Testing the notion that “precision shooters” can gain an edge at the craps tables

By Frank Scoblete

So is there a way to truly test whether someone has the ability to throw the dice in a way that changes the odds of a craps game to give them the edge? The simple answer is “yes.”

How To Win Shooting Craps At The Casino

The concept of dice control at the craps tables—also known as precision shooting or rhythmic rolling—is perhaps the game’s most controversial topic. Can a shooter actually change the odds of a craps game with his throwing technique?

This practice was introduced to the modern casino world by the late, legendary Captain from Atlantic City, who believed that certain shooters, the special few he called “rhythmic rollers,” could change the nature of the game from random to controlled. When I met him in the late 1980s, he had developed a complete concept of a controlled shot’s nature.

If you place 6, for example, you win if the shooter rolls a 6, but lose if a 7 comes first. No other numbers matter. The lowest house edge comes if you place 6 or 8. Other numbers have higher edges. These are some of the best bets at craps and are described in detail, along with other wagers and their house edges, elsewhere in the guide. The simplest, most fundamental bet in the game of craps, the pass bet, is also one of the very safest, with a low house edge of 1.41%. Pass bets pay even money - in other words, if you bet $10, you win $10. With a pass bet, if the come out roll is 7 or 11, you win, while if the come out roll is 2, 3, or 12, you lose. First, the table minimum at Shoot to Win Craps is $5, and possibly less. At a real craps table, minimums can be much more, especially on the Las Vegas Strip. There’s still a learning curve with Shoot to Win Craps, but the game provides convenient information about both the basics of craps and how betting works on the Shoot to Win Craps game.

The controlled shooters he was interested in set the dice a certain way (please note: simply setting the dice is not dice control), gripped the dice a certain way, and threw the dice in a soft arc with backspin. He felt these shooters changed the odds of the game to favor the players on certain bets. This would classify them as “advantage players”—similar to card counters at the blackjack tables—because they possess an advantage over the house.

The Shoot to Win Craps machine can accommodate up to 50 seats to meet the casino’s needs (if the casino finds that the game successfully exceeds their profit goal, they can add more seats to increase their profits). Craps rules determine how a typical round of dice shooting happens. Craps rules are easy to learn, though the game has a lot of slang and terminology which might cause issues for beginners. Craps also has a lot of different bets, so a tutorial is needed when learning to play craps.

While the Captain was a superb shooter, perhaps the greatest controlled shooter I ever saw was a woman known as “The Arm.” I was fortunate to play alongside both of them for over a decade.

Still, many traditional gambling writers, players and casino executives claim there is no such thing as a controlled shooter. Indeed, when Golden Touch shooters (www.goldentouchcraps.com) come to a table, some box personnel and/or floor people will make it a point to tell such shooters, “You know, that thing (or dice control) doesn’t work. You can’t win that way.”

This is in itself a strange statement, since you will never hear casino personnel say such things to random rollers; those who throw, wing, loft, fling, heave or bounce the dice down the table. Obviously, random rollers have no edge over the house—so why don’t the casino folks tell these shooters that what they are doing will not work?

So is there a way to truly test whether someone has the ability to throw the dice in a way that changes the odds of a craps game to give them the edge? The simple answer is “yes.”

Every single player who has read one of my books on dice control and/or taken one of the Golden Touch dice control classes knows that incontrovertible proof for dice control exists.

There are two methods by which dice controllers (or would-be dice controllers) can prove whether they have an actual edge over the house. The first method is to keep a record of one’s SRR, which is the shooter’s seven-to-rolls ratio. In a random game of craps the SRR is 1:6; that is, over many decisions, the seven will come up once every six rolls on average.

Over many rolls, if the shooter has an SRR over 1:6, he or she can be confident that they have control. The better the SRR, the more control. Shooters will throw 10 to 20 thousand rolls before they can say with confidence that they are indeed changing the nature of the game. Some of these elite shooters actually have regulation craps tables in their homes, which they practice on.

So what kind of SRR would a student need, as a minimum, to have an edge? If you have an SRR of 1:6.3, you can overcome the house edge on certain bets. Shooters without axis-control must use the Hardways set, where the dice show hardways all around – 2:2, 3:3, 4:4 and 5:5, with the 1 and 6 being on the left and right sides, respectively.

The second method for proving you have dice control skill is to pass the SmartCraps tests. SmartCraps is a software program that analyzes throws to determine if the shooter has axis control. The SRR does not in and of itself measure axis control; in short, you do not need axis control to have an edge at the game. When you use the Hardways set, if the 1 or 6 spot shows, that is an off-axis result for that die—but one such result cannot end in a seven out.

