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How
To Get THERE from HERE
Part IV Lets
jump right back into where we left off in Part Three
Stepping
Up to the Big-Leagues If
you are thinking of playing in the big show of the Major Leagues of Precision-Shooting,
then you have to be prepared to play at a skill-level, and at an intensity as high, if not
higher, than your major-league peers. You
can still retain your minor-league sensibilities, your down-home
friendliness, and your love of the game; but at the same time, you have to bring
youre best-skill, best-intensity, best-focus, and best discipline A-game
to the table, EACH and EVERY time you step up to it. Thats
what it takes to make the big and consistent money at this level of play. If that sounds like its too difficult; then
I wont try fooling you by saying that its not.
The brutal truth is that it IS difficult, and this lifestyle IS
NOT for everyone. Though
its a path less traveled, its one that I enjoy walking on nearly every single
day of the year. If you have any notions of
following the same path, I can candidly tell you that it is STILL the Toughest Way
To Make An Easy Living. When
Are You Ready? How
do you know if and when you are ready to move up to the next snack-bracket in terms of
throwing-skill and betting-level? Well,
I want to say that you should automatically know in your
heart as well as your mind, when you are ready to kick it up another notch. Unfortunately, some players OVER-rate their
current level of play, while others are too harsh, and tend to under-estimate their
skills and under-rate their abilities. I
used to fall into that second category, where I kept my bet-size down due to an
overabundance of caution in trying to avoid losses. In
actual fact, my shooting-abilities were outpacing my betting-endeavors
by a wide margin. In
my early years of Precision-Shooting, I gave up more profit opportunities than I actually
took advantage of, which meant I was making decent money, yet I knew for (literally) years
at a time, that I was missing out on more opportunities than I was actually collecting on. There were countless times when Id have 30,
40, 50 and even 60-roll hands, yet only garner a couple of hundred bucks in profit. I
used to drive the dealers and box-men absolutely CRAZY because theyd be on the other
side of the table, watching what they knew was a classic mega-hand; yet not only
couldnt they bet on it (since they were working), but the guy throwing the actual
hand (me) was not wagering in any amount that reflected the true potential of what was
happening. One
particular boxman (quite an accomplished gambler in his own right), would get so
frustrated that hed start screaming at the base-dealer on my end of the table, NOT
to pay me in full for a Place-bet that just came in, but rather, to use a portion of
my payoff to Press my bet. Hed
say, You have no business throwing the dice like that if you arent going to
do anything about making more money. Youre
not gambling, youre just throwing the dice and passing up all the profit. Im not going to let you do that anymore, MP
youre driving me insane. Either bet
properly or take your luck elsewhere cause I cant stand it anymore. One
night he became so flustered that he dug into his own pocket for some cash, and he said
(half jokingly), If you dont start pressing your bet, Im going to
have to use my own money to do it
youve hit the 6 at least twenty times and
youve worked it up to a whopping $60
now make a bet you can be proud of before
I kill myself. So
yeah, I guess you could say that I used to under-bet my abilities
but not any more,
or at least not by as much of a frustrating margin. These
days, I match my betting as closely as I can to my current, and I do mean RIGHT
NOW current, shooting abilities. By
doing so, Im able to wring as much profit as I can out of each hand; yet not have to
endure undue risk if this particular roll doesnt fall within the stellar or even the
mediocre shooting-skill category. Matching
your bets to your current Precision-Shooting ability is one more way that we get
from HERE to THERE; and in doing so, it insures that well get called
up to the major-leagues as far as maximized profit-potential is concerned. The
Table-Minimum vs. Shooting-Opportunity Trade-off I
received a lot of e-mail regarding what some consider to be the dangerous advice that I
dispensed in my Creating
More Shooting Opportunities - Part One and Part Two
articles. As I mentioned there, one of the
ways to increase the number of times per hour that you get to shoot the dice; is to move
up to a less-crowded higher-denomination table. With
less players and less-diverse (high-maintenance) bets, the dice tend to cycle around the
table quite a bit faster. I
opined that based on that factor and a couple of other compelling reasons, it makes a lot
of sense to move up to the next higher snack-bracket IF, and ONLY IF
your dice-shooting was showing DEMONSTRATED and SUSTAINABLE
profit at the lower-echelon tables. It
is dangerous to over-estimate your abilities, especially if you are under-funded. In fact, if you are under-funded, you have no
reason to be IN A CASINO in the first place, let alone betting it up at the
higher-denomination tables. All
of my advice is based on common-sense and well-founded decisions
not on trying to
unrealistically turn a match-stick into a lumberyard.
