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The
Dog’s Mailbag
E-mail.
I get tons of it. Most of it is
CRAP… um I mean SPAM. If you post your
email address anywhere on the web, there are people who run scanning software which picks
up your address and adds it to assorted spam lists.
So, if you decide to post your own web site, you’ll have all the credit
card and porn offers you’d EVER want.
On the other hand. I get a lot of good questions. Some of which I’ve included here.
are a few more
inquiries that I recently received.
| Q: |
Are you and the
Mad Professor really the same person? |
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| A: |
No. Though I wish I had his bankroll! |
| Q: |
You and the people
who visit your site are SO full of shit! |
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(O.K. So it’s not really a question, but I thought I'd include
it anyway.) |
| A: |
I DO question why
someone would take the time and energy to e-mail me if they don’t believe in dice
influencing. I guess they’ve got a lot
of free time on their hands. This is one
reason I wrote the article,
It's Not Up For
Debate. It’s also the reason I rarely post on other
message boards or on the rec.gambling.craps newsgroup.
When it comes to precision shooting, if you don’t get it, you don’t get
it and there’s no point in trying to convince you. |
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| Q: |
You’ve
said you don’t use backspin while some shooters say they use some backspin while
OTHER shooters say they use a lot of backspin. Which
way is best? |
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| A: |
There
is no one BEST way. Each shooter will develop
their own style. You are correct. I throw a
knuckleball. The reason I don’t use
backspin is that I found it very difficult to impart the same amount of backspin every
throw. This is the inherent problem with
throwing with a backspin. The way most
shooters impart backspin is with a “wrist flick”.
It is very difficult to “flick” the dice with the same amount of
energy each throw. If you are going to impart
backspin, I would recommend that you grip the dice higher up near the top edge of the
dice, and use a big follow through in place of the “wrist flick”. This way you can keep your wrist stiff. By removing that additional movement from your
throw, you are more likely to have success re-creating the same throw each time. |
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As far as the amount of
backspin, I can only speak to my theory on backspin.
The reason most people use backspin is to stop or slow the forward motion
(energy) of the dice as they travel toward the back wall.
The other reason shooters use backspin is as a way to assist with keeping
the dice “on axis” . The problem is
if you impart too much backspin, combined with the wrong angle of impact, you may actually
be adding energy, causing the dice to JUMP when they land on the table. If you have a lot of dice scatter when you throw,
this is most likely the cause. (see the
Precision
Shooter's Dictionary if
you don’t know what dice scatter is) Our goal is to impart as little energy as
possible on the dice to get them to the end of the table.
The shooters that I’ve seen use a lot of backspin most successfully throw the
dice high whereas I, with my knuckleball throw, keep the dice low.
You can see there are
several means to an end here and many things having to do with dice influencing, come down
to personal choice, trial and error, and practice.
(Note: Keep an eye out for
an upcoming roundtable on backspin!)
| Q: |
If you’re such a master of dice setting, why
don’t you quit your job and play professionally? |
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| A: |
I hope I have never
given the impression that I’m a “master” of dice setting. The reason I created the site was to build a
community of like minded players to share ideas and techniques. I still have a lot of room to grow. Not a week goes by that I don’t learn
something about influencing the dice which is why I still enjoy it so much! As far as the job goes, I’m paid very well
for what I do Monday through Friday. I also
get easily burned out in a casino, and generally never spend more than two hours at the
tables at any given time. |
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| Q: |
Do you play any other casino games other
than craps? |
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| A: |
Rarely. I’m a mediocre BJ player. I have lousy luck at slot machines. Baccarat is really the only other game that
intrigues me in the casino. I just
haven’t had the time to really research the game that much. (I’ve been a bit busy with this web site
project I have called dicesetter.com) |
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| Q: |
I’ve tried
different shooting styles. I’ve tried
yours and Mad Professor’s and have had only limited success. What gives? |
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| A: |
If
I tried to shoot like Mad Professor, I’D have limited success… and probably
vice-versa. Each dice influencer needs to
find his or her own “uniqueness”. There
is no ONE right way to grip the dice, there is no ONE right way to throw, there is no ONE
correct dice set. On the web site, we share
our styles as a jumping off point. As a new
precision shooter, you need to find what is comfortable and works for you as an
individual…. And most of all, PRACTICE. |
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| Q: |
I’m just
starting out with precision shooting. How long will it take to perfect my shooting skills? |
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| A: |
PERFECT? In other words, so that you never seven out? There is no perfection in precision shooting. You should aspire to be perfect of course, but it
is a constantly evolving skill. What I think
you’re really asking is “How long until I’ll reap some rewards for learning
to influence the dice?” and there’s no easy answer for that. Some site visitors have had success after only a
few months of intensive practice. Other
visitors struggle for months. I would say, on
average, with practice, you will reach a good level of consistency after a year. If you have strong knowledge of the game and good
money management skills, you will also reap rewards during that first year. |
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I hope you’ve enjoyed a peek into the dog’s email box. Keep those questions and comments coming!
~woof~
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