Over the last decade (longer?), mathematician Skinny has given us wonderfully accurate, mathematically calculated, House Advantage (HA) for every bet on the craps table. My favorite is when he mathematically proved and showed how a simple Hardways bet beats the very popular All-Tall-Small bet. Not that he was promoting it, Skinny called his alternative long shot bet, the “Big Enchilada”.

However, as often happens, human behavior undoes the beautifully constructed and mathematically sound House Advantage. Yes, human behavior, that means you and me, gives the House a much bigger advantage over the player than we are led to believe. More specifically, “bad” human behavior undoes the math. And, while the casino sets the conditions to maximize this “bad” human behavior (chips instead of cash, free drinks that dull the pain of the loss, and much more), the blame rests entirely on the player.

Please realize, the math we use is for “the long run”. Between you and the casino, only one of the two parties stays at the table for the long run, and it ain’t you – it’s the casino. At the craps table, normal human behavior is to STAY at the table when:

• You’re winning.
• You’re losing but you had a big win earlier – some time that day, anyway.
• You’re losing but, “By golly, this table is cold. I’ll go join that table with the cheering.” (BTW, leaving a table and moving to a different table – it’s the same as never leaving the first table.)
• You’re losing, but, “This next shooter had a pretty good roll last time.”

Normal human behavior is to only LEAVE the table when:

• You’re outta money!

See the point? Players have a lot of reasons to stay at the table, while there’s only one good reason to leave: “I’m outta money!”

As you can see, human behavior amplifies the House Advantage to a breathtaking degree! Even when we win, adrenaline then keeps us at the table to lose some, or all, of our win.

So, what is the real HA? Ok, first you take the bets all players placed on the All-Tall-Small for a month, subtract the All-Tall-Small payouts that month, and wa-la, you now have the actual HA. Wait a minute. I’m pretty sure the Boxman never recorded what each player bet, how much and when, on the All-Tall-Small, nor on my odds for each number.

How many times have you heard the Boxman report to the Floor Manager about the action at your table, “The 6 and 8 Place bets sure are making us money tonight!” Correct answer: Never! How can that be? It’s because the casino is making so much money, they don’t need to know which bets won, which bets lost or how much.

As scripture says, time and chance happens to us all (Ecclesiastes 9:11). But make a bet, time and chance are not your friends. Gambling is bad human behavior, and bad decisions amplify its effect on the House Advantage – against you.

This why I love how the Dominator begins each Golden Touch Seminar with, “You came in here as a Gambler. Our goal is that when you leave this seminar, and if you follow our instruction, your gambling days are over. You’ll be an Advantage Player – the casino’s worst nightmare! After all, it’s so much more fun being a winner.”

At the Golden Touch seminar, I learned the right mind, the right behavior and the skills necessary to be an Advantage Behavior. Math and human behavior are now on my side. Man, what a difference!

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