The
biggest dangers are encountered when players ignore the most basic tenets of sensible,
reasonable, rational and prudent behavior that Ive painstakingly laid out in my
articles; yet they expect to achieve the same level of success while ignoring most, if not
all of the essential fundamentals that got me here in the first place. Its
been often said that those who ignore history, are apt to repeat its mistakes. In craps, thats not just dangerous,
its downright perilous to do so. So
Ill repeat again
it makes a lot of sense to move up to the next higher
snack-bracket IF, and ONLY IF your dice-shooting is showing DEMONSTRATED
and SUSTAINABLE profit at the lower-echelon tables. If you cant make money at a $1 or $2 or $3,
or $5 table
and Im talking about sustainable, steady and consistent
profit
day-in, day-out, session after session
then you arent going to
miraculously turn it around by playing at the $25, $50 or $100 table. A
Personal Example
Let
me give you an example to illustrate how I set a personal benchmark to which I hold myself
to EVERYDAY before I permit a move up to the higher-denomination tables. The
first thing you should know about me is that, even now, I rarely start out playing right
away at a $25 table. If
it is my first session of the day, and there is an open spot at a $5, $10 or $15 table,
and the dice are approaching that open-position (and the open spot is one where I am at
least semi-comfortable in shooting from); then I will start there first. For
my first session of the day
the cheaper the table-minimum
the better. I
want to qualify MYSELF, and groove-in my shooting for as low a cost, and as low a
risk as possible. Oh dont worry,
Ill give myself lots of chances to move on up to higher betting-levels, but the
first hand of my first session is where I can set the tone for the rest of the day. I want to make it a victorious debut, but I also
dont want to start out with an unrealistically high betting-level; and have to face
an early defeat that will take me a lot of time or effort to dig myself out of. Low, Slow & Easy describes both my
first bets of the day as well as describing one of my throwing techniques. I
keep the risk low, and the presses slow, and set a
winning-standard that makes the rest of the day go EASY. By
the end of my first hand during my first-session, Ill pretty well know if I am ready
to move over to the more expensive (higher-minimum, and less-crowded table), or whether I
should stay at the cheaper one for some remedial toss-improvements and
confidence-building. While
most of you already know that I have a high opinion of my own shooting ability, and to my
mind it is a highly deserved, earned and righteous opinion; my shooting is NOT ALWAYS
outstanding. In fact, sometimes it downright sucks. However, my ego is mature enough to recognize that
if my shooting isnt that great during any given session, my manhood will remain
intact, and my self-worth is not in jeopardy. By
forcing the first hand of my first session of every single day, to re-prove itself
(to re-qualify my own shooting) BEFORE I do any serious betting, compels me to meet
that criteria on the lower-limit table BEFORE I move up to the high-rent layouts. If
my shooting isnt up to par; then it makes absolutely no sense to play at a
tougher-to-win higher bet-level UNTIL my shooting-skills are back to firing on all
cylinders. If
my shooting is ready, and my mind is properly focused on the task at hand; then Ill
know I am ready to tackle the quarter ($25 or higher) tables, or in the alternative to
raise my base-bet levels at my current (and hopefully uncrowded) cheaper table. If
I decide to switch, Ill simply tell the Table-Game Supervisor that Im moving. That simple courtesy does two things
well,
actually three.
Ø
It
tells the TGS where I am going to be, so that when he looks up and doesnt see me, he
doesnt conclude that I have left, and therefore inadvertently close out my Player
Rating Card. By letting him know that I am
moving or have already moved, it guarantees that he wont close it out.
Ø
Secondly,
hell physically move my Rating Card from the former table I was at, to the new
table, so Ill continue to be rated.
Ø
In
doing so, hell usually AUTOMATICALLY RAISE my average-bet rating simply
because he knows that Ill be wagering in commensurately higher increments, and
therefore the comps that accrue to my play, will accrue at a much faster rate. By
the way, if I move from the $25 table over to a cold and deserted $10 layout, I wont
be so quick to notify him of that move, since the longer I am on the higher-rated
bet-levels at the $25+ table, again, the faster the comps add up. Delving
Deeper Into My Own Shooting
Lets
say that I walk into a casino with four open tables.