With axis control you are shooting for certain specific numbers. For example, the use of the 3V dice set looks to hit sixes and eights. A shooter could have an SRR of 1:6, but if this shooter is hitting an inordinate percentage of sixes and/or eights despite such a low SRR, he indeed has control. My new book Cutting Edge Craps: Advanced Strategies for Serious Players explores axis control in depth—who has it, and what to do when you do have it.

The passing of either or both of these tests is flat-out verification that the shooter does have the ability to change the game. You can’t fool yourself into thinking you control the dice when your SRR shows you aren’t, or when your SmartCraps tests show you don’t have enough axis control to use sets other than the Hardway set, even if your SRR is decent.

Our Golden Touch students can test themselves. Again, you can’t con the SRR or the SmartCraps tests. Dice control is firmly proven by the players who are passing these criteria. There’s no nonsense here. You think you can control the dice? Great—test yourself and see if it’s true.

The SRR and SmartCraps tests are the be-all and end-all of proof. As for the critics, let them carp and moan and try to sell their ideas to the public. The casinos realize that this works. That’s why they tell you it doesn’t work. Thankfully, so many dice setters (as opposed to controlled shooters) exist that the casinos find it hard to see who does and who doesn’t actually have the skill to beat them.

Can dice control be proven? Certainly. In the next issue of Casino Player, I’ll discuss the real nature of the back wall pyramids and how dice really react when they bounce on the table.

Frank Scoblete’s newest books are Slots Conquest: How to Beat the Slot Machines, whichfeatures advantage-play slots; Casino Craps: Shoot to Win, which comes with a DVD showing controlled throws. Cutting Edge Craps: Advanced Strategies for Serious Players and Beat Blackjack Now are available from Amazon.com, at your favorite bookstore, or by mail order by calling 1-866-SET-DICE. You can also call that number for a free brochure.

Testing the notion that “precision shooters” can gain an edge at the craps tables.

Craps is a game that breeds plenty of hot streaks. You can go a long run when you’re the shooter and make lots of money.

But can you get hot enough to where you can make $1 million?

The answer depends upon multiple factors, including how much you’re betting, what wagers you’re placing, and what types of “odds” the casino offers (discussed later). In any case, it is theoretically possible to win seven figures through craps using a variety of methods.

Keep reading as I discuss several different ways that you can earn $1 million in profits by playing craps.

Craps offers a special proposition called“odds,” which is a bet that doesn’t feature a house edge. Instead, this wager pays at your true odds of winning.

This differs from every other the craps bet, because the rest offer payouts that are lower than your chances of winning. For example, a pass line bets pays 1:1, but it also carries 251: 224 odds.

The fact that odds wagers don’t have a house edge makes them perfect for winning a fortune. Of course, you need to know how to make these bets first.

The first thing that you have to do is place either a pass line or don’t pass line wager. These bets are both made on the “come odds” roll, when a shooter starts a new round.

A pass line wager wins on the come out when a 7 or 11 is rolled, and loses when a 2, 3, or 12 is rolled.

A point number is established when any other number is tossed on the come out. You need the point number to be tossed before a 7 in order to win your pass line bet in these situations.

Pass line wagers feature 251:244 true odds and pay at 1:1. This results in a 1.41% house edge.

A don’t pass line bet wins on the come out with a 2 or 3, loses with a 7 or 12, and pushes with a 12.

A point is established when any other number is rolled. You need a 7 to be tossed before the point in order to win.

Don’t pass line bets have 976: 949 true odds and pay at 1:1. This results in a 1.36% house edge.

It’s important to understand that you can’t make an odds bet until a point is established with your original pass line or don’t pass line wager. At this time, you can back pass line or don’t pass line with odds.

You “take odds” when betting behind pass line. Here are the payouts that you can win based on pass line point numbers:

• 2:1 payout on point numbers of 4 and 10.
• 3:2 on points of 5 and 9.
• 6:5 on points of 6 and 8.

You “lay odds” when you put odds behind a don’t pass line wager. Here are the payouts for different points:

• 1:2 payout for point numbers of 4 and 10.
• 2:3 for points of 5 and 9.
• 5:6 for points of 6 and 8.

The size of odds bet you make all depends upon the casino. It’s theoretically best to take the highest odds available, because this lowers the house edge the most.

The table below shows how much the overall house edge decreases on pass line/don’t pass line bets based on your odds:

The main problem here is that most casinos cap the odds you can take at between 3x and 5x. This makes it more difficult to win $1 million if this is your goal.

You want to find a casino that allows you bet at the highest odds available. The Cromwell in Las Vegas is the only casino that currently offers 100x odds.

