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The Captain of Craps

19 January 2025

My gambling mentor was the late, great Captain of craps who was a weekly Atlantic City player and a man who taught me everything I know about casino playing. He and his crew of 22 high-limit players owned Atlantic City in the early 1970s through the early 2,000s.

My, my were they comped!

Mostly they played craps although the wives and girlfriends tended to play the slot machines. Yes, the play was different between men and women in those days – the early part of those days anyway. A few of the women attempted craps play. They played wildly, just like the men did.

The crew were wild players. They made every darn bad bet on the table it seems. They were all mostly World War II veterans and they brought that WWII attitude to the tables with them.

The crew tipped like crazy. The crew tipped the casino crew and they tipped players who had good rolls. Being at the table with them was an adventure.

That free-wheeling style of play was not for the Captain, the Arm or eventually Jimmy P.

Those three were the first dice controllers of the modern era. No one could roll the dice the way the Arm could; no one.

And she wasn’t a gambler either. The Captain would politely ask her to play when things were looking down and she would (usually) come into the game and rescue everyone who had made the worst possible bets that cost them plenty of money.

The Captain would put a black chip down on the pass line and off she would go. That was it for her betting. She just rolled. Strings of the same numbers over and over. The crowd eventually cheering. Then cheering wildly.

Did she always have a big roll? No, of course not, but she had them often enough that when she came to the table, the crowd often split in two to let her through.

How did the Captain bet? His early way of betting was the supersystem, betting opposite ends; then later in his career one or two pass and come bets with full odds. Finally, one single bet of the pass or come with full odds.

He became even more conservative as his career took hold.

He died scratching 90. His crew were mostly dead by the time the dark angel took him.

Two Games of Craps

The Captain looked at craps as two separate games. The first game – which was for every player who could not control the dice – was based on common sense principles. Make the lowest house edge bets. And not too many of those either. Keep the casino hit against you low.

He developed a method called the 5-Count to be used to select the shooters on which to wager. That would eliminate about 50 percent of the random shooters. It’s a simple formula really: fewer bets, fewer losses.

As the years passed, he became a more and more conservative player. He believed in saving money as much as making money. For normal players who could not control the dice his advice was strong. Could you win over time?

Sadly, no. No betting system can beat an unfair game. The casinos know that and the players should know that too.

All the best in and out of the casinos.

Frank Scoblete’s books are available from Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, libraries, and bookstores.
Frank Scoblete

Frank Scoblete is the #1 best selling gaming author in America. His newest books are Slots Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines; Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Pai Gow Poker!; Beat Blackjack Now: The Easiest Way to Get the Edge; Casino Craps: Shoot to Win!; Cutting Edge Craps: Advanced Strategies for Serious Players; Casino Conquest: Beat the Casinos at Their Own Games! and The Virgin Kiss.

Frank and Casino City Times columnist Jerry "Stickman" teach private lessons in dice control. Frank's books are available at Amazon.com, in bookstores or by mail order. Call 1-800-944-0406 or write to Frank Scoblete Enterprises, PO Box 446, Malverne, NY 11565. Frank can also be reached by email at fscobe@optonline.net.

Frank Scoblete Websites:

www.goldentouchcraps.com
www.goldentouchblackjack.com

Books by Frank Scoblete:

Golden Touch Dice Control Revolution!

> More Books By Frank Scoblete

Frank Scoblete
Frank Scoblete is the #1 best selling gaming author in America. His newest books are Slots Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines; Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold'em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Pai Gow Poker!; Beat Blackjack Now: The Easiest Way to Get the Edge; Casino Craps: Shoot to Win!; Cutting Edge Craps: Advanced Strategies for Serious Players; Casino Conquest: Beat the Casinos at Their Own Games! and The Virgin Kiss.

Frank and Casino City Times columnist Jerry "Stickman" teach private lessons in dice control. Frank's books are available at Amazon.com, in bookstores or by mail order. Call 1-800-944-0406 or write to Frank Scoblete Enterprises, PO Box 446, Malverne, NY 11565. Frank can also be reached by email at fscobe@optonline.net.

Frank Scoblete Websites:

www.goldentouchcraps.com
www.goldentouchblackjack.com

Books by Frank Scoblete:

> More Books By Frank Scoblete