Game Within a Game…Profiting From Your Come-Out Cycle Part 2

My advantage-play philosophy over the last few years has been to use the come-out portion of each hand as its own stand-alone profit-center.  In other words, I use the come-out cycle as a sort of “game-within-a-game” in order to generate revenue that is separate and distinct from the point-cycle itself.

Let me show you what I mean…

My Rightside-Shooting Come-Out Strategy

My objective is simple; I want to make as much advantage-play profit from my come-out (C-O) shooting as I can.

For that, I start out with the Straight-Sixes (S-6) dice-set in its traditional World-heavy arrangement (6/6 on the top faces, 5/2 on the surfaces facing you, with 3/4 on the side-axles around which the 6/6, 5/2, 1/1 and 2/5 primary-faces rotate).

As a result, the on-axis possibilities for the S-6 dice-set are:

Now clearly, those perfect-world percentages will be affected by not only how often you can keep the dice on-axis, but also how often you throw primary-face outcomes versus double-pitches or single-pitches in either on-axis direction.  So the actual on-axis appearance-percentages for your own tosses will vary widely depending upon your current dice-influencing skill-range and consistency.

A Word About Payout Ratios

Most of you already know this, but different casinos in different areas often have different payout schedules for their prop-bets.

• Those that offer 31-to-1 payouts on the 2 and 12, and 16-to-1 payouts on the 3 and 11; are said to offer “downtown Odds” since all of the casinos in Downtown Las Vegas offer those types of payout.
• On the other hand, casinos that offer 30-to-1 payouts on the 2 and 12, and 15-to-1 payouts on the 3 and 11; are said to use “Strip-Odds” since most of the casinos on the Las Vegas Strip use these lower payout ratios when those prop-bets hit.

In this article, we’ll assume that your casino pays out with Strip-Odds.  If your home casino pays the more attractive Downtown-Odds, then all the better.

At the end of this piece, I’ll give you an easy-to-copy cheat-sheet to quickly and accurately calculate your World-bet payouts no matter how high they climb and no matter which payout-ratio your casino uses.

Gaining Perspective About the World-bet

Let’s take a wide-angle view of the S-6 dice-set in relation to the World-bet:

• The 7 constitutes 6-out-of-36 random outcomes, and that is where we get its oft-cited 1:6 appearance-ratio from.
• The 2, 3, 11 and 12 also constitute 6-out-of-36 total random outcomes, and therefore those four numbers combine to produce the same 1:6 appearance-ratio that the 7 enjoys.

When we add the Horn-numbers (2, 3, 11 and 12) to the Any-7 wager, we get the “World-bet”.  Although the W-B has an overall 1-in-3 random probability of hitting during any given roll, it is still a tough bet to make a consistent profit on.

It is important to note…

The World-bet wager carries a hefty 13.33% house-edge against it, and therefore should be avoided by all random-rollers as well as all dice-influencers who haven’t yet built up a high enough skill-level to overcome that high-vig hurdle.

So why should an adequately skilled dice-influencer even consider making such a difficult bet?

Well, it can yield tremendous value for those who can hit it, and it can produce outstanding profit for those who can hit it multiple times in a row.

I personally use a portion of the profit generated by those back-to-back-to-back World-bet wins to fuel ever-larger WB-wagers…while concurrently locking up an ever-growing amount of retained profit.

Most importantly, I use it to reliably add additional money to my session buy-in before my first Passline-Point is even established; and in doing so, it establishes a very positive tone for the rest of that particular hand. Your World-bet payout-possibilities look like this:

• 7 pays even-money on the Passline and is self-sustaining for your World-bet.  For a $5 Passline-bet and a $5 World-bet, that outcome nets you a $5 profit.
• 11 pays even-money on the Passline and pays 15:1 on the World.  However, the other four bet-components of the World lose, so they have to be replaced for your World-bet to remain in place. In total, that outcome produces a net-profit of $16.
• 3 also pays 15:1 on the World, but your Passline bet loses as do the other four bet-components of the World.  After replacing your $5 Passline-bet, this outcome nets you a profit of $6.
• 2 pays 30:1 on your World-bet, however your Passline bet loses as do the other four bet-components of the World.  After replacing your $5 Passline-bet, this outcome produces a net-profit of $21.
• 12 also pays 30:1 on your World-bet, and as with the 2-Snake Eyes or 3-Ace-Duece/Trey; your Passline bet loses as does the other four bet-components of the World.  After replacing your $5 Passline-bet, this outcome produces a net-profit of $21.