Ø
The
lone $5 one is packed to the gills. I
couldnt get in there if I tried to buy a spot, and there appears to be a handful of
guys waiting for the same reason.
Ø
The
$10 table is pretty full with a couple of open spots that are in my Top 10
shooting-positions, but definitely none are in my Top 4, so I take a look at both the $15
and $25 table.
Ø
The
$15 table has about half-a-dozen players and the dice are at my favored end of the table,
and only two player-positions away from one of my preferred (and open) shooting spots. The $25 table is empty, save for the crew who look
about as excited as Ben Stein when hes taking attendance at Ferris Buellers
school. I
decide that the $25 table will be there, if and when I want it, and instead decide to head
immediately to the open spot at the $15 table.
Ø
I
hold my money (a $500 or $1000 buy-in) and my Player Card in plain sight, but only throw
it on the table after the current player either makes his PL-Point or 7-outs.
Ø
With
the dice now only one player away from me, Ill make a one-hit and off
Place-bet on the 6 and 8. For me, thats
a token bet to get some money in action on the table in case the box-man or the casino
itself has a policy that requires me to have a bet in action on the previous shooter if I
want to be able to throw the dice when they come to me.
Otherwise, Im not too anxious to put any money into play unless there
is a discernable trend or streak that Ive clued into.
Ø
When
the dice are passed to me, I quickly establish a PL-Point.
The first toss of the first hand of the first session of the day; is used to
get a proper measure of my grip, motion, trajectory, backspin, target, distance, and
rollout. I dont put too much emphasis
on my Game Within a Game come-out action for my first hand. Rather, I wait to see how my on-axis, primary-face
results are doing before I permit myself any bets of real significance. Remember this is
the first hand of my first session of the day, so I am proceeding on a fairly cautious
basis until I re-confirm (re-qualify) my shooting ability for today.
Ø
Normally
I use a Steep Regression, but on my first hand of that first session, Ill start out
conservatively, so Ill use 2x or 3x-Odds behind my PL-Point, and then only Place-bet
the 6 and 8 for $18 each. Again,
I want to groove-in my Precision-Shooting before I groove-in
my Precision-Betting. Im not
looking so much for immediate profit, as I am for immediate on-axis,
primary-face results. If
Im getting the dice-outcomes that I WANT; then, and ONLY then, will I make the size
and spread of bets that I SHOULD. If
Im not getting the results that I want, then Ill be making minute physical, as
well as any necessary mental-adjustments on the fly.
Were not taking about huge adjustments like shifting from right-handed
shooting to left-handed shooting; or even serious adjustments like changing grips or
dice-sets (or permutations). Instead,
were talking about tiny, almost imperceptible micro-adjustments to the tightness or
alignment of my fingers, or a slight retargeting of the touchdown area, or perhaps adding
or subtracting one-half or one-quarter of a backspin rotation to or from the dice. MINOR
adjustments sometimes make MAJOR improvements to your results. Those
minor adjustments are LEARNED and refined on your at-home Practice Rig, and applied ONLY
WHEN NECESSARY at the real-world casino tables. If
minor set, grip-alignment, finger-pressure, motion/toss/release, trajectory, backspin and
target adjustments dont work; then most times, a break from the action to further
investigate and remedy the problem is usually much better than making any major changes to
any of those factors, on the fly. If
the minor adjustments work, and my shooting gets grooved-in; then at the end of my current
hand, I can re-survey the table situation vis a vis whether I want to move up to the less
crowded (and still empty) $25 table, or whether I want to stick around for another
go-round with the dice at the $15 table. If
I decide to stick around for additional hands at my current table; then Ill
definitely adjust my betting-levels to match my shooting-skills. Can
You Stand One More Look
Many
players have reported that they do better at the higher-denomination tables simply because
their focus and concentration is better. The
more money they have in action, the more involved they feel in the game. While
that may be true for some players, it can also be a dangerous indicator that the thrill
and risk factor of having more money in the game, is taking a higher precedence
over your actual shooting. In
this case, the gamble of the game has been given priority over the
skill of your shooting. Its
dangerous because the player psychologically needs to have more and more money in action
in order to maintain the same rush and thrill on a continuing basis. The old, lower levels no longer give him the rush
and thrill, so he has to increase the amounts to regain that feeling...kind of like a
junkie needing more and more drugs to achieve the same high. If
that sounds somewhat compulsive, addictive and perilous
its because it is. This is especially true of someone who is losing
