Stop bothering the shooter

Craps is a curious game as casino games go. With the exception of baccarat, though not mini-baccarat, the players of table games are merely passive witnesses who bet on a proposition and then wait for the decision to be announced. Think of the roulette ball spinning and spinning and then descending on a pocket. No player interaction there. The ball lands, settle in a pocket, the winner is announced and that's that.

In card games such as blackjack, pai gow poker and some others, players actually have strategy decisions to make but those decisions have nothing to do with how the dealer deals those cards. A good player at these games is just playing the best percentages. But that's about it. Passive and that's that.

Not so with craps, a game that is anything but passive. Indeed, craps is a dynamic game and that for one reason only - the players get to shoot the dice. The results coming up at the game are directly related to a player actually taking the dice into his own hands and trying to beat the house.

Yes, for almost all craps shooters, the game is random. The actual throw is no more than a human RNG (random number generator) similar to the computer program in a slot machine. Even so, there is a totally different feel to a craps game than there is to a slot machine. Players know the game is random but still . . . still, it doesn't feel random.

When a shooter sevens out, he is disappointed. Some other players, the obnoxious ones, will complain about a shooter or shooters at a table, believing that in some way those shooters are "no good." The randomness of the throw does not come into mental play for such players. The shooter, not the probabilities of game, is to blame for all results.

Because of such dynamism many traditions have grown up around the game of craps. Here are some:

• When the dice go off the table, ask for the same dice. If you don't, you increase the likelihood that the seven will be coming up.
• Never say the word "seven" at the table as you increase the likelihood of that seven coming up.
• Keep your hands from dangling over the layout because if the dice hit your hands that will increase the likelihood of the seven coming up.
• If the stickman passes you the dice with them showing a seven it is more likely that the seven will be coming up quite soon.
• Do not buy in when a shooter has the dice and do not throw hundreds of dollars on the layout even if the dice are in the middle of the table. Just put the cash down that you want to bet immediately. Drop $60 and say, "Give me the six and eight for 30 dollars each." That keeps the game moving and does not make the shooter have to cool his heels.

• While the shooter has the dice in his hands, do not talk to him as that will cause him to lose concentration and bring the seven up.
• Do not slap the shooter on the back before he is about to throw as that can distract him and bring that seven up.
• Don't engage the shooter in conversation, even if he doesn't have the dice in his hand as that will distract him and bring the seven up.
• Do not allow a cocktail server to interrupt the shooter. Run interference for the shooter so he doesn't become distracted, this will bring out the seven.
• Do not scream what number you want because that can distract the shooter and cause the seven to show.
• Make sure you know exactly what bets you have on the layout so you don't slow down the game with arguments. Such arguments will distract the shooter and cause that seven to show.

Now for controlled shooters whose focus and concentration might not be the best, such distractions can actually hurt his throw. Put chips where he wants to land the dice and he becomes flustered. I remember one decent shooter who just couldn't handle landing the dice a fraction of an inch to either side of chips in his landing zone. This was nonsense since such a landing would have very little effect on his performance - but because his mind and concentration were weak, chips in his landing zone destroyed his throw.

But for the elite controlled throwers, especially those from Golden Touch, it doesn't matter if a tornado rips through the casino as nothing can distract them. Like major league hitters with wild fans screaming in the stands, the elite controlled shooter just mechanically goes about his business of setting, aiming and lofting those dice into the air. Say the word "seven" and it doesn't matter.

Certainly such a controlled shooter's shot will be hurt if the dice hit someone whose hands are dangling over the layout, but such an event happens infrequently enough that it is not something to get concerned about. Remember even if a controlled shooter's shot becomes random because of such an event, the seven's probability of showing is about 17%. There's a good chance that luck will out and the controlled shooter will not seven out.

Craps is fun because you do get to roll dem bones. Just know the traditions and follow them. All the craps players at the table will thank you.