As I said, the World-bet can yield tremendous value for those who can hit it multiple times in a row.

In a moment I’ll show you how I use a portion of the profit generated by those back-to-back-to-back World-bet wins to fuel ever-larger pressed-up WB-wagers…while concurrently locking up the ever-growing amounts of profit that I was just talking about.

Most importantly, I’ll show you how skilled dice-influencers use the  World-bet to reliably add tangible profit to their session buy-in before their first Passline-Point is even established.

However before we do that, let me add another word of caution:

• Please DO NOT use ANY of my betting-methods without first validating them while using YOUR OWN sufficiently-sized roll-tracking performances to verify and confirm your own positive dice-influencing advantage before finally factoring in your own bankroll and bet-making comfort levels.

It is your money and your responsibility to determine whether or not ANY betting-method is right for you, your bankroll and your dice-throwing skills. I urge you to use the utmost caution when you are trying out any new method or betting-approach for the first time.

Okay, let’s take a look at what I do and how I do it:

How I Bet the Come-Out Cycle

Using the Straight-Sixes (S-6) dice-set, I wager so that my PL-bet equals my C-O World-bet.  That is, if I’ve got a $25 wager on the Passline; then I’ll also make a $25 World-bet (aka “whirl” bet) during the come-out.

The World-bet covers the 7, 2, 3, 11 and 12 with one $5 betting-unit on each.

If I’ve got $50 on the Passline, then obviously my $50-World would cover each of those prop-bets with $10 on each.  Similarly, if you’ve got $5 on the Passline, and you have $5 on the World-bet, it means you have the 7, 2, 3, 11 and 12 covered with $1 on each.

The S-6 set also contains both an on-axis Hard-Four (H-4) and a Hard-Ten (H-10). If I’m shooting as a Darksider, I want to avoid the C-O 7 so I’d set two of the primary-faces on the H-4 and H-10, while the other two faces are set for aces (2), and boxcars (12)…and bet the Hard-4 and Hard-10 working on the Come-Out.

However, as a Rightside-shooter, I WANT to see a lot of C-O winner-7’s; so instead of shooting for come-out Hardways, I set the two other primary-faces on the 2/5 and 5/2 in anticipation of additional 7-winners.

• If my Rightside C-O roll produces a primary-face 7-winner…then my World-bet stays at its initial $25 value, and I maintain my $25 PL wager at its original value…and I rack the $25 profit.

If a 7-winner rolls on the C-O, the World-bet is self-sustaining in that it is a “push” (no gain and no loss), so

there is no need to replace it as you would if it was a simple Horn-bet.

• On one hand, with the single on-axis appearance of the 2 (1/1) and 12 (6/6), along with the double appearance of the 3 (1/2 and 2/1), I do have to replace my flat PL-bet if any of those three numbers show up. 
• On the other hand, if either of the two on-axis 11’s (5/6 and 6/5) show up, they offer a quinella-type double-dipping win where both the high-ratio (15:1) World-bet portion of my wager pays, as does the even-money (1:1) payout on the Passline.

Like I said; with the high-ratio payouts on each of those Horn-numbers (15:1 on the 3 or 11, and 30:1 on the 2 or 12); the sting of having to replace your PL bet if a 2, 3 or 12 shows up, is partially offset with the double-dipping payoff (collecting from both the prop Yo-11 as well as the Passline) if an 11 appears.

Here’s how I book my bet-presses after I get my first World-number outcome:

• Assuming a $25 starting bet on both the Pass-line and the World-bet; if the first outcome is an 11, I double my World-bet to $50, and maintain the same initial $25 bet for my PL-wager. That means that the Yo-11 part of the World-bet (along with the even-money PL payment) generates a net-profit (after my World-bet is pressed) of $55.
• If my come-out roll produces a 3 …I keep the World-bet at its initial level and I replace my PL-wager. That means that my first hit on a 3 generates a net-profit of $30.
•   If the outcome is a 2 or 12…I once again double my World-bet to $50, and of course I replace my PL-bet with another $25.  That means that a 2 or 12 generates a net-profit (after the World-bet is pressed and my PL-bet is replaced) of $105.

