Dice Setter Precision Shooter’s Newsletter: November 2009

Soft Touch Says,

I’d Rather Be a Master…

I was prompted by The Professor’s article in this newsletter to get this “off my chest.”

In this game, I would prefer to be considered by my community as a master of the game rather than a “guru.” In my mind, masters teach, gurus control. Those on the road to mastery of their craps game share their knowledge, experiences, passion and facilitate positive game development. I’ve met a lot of game masters out there and I avoid the gurus. The difference has to do with which one will promote self empowerment. The difference with me is that the player must be an involved student rather than just a viewer of any skill I may possess at the game.

Yes, there are gurus who possess a lot of skill out there. I do not wish to deny them. What comes to mind is the current phrase of whether they “walk the talk.” Still, on the other side of teaching, there are parties out there making money teaching yet, the inconsistency comes from watching them teach people how to make money at this game when they themselves are basically broke. It’s all a bit incongruent.

And, I’ve heard cynical players out there complain that the only people who make money in this game of craps are the people who teach others how to play the game of craps by offering workshops and classes. Essentially, stating that the only way to beat the game is to charge people to teach them how to play an unbeatable game. These cynics are not focused on winning.

I have often heard it stated that we should teach what we need to know, rather than just teach what it is we already know. I believe that this is where the saying: “Fake it until you make it” comes from.

In other words, fueled with the proper attitude, the concept of acting as if we already are what we wish to become or “fake it till you make it, “ can become a very powerful tool when you can pretty much be what you want to be by doing what it takes for you to get there.

In this game, we are winners. We do what winners are supposed to do to possess that which winners posses. Be that which you wish to become. You tell the world you are a winner at this game, and then you passionately study the game and practice your little butt off every day, and then you become a talented player who can facilitate a win at any given casino across the country and back, smiling every step of the way as you carry your chips to the casino cage.

In this game, I have always enjoyed investigating what I need to know to win. I then pass on what winning gems of knowledge I have learned on to others by publishing or producing something players can benefit from. This not only empowers me, it empowers those I teach. We are all in the same gaming “boat.” I just happen to be a player who teaches that winning is possible.

The bottom line is this, while there are people making money teaching classes and selling information about how to be an advantage player through dice influence or dice control, those people usually have experience being a success at whatever they did before they got into the business. They use themselves as case studies. My advice to you is to be a student of the game. Look for those masters who understand that they want you to feel the same passion, integrity, honesty and good intentions they have to share with others. There is great value in that. And, when you don’t get that feeling…then run.

Remember: This is just a game. Our objective is simple – we come together as a community and have some fun playing a game that we create together and share experiences.

Happy Thanksgiving.

Soft Touch

Precision To Win

By The Professor

About ten years ago a student who attended my Do’s and Don’t of Dice™ asked me if I had any knowledge of dice control. About a week later he sent a package to me with a video and a booklet with instructions. I was not impressed with the instructions or the quality of the video, so I did not pursue dice control at that time.  A year later I ran across a new web site at the time, Dicesetter.com, and I purchased “Dice Control for Casino Craps – Gambling Disciples of God”, published by Yuri. Although the title may seem a bit out of character, for the record, I have played dice with God many times. God is a much better craps shooter than he is a golfer.

With the information in Yuri’s book and my extensive knowledge of anatomy and the musculature system, I began to investigate the art of dice control in detail. I was already playing craps weekly with consistent success, so I decided to make a concentrated effort to see if dice control would add anything to my game. I was living in Taos, New Mexico at the time and there were seven casinos within a couple of hours drive from Taos.

I came to the conclusion that dice control was worthy of the effort and I made the commitment to become a skilled shooter. Being self taught is a bit like following the steps needed to align a radial arm saw for precise cutting. I did not know for sure if I was doing it all correctly. I was preoccupied with perfection and looking for ways that I could improve. If there was a step missing or needing correction, how was I to know? Although I was having fair results, sometimes dice control did not work in the ways that I had read about on-line, and that troubled me. I began to wonder how my results compared to others. I also wanted to meet other dice controllers to see how they played the game.

In my pursuit of information, one lead, led to another, and one day I found myself in Las Vegas at a dice control convention. I met some of the presenters and I was invited to join two of them for a game at a downtown casino. The scheduled meeting was at four o’clock in the morning. I am not one to go out of my way for a dice game, still if I was going to see the experts of “dice control” in action, I knew that I was going to miss some sleep.

