What do you think of my throw?

Hi Frank:

I've had a great deal of success playing craps since I timidly took it up a couple of years ago. My confidence has grown, I have read books, and I have practiced frequently. To my great joy, I have been pretty successful. However, there is always room to improve. I have a question about a throw I use that I have not seen anyone else use nor have I read about anyone using. Both the throw and the position at the table contradict any precision shooting advice I have read - but it just feels right and comfortable. I gather you have seen it all and can give me some insight into this shot or help me to better understand what I'm doing right so I can perfect it.

As background, I play at the Detroit casinos and drag my husband along - who enjoys the game as well but not to the same extent that I do. I'm fairly athletic, have read books on precision shooting and understand the math to successful betting. So that you won't think I'm overstating my abilities, I've had great successes to the point that I am recognized - not just because I am a lady shooter - but because I have beaten the averages over and over - rolling up to an hour at a time on good days (I shoot dice twice/week tops).

There are days I don't do well, but those are typically when the casino is crowded and I am overly eager to get in on the action, placing bets on those I know I shouldn't. One player begged me to shoot at his table when he recognized me from another time and just last week an MGM pit boss approached me to say he loves to watch me shoot - that I am the best lady crap shooter he has seen and he hopes to see me break the house some day.

That said, my dream is an open craps table with no other players - not something that happens too often in Detroit at any hour of the day or week! Now, I have had success with various throws - I won the Greek Town fire bet - went back a week later and won it again. Surely this defies significant odds. This bet requires you to make each of the 6 individual points on the table before you seven out and you receive 1000 times your bet...bet max is $5. When I won this little side bet - I used a throw that won't surprise you. I was standing immediately stick left and using the standard three-fingered grip.

I don't know if the tables are shorter, but this throw is only sometimes successful for me at MGM. I feel like many of the tables there are super bouncy - could be my imagination. So, I have been using something different which feels so much better and is a total no-no (throwing from table ends). With this throw, I am successfully able to roll for long periods of time primarily hitting the 4s and 10s - repeatedly.

If 4 or 10 is not already the point, I buy them, pressing my buys as I continue to win. My technique here is one I have never seen anyone use, but feels very comfortable/natural to me - I aim to hit the back wall on opposite side of table without hitting the table first.

My grip is like the two-finger ice tong but when I throw the dice, they are both parallel to the table, yet one is in front of the other... and then I throw it at an angle similar to that of a dart. My middle finger is front and thumb in back. This throw probably looks pretty random given the force I need to launch it with and the relatively straight trajectory with no back spin.

With all that, precision shooters would certainly cough at the fact that I take the time to set the dice to a 2V - which despite my throw seems to help yield the 4 and 10 pretty frequently. I always feel a bit uncomfortable...sensing the silent criticism of other precision shooters who probably wonder why I am taking time to set the dice if I am going to throw it in such an "uncontrolled" way. Except, it is controlled - my arm feels the same each time. If I can tune out the distractions and focus on the feel of the dice in my grip, the launch from hands, the stretch in my arm.... it all seems to work out ok.

Am I crazy or lucky or is there some science to this?

Thanks!

Detroit Lady Craps Shooter

Dear D.L.C.S.:

Last first: Are you crazy or lucky? You seem to understand precision shooting well so crazy is out. Also, your letter is very well written so crazy is out again. Now, are you just lucky? I don't know. Here are some questions to ask yourself to determine if you are just lucky:

1. In your practice at home with this shot, what is your SRR over, say, 10,000 rolls?

2. Have you tested your throw with SmartCraps, a software program that measures axis control?

3. Are the 4s and 10s being bought where the house takes its vig only on wins? Or does the house take its vig on all buys of those numbers?

4. If you have played a lot, and I mean a lot, at the casinos, are you ahead enough to make you think that you unquestionably have an edge over the game?

Now, your bad nights are caused by betting on all the random rollers at your table, usually betting the same on all of them that you bet on yourself. Use the 5-Count on others as it will reduce your risk by 57 percent, otherwise you face the following:

Say your edge is a healthy 5 percent and for every placement of the 6 or 8 you only face a 1.5 percent house edge. So for every $100 that you bet, you win $3.50 (subtract 1.5 percent from 5 percent and your edge is 3.5 percent).

Now you are up $3.50 and you start betting on all the other shooters - let us say there are 10 others at the table. You lose $1.5 per player on average. That's a big $15. So minus your win, $3.50 from $15, and you are left with a loss of $11.50. So even with a controlled shot you are a loser in such situations.

The 5-Count will reduce your betting on random rolls by 57 percent, which means you will lose a total of $6.45 - still a loss but much less than before. Now, to assure a long-term win, you must bet much less on those random rollers - at least half as much but preferably one-fourth or more. Now, you beat the house.

Now to your throw:

It is unique all right. Hitting the back wall on a fly is highly unusual; in fact, I have never seen that done constantly by the same shooter in all my 20 years of playing. I am surprised they let you do it. I do wonder how you manage to hit the wall softly enough from across the length of the table on a fly to prevent that back wall's pyramids to randomize your throw. I would think the rebound would be immense.

However, if you are winning over an extended period of time to rule out luck and if your SRR is really showing an edge, well like the Arm, the greatest dice controller of all time, whose unique throw has never been duplicated, you have a truly unique throw yourself and a unique talent. If you ever take a Golden Touch dice control course, I'd love to see that throw in action.

For your truly excellent letter I am giving you a free 10-day subscription to my private web site at www.goldentouchcraps.com. We have over 5,000 members and the discussions are interesting, exciting and fun. I think you will enjoy the site and I encourage you to post and take part on our various message boards.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete