Dice control — precision shooting — is a physical skill, not a system or a superstition. Thrown correctly, the dice stop behaving like a random generator often enough to shift the maths in your favour. Here is the argument, and the eight things you have to get right.
The casino always arranges craps to favour itself, and the 6 Place bet is the clearest example. On random dice the 6 comes up five times for every six times a 7 appears. The house pays $7 for every $6 wagered — so a $6 player loses five bets ($35) and wins six ($36). The house takes $1 every eleven decisions.
Now suppose a shooter changes the game so the 6 and the 7 come up the same number of times — six each. The casino now loses $42 on the sixes and wins only $36 on the sevens. The same bet, the same payout, the same table. Only the frequency changed, and the edge moved to the player.
That is the whole proposition. Not luck, not a betting system — a repeatable physical throw that changes how often the 7 shows up.
Our analysts isolated eight distinct physical elements of a controlled throw. Each one has to be done well for a player to hold a real-world advantage — which is why the throw is taught as eight separate skills rather than one motion.
Like a hitter in baseball, dice controllers need their spot and their stance. Where you stand is an individual matter, but most dice control experts recommend learning only four positions, so that with practice you can be proficient from any one of them.
If a pitcher wants to throw a curve ball, he places the ball just so in his hand, giving him the best chance the ball does what he wants. The dice set you start from will — if the throw is dead-on accurate — determine which numbers are most likely to appear.
The angle you use to pick the dice up determines whether they stay flat against each other, which is what you want, or tend to split, which is not.
Coming in at the proper angle lets you grab the dice without them moving or slipping. Both dice must be given equal force or they will split.
Once the dice are in your hand, how you grip them — the pressure you exert, how many fingers you use — determines how much control you actually have over them.
How you use fingers, wrist and arm to make a soft, perfectly pitched throw is much like how a pitcher uses his fingers, wrist and arm to deliver a baseball.
How fast the dice spin, how many revolutions they make before hitting the back wall, and whether they are mirror images or delayed mirror images of each other all determine how effective the throw is.
The harder and higher the dice bounce, the harder the outcome is to control. The softer they hit the back wall, the less influence the wall has on them.
The most important thing to practice is your grip to become a great craps shooter. Practice your grip continuously, use a mirror to see if your grip is straight, put the dice down then pick them up again.
Dom's advice about how long to practice is right on. You don't want to get repetitive use syndrome — this could stop your shooting forever. Just getting a slight shoulder injury then practicing too long will injure your shooting arm or shoulder, perhaps forever. Thank you Dominator.
You can learn what a good throw looks like from this page and the videos. What neither can do is tell you what your throw is doing wrong — which is the entire value of a seminar or a private lesson.
My third roll, everything came together to give me a nice $1,250 profit. I made the hard 10 three times. Thank you, Dominator — you are a great teacher.
More detail in the article library, or call 1-866-738-3423 and ask.
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