Though that’s not a perfect-world scenario, I have found that the S-6 come-out set produces some pretty astounding net-profit, especially if I bring in back-to-back-to-back Horn-number repeaters.

Take a look:

On the very next C-O decision…

• If the outcome is a 7…I keep the same bet for both the World and the PL. If the World is at $50, then it stays at $50, but I almost always keep my PL base-bet at $25 no matter how large the World-bet grows.  That is, if I start out my session with $25 PL wagers, I rarely raise them based solely on the number of Come-out PL-winners that I am throwing.
• If on my second Come-Out roll during the same hand, the outcome is a 3…I replace the PL and increase the World-bet by one $25 unit.
• If the outcome is an 11…I increase my current World-bet by two more base-units (of $25 each), but I still keep the same initial $25 bet on the PL.
• If the outcome is a 2 or 12…I increase my current World-bet by three base-units (a $75 increase).

In a moment I’ll show you a chart of exactly how I do this, but the press-schedule I use is pretty straight-forward

• On any subsequent Horn-payers, I simply add one additional unit to the previous press-scale. 

In other words…

• I press the World with a further two-unit ($50) increase if the 3 rolls.
• I press the World with a further three-unit ($75) increase if the 11 rolls.
• I press the World with a further four-unit ($100) increase if the 2 or 12 rolls.

As I mentioned a moment ago, I rarely increase my flat Passline wager based solely on the number of Come-out PL-winners that I am throwing. That is, if I start out with $25 on the PL, I rarely increase it during the Come-out cycle.  Here’s why:

• The required replacement of a lost PL line-bet (if a 2, 3 or 12 rolls), has less and less significance as your World-bet action increases during any given hand. 
• That means that the Horn-numbers will produce more net-profit by my not having to replace the lost Passline wager with an increased amount of money (due to any pressed-up wagers I may have made on the PL) when a 2, 3, or 12 rolls.
• As the size of my World-bet grows and my Passline bet remains the same as it did when I first started the hand; any subsequent pressed-up World-bet wins produce more net-profit.
• In other words, if I increase my PL-bet by the same $25 increases as I do to the World-bet; then any Horn-winner profit generated by the 2, 3, or 12 will be reduced by the increased losses incurred by my pressed-up PL wager.  That would result in less overall net-profit from my C-O shooting…clearly not a good thing.
• If I roll another Horn-hit, I do the same “add one unit to the previous scale” thing to my World-bet, but again the Passline remains at its starting value, and so…
• I press the World with a further three-unit increase if the 3 rolls.
• I press the World with a further four-unit increase if the 11 rolls.
• I press the World with a further five-unit increase if the 2 or 12 rolls.

Time For Another Caution…

If you are a green-chip bettor who is starting out with $25 or higher World-bets and using this type of aggressive World-bet pressing; then in some low loss-tolerance casinos, you are likely to quickly reach their sweat-threshold nearly every time the dice come around to you…and that is NOT a good thing. 

• That situation is not only bad for you, but it can also be bad for other dice-influencers who play in that same casino after you, even if they use a lower starting-bet and a milder bet-press schedule.
• You have to carefully pick and choose the casinos where you pull this sort of aggressive World-bet gambit.  There is absolutely no need or reason to kill the golden goose. 
• Many players who think they are “sticking it to the casinos” by winning super-large bets on the Props in low win-tolerance houses; are in fact sticking it to themselves and to their fellow dice-influencers. 
• Instead of living just for the money you can draw from one place today; you have to play in a manner that recognizes the fact that there just may be a tomorrow.

You and your fellow dice-influencing community citizens may want to drink from that very same well-of-profit at some future point.  There’s no sense poisoning the waters now just because can fill up your glass today. 

