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The
Dogs Mailbag
2nd edition
The email continues to roll
in on a daily basis.... I try to answer as much as possible, but certain questions
are asked time and time again. Here is a sample.
Q: |
You and the people
who visit your site are SO full of shit! |
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(Yes, yes. This one was also in the first Dog's Mailbag
article.
Not surprisingly this type of email comes in regularly each month...) |
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A: |
With the increased
interest in dice influencing you also get an increased number of naysayers crawling out of
the woodwork. All I can say is I wish I had enough time on my hands to send
email to everyone whose opinion I disagreed with. |
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Q: |
You've
got links to sites like Rolling Thunder, PARR and Heavy's Tunica seminar who will teach me
dice setting for a fee. Can't I just teach myself? Also, other than the website, do
you teach precision shooting as well? |
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A: |
For
your first question, you can absolutely teach yourself! I taught myself. (with
the help of
Yuri's book ) Several of the best shooters I've seen have taught
themselves. It boils down to personal choice. Rolling Thunder, PARR and
Heavy's seminar are options that one may choose if so inclined. But in teaching
myself, I've found that I'm able to self diagnose shooting problems and experiment with
different techniques without being biased toward a specific grip, set or throwing style.
Teaching myself probably took more time than if I had had an "instructor"
but the trial and error of the self-teaching process allowed me to gain a great deal of
insight into the process.
With that said, I
also contend that Rolling Thunder, PARR and Heavy's seminar are equally viable methods for
learning the skill of dice influencing. In the end, whether you teach yourself, or
decide to get some assistance, it will still boil down to putting in A LOT of hours on the
practice table if you want to develop any consistency.
As far as me
teaching. Currently I am working casually with a couple of shooters. I plan to
teach in a more formal manner late this summer at my home in Central CA. In
addition, there MAY be a seminar offered in the future with Irishsetter and some notable
friends...... |
Q:
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How much do you
practice? AND, does what you throw on the practice table translate to a real casino
setting or do your "signature" numbers change when you're on real tables? |
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A: |
During the fall and winter (when it gets dark early), I practice about 5-7
hours per week. Now that spring is here, it's a little less than that.
Of course if I have trip planned to go to Vegas or Reno/Tahoe, I'll put in a
few extra hours on the practice table.
My signature
numbers are indeed the same on the practice table and in the casino.
Every time? Of course not, but if "my" numbers aren't coming up, then I
should probably get away from the tables for awhile. If you're throws
are not producing expected numbers, you shouldn't to force it. |
Q:
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Why do so many dealers seem to be skeptical about
dice setting? |
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A: |
I honestly can't speak
for dealers. I have two theories though, and they cover skeptical dealers and
players alike.
The
first theory is most dealers/players assume that if by setting the dice, we expect long
hands every time we get the dice when, in fact, a controlled throw is "percentage
throw" ( to quote Yuri). Skeptics seem to think that if we throw a short hand,
it proves dice setting doesn't work. As dice influencers we need only to defy the
expected probabilities of the dice slightly to gain an advantage. We aspire to limit
our short hands and extend our long hands.
The second theory is that the
skeptics see a shooter fiddle with the dice, or line them up in a particular arrangement
and assume that the shooter is one of those "dice setters."
I've seen guys mess with the dice for 30 seconds then jetison them down the table.
You and I of course know that this shooter wasn't a precision shooter, but skeptic would
probably label him as one. |
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Q:
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Do you think dice
setting will eventually be banned at casinos? |
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A: |
I'd like to say no, but in fact the casino industry has not been
particularly smart about such things. The industry has spent
millions of dollars implementing counter measures to prevent a handful of
good card counters from having an advantage.
Similarly, if
the casinos ban dice setting, or propose counter measures like throwing the
dice from a cup, you will see even fewer players participating in craps.
With that said, if you're considering the idea of dice
influencing, I'd start practicing sooner than later. I can't predict whether casinos
will permit dice setting for another 2 months, 2 years, or 20 years.....
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Q:
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How do you feel
about team play? |
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A: |
There
are two kinds of team play. The one I think you're speaking about is casually
meeting up with other like minded players for a few sessions. There are many
benefits to this type of team play. Of course there's the financial promise in
having two or more dice influencers at the table. In addition, there's the
camaraderie factor. It is also very beneficial to shoot with someone who understands
what you're attempting to accomplish and can assist in troubleshooting your throw if
you're having an "off" day.
The pitfall that
most shooters have in this situation is that they risk too much money on the other members
of their "team." If ground rules are followed for starting low
and slow regardless of who's shooting, I think meeting up with other dice influencers can
be a learning tool as well as fun and profitable.
Another pitfall worth mentioning
is when one team player has an extraordinary hand and feels he/she should be entitled to
some of the other team members profits, especially if the shooter didn't win as much as
his dice setting partners. (I've had this happen. A pal of mine was shooting,
had a great hand but he only had a passline bet and $6 on the six and eight. I
pulled a great deal of profit from the table whereas his profit was comparatively meager.
In an unsubtle way, he hinted that I should "share" my profit.
Needless to say I haven't teamed up with this fellow again.)
The other type of
team play is more formal, where bankroll is perhaps pooled, and strict betting strategies
are pre determined. There is much more to it that can be discussed in an
email. Formal team play can be lucrative, but to be successful, there has to be a
very high level of trust among team members and unbelievable levels of discipline must be
adhered to. I wouldn't attempt this type of team play until you and your teammates
are journeyman shooters. |
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Q:
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How realistic
should my practice table be? |
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A: |
Initially, I'd say that an aspiring precision
shooter should spend as little as possible on a practice table.
Whether you build one yourself or buy one, I wouldn't spend huge amounts of
money. What if you decide dice influencing is not for you?
Certainly you should set up some sort of practice rig. Throwing onto
your couch or on the living room floor will probably do you little good.
If you can afford it, of course springing for real pyramid rubber is a good
idea, but not necessary.
I STILL use my
crummy practice table that I built long ago. (though I'm upgrading soon)
Once you've had some success and determined to yourself that you are
dedicated to the skill, THEN you can decide if you HAVE to have a truly
realistic practice table set up. |
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I hope youve enjoyed a peek into the dogs email box. Keep those questions and comments coming!
~woof~
Back to IrishSetter's "My Life As A Dog..." Page
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