Dice controllers sometimes confuse two very important measuring devices in analyzing their abilities, their seven to rolls ratio and their on-axis shooting percentages. These are not in and of themselves the same thing. They don’t necessarily reflect each other and often have nothing to do with each other.

If you use the Hardways set (2:2, 3:3, 4:4, 5:5) you are not looking to actually hit hardways. There is the confusion over this in the minds of many dice controllers. In fact, you are looking to avoid the seven when using the Hardway set.

Because the Hardway set protects you better than any other set against the appearance of the seven it can be used by shooters who do not have the necessary level of on-axis performance needed to switch to more demanding sets such as the 3-V, the 2-V and others.

An SRR of 1:6 is considered random shooting but if you take the SmartCraps tests and discover that you have excellent on-axis ability, you can have an SRR of 1:6 (give or take) and still be a winner at the game of craps. In short, a high SRR does not automatically translate into a high level of on-axis performance. High on-axis performance does not necessarily translate into a strong SRR.

Too many students of the game have confused these two elements, thinking they are the same or nearly the same indicators of performance. They aren’t. Indeed my book Cutting Edge Craps: Advanced Strategies for Serious Players! clearly shows that individuals with high on-axis performance on the SmartCraps tests are often hurt by using the Hardway set.

The great Jerry “Stickman” spent months testing and analyzing on-axis performance and dice sets and came up with the startling fact that the Hardway set is great for non-on-axis shooters but could hurt, sometimes seriously hurt, on-axis shooters.

Naturally, SmartCraps will tell you exactly where you stand when it comes to on-axis performance. Too many players who think they are on-axis shooters con themselves into thinking they should be changing sets because of what they have seen in recent throws when in fact they are merely reducing the appearance of the seven and these other numbers are merely coming up (here is heresy!) in a random way even though the appearance of the seven has been reduced. Obviously, what I am writing does not apply to every shooter – too much goes into a good throw to delineate all the little wrinkles in the face of dice control. But you get the idea. As Macbeth said, “Nothing is but what is not.”

On-axis shooters are often “short rollers” as the 3-V and other sets are not as friendly when it comes to avoiding the seven. However, hitting certain select numbers more than makes up for a weak SRR. Such shooters are not distributing their numbers in some random (or slightly organized pattern) but have heavy hits on the numbers they are looking to get.

So next time you see an elite shooter going down in flames fairly quickly don’t be so ready to think he or she has just had a crummy roll. There’s a lot of money to be made if you are an on-axis shooter and you don’t really need long rolls to make that money.

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