You can take/lay 100x odds on wagers up to $50. This means that you can place a $5,050 wager that only has a 0.014%house edge.

You’re essentially making $5k coin flips with a casino in this scenario. You’d need to win 200 units in order to earn seven figures under these circumstances.

It’s not completely impossible to get so hot that you win 200 units in a single session. But you’ll still need some luck in order to do so.

Vegas’ Main Street Station casino offers your next best opportunity for winning bets with odds. Main Street Station allows 20x odds on wagers up to $50.

This lets you place bets worth $1,050 and face the aforementioned 0.014% house advantage. You’d need to win 1,000 units in order to make $1 million in this situation.

Again, you must get hot to reach this goal. And you need to win five times as many bets as you would at the Cromwell— although the overall betting volume would be the same.

2- Use High Roller Sway to Negotiate with Casinos

I mentioned earlier that most casinos don’t offer anywhere near 20x or 100x odds. Therefore, you’ll have a longer road to reaching $1 million without being able to wager bigger odds.

But if you’re a high roller, you may be able to negotiate with casinos for a better deal. Some gambling venues might work with you on the odds if you bet enough.

Casinos commonly offer special concessions to high rollers that they don’t otherwise to regular gamblers. If they think that your action is worth it, they may be willing to make a deal on the rules.

Chances are that you won’t convince a casino that offers 3x odds to suddenly let you bet 100x odds. But they might allow up to 10x odds.

Much of this depends upon the specific casino and how much you’re willing to bet. Assuming you can’t get stronger odds, then you may at least get a better comp deal.

While comps don’t count directly towards your bottom line, they do have value in the overall scheme of things. Getting the best in terms of fine dining, transportation, and a hotel suite all add value to your casino visits.

But rules should be your first focus if the goal is to win seven figures. Assuming you can’t negotiate for a better deal with casinos in your area, then I suggest visiting Vegas so you can have the best options.

One of the tough things about winning big in craps is that there’s no publicized advantage play method like card counting, hole carding, or shuffle tracking.

However, there are craps “experts” who claim that you can use controlled shooting (a.k.a. dice control) to win consistent profits.

Controlled shooting refers to the process of holding (a.k.a. setting) and tossing dice in the same manner every time to produce a desired result.

Dice control proponents claim that you can reduce the randomness involved in craps by working on this technique. This sounds good in theory; because it stands to reason that you could toss the dice in a certain manner with enough practice.

In reality, though, the jury is out on whether controlled shooting really works. You need to make a reasonable attempt to hit the back wall with your dice tosses, which makes it very difficult to throw in any controlled manner.

But if true, dice control would undoubtedly be the best way to make $1 million through craps. You’d gain an edge over the house and eventually reach your goal with enough play.

The goal of dice control is to improve your Sevens: Rolls Ratio (RSR), or the amount of rolls that produce a seven versus those that don’t.

A normal player tosses a 7 one out of every six times (6:1 odds). This comes from the fact that a 7 forms six of 36 possible dice combinations.

If you can roll fewer sevens then the 6:1 odds, though, then you’ll boost your chances of winning on relevant bets.

Here’s an example on how this would play out with a place 6 wager:

• The place 6 payout is 7:6.
• Your true odds of winning are 6:5 (house edge = 1.52%).
• A 6 is rolled five times for every 36 rolls (36:5) on average.
• A 7 is rolled six times for every 36 rolls (36:6) on average.
• You bet $10 every time.
• You collect $11.67 for every win.
• You win $58.35 on every 36 rolls (5 x 11.67).
• You lose $10 for each loss.
• You lose $60 on each 36 rolls (6 x 10).

You’re only $1.65 away from being breakeven in this scenario. Now, here’s a look at what happens when you improve your RSR:

• A 6 is rolled 5.5 times for every 36 rolls (36:5.5) on average.
• You bet $10 every time.
• You collect $11.67 for each win.
• You win $64.19 for every 36 rolls (5.5 x 11.67).
• You lose $60 on every 36 rolls (6 x 10).
• Your profit is $4.19.

You now have a 3.37% advantage (4.19 / 124.19) over the house by improving the frequency of your 8s by half a roll.

Dice control sounds amazing based on the theoretical advantage it can provide. But how do you get started?

Controlled shooting begins with properly setting the dice. The idea is to hold the dice the same way every time so that your tosses are consistent.

Another reason behind setting is that you want to cover up the combinations/numbers you don’t want to roll.

One of the most popular ways to hold the dice is the “V-set,” which is great for 6 and 8 place bets. Here’s how this technique works:

• 3s form a V at the top (improves chances of tossing 6).
• 5 and 1 are side by side and exposed (also good for 6).
• 2 and 6 are side by side and exposed (improves chances of tossing 8).
• 4 and 4 are side by side and exposed (also good for 6).

