Please remember! These are archives! The Dice Setter message board was shut down. What is published here are just a few of the threads documenting the early days of dice setting strategies and opinions written by the pioneers of dice influencing.
radman19
I’ve been having success shooting with the diagonal grip, gripping the dice on the corners.
When I put a lot of backspin on, the dice come out very nice and stay close/on axis, rotate together, etc…
When I take the backspin off though, the dice aren’t as true…Any suggestions?
Also, I’ve been getting into the grip using 2 hands…is there any strategy someone can recommend on how to pick up the dice? The best I’ve done is putting the distal 1/3rd of my middle finger on the seam between dice, pushing them so that the corner’s up, then placing the remaining fingers, but sometimes they come undone during the grip…anyone have success with diagonal shooting?
Lastly, a money issue. I’m a college student (on full scholarship luckily) but costs are starting to pile up. I’m guess up to 75 dollars on practice rig, 5 bucks on dice, thinking about 31 on Yuri’s book (is the book worth it? I’m find sharpshooters less and less appealing)….well over 100. I guess with proper practice, i can pay for it in a few winning sessions…any comments?
Jeffrey47
Rad:
I read as much of everything I can, but I’m a working professional person, have always had a pretty extensive gambling library (since MY college years) and don’t mind paying for books on most any subject I’m interested in.
As for you, since money’s a big issue, the simple truth is there is enough material just on this site to keep you in study for months. Read the posts, but especially, read all the articles by Mad Professor, Irish, MickeyD, etc. etc.
After you’ve absorbed that, read it all again. It just gets more enlightening the second time through. If you’ve got Sharpshooter’s book, that’s fine. But IMHO Irish and MP have a certain je ne sais quois in their philosophy that is better suited to we average folk. But all the information is helpful as long as you keep it all in proper perspective, and ask a lot of questions along the way, as you clearly are willing to do.
Largely it’s about practice and honesty in grappling with the many problems involved in achieving real success. And more practice.
PS As a college student, you might consider whether you have the time for what is required. My recollection of college is that there is no way I had sufficient free time to have expended what is necessary in these pursuits, kept my girlfriends in line, and yet to have made the grades at school all at the same time. You may have enough on your plate.
Perspective, man, perspective.
BBMW
I liked the Yuri book better than the Sharpshooter book. It as more nuts and bolts and a bit clearer. That being said, I don’t agree with everything in it. But it is quite useful.
However, you have a bigger issue. If a hundred bucks for training material is a stretch, coming up with a decent gambling bankroll is going to be a much bigger problem. Depending on where you play, you may need a few hundred, and since you’re just starting out, you need to be prepared to lose it.
The Man In Black
TO: radman19
Here is how I grip the dice in a diagonal grip (right handed):
1. Set the dice as you normally do next to each other on the table.
2. Place the side of your index finger on the left side of the dice while simultaneously placing your ring finger on the right side of the dice.
3. Now take your middle finger and place it on the center of the dice set while at the same time placing your thumb at the back.
4. Now pick up the dice gripped and rearrange your index finger and ring finger on top next to your middle finger, while still holding the dice with your middle finger and thumb.
I hope this made sense. I’ll get a digital camera one of these days…
Sparky
Wow ! A picture would be worth a thousand words. This sounds like something I could use. It might help since I am a woman and this might be easier with short nails. I hate to make them too short ! I think some of the other women said that they use this grip.
radman19
Man in Black! Thanks for the advice! I never thought of using my ring/index finger in order to stabilize the dice.
I just tried it right now on my computer desk, and it seemed to help a great deal. We’ll see at practice later…Thanks for the tip!
MickeyD
Here’s how I like to pick up the diagonal grip:
Warning: This will actually be alot easier to accomplish, than it is to explain it! So hang in there!
Set the dice side by side, as MIB said, in one movement, place the middle finger on the seam of the dice at the top, front edge of the dice and place the thumb on the top, back edge of the dice also on the seam. Now you slide the middle finger down until the finger tip touches the table top. This should be just as the first joint of the middle finger is reaching the top front edge of the dice. The thumb hasn’t moved yet!
You’re now ready to make the magic move!
At this point you’ll be touching the dice with the middle finger, just below the first joint, and the thumb. The middle finger tip will actually not even be touching the dice and kind of pointing away from them!
Now you just very simply rock the dice back on their lower back edge. The lower front edge will now come up off the table top.
Now you bring the finger tip of the middle finger in contact with the lower front edge of the dice as you roll the dice back toward the thumb and, WHA-LA….
You will have yourself one nifty, two finger diagonal grip.
If the dice seperate while you’re doing this you can then push them back together using your index finger and pinkie!
Now……you can leave the grip like that or add the index and ring fingers to the lower front edge of the dice and you’ll have a very nice, text book, four fingered diagonal grip that even your mom would be proud of!!
Caution: If you use this set up, make sure the three fingers in front are even across the fingers tips!
Here’s the next big bonus!!! You can throw the dice with backspin by holding them palm down or you can turn your hand palm up and make a toss that will have top spin!
Two tosses for the price of one! What a deal!!!
Like I said, this grip is actually a lot easier to do than the length of words and time it takes to explain it.
It’s like learning to drive a stick shift. It’s hard as hell until you make that first smooth, unjerky clutch release! Then it’s like you’ve been doing it your whole life!!
Give it a go and let us know how it works!
The Man In Black
I think MickeyD brought up a grip I have adapted myself – the 2 finger diagonal grip. I pick up the dice the same way, but do not reposition my index and ring fingers next to my middle finger. Instead, I simply hold the dice on the edges where the two dice come together with my middle and thumb fingers.
One disadvantage of this that I have come across is that you do not get extra backspin with the toss if you had the three fingers on top. However, one advantage I have found is that you can very easily throw the dice with no spin, and can in fact have minimal dice dancing off the wall when they hit.
Any hoot, y’all give that one a try and see how it agrees with ya’.
Jeffrey47
Rather than leave you just wondering. . .
Try going to the non-bulletin board pages of this site and just read, read, read, and read some more. Irishsetter has a page of illustrated grips, and many articles. Mad Professor’s articles (extensive, you could spend weeks just perusing his stuff) are as good as anything ever written on this topic, probably the best, period. Others have contributed valuable information.
By the way,
I misspoke. Irish’s illustrations are of SETS, not grips, and sets are what you’d wondered about. (my mistake) But Irish does have one page with illustrations of his own grip!
Enjoy and learn.
