Craps Notes:

(36 combinations)

Jim on mathematics Theory

These are my own thoughts on the mathematics of Chaos Theory as applied to craps. There are several concepts that overlap. One is the Feigenbaum fig trees, the second is fractals, and the third is strange attractors. They are all part of the Chaos Theory. You may wish to go to the links marked in underlined blue words in this article.

Feigenbaum fig trees

First the Feigenbaum fig trees. That is where the 4.669, 3 and 3.56 come in. Chaos comes at 4.669..... in actuality the number never ends. It is 4.669211660910299067185320382047... There is order up to 3. There is a repetition of the entire "tree" in a smaller scale between 3 and 3.56... it goes faster and faster until chaos at 4.669... which is a number that never ends. Now, let's put all of this together. There MUST be some way to watch what happens up to 3, then apply it after that to WIN at dice or other gambling games. Another thought is that you can depend on "normality" from zero to three, so that any method of play should work perfectly. Have you ever noticed that almost any strategy will work for a while, and then it seems that there is a conspiracy to do exactly what it takes to make you lose? Perhaps that is the area between 3.56 and 4.669... what do you think? Can you recognize it between 3 and 3.56, then stop playing, or play a different method or game, until it gets back to "normal?" This is my basis for "believing" that there is a way to do it. I have not been able to do it, but if it is there, then it should give 100% success, not just more likely than not!!

fractals

Now, the second one is fractals. That is your sine wave analogy. That is also the relationship between our molecules, the planets and their moons, the solar system, the universe. You should be able to look at one of those (in your example) smaller sine waves and "predict" what the big one will be, or even what the next small one will be, etc.

Strange attractors

The third one is strange attractors. That is like a drain in your sink. Fill it up with water and put a leaf in it. The leaf will start going around in circles and go into the drain. The dice do the same thing. They are "attracted" by what the odds should be. So, although the past has nothing to do with the present because the dice have no memory, there is a strange attractor leading to what the odds should be.

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Money Management

Money management is the key to winning. It may sound stupid, but it is betting higher when you are winning and lower when you are losing, and leave while you are winning, if at all possible.

You can't win all of the time. When you are losing, leave right away. Don't throw good money after bad. Don't make big bets to try to get back what you lost.

"Lock up" your winnings... put them in your pocket and forget about them.

Make up your strategies or methods around these rules.

My Money Management

I have concluded that money management is more important that the actual method that you use to play craps. Decide the most that you are willing to lose and stop there if you are losing that much. I understand that you would prefer to win, and sometimes will win. Decide how much you want to win (probably less than the loss limit). Lock that in when you reach it, and play with the excess.  This process is repeated... keep locking it up (you can increase the amount as you go). This could be a strategy in and of itself... You might want to try "investing" $100 on it. Play whatever you want (but stay away from the "bad" bets... like craps, etc). Stop when you lose the $100 (even if you have more money in your pocket). If you win $40, put it into your other pocket and that money must stay there. Play with the excess. When you get another $50, put that into your pocket with the $40 and it also stays there. When you get another $75 do the same... and so on...

General Advice

The craps layout is a method for the dealers to track the bets of every player at the table. Don't be intimidated by it. The most important thing to watch and the first thing to notice is the ON/OFF puck. This identifies the come out and the point rolls.

a)    *Smile*, address the dealer closest to you (without the stick) by the name on his name tag, label yourself a new player, and say you will try not to be too much trouble. Even a dealer having a hard shift (and a hard life) should respond to this kind of approach. Dealers are almost all "people" people. They are there to help you. New players are IMPORTANT to them. Dealers will almost invariably reciprocate courtesy and consideration, in my experience.

b)    Very early on in your play make a small bet on the hard ways for the dealers. Throw it on to the table in front of the stick and clearly say "Hard 4/6/8/10 for the boys." (Just pick one <grin>) This identifies you as a tipper. (The craps slang term for a tipper is George. Craps players LOVE slang.) Repeat this small wager fairly often. This is likely to further insure prompt and courteous help should you need it. Dealer income is from tips. Tipping can become contagious, so make sure that the rest of the table can hear your bet for the dealers. Repeated smaller tips are better than less frequent larger tips because you may inspire other players to "remember the boys".

c)    Keep your action very simple. Flat bet the pass (front line) or don't pass (back line) until you become accustomed to the rhythm of the game. Keep only one bet in action at first.

d)    Take odds on your line wagers after you become comfortable with the game. Front line (pass line) odds are easiest. Decide how much more you want to bet and note the point from the ON Puck. (Front line odds should be in even amounts, if the point is 5/9) Place the odds behind the line wager. Ask the dealer if your odds bet is OK, if you are at all unsure. (The dealer will check them anyway).

e)    You can always have the dealer help you with any problem that you are having placing any wager that you wish to make. Don't be shy or think that you will look foolish.

