These are NOT Commandments, but they’ll keep you out of Craps HELL!
Taking part in the casino experience can sure seem like HEAVEN to some people.
- You can play in exotic locales like Vegas, St. Maarten, Australia, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Aruba or Lake Tahoe if you choose.
- You can eat at some of the best restaurants in the world like Renoir at Mirage, Picasso at Bellagio, and Scheharazade at Taj Mahal if you choose.
- You can stay in some of the finest suites that would normally be found only in royal palaces or at a sultan’s retreat if you choose.
- You can dress like a movie star…and act like one. Wear shiny micro-fiber pants and mingle with the rock stars at the Hard Rock Casino, or don a tuxedo to mix with celebrities at a fund-raising gala in Mandalay Bay. Wear an Armani suit and glad-hand the titans of business at the Venetian, or show up in jeans and a golf shirt to relax at a private Mirage pool-side party if you choose.
Taking part in the casino experience can sure seem like HELL to some people.
- They go to their local casino, grunt at their friends and sneer at their supposed enemies. They’ll blame the dealer, the dice, the other players, and their lumbago; but they sure won’t take any responsibility for their failures whether in the casino or in life.
- They eat at the same buffet or coffee-shop and never forget to stiff the waitress. They swear that this is the worst food available and will never eat in that joint again. But they’ll gladly wave their comp to that same place under your nose the very next day.
- They play at the same table, with the same method that almost never works, and they never forget to stiff the dealers. They say this casino has the coldest dice going…but their “system” is geared for a super-hot “endless-roll” craps table. Go figure!
- After losing for the umpteenth time, their self-esteem erodes even further and is matched by their dark “walking-dead” mood. Since they figure that things have got to turn around eventually, they take the rent money and plunk it down on one last-ditch mega-bet on “any craps”.
The choice between casino heaven and hell is really yours to make.
It depends on you. Your individual hopes, dreams, aspirations, ego, your ability to handle success and failure, and of course, your bankroll are a part of it. All of these things are yours to control.
I have been playing craps since the mid-’70’s, and I’ve been playing it professionally for nine years. For the last seven years, my sole source of income has been entirely derived from craps. My yearly income in that period has never dipped below $100,000, and I have been fortunate in the last four years to have enjoyed an annual income several times that base. I state that not to brag, but merely to use as a reference point or foundation upon which I can comment.
How do we increase the enjoyment of the casino experience?
- Start with a Bankroll that is big enough for your bets, and that will endure the swings that occur in a normal game.
- Choose a playing strategy that best fits your budget and temperament.
- Accept small losses, and don’t turn them into larger ones.
- An unbroken string of one small win does NOT make a trend.
- Never play if you are tired, aggravated, feel negative or are using “scared” money.
- Profit and loss almost always hinge on your decision of what to bet and when to quit.
- Bad attitude or clouded judgement can jumble the minds of otherwise proficient players. Keep a good attitude and always try to turn it into a great one.
- Leave the alcohol for other social occasions or for a “night-cap”. Friends don’t let friends play drunk.
- Add to profit by using Match-Play Coupons. If a friend handed you $10 to wager on any even-money bet, would you take it? Lots of casinos give these away every day.
- Use a Money Management plan that actually works.
- Learn all of the rules of the game and understand what the percentages really mean.
- Study the flow of the game and see how various Methods fit into that flow.
- Understand how Betting progressions affect bankroll swings. Understand how alternate betting progressions affect the magnitude and direction of the swings that can happen, and follow strategies that fit with your goals and resources.
- Make believe it’s REAL money. Never forget that those chips that you toss around so easily today can be tomorrows’ extra pocket money. It is real money, and the casino wants you to lose sight of that fact.
- Every System works when you are lucky. Have a Playbook and use various Methods to fit different situations and opportunities as they arise.
- Learn Precision-Shooting or only play when you know other Precision-Shooters will be at your table. That single factor determines long-term winning at craps. Nothing else!
- Don’t Be a Good Player but a Bad Gambler. A good player knows how to optimize the outcome of a bet. A bad gambler is ignorant of the influence betting practices have on chances of walking away with a profit.
- Play at the casinos with the best playing conditions for your approach, and where they appreciate your level of play. Comps add value to the casino experience, but shouldn’t add to the cost of playing. Instead, comps should offset and soften occasional losses and add pleasure and enjoyment to consistent profits.
- Stay focused. Always see the “big picture”, but don’t let small details or mistakes trip you up. If your head isn’t in the game, then your wallet shouldn’t be there either!
- Be a happy, secure, confident, and powerful player. Do not let a temporary set-back phase you or distract you from your objective.
- Set a Loss Limit and stick to it. Ratchet up winnings, and lock-in profits. Set win-plateaus and do not let profit slip below these benchmarks.
- Be brutally honest with yourself, and do not delude yourself. This is GAMBLING!
You’ll notice that I didn’t number these items. I definitely don’t want someone saying “Hey Mad Professor, I just broke Commandment #5, how many prayers should I say as penance?” As a friend once told me “…some people make the same kind of critical mistakes over and over and over again, and no amount of novenas will help them.”
Most players are in a kind of Craps Purgatory. They aren’t bad enough to be cast into the eternal damnation of Craps Hell, but they are still seeking the righteous path to get to the pearly gates of Craps Heaven.
Good Luck & Good Skill at the Tables…and in Life.
By: The Mad Professor
