Money attracts all sorts of things and characters. It’s a powerful force that makes people do strange and sometimes wonderful things. Money can also make people act foolish and silly.
This point was reinforced a little while ago, when playing at Silver Legacy Casino Resort in Reno. I was producing some consistent hands that were generating decent profit on every turn.
The boxman named Jason is a chap whom I have known for several years. Every time it would be my turn to shoot, he would announce that “This is your chance to bet on a SURE THING, folks! This shooter is going to have another monster roll, get your bets in now, or don’t cry that I didn’t warn you ahead of time.”
Each time his spiel would be somewhat different, but the effect was the same. There would be a betting frenzy. Many would plead for me to tell them what to bet on. High-rollers were betting HUGE! Former low-rollers were digging in their pockets to grab bigger wads of money in a feverish attempt to lay down more wagering ammo. Even people who were walking past the table, would hear the fervor and excitement, then stop and try to squeeze into any available space.
When the table was filled, some of the outer ring of would-be players, were making side-deals with patrons already at the table, so that their bets could get into delirious action too. It was a bit unnerving, not because of the expectation that Jason was creating, nor in the performance anxiety that most shooters would get from such a build-up. Rather, it was my concern that the casino pit managers would get wind of my consistency, and bring heat to bear.
When the Casino Manager came over after this happened for the eighth time, I reduced all of my Place bets, and set up a $2000 No4. I set the dice in my 5 & 2, 3 & 4 “All Seven” arrangement, and promptly threw a seven-out. I felt that I had over-stayed my welcome on that session. In most cases where I feel that there could be heat, I usually “hit and run” or “shoot and scoot”. In this case, we were having a good time; the dealers were making tokes like pillaging pirates, and the party mood was sweeping the entire casino. During the final hand, there were close to two hundred people huddled deeply around the fourteen-player table. Clearly, this was not what I had in mind when I began play that evening.
Later on, over a beer, I admonished Jason in the kindest way possible, by saying that while I appreciated his confidence in my shooting, it was throwing off my game “due to the added pressure.” He apologized, and said that he was doing it merely to create a little more excitement at the tables. I said that, “…the excitement probably isn’t shared by your bosses, unless they enjoyed seeing the house lose money.”
I haven’t been back to Silver Legacy since, but it reminded me of many other times when fellow players get swept up in the excitement of my previous hands. They would tell anyone within shouting distance that “…this guy is the best shooter around…he knows how to throw the dice so they don’t seven-out…just watch him, it’s like perfection…bet on him…it’s money in the bank…!”
Those type of comments make me want to seek out sparsely populated or empty tables. I’m not anti-social, just anti-groupie. I don’t need people singing their praises of my abilities to feed my ego. I certainly don’t go around talking about my skills other than in this forum. And there is a real concern that more casinos will ban or severely curtail dice-setting in the future. Several casinos do it now, although it is inconsistently policed. Some “mini-dice” or half “tub” tables will exclude players who set the dice, while other casinos with the exact same layouts actually encourage all shooters, even the “lucky” or apparently skillful ones.
It is the specter of making money off of a good roll that gets people excited. I like that people can make money off of my rolls, but I resent the additional attention that their loud and boisterous comments bring. That may sound selfish, and it may in fact be VERY selfish, but I’m trying to protect a lucrative lifestyle that I have created for myself.
The casinos have very big and tasty pots of honey. They don’t seem to mind if one or two bees come around to eat freely once in a while. But if huge swarms continually show up, the casinos will take counter-measures to protect their pot.
It’s as simple as that! So when a Precision-Shooter comes along, whoop and holler all you want about how he is, but the silent wink of shared knowledge is enough to feed his ego.
Good Luck & Good Skill at the Tables…and in Life.
By: The Mad Professor
