I was playing at Bally’s Wild West Casino in Atlantic City a little while back. There were only a few other players at my table. The one closest to me bore a striking resemblance to an aging version of folk-singer Dan Hill. He was playing the Don’t Pass and backing it up with full Odds, and several Don’t Come bets when the mood struck him. I was mainly hanging back to see how the table was going, and mostly waiting until the dice made their way around to me.
He struck up a conversation about various casinos that he played at, and the idiocy of playing the Pass Line, especially when various bets were backed up with center-of-the-table Proposition bets. The boxman who had seen my play over the period of a couple of days tried to hide a smirk as he looked at me and partially rolled his eyes.
When it comes to playing craps, I’m not very confrontational. In fact, I’m downright polite. Maybe it’s to maintain that good karma at the tables, or maybe it’s to keep my good mental attitude, or better still, maybe because everyone is entitled to gamble their money in any way that they see fit.
When I’m in a casino, I NEVER offer my opinion unless it is asked for. Unlike this forum, when I am at the tables, I keep my many thoughts to myself. Sure, I ensure that there are lots of jokes and tokes for the crew, but I would never challenge another players betting methods. Hey, you never know, I might actually learn something from someone else’s approach to this game. For me, the game, or at least my knowledge of it, is continually evolving, and I really am still making improvements on a weekly basis.
Let me expand on that thought for a moment. Of course, I know all of the payouts and various odds of casino craps. That is NOT what I am talking about. What I mean by “evolving and continuously improving knowledge” is that my understanding about the ebb and flow of the game is always increasing. In that way, I am in a better and more favorable position to take full advantage of the game as it unfolds before me. By being involved in the game on a much higher level permits me to take more profit, and to KEEP more profit from this game.
This particular Dan Hill look-a-like sure liked criticizing my way of betting. When I made a 6 & 8 Place bet for $30 on one player, and then regressed it to $12 each after one hit, he literally freaked out! He said, “Why the hell did you do that; you are supposed to PRESS your bets after one hit, not reduce it!” I responded by saying, “My method locks in an early profit, and I like it that way. I’m still in action, and anything from here on out in this hand cannot damage my bankroll. That’s how I choose to bet. Feel free to make any bets that you like, and I promise that I won’t pop a blood-vessel; I won’t clutch at my heart in disbelief; and I won’t do the freaky-deeky right here on the floor when you do.” The box-guy let out a huge belly laugh, and all the dealers tried unsuccessfully to suppress their giggling. The only response the player had was, “I’m sure glad that it’s YOUR money.”
It didn’t take the dice very long to get to my spot. That guy had made some great profit off of the other players and his chip-coffers were full and he was feeling pretty smug. He passed the dice to my spot. He said, “Come on and show me how you’re going to make profit on your own throwin’. Nobody has made a Point in the last four shooters. How are you going to turn the table around? Magic?”
I bet the Pass Line minimum $10+$1 piggy-backed for the crew, and added a $5 World (whirl) bet. Seeing my Prop bet, he laughed out loud and said, “You must be a bigger fool than you look like, ‘cause that’s one of the stupidest bets on the table.” I nodded my head, and said, “Uh-huh”, in agreement. I set for the Straight-6 set, and was rewarded with a Yo-11 in return. I collected $11 from both the World and Pass Line bet. I always parlay the Come-Out dealer bets on the Pass Line to give them something bigger and better to root for as my hand progresses. I hit another Yo-11, two 7’s, which are a push on the World bet, and then I hit two 12’s.
It was a profitable Come-Out, and I finally established the 5 as the Point. I Placed the 6 & 8 for $60 each, with $25 on the 9. A few Inside number hits later, I repeated the 5, and watched as the dealer swept Mr. Obnoxious’ DP-line bets away. My second Come-Out roll was pretty much a repeat of the first one. He was glad to see the 7 generate a win for his Don’t Come action that had traveled behind the 6, 8, and 9. He seemed happy enough to increase his normal $25 DP bet to a full $100 flat bet with $400 Odds at this juncture, as I established the 9 as the Point, and the dealer automatically moved my Place bet to the 5.
I’ll cut this story short, and just say that I managed to make four more Pass Line Points and a huge whack of Inside Place numbers. Out of all the rolls, I only managed one 4, and no 10’s in that 42-minute hand. Mr. Obnoxious had become quieter and quieter with each successive roll and hit. I noticed how his rail space was increasing as his chip-population was shrinking. He never did get to see the end of my hand. He left with a few meager red and white chips. As he was slinking away I said in farewell, “Hey good luck, I’m sure glad that it was YOUR money!”
Good Luck & Good Skill at the Tables…and in Life.
The Mad Professor