The final step is to practice your sets and dice toss consistently so that your skills improve. When throwing the dice, you want them to lightly kiss off the back wall in order to reduce randomness.

Dice control experts contend that this practice is similar to a baseball player perfecting their swing or basketball player honing their jump shot.

If you don’t have enough room/money for a regulation craps table, then you can rig up your own at home to practice. Most experts recommend that you practice for a few hours every day for at least six months before mastering the art.

But it’s only worth practicing if you actually believe that controlled shooting works in the first place. Unfortunately, there’s little hard evidence to suggest that it does.

The biggest problem with dice control is that we don’t have any great examples of successful pros who’ve made a fortune with this technique. Contrast this to card counting, which features stories of the MT Blackjack Team, Ed Thorp, Al Francesco, and many more.

4- Cheat with Dice Sliding

If you’re looking for a guaranteed way to beat craps, then dice sliding is the answer. The only problem, though, is that this technique is illegal.

Nevertheless, dice sliders have made a fortune in the casino. This makes it a great way to earn $1 million provided you don’t get caught.

Best Way To Win Shooting Craps For Beginners

Dice sliding begins with putting the number combination you want upright (e.g. two 3s facing the ceiling). The goal is to slide the dice down the felt while keeping the upright combination intact.

Casinos are fully aware of this strategy and have banned sliding. Moreover, using this technique is considered illegal in every gambling jurisdiction.

Given the cheating and legal ramifications of dice sliding, you can’t let the dealer see you do it. This is why many sliders work as a team, with one player distracting the dealer while the other slides dice down the table.

It’s hard enough to pull this technique off without the dealer seeing you. But you also have to worry about surveillance catching you, especially as management become suspicious when you continue winning.

Nevertheless, it is possible to win big with dice sliding assuming you have the skills and a good plan.

Two Argentine gamblers named Veronica Dabul and Leo Fernandez used dice sliding to win $700,000 off the Wynn Las Vegas in 2011. But the duo was eventually arrested and later sued by the Wynn.

Obviously the end result was bad for Dabul and Fernandez. But their $700k profit shows the potential that dice sliding offers.

Everything I’ve discussed up to this point involves seeking special conditions or using specific techniques to win. But you can also simply rely on getting lucky to earn$1 million.

The best way to make this happen is by going on a long roll, where you keep tossing the dice without crapping out.

You’ll of course also want to make larger bets in order to capitalize. It also helps if you make the highest odds bets offered at the table.

What’s exciting about craps is that anybody can get lucky and go on a hot streak. A New Jersey grandmother named Patricia Demauro experienced this exact scenario when she rolled the dice 154 straight times without sevening out.

What’s amazing about Demauro’s story is that she broke the world record for longest consecutive craps round in just her second time playing the game.

She was at the casino with her friend and began playing penny slots while he was in the poker room. Demauro grew bored of slots after a while and asked her friend to show her a new game.

They started playing around 8:00pm, shortly before Demauro got the chance to roll. Little did she know that she’d be tossing the dice for the next four hours.

A crowd gathered around the table as she kept rolling and winning. Soon, many gamblers were betting on her rolls.

It’s unclear exactly how much money Demauro won. Time estimates that she would’ve earned six figures had she merely been making the table’s minimum bet.

The only downside to Demauro’s story is that it’s unlikely to be repeated any time soon. The odds of rolling dice 154 consecutive times without sevening out are 1 in 1.56 trillion.

Nevertheless, it’s not impossible to make a lot of money by combining big bets and several smaller win streaks throughout a session.

Conclusion

You can see that there’s no foolproof way to win $1 million in craps. But there are several routes you can go in order to try and make this happen.

The most logical path involves finding the highest possible odds. Taking/laying bigger odds helps you drastically reduce the house edge and remain on equal footing with the casino.

Of course, you’re still at the mercy of the house advantage in this situation. Controlled shooting allegedly solves this by giving you the edge.

The only problem is that that most gambling experts don’t actually believe dice control works. But if you believe the few experts who tout this method, then you can start practicing controlled shooting in hopes of gaining an edge.

While dice control mayor may not work, dice sliding undoubtedly gives you an advantage over the house. However, the main drawback is that sliding is illegal and can land you in jail.

One more method involves playing craps like normal and hoping to get hot. Patricia Demauro proves that incredible luck can strike any player, no matter their experience level.

Odds are that even if you use one or more of the strategies covered here, you still won’t make $1 million in profits. But you should have fun in the process because craps is one of the most entertaining casino games.