submitted by hh
From time to time just about every accomplished dice setter gives thought to turning pro. Can it be done? Unquestionably. If a player has sufficient bankroll, money management and discipline skills. But when I look at my circle of acquaintances who play the game for a living, I don’t find many skilled dice setters. In fact, for the most part, these guys won’t even touch the dice. Why? Because they are all dark siders.
One guy is a retired home builder from Plano, Texas. I used to see him at the Horseshoe in Bossier all the time – always the same play. I’ve posted it many times, and some folks think it is of my own invention. It’s not. He plays a $25 Don’t Pass. $3 hop sevens. $1 eleven. If he gets up on a point he waits for a decision – no odds on anything except the four or ten.
If the DP gets knocked off by the 7 or 11 he parlays the first hit and replaces the line bet. He continues to parlay hits for at least 3 hits before taking it down. So a $3 hop seven hit parlays to $15, which parlays to $75, which parlays to $375 and down.
I asked him about it one time and he asked me how many times I’d seen a guy throw three sevens in a row on the come out. At least once a day when I’m playing. He nodded and said, “There you go.” Anyway, I stepped up to a table in Vegas about 2 years ago and there he was – playing the same strategy as always.
“Hey, Gene,” I said. “What the hell are you doing out here?”
“Making a living,” he said. “Playing full time and working the grind.”
Another guy I know – a retired music promoter – approaches the don’ts by laying $41 no four on the come out to hedge a $25 Don’t Pass. Then he picks up the no-four bet and lays single odds. Like the construction guy, this fellow sticks with one bet per shooter. But this guy will increase his odds bet one unit with every win – looking for a streak of seven outs. If he loses on a bet then he reverts back to single odds on his next play.
Last of all is a guy from over close to Ft. Worth. This fellow could retire and play full time anytime he wants to. He has made a fortune in the restaurant business. His sons run the business now, but he is in the kitchen every day – overseeing operations. Like the other players I mentioned, Jack is a very patient grinder. But instead of looking for hot or cold trends at the table, he limits his action to certain shooters.
We were comparing notes on our don’t play over at Casino Magic one night when he mentioned that he liked to see a shooter handle the dice a couple of times before he put any money on the layout. He charts for players who consistently go point-seven – and makes the majority of his plays when these shooters have the dice. He was the first one to introduce me to the idea of charting shooters as well as table trends. It ain’t a bad way to play.
All of these guys have three things in common. They are betting at the $25 level or above. They limit the number of bets they have on any one shooter. And they are satisfied with regular small wins.
They are all grinding it out. It is not a very exciting way to play. They are not living some romantic lifestyle of the rich and famous. They’re living at the dark end of the street.
It’s not that bad of a neighborhood.
