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The
Mad Professor's Shooting Bible Each
Table Determines The Kind of Toss That It NEEDS
Any
time that I buy-in at a table that I haven't played on before (or one that has just been
re-covered with new felt); I need to quickly determine what type of throw will work best
on it. That
means that I want to find out the most appropriate way to get the dice to do what I really
want them to do
as opposed to producing a more randomized sort of outcome. However,
you dont have to get all silly about trying to find the right combination to deal
with a particular table. It doesnt mean
that you should radically switch from right-handed shooting to left-footed tossing,
but it does mean that you want to quickly determine just how much forward-momentum and
descent-energy the table will absorb, in addition to ascertaining how much trajectory and
spin you have to add or subtract from your usual base toss. Your
Base Toss
A
base-toss is your normal bread-and-butter toss that works for you most of the time on most
tables. It is the one you have carefully
developed and refined on your home practice-rig and then validated on the real-world
casino tables. Your
base-toss is the one you are the most familiar with, and therefore the one that you
understand the best when it comes to making adjustments to it. You know (or at least you SHOULD KNOW) how it will
react if you add a little more spin or a little less trajectory. You should know how it will react on hard layouts
as well as the bouncy ones
and you should know (or at least eventually learn) what
kind of adjustments are appropriate and which ones actually make it worse depending on the
type of layout you are trying to conquer. If
I try to use the exact same toss (with the same release-angle, trajectory, spin and force)
on a bouncy, trampoline-type table as I use on a rock-hard, no-rebound layout; well, I
shouldnt really expect any kind of consistency with my results then should I. Dice-influencing
is not nearly so simple. On
the other hand, my practice-sessions that are liberally interspersed with real-world
casino-engagements have taught me that a little less release-angle here and a little less
backspin there or perhaps just adding a little more distance, trajectory and
descent-angle to my base-throw; is all that I need to accommodate, match and ultimately
triumph over almost every conceivable layout on this globe. One
Size Does Not Fit All
If
you are of the mind that one type of unaltered toss will successfully work on each and
every table that youll encounter, then read no further and go back to believing in
the fairy-tales, fictional yarns and whimsical fantasies that are spun by guys who
dont have the first clue about how to make money at the craps tables
because
theres certainly nothing more for you here. If
you are of sound and relatively sober mind, then read on. Determining
What It Needs
QUICKLY To
find out the type of throw that will work best on an unknown table, my first toss will be
thrown in such a way and to such a target that the outcome should be fairly
predictable. Again, it is centered around my
base-throw that works consistently on most layouts.
Ø
That
means that the dice should hit at or near the spot that I targeted and that they should
bounce and hit the backwall based on the force, the trajectory and the spin that I threw
them with, and the outcome should at least be on-axis. If it isn't, then hopefully the reason will be
evident.
Ø
Those
"toss-reactions" that I am watching for, as well as the actual outcome,
will tell me if I am close to giving the table the input that it needs to give me the
results that I want; or whether a significant correction is required.
Ø
For
example, on almost every 12-foot or 14-foot table that I haven't played on before; an
SR-1, 2, or 3 position will see me using a Low, Slow & Easy Toss with a little bit of
backspin to a target that is about 6 to 8-inches from the backwall.
You
might want to re-read that paragraph two or three more times because it tells you
everything you need to know about how I gauge and react to the feedback that the table is
telling me about each and every throw that I make on it. Armed
with that instant feedback telemetry, I toss out throw Number Two.
Ø
Depending
on what happens on this roll (again, not just based on the final outcome, but also what
the dice did to end up the way that they did), I may ratchet down the velocity (speed),
but increase the amount of backspin while maintaining the same target-area; or I may move
the target-area a bit closer to the backwall, but lower the trajectory even further.
Alternatively, the table may indicate that it requires a modest amount of forward-spin as
well as a landing-zone retreat to 10 or 12-inches further from the wall.