At the designated casino, I met the gentlemen that had invited me. They introduced me to another dice controller whom I had seen the day before at the dice convention. It felt like I was entering a secret club. I was instructed to enter the game incognito. There were already three other dice control players at the table.

The dice were passed to me just after my buy-in. I became intensely aware of the strange stillness of the early morning energy in the casino. I rolled a three point hand from table end and felt small standing in the greatness of the “dice experts”. The next “dice control” player got the dice. He took his time mulling over the dice, like picking two puppies from a litter of six. Once the right pair was selected, the game was on! The come out roll resulted in an outside number. Chips were raining down from the players’ hands as place bets were ordered left and right along and prop bets flying to the stickman’s hand. A feeling of “Wow! This is going to be easy,” overwhelmed me. It felt like the fix was in and I was sitting in the easy chair. I held that feeling the whole time even though the results were mostly unremarkable. In fact, compared to any other dice game, it was not much different. Cutting to the chase, after each “D.C.” player had a turn with the dice, the game ended abruptly as one by one the dice controllers colored up.

I was up 26 units after seven shooters (16 from my hand) and I never saw a hand longer than my three point hand. I remember feeling a little confused with the way the game ended. At the cage, the discussion between the “D.C.” players went something like, “Well that didn’t turn out so well. Whad’ya say we go out to Green Valley Ranch?” I had just about doubled my buy-in, in about an hour. I was dozy from a lack of sleep. I was not in the mood to chase another game on the other side of Las Vegas, especially after a nice win. I had seen enough in one short session to satisfy my quest for dice controllers’  “intel”.

The two players I met also won but it was less than what I had accomplished. They were as disappointed with their results as I was thrilled by mine. No one playing in this game had invested with a large sum of money and no one played units larger than $10. Not a big deal really. I was only surprised by this because of the illusions created on the web pages, chat forums, and newsletters which seemed to produced a bigger than life image of dice controllers. I had envisioned theses players with loads of cash, betting large, and winning thousands. It was not the case. Another observation made was how the alleged experts were not bankrolled for all the bets they were making. At first I thought it was because they always won and as such, they only needed a couple of hundred to start a game. I learned later that it was more like “scared money”. I also came to realize that “controlling dice” was just an expression. The setting and tossing techniques used by the dice controllers was similar to that which I had read about in the books. However, I did see ugly dice, a lot of “wild ducks” flying that morning. Trying to be kind here, the dice controllers were anything but…

The most important confirmation was recognizing that the dice strategies I had mastered in my years of playing craps were superior to those being used by the players relying heavily on “dice control.” Dice control is not a stand alone tactic. Hoping to hit a hand, the dice control players gave up any advantage by making risky high vig bets. Playing like a typical craps bettor, did not make cents.(sic) I think some casinos are starting to understand this. I feel it is the reason some casinos are beginning to get over their fear of the dice controllers. After all, what’s there to be afraid of, players wasting their money on proposition bets, and other high vig bets with the hopes of hitting a long shot?

My trip to the dice convention in Las Vegas was a great learning experience and an eye opener for me. I learned to not doubt what I had come to know about the game. I learned that when other dice players experience a bit of success, it can be magnified, dare I say exaggerated. Careful attention is advised to what you come to believe and take on as a part of your dice game.

Dice setting, dice control, dice influencing, precession shooting, and any other words you wish to include are labels attempting to add more to the game. As a skilled dice influencer, there is so much more to it than just saying that you are “one.” “Advantage Player” is the operative word and in order to have any advantage as a dice influencer, the dice tactics must be valid and above all, they must be adhered to with precision. Step one must be accomplished correctly if any of the steps that follow are to have success. If your set is okay but your dice separate because of a poor grip, even with a perfect release, the dice will not rotate on axis. They will split apart, left and right, and land randomly. Have you ever purchased a device that required intricate and precise steps for assembly? If a step is not properly completed, the device will not function in the way that it was intended. Proper dice manipulation is just like setting the adjustments for a precision tool. It is just as important to have the correct order and precise steps in your dice setting game; if you are seeking desirable results.

The game of craps is not so difficult that anyone couldn’t walk up to a table and simply play. However, the game of craps will be difficult to beat when the player is missing the necessary tactics of advantage play with a precision to win.

