Well, I stopped in the office to clean up a little paperwork this morning, finished up around eleven and made a snap decision to run over to the boats. I knew Black Cloud (Frank) was over at Jack’s teepee in Bossier, so I thought I’d drop in and see how things were rolling.
Hit the casino around 2:15, found Frank at the BJ table complaining that he didn’t have a comp for dinner. Scouted out the craps pit – five tables open – two $10 games and three $5 games. Found a place next to stick at a $5 table, observed the layout was heavy with chips, deduced we were in the middle of a good roll, observed crossed sixes being set and threw out $44 inside. Next roll, seven out.
Stayed at that table for one more roll, seven showed again, and I hopped to the next table – which had just opened and was empty.
Took up a position to the right of stick, dice came to me. Using the crossed sixes with the 5/4 up I established 9 as the point. Immediately repeated the 9 – one of my signature numbers. Next roll reestablished the 9 as point. Then it repeated again. That’s four nines in a roll. Next come out roll – seven. Next come out roll – seven again. Two winners -but I wasn’t real happy about that. Don’t like to see that number unless I’m setting for it – which I wasn’t. I turned my dice set over with the 2/3 up and threw to the opposite corner of the table. Point is 10. I continued to throw all around the 10 for fifteen minutes or so – scoring a couple of hits on the 5, 6, and 9 – which I had placed – but also throwing a lot of trash. Sevened out without making the 10 – but I had recouped my previous losses plus a small win.
The other end of the table had filled up – and produced three consecutive seven outs. Back on my end – one good shooter (the crosses sixes setter) followed by two bad. Then Black Cloud showed up and bought in for a hundred or so.
I know Frank tends to throw craps numbers with his set, but I did not hedge the first bet. Fortunatly, he got up on a point. His second number, however, was a three-craps. I decided to look for a repeater and tossed out a $4 horn. Call was 2 craps and I’m a $27 winner. Thought about parlaying it, chickened out and pressed it to $8 and he throws it again. $54 bucks more. Then he makes his pass! I’m thinking maybe the black cloud got left at home.
A little more minor action before Frank sevens out – and the dice come to me. Feeling cocky after my first good roll, I toss, get a point of eight, play $25 odds, then place $32 inside and the hard 8 and 10. Second roll – seven out. So much for getting cocky – and so much for that horn money I won on Frank’s shooting.
Two losers in a row and I’ve got to go. Switched tables just in time. Caught two good shooters followed by six bad ones. One of these bad ones was a lady I KNOW to be one of the best, most consistent controlled rollers in the Shreveport/Bossier market. She just couldn’t make it happen today. Finally, the dice go back to good shooter number one – who is sitting down while shooting – and gets the dice and keeps them. This guy scores three passes over about a half hour. The game was moving pretty slow because he had a routine. Get the dice. Set and stack the dice. Stop. Take a drag off the cigarette. Put the cigarette down. Pick up a bottle and take a sip of beer. Set down the bottle. Make a comical remark to the other players. Pick up the dice. Throw the dice. Same routine every toss. Now this guy got away with half a dozen or more rolls that barely got past the stick man. Box gave no heat other than to say, “Gonna have to get the coach out to show you how.” or “Gonna have to go to the weight room and work on that arm.” Pretty much making a point with a joke.
Anyway, I ended up with all the numbers covered and ultimately left $110 on the table when the seven showed, but had managed (through conservative hit, press, hit regress) strategy to lock up a $240 win. It would have been much more if I’d had the bankroll to get in the game, but you guys know that drill. Chirstmas is ‘a coming.
Anyway, scored a $30 comp on top of the win, bid farewell to the Black Cloud, who looked to be down a few bucks, but holding his own. Grabbed a steak dinner at Oak Creek, took my cheesecake desert to go and bailed. Classic hit and run strategy.
Total time in casino: 1hr. 50 min.
Total time in cafe: 45 min.
Initial buy in: $260
Color up: $500
Win: $240
Comp: $30
Total total: $270
AIW (average initial wager): $39
LSO (longest string of 7 outs): 4
LSP (longest string of passes): 4
All of the good shooters were dice setters, but all dice setters were not good shooters.
Overall it was choppy, but proper conservative play allowed positioning to take advantage of plus streaks. However, the game could have been profitable from the don’t side as well with proper strategy.
That’s it. The whole thing. Warts and all.
Happy trails.
Heavy Goes Back to Bossier – 10/2001
Well, I decided to take a little full moon run over to the boats today and found myself playing a little follow the trend action at the shoe when up steps my old friend, Jack. He’d been there two nights and said he’d had two good days and one bad. Clearly I’d gotten there on the bad one, and was having the same kind of day as him. He noted my big $5 DP action and decided to join the game. It was not particularly pretty. Lots of chop and a lot of negative energy from the far end of the table. A couple of guys who had won big earlier (one had had a 50 minute roll according to the stick) but had clearly watched it go south on them. Anyway, I hit my loss limit after about two hours play (I’d been playing over an hour when Jack found me) so I elected to make a coupon run and try to find something happening at another casino.
Over to the Isle of Capri for some minor action. I may have mentioned this particular player before – I don’t know his name but I know he is a retired attorney from the Shreveport area. He is in poor health and his nurse brings him to the table in a wheel chair. He is always accompanied by two young women who we will assumer are his neices – they certainly seem to have a great affection for the old gentleman. Anyway, here’s the deal. It appears he bankrolls the nurse and the “neices” – who are all fairly accomplished dice setters. His bets – $25 on the line. $500 odds. AND a $100 eleven/twelve split (he used to play a hundred each, but has backed down in recent years). Okay, stage is set. So all of these ladies are setting for the eleven/twelve, using either the in-line sixes (nurse) or the crossed sixes set with the 5/4 facing down table (neices). And throwing it they were. Many twelves were seen – each one kicking off $1450 for the old gent – who promptly locked up the $1400 and “tipped” the nurse/neice the $50 for throwing it. Soooooo, the dice go to nurse, then neice, then the other neice, then the old gent (who promptly goes point-seven) then travel to the fat boy.
Who promptly sets the dice the same way, plays five on the line plus a world and high/low. First throw – 12. Pays me $55 for the world/high/low. Pays the kindly gent $1450. But wait! Where’s my fifty dollar tip? Ooops, I guess he forgot. So I throw the eleven. Which pays me nine bucks bonus money and generates another $700 for the old duffer. No tip there either. Okay, enough of that. After all – a tip like that must be earned, right? I’ll do a lot of things for fifty bucks, but I figure his neices are doing a lot more.
So I get a point of eight, throw the dice a dozen times or so, kick off another twelve and two more elevens, and make my pass. Okay, I’ve made a hundred and a eighty or so – and the guy in the wheelchair has made about five grand. I’m happy for him. Really.
So I go on to make another pass. And another pass. And another pass. In fact, I make five passes including a hard four (yep, he had $500 behind the line – I had $5) AND included at least six twelves and eight elevens – and (God bless him) when the shoot is over the old bastard colors up close to $20,000 (and paid off a $6000 marker).
And as his ladies are rolling him out of the casino the dealer says to me, “If you had tits he’d have tipped you a thousand dollars.”
And I think there’s probably something to that.
Oh well. I had a good time, a good shoot, and got a great story out of the deal. AND I recouped all but $50 of my earlier losses. Throw in a dinner comp and I’m damn near even. Not a bad day all in all.
Jack – I hope you got out of town with gas money.
