So How Does the Casino Like Us Setters Now?
Season's Greetings
everyone!
Looking for an empty craps table in Vegas?
There's never been a better time to find a perfect shooting spot in
Vegas. You can take your pick of tables, whether you're on the strip or
downtown. Not too many people visiting my favorite city. And, even the
high end casinos have lowered their table minimums to red chip level in
the hopes of capturing craps players.
"You're liking us now Mr. Casino man, aren't ya." was my greeting to the
stick man as I bellied up to play during my last visit. One stick man
in particular asked how I would like my dice set. It felt different to
be able to respond with, "I'll take mine with the sunflowers up, thank
you."
As
all the news headlines indicate, the economy has affected a great many.
Isn't that just the nature of things? More on this later. Yet, where
craps is concerned, what a positive impact it has made in my game.
Not
since the late 90's into early 2000 have I experienced the multitude of
complimentary offers received from the Vegas casinos. Some casinos will
even help with the airfare just to get me to visit. And, I received so
many three night hotel offers that I could literally live in Vegas on
the casino's nickel for the next six months if I wished to.
It
used to be that I would be offered comps just for mid-week and now the
peak rate weekends are included. These offers are so juicy and I will
just have to oblige them as often as I can for as long as they offer
them. It is nice to see these offers cycling my way again. I hope you
people out there are getting these offers too.
And,
so it goes that the casino pendulum is again swinging the other way for
us patrons.
As a
dice setter, I am experiencing a welcoming feeling from our pit crew
like never before. Not that they were ever that discouraging, even if
they knew I was "one of those" dice people.
A
while back, one of our dice community members forwarded an interesting
clip from a casino security and games protection meeting given by Bill
Zender during the World Game Protection Conference, 2008. The content of
the video had everything to do with us "dice controllers" and how we
should seriously be embraced because the casino had nothing to fear.
As
Mr. Zender elaborated to his audience about the general technique of our
sets, grips and delivery with the dice, this casino games consultant
basically stated: "Embrace the rhythm roller." And, "interest in rhythm
rollers will increase an interest in dice."
Here
that casino people? There is someone out there confirming what a great
many in our community have always felt. Could we dice setters be saving
a dying game? At least in my experience, these days it is holding true
if the casino wishes to recruit new players with interest in the game.
You
all can check this out for yourselves at:
http://www.casinoguysonline.com/
I
wonder whose course the presenter took? His picture of the dice grip is
sure telling.
While we are on the subject of links and courses, just a quick reminder
to check out the next dates for our dice workshops in 2009. Wow, that
feels so way in the future. Yet, the next one is just less than two
months away. Here's the link:
"Who
You Gonna Call?"
Anyway, moving on to some of my quick dice philosophy and the rhythm or
cycle of things in our life. The cycle of a shooter's hand will always
end with a seven. And, it is interesting how many of the cycles in other
areas of our life outside of gaming occur in multiples of seven. There
are seven days in a week, seven notes to a scale and so on.
In
our natural lives, we experience positive cycles and the emotions that
go along with these positive cycles like love, happiness, courage,
generosity, patience and kindness. With this cycle, everything goes
well and confidence is fostered. This is where the popular saying, " I
must be on a roll" comes from. And, we are on this roll because in some
way we are in balance or in harmony with our life/game.
The
game has its rise and fall, hot and cold, ups and downs, wins and
losses. The game has its do and don't side and the dice patterns weave
in and out of both sides.
When
we weave into a negative rhythm our feelings and mental states change.
I see the economy doing this to many around me. As things change, I see
people feeling more fear, greed, envy, criticism and judgment. And,
their natural tendency is to place blame on other people and events.
It's
always interesting to watch people who are winning in the game or, in
other aspects of their life created by them and accept total credit for
achieving a win or lucrative outcome. Yet, I see these same individuals
readily blaming everyone and everything outside of themselves for any
negative situation or outcome.
This
reminds me of the saying my grandma used to share with me when we were
young children pointing the finger at the person we were blaming for our
troubles in the hopes of getting out of a sticky situation.
"Young lady," she would say, "for that one finger you've got pointed at
your brother there are three pointing back at you." Who knew I would be
getting dice philosophy from my granny when it came to learning how to
be accountable for our outcomes.
And
so, these are the people or players that misunderstand that their
experience of their reality, whether it is positive or negative, is
totally created by them. Many have heard me comment that these players
get stuck in the polarity of the game. They find it hard to accept both
sides of their experience and miss out on the real nature of how life
and the game can work with them by simply understanding how every
experience, positive or negative, has its place in life.
That
negativity can be overcome you know. The rhythm of the economy, life,
the game can continue and at the same time the negative feelings do not
have to take place. It is our choice to rise above negative situations
by adapting and using our knowledge and wisdom from our experience.
"Buy
low, sell high." For this time in our lives, it has never been more
important to heed that advice whether it is with the game or any other
situation having to do with the cyclic nature of our life.
This
is the time to plan new ventures in and out of the casino. There has
never been a better time to play craps.
During these economic times and with your game, never allow your
emotions to swing too far to the right or too far to the left by
external forces created by you. If you work on this, life and your game
will only get better and better.
Everything flows out and
in; everything has its tides; all things rise and fall; the measure of
the swing to the right is the measure of the swing to the left; rhythm
compensates. The Kybalion
Happy Holidays!
Soft Touch
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