There are many tomorrows where you may want to have another profitable drink from the same fount, and if you’ve poisoned that house (and every other casino in the same corporate-chain); then you are only harming yourself and all others who will come after you.

Again you have to carefully gauge how bet-tolerant a casino is, and then make a conscious decision NOT to surpass that point.  Take some responsibility for yourself and the well-being of the entire dice-influencing community…there could very well be a new day that actually dawns tomorrow, and it just makes sense to preserve yourself a place at the tables.

In other words, don’t destroy today what you may need tomorrow.

The W-B Pressing Continues…

My next bet-press (if another Horn-number in my World-bet rolls again), looks like this:

• I press the World with a further four-unit increase if the 3 rolls.
• I press the World with a further five-unit increase if the 11 rolls.
• I press the World with a further six-unit increase if the 2 or 12 rolls.

At this point, your World-bet could very well reach the $500 mark (using $25 base-units) if you’ve had the C-O results that see you using the maximum unit-increase on each one of those steps (especially if the 2 or 12 has been rolling), and this is also the point where you will very likely reach the maximum allowable payout level at many casinos.

Since some houses restrict the maximum allowable Prop-bet payout to a certain amount; you’re likely not going to be allowed to raise your World-action much beyond this point at some casinos.  It’s always a good idea to find out the maximum allowable prop-bet amounts beforehand

Here’s what my bet-presses look like in chart form:

On the first hit for example, I increase my World-bet from $25 to $50 if the 11 shows up, and I increase it to $75 if the 2 or 12 shows up.  On the other hand, if the 3 appears on my first World-bet hit, then I leave it at $25.

If a 7 rolls at any time during the Come-out, I don’t count that as a hit as far as my W-B bet-presses are concerned.  I simply rack the $25 profit that the Passline-win generates and I leave the World-bet as is.

On the second Horn-number hit, I let the outcome determine how much my World-bet is pressed by.  For example, if a 2 or 12 rolls, then I increase my W-B by three $25 units ($75), but only two $25 units ($50) if the 11 rolls, and I only press it by one $25 unit if the 3 rolls.

With each subsequent Horn-number outcome during the Come-Out, I simply add one unit to that schedule.

For example, after my third Horn-number hit; if a 2 or 12 rolls, I now increase my W-B by four $25 units ($100), or three $25 units ($75) if the 11 rolls, and I press my W-B by just two $25 units ($50) if the 3 rolls.

Let’s take a look at how this works if you start out with a $5 World-bet:

Creating a Payout Cheat-Sheet

In previous articles we’ve discussed a couple of payout “keys” or simplified formulas that many dealers use to speed up the payoff calculations for Horn, World, Any Craps, C & E, and other prop-bets.  If you are as math-challenged as I am, you might want to consider creating a little cheat-sheet that you can use to ensure that the stickman is directing the dealer to give you the correct payout no matter what size your World-bet is.

You can use a small recipe-card sized piece of white lined cardboard or even the back of a business-card. 

Plastic laminating it would increase its durability.

Using this chart, you can quickly figure out the correct World-bet payoff even if it goes well beyond the $100

mark. 

For example…

• If you have a $220 World-bet in a Downtown-Odds casino and you just rolled a 12, you simply double the $100 payout-line on the chart ($540), and add in the $20 ($108) payout-line.  So when the stickman directs the base dealer to pay you $1188 for your World-bet that is still up to win; you know his calculation is correct.
• If you have a $350 World-bet in a Strip-Odds casino and you just rolled a 3, you simply triple the $100 payout-line on the chart ($220), and add in the $50 ($110) payout-line.  So when the stickman directs the base dealer to pay you $770 for your World-bet that is still up to win; you know his calculation is correct.

 Coming Up

Clearly there are many ways you can use the Come-out portion of each hand to extract as much money from your dice-influencing skills as possible, and we’ve barely scratched the surface.

In future chapters of this series, we will look at not only all kinds of different approaches to my game-within-a-game concept, but we’ll also look at the ways for you to properly determine which Come-out betting-method is just right for your current skill.

I hope you’ll join me for that.  Until then,

Good Luck & Good Skill at the Tables…and in Life.

Sincerely,

The Mad Professor