Post Script: In this article I purposely used “dice control” instead of what I would normally write, dice influencing, dice setting or dice manipulation. Dice control is misunderstood and over stated. However, when I think of it in specific terms, yes, dice control is a viable description; not that anyone truly has control of the resulting roll. However, where the control enters the game is with the control the skilled player has over themselves and how they make use of that control during the game. When shooting dice we are in control of how quickly we are able to set the dice. We are in control of the sets that we choose to use. We are in control of our grip, our toss, the release, the way the dice hang together in flight, on axis, (not wild ducks) the speed on the dice, the amount of rotation, (the backspin) the arc, the landing zone, and making sure both dice rebound from the back wall. This control does not come easily. It comes with a hell of a lot of practice and a commitment to excellence with precision. By the way, the real practice takes place in a live game, when and where it really matters. See ya at the tables!

Copyright ©2009 Michael Vernon 

Dear Ed,

Rolling along here – amazing when I make the perfect toss and the hard six is eminent (with flying V)- need to make perfect tosses if I want to win at the casino.

I am reading another book – “Conquering Casino Craps” by John Gollenhon – originally written in ’93. He takes the position that dice setting – precision shooting is ILLEGAL? Quotes Nevada code section – 465.015 – cheat means to alter the selection of criteria which determine: The result of the game or the amount of frequency or payment in a game – His opinion is that the game is no longer random and calls us “crooks”? What’s your take on this? Is it ILLEGAL?

Thanks again! Cliff

Hello Cliff,

Recently it seems there has been a lot of attention on cheating and casino surveillance. Here is my interpretation of the stated Nevada code which you reference.

http://law.justia.com/nevada/codes/NRS-465.html

GENERAL PROVISIONS

NRS 465.015 Definitions. As used in this chapter:

1. “Cheat” means to alter the elements of chance, method of selection or criteria which determine:

(a) The result of a game;
(b) The amount or frequency of payment in a game;
(c) The value of a wagering instrument; or
(d) The value of a wagering credit.

2. The words and terms defined in chapter 463 of NRS have the meanings ascribed to them in that chapter.

(Added to NRS by 1981, 1292; A 1993, 830; 1995, 1502)

Cliff, this could be what Gollenhon is trying to address.

If this were the case, we’d not be having this conversation believe me. The Gaming Commission is not to be messed with. Obviously dice setting, precision shooting is not illegal as it does not fall under the scrutiny of the stated law. What we do is theory. I have never heard of anyone being able to actually call a number and then roll it. Sure you have, I have and others have set the dice and rolled their number. But, can you do it… say five times in a roll? That is to ask, can you call five numbers and roll them or can I call them for you and then you roll them? That would be altering the outcome or result. But the language has to do with the elements of chance and that has to do with the dice. So, as long as you don’t “switch out” casino dice for loads, you are not cheating. I am not representing legal advice here, but pretty sure it has to do with how the words in the law refer to the exact meaning. Gollenhon is grasping at straws and selling sour grapes, me thinks

As with anything, there are two sides to the story. I have run into to plenty of negative responses in my time of being on the web. Some say that Dicesetter.com will ruin the game for the rest of the players and we should shut down so as not to ruin a good thing. I have even received threatening emails from casino floor managers. But in the end dice setting works when it works and when it doesn’t, it is usually no worse than random.

Your last email, about that monster game you were in… do you think it really hurt the casino’s bottom line? Do you have any idea how much positive long term advertising that hand will produce for their gambling game? I’ll bet you a soda that a year from now you will have shared that story at least once for every month, if not more. Without winners, a casino cannot stay in business. If we lost every time out, at what point do we wise up? You provide a valuable service to the industry when you win and players like you are very much needed.

Ed Jones

Today’s Wisdom:               Etheric Perception…

“I have found that merely desiring to see the etheric doesn’t work. To see it, you have to become an etheric being. Joining on an energy level, so to speak – existing in two worlds – moving your consciousness from ego to spirit, from finite to infinite.”

“In addition, I’ve notice that believing in oneself and believing in these mysterious inner worlds helps a great deal in opening the etheric door for you. In the early days, I thought I believed, and then I hoped I believed, but some years later, I knew that I believed. That helped.”

Stuart Wilde – From his book  Silent Power  (page 83)