Ø
I
cant tell you exactly how to recalibrate your throw to match every table surface
that youll run into. You have to do
some of that work yourself. However, I can
tell you about the process that you have to go through to figure it out. Your toss-motion and throwing-dynamics are yours
and yours alone.
Ø
This
profit-seeking process is all about helping YOU adapt YOUR throw to overcome each of the
tables that youll come across. Obviously
laziness is not an asset when it comes to figuring out how to master various layouts, but
the time and effort that you expend figuring these things out now, will be far out-paced
by the resultant profit-reward during your subsequent casino-sessions. Based
on the third outcome (and again, by keenly observing what the dice were doing on their way
to that actual end-result), I'll make more adjustments (if necessary) to my fourth throw
and my fifth throw and my sixth throw
and so it goes for every successive throw after
that too.
Ø
The
dice are simply reacting to the way you are throwing them on that particular table.
Ø
They
can only do what you direct them to do.
Ø They give feedback to your toss-dynamic directions, but you have to understand how each element of your input is affecting their outcome.
Ø
They
will tell you what they need more of or less of if you simply take the time to observe what
they are doing and why they are doing it. Ill
quickly mention again that each one of the adjustments that we are talking about is
SUBTLE. There is absolutely no need to
drastically, dramatically or significantly
change the way you throw on most layouts. Most
tables only require a bit of fine-tuning and tweaking, and DO NOT call for
radical departures from your already-proven base-toss. Listen
To What The Dice Are Telling You
Now
obviously those two dice in your hand are inanimate objects, but if you look at what they
are doing based on what YOU are doing to them when you toss them to
the other end of the table, you take on a better understanding of what they are telling
you based on the outcomes that they are giving you.
Ø
They
will indicate what they need in terms of the adjustments, alterations and corrections that
youll have to make to YOUR input, in order to get them to do your on-axis,
primary-face bidding more often.
Ø
Each
new throw gives you vital information about how the dice are reacting to the way you are
throwing them.
Ø
If
the feedback is positive, then zero-in even closer to perfecting that toss.
Ø
If
the feedback tells you that the table requires something entirely different, then use your
collective knowledge and experience to make refined changes that will bring the results
more in line with what you want.
Ø
Again,
micro-changes and delicate adjustments often bring HUGE improvements to your
results. There is absolutely no need to make
all kinds of goofy and extreme changes to your standard go-to toss unless it was
fundamentally flawed in the first place.
Ø
Each
new throw should bring you one step closer to fully understanding what that table needs in
terms of delivering up consistent on-axis, primary-face outcomes.
Ø
You
have to have your antennae up and fully tuned to gauge how each change is affecting the
outcome. Precision-Shooting is not a
fire-and-forget sort of pursuit. Rather, you
have to be a keen observer of the obvious
and sometimes the not-so-obvious.
Ø
If
you make numerous wholesale changes to your toss and it still doesnt work, it could
be that one or two of the minor elements that would have given you
much better results are subtly hidden and lost within all of the unnecessary major
toss-modifications that you made.
Ø
You
have to know your base-toss well enough and intimately enough to quickly reconcile what
the die are doing with each new fine-tuned modification that you make on this table
compared to what they usually do when you tweak them like that on a better-behaved layout
or on your practice-rig at home.
Ø
As
a rule-of-thumb, most tables usually only require MINOR adjustments to either
forward-speed, spin-rate and trajectory in order to get the dice to consistently do what
you want them to do. Just
as a quick side-note; I guess you can see now why I am such a big fan of keeping detailed
and up-to-date Table Notes on each layout that I come across. See Shooting Bible
One and S-B Two for details.
Ø
Using
a standard baseline-evaluation throw (like my standard L, S & E Toss) on the first
throw of the first hand of the first session on a first-time layout, quickly determines
how the table will react to the throw that I know best. That way, I am able to adopt my
throw to that particular table much quicker than if I was trying to get each
and every layout to surrender and submit to one universal "it's-gotta-be-MY-WAY"
type of throw.
