his development in April. Hope to meet up with you soon Alamo. Great post, and so true.
TommyC
Posted by: NickatNight on January 30, 2014, 4:22 pm
Lets say in a trip you play 10 to 15 sessions. Meaning that a session is a time at the table and you leave till the next challange. And, lets say of those 10 sessions you win 6 sessions. Notice i do not dwell on "I lost 4 sessions"
We all know we have loosing sessions. I want to hear about the success, the short rolls that made some bucks or the long rolls that did not make lotsa bucks because maybe that betting stratagy was in place. Not listing the loosers does not deny we loose at times, but the winners—-now that’s what we want to hear. The winners because we folowed the GTC way in dice control or in its understanding of betting.
Read Marylins post. You can’t get a truer representation of time at the table.
She lists the good, the bad, and the ugly…Thats why Im scared sometimes when we are together. She might list my horsecrap rolls. 😀
Anyway, I do agree with the original posts that we read more about the great rolls but im ok with that. Keep those rolls going, and "good fortune to all of you at the Casino’s"
See some of you in AC or Vegas,Safe travels to you all
Posted by: TommyC on January 30, 2014, 5:31 pm
Posted by: DoughBoy on January 30, 2014, 6:43 pm
Posted by: The Griz on January 31, 2014, 1:54 am
Posted by: GameDay on January 31, 2014, 2:37 am
That being said, Nick at Night is also correct that it is more interesting to read of wins. I take it that he means wins using proper technique and betting strategies. And I just love it that he worries about the Goddess’s totally honest and to the point reports. I feel the same way, since I too have been known to stray from walking the line every so often. LOL
Posted by: Finisher on January 31, 2014, 7:09 am
Good Rolling. 😀 😀
Posted by: AlamoTx on January 31, 2014, 7:29 pm
Might I suggest a homework assignment on the role luck plays in competitive games? As you watch the Super Bowl, watch for the appearance and disappearance of Lady Luck during the game. The team with the best game and the best skills might win, but they might not either. Both of these teams will be highly trained and will execute their throws, blocks, patterns and whatever else at the highest athletic level. When the game is over, I’d love to hear any comments you might have about Lady Luck. Somebody might slip for example, instead of hitting a stack of chips, to make a comparison. Something like slippery turf could end up causing a game winning interception.
The point of my post is that bad luck can, almost by itself, cause a bad trip. You don’t have to blame yourself or doubt your game. You might need to work, which we will all need to do from now on. There is no ‘winning’ plateau you reach here. None of us are such great shooters that we can overcome the Dice Gods when they are not favoring us. I saw it this morning in practice. I was come betting and the point was 8. I decided to make a come bet rather than placing the 6 to begin working a 6 – 8 game. The very next roll of the dice was a 4. Then the 6 hit. Had the 6 been placed, 1/2 of my risk would have been returned by that first hit. I sevened out about a dozen throws later without repeating the 6 or the 8. Are you really going to tell me that my skill was not good enough? I repeated the 9 three times during that period, but it wasn’t the second number. 4 was the second number, and it never showed.
Peace my brothers and sisters. Let’s do our Super Bowl homework and revisit this topic. I know I’m going to.
Alamo
Posted by: DoughBoy on January 31, 2014, 10:12 pm
Posted by: SevenTimesSeven on February 1, 2014, 5:05 pm
Some posts are also entertaining.
So bring them all on,
winning and losing posts,
or entertaining ones.
Posted by: Mr Finesse on February 2, 2014, 4:29 pm
We do need that luck. 😀
Posted by: Finisher on February 3, 2014, 3:42 am
Good Rolling . 😀 😀
Posted by: MarkM3 on February 3, 2014, 5:24 pm
Posted by: TheLion on February 3, 2014, 6:15 pm
And craps is like that for me — my sports background has given me the unique ability to tune things out, focus, concentrate, and TRUST in my ability to make it happen. Back in November in Atlantic City, I was having real a bad day (4 straight point 7-outs) and almost shut it down for the day, just totally annoyed and disgusted with myself….but, I re-channeled my energy and focus, and the next shot, I ended up hitting a 62-roll (4-point fire bet) …. basically, I just keep shooting until things get straightened out. When I played basketball, I shot lots and lots of jump-shots (i’m only 5"10") and my motto was if I’m not shooting well, just keep shooting and I’ll get hot — I’ll shoot my way out of it (Ray Allen has that mentality).
I believe that you have to be confident, trust your shot, trust your practice, and just keep pushing onwards.
Posted by: TheLion on February 3, 2014, 7:48 pm
Maybe Drew Brees in the Superdome (at home) ….or Aaron Rodgers in the Packers Championship year back when they beat the Steelers
Posted by: GameDay on February 4, 2014, 5:44 pm
😉
Posted by: AlamoTx on February 4, 2014, 10:57 pm
Also, I think that first botched snap was the equivalent of a good craps shooter hitting a stack of chips and sevening out right after putting up the 6 and 8 for $150 each. I just don’t think Denver was ever able to get the monkey off their back after that. Who knows what the game would have been like had Manning been able to complete a quick pass or bust a running play out of the gate…rather than have his center hike the ball into the end zone!
So, maybe we need another analogy for the luck thing. This game just didn’t have luck as a factor. Denver was unlucky in the sense of being in the wrong place at the right time…like a guy who gets mugged in the subway.
Well, back to working on my throw. BTW, I’ve been experimenting with some different sets ( I’ve always ‘trained’ with the HW set). Oddly, the V3 is running away with the SRR contest! Now, I’m really confused.
Peace. And…whatever you do, ‘keep on rollin’.
Alamo
Posted by: Finisher on February 5, 2014, 2:01 am
They have to play threw it period .We have other things that we can do.
Good Rolling. 😀 😀
Posted by: TheLion on February 5, 2014, 3:23 am
99% of time I use HW set
I don’t attribute too much luck to a score of 46-8 — Seattle is AWESOME …. they were able to pressure Peyton with only the front 4….& cut-off all the underneath routes and snuffed out Denver’s short passing game basically KNOWING that Peyton’s arm strength, especially in cold weather is not too good. How many 20-yard completions did Peyton have???
Also, Denver’s WRs had the look of NOT wanting to be there because Seattle just kept hitting them when they did catch a pass.
And, when Seattle got that 15-0 lead, Denver gave up on the running game and that played perfectly into Seattle’s game plan
Seattle was a HORRIBLE match-up for Denver
After typing all this, I feel like I’m on a football blog
Posted by: Finisher on February 5, 2014, 4:23 am
How many throws were more then 20 yds. I don’t think there were many . It looked like he thought that the receivers could make a first down after each catch when they were not near it . The defense would not let that happen . They needed to catch the ball passed the first down .
I like craps better but I like watching a good game of foot ball . Was disappointed with this one .
Good Rolling. 😀 😀
Posted by: Finisher on February 5, 2014, 4:23 am
How many throws were more then 20 yds. I don’t think there were many . It looked like he thought that the receivers could make a first down after each catch when they were not near it . The defense would not let that happen . They needed to catch the ball passed the first down .
I like craps better but I like watching a good game of foot ball . Was disappointed with this one .
Good Rolling. 😀 😀