at the $5 or $10 table, but reasons that hell be able to hunker-down and focus
better at the $25 or $50 table. If
stepping up to $25 base-bets when you are losing makes you focus more, then it IS NOT your
shooting that is the problem...it's your concentration. If you work on that, youll be better
equipped to avoid the losses, and focus more on winning at ANY level of bet you choose to
play at. Hey,
Ill readily admit that my own shooting at a $1 or $2 table is a bit more ragged than
it is at $15, $25 or $50 layouts too. And though I realize I might be able to play-myself-into-shape
and make some decent money at
a $25
table; I also realize that I can LOSE much faster at the $25 ones as well. Sooooo,
under ideal circumstances, Ill groove-in at the $5 or $10 table, and then step up to
the $15 and then $25 table or bet-level. In fact, I may groove in at a semi-crowded
$10 table for one hand (and hopefully not have to stick around to get my shooting in shape
on a second hand); then I'll immediately go to the $25 table to shoot. Since the
population is lower, and the rotation rate is higher; I am much more likely to STAY in
that fine-tuned condition for longer periods of time at the more expensive layouts. If
I HAVE TO play at a $100 table, then Ill start out with less of a spread on
my bets. Although my shooting is already dialed-in (otherwise I shouldn't and
wouldn't be at the $100 table); I'll still only have my PL w/2x-Odds, and 6 and 8
Place-bets in action. I'll also be up on the Hard 4 & 10 for $5 or $10 each.
If I hit the 5 or 9, then Ill Place-bet them as well. If I roll the 4
or 10, it might actually take me TWO hits before I give myself permission to Place-bet
them for the table-minimum of $100 (plus the vig to buy it). That
may sound CHEAP, but it's actually GOOD money-management.
Although I have the bankroll to support playing at a $500 or even a $1000
min-bet table; it doesnt mean that Id be comfortable in doing so. While I understand the advantage-play concept of
betting into ANY shooting advantage that you know you have; it's also important to
have, as Heavy would say, the crap between your ears" under control as
well. For me, that means generally avoiding
the $100 tables save and except for extraordinary circumstances; and completely steering
clear of the rarer $500 layouts altogether. As
my shooting-skills evolve, my betting-skills continue to evolve right along with them,
though perhaps not as quickly. By
keeping close tabs on how fast my earn-rate increases as I implement more and more of the
betting-methods and betting-levels that my Precision-Shooting skills dictate that I should
be using; it allows me to maximize profitability without increasing my risk. That factor, in and of itself is motivation enough
to continue on this current path. Current
Success Fuels Future Bet-Increases
A
number of years ago, I had to set up various rules or Precision-Shooting commandments,
in order to increase my discipline (as well as my take-home profit). One that really made a difference back then was in
regard to increasing my base-bet levels. I
needed a hard and fast rule to live by so that I didnt get overly optimistic on my
own abilities, yet would allow me to push the profit-level of my talents, if and when they
showed themselves. The
rule/commandment was: Thou
shall only use the PROFIT from thine PREVIOUS HAND or PREVIOUS SESSION to fuel any
increased betting-levels. That
way, I forced myself to use only TODAYS session(s) winnings to fuel higher current
wagering-levels. If my current success falls back, then my bet-levels also have to
fall back to their original point. In that event, my betting keeps pace with my
skill, and protects me from the evils, vagaries and tribulations of poor performance. Once I regain my Precision-Shooting stride, I can
once again use a small portion of todays winnings to feed future-session
bet-increases. The rest of the profit gets
locked-up as retained earnings. Fresh
Perspective Taking
what I just said as a guide, lets take another look at the
higher-bet/higher-concentration phenomenon. When
you have more money on the table at the beginning of your roll, it tends to sharpen your
focus, increase your mental intensity and awareness, as well as ramp up your physical
acuity and deftness. Now,
having said all of that, I want to quickly add that stepping up your bets BEFORE you step
up your dice-shooting skills is a recipe for disaster! Thats why I mentioned the idea of
using a portion of todays profit to fuel the next level of base-bet
increases, instead of digging deeper into your static bankroll. I
still advise everyone to perfect their game and validate their Precision-Shooting skills
and their Precision-BETTING methods on the CHEAPEST table possible BEFORE moving up
to the next snack-bracket. It will keep your losses to a minimum, and your frustrations to
their barest. It
is also essential that your discipline be well enough developed to prevent a major
bankroll meltdown from happening. If you think it's easy to lose a couple of hundred bucks
on a cheap table; just wait until you see how it can instantly VAPORIZE a much larger
