I am hijacking CIII’s idea and starting a new thread to cover another issue of dice control criticism. I took the following quote from the book CIII has been reporting on, a book that totally dismisses the validity of dice control. Aside from factual errors in the book’s thesis (some of which I covered in CIII’s thread) here is one that is used time and again and I quote:

"I can’t help wondering why these so-called experts waste their time giving seminars and writing books instead of playing craps. If their dice-setting skills can beat the house out of thousands of dollars each session, why aren’t they making millions each year by putting their skills to work?"

Here’s a typical criticism that this author makes. It is made over and over and has been said enough times that you’d think it was true. If you could really do what you said you could do why teach it to others?

Of course, making thousands every session is not in the dice for most players because they don’t have the money to bet big enough to make thousands every session. The key word is "every" because no one has claimed in GTC that any of us win every time. In fact, we state that we are 300 hitters — we throw winning rolls at a 30 percent rate (give or take) — but 300 hitters are the elite in baseball and they are the elite in dice control.

Also, as a kind of aside, dice setting is not the same as dice control. Anyone can set the dice. It’s what you do after you set the dice that counts. Anyone can set and throw. Dice setting is not controlled shooting. It is merely a factor in it as most of you know.

So why are we teaching when we can (and do) have successful controlled throws? I am going to answer the question with questions so you can see how ridiculous the original question was:

1. Why does Donald Trump teach classes in real estate at the Learning Annex in New York? If he could do real estate successfully wouldn’t he just do that and make millions?

2. Why do actors teach other actors how to act? If they could act wouldn’t they do it and make millions? Why do famous directors such as Steven Speilberg teach classes in directing? If he could direct wouldn’t he just do that and make millions?

3. Why do medical schools pay doctors to teach others to become doctors? If they could actually be doctors wouldn’t they just do that and make millions?

4. Why do successful pilots teach others how to fly? If these pilots could fly wouldn’t they make millions just doing that?

5. Why did Steven King write a book explaining to would-be writers the techniques he uses in writing books? If he could write books wouldn’t he make millions writing books?

5. Why do electricians teach other electricians how to be electricians?

6. Why do successful GTC dice controllers teach others to become dice controllers? If they could do that…well, you get the picture.

Teaching skills to others who want those skills is not unique to GTC, it’s what many skilled and successful people do. I didn’t learn dice control by divine intervention; I learned from the Captain. He did make millions — multiple millions — playing craps. Although he didn’t teach more than a few people — Jimmy P., Satch (one of our instructors) and me — he did teach; he did pass on his knowledge. Of course, the guy writing the book CIII is reporting on is also teaching people about craps — how to lose at craps.

Next criticism he levels has been used so much it also seems true when in fact it is false. Why do casinos allow the writers of books and articles (such as Dom and me) to play in their casinos? Wouldn’t they ban us? Since they haven’t banned us we are therefore full of crap about our skills at craps.

Okay, those of you who were with us in Tunica when we were run out of Mississippi know that the casinos don’t want us teaching in their state and have also banned both Dom and me from their casinos (you can read the full story of our banning in The Virgin Kiss). Those of you who frequent Bellagio know what happened there recently as well. Those at Treasure Island; Golden Nugget and on and on are examples of the casinos reacting with fear…so the criticism that the writers of books who claim to be able to beat craps are just liars and scammers does not hold water.

Make no mistake, the casinos know the truth about dice control, especially the casino dealers and boxmen and floor people who tell our players, "Dice control doesn’t work." If it didn’t work why say that to us? You never hear them say that to a guy winging the dice all over the layout, "Excuse me, sir, your way of playing doesn’t work." In over 20 years of play I have never heard any casino dealer, boxman or floor person say something like that to a random player.

Now, there is subtlety here. Since many casinos see many dice setters losing just as others lose, they can’t really tell if Play A is a controlled thrower or just a dice setter with a random shot. Even the best of the controlled shooters lose plenty of times. So unless you make the mistakes I have made of playing and winning too much at one place, you probably won’t have to fear about getting banned. Most card counters are never banned; but some are and there is no dispute that card counting works.

I think gman is right when he says he is glad that we have so many critics of dice control. We do indeed need the game of craps to continue to make money for the casinos.

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