“You say po-TAY-toe, I say po-TAH-toe… let’s call the whole thing off..”
Several people who have visited the site, have sent e-mail asking “What’s the difference between dice setting, rhythm rolling and precision shooting?” I’ve been a bit evasive in my answers to them for several reasons. One being, if I draw hard and fast rules as to what I see as what constitutes a dice setter versus a rhythm roller versus a precision shooter, then we will further dilute what is already a minority group of craps players. Secondly, if I define each of these groups, I’ll probably have to go back and make major changes to my website, changing button labels and rewriting copy. Lastly, I didn’t want to get into esoteric debates over this, splitting hairs over semantics. If you have a difference in opinion with what I have to say here, I’ll be happy to hear it, and I’ll even consider it, but frankly, as the saying goes, I have bigger fish to fry.
As I see it….
Can one be a rhythm roller and not a dice setter? Can one be a dice setter and not a rhythm roller or a precision shooter? Can one be a precision shooter and not be EITHER a dice setter or a rhythm roller? These are not exactly questions which keep philosophers awake at night but I’ll try my best to modestly break them into three definitions.
Dice Setting: From my main setting page, I quote myself, “Dice setting is the process of positioning and tossing the dice in craps to alter the frequency table of certain numbers appearing.” Think of a baseball pitcher. He adjusts the ball, spinning it in his hand so that the seams are just in the right position. He then modifies his grip depending on his intention. Will it be a curve ball, fastball or slider? What a dice setter does is precisely the same thing. A setter will arrange the horizontal and vertical surfaces of the dice and will grip the dice in a precise way. THAT is a dice setter! How he or she throws the dice after that point is the determining factor as to whether this dice setter is a precision shooter.
Rhythm Rolling: Have you ever seen someone, average looking, not dressed in any unusual manner, but you can’t take your eyes off of them? Their style, the way they walk, the way they carry themself just so. A certain je ne sais quoi. THAT is the impression that a rhythm roller leaves you with. A rhythm roller handles the dice with care, tosses them softly with grace, with the same arc and trajectory every toss. Frank Scoblete, in his books speaks about intentional and accidental rhythm rollers. Some people have developed their throwing style after many years of playing craps, others throw the dice with style and rhythm naturally. Either way, watching a rhythm roller with a unique style is a joy to behold. Rhythm rolling in and of itself can be mutually exclusive of dice setting and precision rolling OR if you combine a true rhythm roller with a true dice setter,
you get a…
Precision Shooter: A precision shooter combines all of the characteristics of both a dice setter and a rhythm roller, blends them together into an amalgamation of knowledge, efficiency, grace, style and most importantly results at the table. A precision shooter knows which pre set to use for a specific desired outcome. He knows where the sweet spots are on a table and can throw the dice in such a manner that he gives you the impression that the dice are at his will. His manner is confident yet understated, smiling yet ungloating, and is always generous in his tokes to the boys.
So, where are you on this list or are you a naysayer? If you don’t believe in any of this, I guarantee that some time in the future you’ll reconsider the possibility. You’ll be standing at a craps table, the dice will be passed to someone who will pick them up and toss them, and suddenly you’ll KNOW you’re experiencing a rare occurrence, A Rhythm Roller is on the line.