bankroll when you start playing at a more expensive table! Likewise,
even if you decide to step-up your base-bets at a lower-minimum table, your money can
disappear with alarming speed. The
idea behind this higher-bet/higher-focus phenomenon is that if your shooting is geared-in,
and your discipline is keenly honed; then you may find that a higher bet-level takes your
focus, concentration and intensity to any even higher plane
but all of that presumes
that your shooting-skill and discipline is in sharp focus to begin with. Dull
performance does not instantly turn sharp just because you have more money on the table. In fact, that is the WORST time to step-up your
bets, not the best time! Rather,
if your sharpness and skill is obviously there, and is showing itself with unmitigated
zeal; then you may find that the next base-bet level brings an even better and
unanticipatedly higher degree of focus, concentration and intensity to your game. When
your shooting-skills have earned you the right to increase your base-bet levels; then your
bankroll deserves the opportunity and prospect to grow. I
guess the first thing I would say about my own medium-to-long rolls is that beyond a
certain point during a hand (15 to 20 rolls or so for me), I slowly transition from my on-axis
consciousness (focus) as I go much deeper into a zone (or altered state) of
physical and mental awareness. As
the hand progresses, I can usually tell as soon as the dice leave my fingers whether or
not the dice will be on-axis, and especially if the dice are going to end up in an
off-axis yaw or an on-axis double-pitch (7-Out) result. In that event, I almost always
have to stop myself from calling the 7-Out BEFORE the stickman does. When I do that, it tends to scare the children,
the womenfolk, and the livestock, in addition to un-nerving the Pit Villagers because I
was able to make the ungodly 7-Out beelzebub call while the dice were still in mid-air. Thats
not exactly a good way to stay under their radar either. Four
or five years ago, a 7-Out to end a mid-to-long hand almost always surprised me. Back
then, I not only wasn't expecting it, but I also wasn't as deeply aware of exactly what
the dice were most likely going to do once they landed. Now,
my game-awareness and roll-intuition has developed to the point where I have to almost
bite my tongue or the inside of my cheek to stop myself from calling out the actual result
(one of the four primary-face numbers, or the ugly double-pitch, probable 7-Out
alternative) depending on how perfectly or badly the dice left my hand. Now that is what I would call being tuned-in,
but in reality it doesnt take that much intuitiveness to become so keenly aware. Instead, it comes from the experience (both
practice-rig and real-world) of having thrown the dice so often, and having observed the
outcomes that I expect from the throws that I make. No
magic or hocus-pocus
just experience and increased awareness. As
I mentioned a few moments ago; as a medium-to-long hand progresses, the deeper I proceed from
my on-axis consciousness (focus) and transition deeper into a zone or altered state
of physical and mental awareness. In that
state, the physical task of actually bearing down to throw the dice, is surmounted by the
function whereby my mind effortlessly controls the entire process, and my body merely
carries out the signals that are sent to it. A
Quick Admission and a Heartfelt Thank-You
Ive
been writing articles for Irishsetters excellent website for a number of years now. When I look back to how far Ive come in
terms of shooting consistency and tangible revenue since then, its nothing short of
amazing. Although
my Precision-Shooting was quite good way back then, I sometimes still can't believe the
amount of progress that I have been able to make in the last five years. I've got to tell
you that I can attribute a lot of that improvement to you guys. By asking the right
questions, you've made me take an even closer look at the way that I play, and in doing
so, I've been able to discover many, many, MANY areas where improvements could be
made and more profit could be generated from my own game. To
a large extent, this series chronicles some of the ways that I have been able to
continually increase my earnings as I continue to improve my Precision-Shooting and
Precision-Betting skills
all because of you. Without
that inward look that all of your questions make me take, I doubt that Id have been
able to make so much continual improvement over such an extended period of time. Youve
saved me time, and youve made me money. For
that, I am profoundly grateful, and I thank all of you. Weve
certainly come a long way from when we first started talking about and writing about
Precision-Shooting, and admittedly some of us have got a fair distance to go before we
actually get to where we want to be; but Im glad to have you right here beside me as
we make this journey together. Until
next time, Good
Luck & Good Skill at the tables
and in Life. Sincerely, The
Mad Professor
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