Each
Toss GIVES You Feedback, But You Have To Be Listening
Each
toss that you make on a strange new table (or even the ones you think you are most
familiar with), will give you the seeds of information that can make your very next toss
even better than the one you just threw. You
just have to listen to what the dice are trying so desperately to tell you. Getting them to do what you want them to do is a
matter of paying attention to that feedback, and then making the appropriate
minor-corrections and toss-adjustments in response. By
working backwards from the RESULTS (the faces that the dice are ending up on) and by
observing what they are doing on their way to getting to those results; youll be
better able to determine what modifications need to be made. By
first figuring out which results you will most likely get from a given set (based on the
way that YOU throw them); you can then determine how to precisely tailor that dice-set
(for example: a 1/4 forward-rotation for the right-dice, plus 1/2 rotation backward and
1/4-face sideways inward-flop for the left-dice) to achieve more "desirable" and
much more PROFITABLE outcomes! There
is software that is available on this site to assist you in that endeavor
I would
strongly suggest that you use it. It offers
an excellent way to become instantly conversant with each of those set-permutations. Having
that kind of knowledge not only ramps up the speed at which you can adapt from
table-to-table, but it also ramps-up your ability to generate a far higher percentage of
on-axis, primary-face outcomes (sourced directly from the basic dice-set you are using
now) from session-to-session, week-to-week and month-after-month. If
you dont know all of the permutations that each of your dice-sets contain (and the
way to make instantaneous adjustments to them to respond to what the table and the dice
are telling you); then you wont even be able to make the smallest of transpositional
changes that are often the only thing that separates you from consistently predictable
results. In
other words, sometimes your base-toss is perfectly suitable for a particular table and you
only need to make minor transpositional changes to your base dice-set in order to turn a
seemingly erratic table into a exceedingly predictable and profitable one
but you
have to know each of your dice-sets backwards, forwards and inside out. Were
going to talk about this in much greater detail in the next five chapters of the Shooting
Bible series, but suffice it to say that each permutation contained within all of
your basic dice-sets should be second-nature to you.
If they arent, then its going to be incredibly difficult for you
to transpose those unintended outcomes into ones that are more bettably actionable until
you do. Improving
Primary-Face Results
All
of the skills required to improve on-axis results are essentially the same
as those required to boost primary-face results. They're just a little more
finely tuned.
Ø
The
more you can keep the dice on-axis, the more primary-face outcomes you'll get.
Ø
To
increase that percentage beyond the expected 4-out-of-16 (25%) on-axis probabilities that
you'd normally get if both dice stayed on-axis 100% of the time, you have to improve your
rotational-control. Rotational-control
is the amount of positive guidance and influence you have on the rotating faces of the
dice as they move towards the far end of the table. If
you can keep them on-axis and exert additional facial-control on the way each die rotates
in relation to the other; then youll have exerted a certain amount of
rotational-control. The more
rotational-control you exert, the more manageable and exploitable your on-axis results
become.
Ø
That
means you have to take the same skills that allow you to keep the dice on-axis, and
improve upon it little by little (often roll-by-roll and inch-by-inch) until both dice are
not only staying on-axis a shockingly high percentage of the time, but also maintaining
their rotational-equilibrium on the four primary-faces that you first set them on.
Ø
If
you've ever tossed the dice and they just landed and stuck without any further roll or
bounce; then you've thrown a DCB.
Ø
If
you can do that "by accident", then an adequately skilled and practiced
player can do it by intention.
