| Volume 13 : Issue 9 | |
| In This Edition: | Soft Touch Says Shooting at 45º… Who Ya Gonna Call? |
Hello again everyone. Somebody put the brakes on old engine #2013. It seems as though I was just wishing y’all a happy and prosperous New Year. My goodness, I feel like Dorothy waking up from her Kansas trip. Was it just a dream? I think I read somewhere that the world is spinning just a bit faster. Causing shorter days and longer nights. Oh well, at least we still have Las Vegas where the lights are always on. Speaking of which, for those of you planning a Las Vegas holiday vacation, this is one of my preferred times of the year to visit. After Thanksgiving and before December 23, the City of Dreams is a wonderful… well, wonderland. The halls are decked in boughs of holiday spirit, but the swam of gamblers has yet to arrive. It is kind of like being in the calm before the storm. Looking at the calendar for this year, the 20th may be the start of holiday arrivals. Just the same, if it fits for your schedule, I recommend a holiday trip before the actual holiday. Happy Thanksgiving and Peace on Earth!
Soft Touch
Shooting at 45º
Ed, I’ve built a practice rig as I live near Mohegan Sun Casino. I understand dice setting, but I need one question answered. When throwing dice, to maintain a 45 degree launch, would you say height of throw is height of arm cushions or lower. Thanks, Art / Taftville, CT
Hi Art,
The angle of assent should be from the layout surface. Shooting off the deck gives you several benefits. Just a few listed here.
- You have a consistent starting point. A consistent point of reference .
- No matter what position you are shooting from, you are always starting from the table surface. Establishes consistency with your form.
- You shoot from an anchored position. Important for hand, eye coordination.
- Once you are dialed in, you can use the same location to begin your toss.
- You can observe the alignment of the dice, each time, before shooting.
- You can make last second adjustments if needed.
- You can move your launch point forward or backward in most shooting positions. (Shooting from table end has some restrictions)
- From an anchored starting point, you have more control of the rest of your arm. (hand, wrist, elbow, and shoulder)
Art., you did not ask, and not to confuse you here, if the 45º toss is working for you, that’s great. Keep doing it. I do not consider the degree of arc when I toss. Table conditions vary and dice react differently to various toss techniques. Forty-five degrees may be too steep and too long of a drop for example. When shooting closer to the back wall, a lower trajectory can achieve a softer shot and landing with the dice, for example. From table end, you have to have more energy on the dice to get them all the way down to the back wall. See, two different distances and two different tosses? You need to be able to make adjustments to the table conditions. Read some of the articles here at DS.com. Also, I listed some others to read, below.
Last thing, it is also important for you to observe how your dice fly in the air. If they are not parallel and not together… that’s how they will land.
Best to you,
Ed Jones
https://www.playing4keeps.com/Articles/Craps/dice.influencing.htm
https://www.playing4keeps.com/Articles/Craps/eye.on.the.ball.htm
https://www.playing4keeps.com/Articles/Craps/advantage.rules.htm
Art’s Comment
Hey Ed, thanks so much for your personal response….about dice launch angle…you’ve won me to you’re site above all others. I live two minutes from Mohegan Sun Casino in Connecticut. I have been practicing with my rig a couple of hours a night for a month now. I’m a long time craps player and loser. Almost no one sets the dice here. I went over the other night just to observe the game. Most shooters just grabbed the dice, shook’em, and promptly sevened out!! I’ve had many rolls of 20’s, 30’s, and a monster of 52 rolls on my practice table. I think I’ll try it for real next week. I’m tired of casinos taking my money. Art / Taftville, CT