You should have a great time, even if you don't follow any of the above free advice (which is definitely worth what you paid for it). People-watching at the craps table is some of the most fun in the casino.

I hope that you find this useful.

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Onward thru the fog,

Mason

Tipping the dealers in craps?

QUESTION: What are the actual mechanics of tipping the dealers by placing a bet?

Do you put the bet down and alert the dealer that it's for the crew, or have the dealer place it, or what?

The sure-fire method is to inform the dealer on your side of the table that you wish to make a bet for the dealers. I would be utterly astounded if assistance was not immediately forthcoming. Such assistance will probably consist of the following, perhaps with minor variations. For bets booked by the stickman, make the bet the same way you would if you were making it for yourself, but indicate that it is for the dealers. For example, "Hard 8, a dollar, for the crew," or "Any 7, $5, for you guys." If you are making a bet for the dealers at the same time that you are betting on the same thing yourself you can so indicate by saying the bet is "two ways". For example, "Two-way eleven," which implies an even split of the amount you toss in between yourself and the dealers. If you want to bet more for yourself than for the dealers, which is quite common, then you should specify the split. For example, "Two-way Hard 6, five and one."

For bets booked by the dealer facing you the procedure is the same as above, except the "two-way" phrase is rarely used. For example, hand in $3 and say,

"Put yourself on 9," or hand in $8 and say, "$5 10, and put the kids up for $3 as well."

For bets that book themselves (i.e. ones you simply place on the layout) you can call the dealer's attention to the fact that "the dealers are gambling".

However, these bets typically are made in conjunction with a bet in the same place for yourself (e.g. on the Pass Line), in which case you can put the bets down separately but next to each other. By convention the lesser amount is assumed to be a bet for the dealers, though without an explicit declaration some dealers may hesitate to collect their winnings. This situation is easily resolved by pushing the chips towards the dealer and saying something like, "This one's for you." You should have to do this only once.

The Midnight Skulker

a.k.a. Van_Lewis@mk.com

Dice Pre-Setting by The Midnight Skulker

1.    In polemic discourse I have found that the strength of an argument tends to be inversely proportional to the strength on the language used to present it.

2.    Proponents of dice setting and controlled throwing have shown that if a shooter can obtain a desired result (a 6 in the analysis posted, I believe) 2.7% of the time then the player has an 8% advantage over the house.

3.    Opponents of these de-randomizing techniques note that the key word in 2 above is "if", for no evidence has been presented to support the assumption that they actually work in a casino environment.

4.    An experiment to determine whether de-randomization can be achieved is unlikely ever to be conducted, and if it were the results, if positive, are unlikely to be published for then the gaming industry could develop and implement countermeasures.

5.    I must therefore resort to logic. Dice setting and controlled throwing either work or don't work. If they work its positive effects can be calculated. If they do not work could there be negative effects? I should think not, for then we would have the logical absurdity that de-randomizing techniques work when it was assumed they did not and can therefore be modified (e.g. a different dice set) to produce positive results.

6.    The problem then reduces to one of significance. Just because a control pitcher cannot achieve a 100% or even a 2.7% success rate does not render all attempts at de-randomization invalid. What about .27%? .027%? Of course at some point the effect becomes negligible (and is nil if de-randomization's opponents are correct), but since the worst you can do is achieve the same result you would by doing nothing, where's the harm in trying?

7.    Another area of contention between the two sides of the issue is the definition of "success". At the table it is not necessary to achieve a particular result on any given roll, it is only necessary to avoid one. I submit this latter condition is much easier to meet and is just as effective.

8.    I would ask those who admonish dice setters to "get on with it" if they are as lavish with their criticism while the numbers and elevens are rolling as they are after the 7-out. I once took a burst of static from another player for the way I throw the dice. Of course he waited until I missed a point after four passes before delivering his tirade, which rendered it somewhat ludicrous, and even more so to those who recalled he had gone two and out just moments before using the technique he claimed I should have.

The Midnight Skulker

a.k.a. Van_Lewis@mk.com