Ø
To
get that outcome, the player has to figure out HOW he did it in the first place...and then
keep doing the same things on each and every subsequent toss. There
is a balance between grip-alignment, finger-pressure, release vector, dice velocity, spin,
apogee, landing-trajectory and forward-velocity which permits roll-after-roll consistency
on a particular table. There
probably is some other way to build up to that kind of consistency (other than the myriad
ways that we've covered in all of my articles including the inch-by-inch
method that we are going to discuss again in a moment)...but frankly I haven't discovered,
created or stolen it yet. This
inch-by-inch, roll-by-roll approach is for advanced dice-influencers who want to
ratchet-up their game to the level beyond the next. This
isn't easy. It is going to be draining, frustrating, and possibly even
depressing...however the steadily produceable results that youll get will more than
make up for all of the aggravating effort that went into propagating them. The
following exercise has a tendency to separate a lot of wheat from the chaff.
Ø
The
players who can't be bothered to do it will save themselves all of that practice-session
hassle, aggravation and frustration that you are about to go through, while the ones that
perfect their toss in this manner will be rewarded with an on-axis, primary-face
consistency that they had long believed was merely an urban dicesetters myth and legend.
The
Inch-by-Inch, Roll-by-Roll Process
A
deliberate and calculated approach during your practice-sessions today can pay huge
dividends in the casino tomorrow.
Ø
It
all starts with the ultra-short throwing distances that we discussed in Shooting-Bible
- Part 9 (go back and review it now if you are not absolutely certain about
what it is Im talking about) and then g-r-a-d-u-a-l-l-y lengthening out the
throwing-gap between you and your target-area.
Ø
This
method is most effective in quickly finding the root cause of most off-axis and/or on-axis
double-pitch problems that you havent been able to solve using some of the more
traditional grip, release, trajectory, spin, apogee/toss-height and energy/force
correction-methods that are commonly talked about.
Ø
When
you cure your on-axis problems from a short distance and the same problem re-appears when
you stretch out the gap; then you simply go back to the previous backwall-proximity that
afforded the perfect outcomes and build on it from there.
Ø
It
may feel like youre going back to elementary school in having to build your success
one toss and one inch at a time, but just as you have to crawl before you walk
you
also have to shoot correctly before you can shoot for consistent
results.
Ø
If
you throw the dice from a short distance and get it perfect; then its only a matter
of l-e-n-g-t-h-e-n-i-n-g out your toss one inch at a time. Did you notice that I
didnt say one-foot or one-yard or one-metre at a time? One-inch or a couple of inches at a time lets you
work your way up to all kinds of eventual throwing distances that are far beyond the
not-always-available SL-1 or SR-1 table-positions that many players restrict themselves to
now.
Ø
That
way, the crap between your ears about Oh I cant throw properly on the
mini-tubs cause theyre too short
or on the twenty-four foot land-barges
cause theyre too long
or from any straight-out position on 16-footers
cause its too far
NEVER BECOMES AN ISSUE AGAIN! HOW
you learn to de-randomize the dice is sometimes just as important as WHAT you
learn. HOW
you built up your on-axis practice-session skills will play a big role in not only
determining HOW MUCH you retain; but more importantly, HOW MUCH and HOW FREQUENTLY and HOW
EFFECTIVELY those skills can be applied to real-world opportunities. I'll
just add that when I'm talking about starting out with short throwing distances, I
am talking about starting out with throwing distances as short as a foot or two.
Ø
From
that distance, a skilled dice-influencer should be keeping the dice on-axis and on
their primary-faces a shockingly high percentage of the time.
Ø
When
you get near-perfect 100% on-axis, primary-face outcomes from that distance...THEN and ONLY THEN do you start to increase your
throwing distance by an inch or two at a time. When
your on-axis, primary-face percentage eventually starts to fall off; then you SHORTEN your
throwing distance back to the point where you were getting near-perfect 100% on-axis,
primary-face outcomes...and you start the whole process over again. THAT
my friends is how I get such a high percentage of on-axis, primary-face outcomes on
all sorts of tables in all kinds of casinos
and you can too. You just have to put the time and patient effort
into building your consistency one-inch and one toss at a time. Oh,
by the way, its also a good idea to intersperse some of your normal practice and
dice-tracking sessions from the usual conventional distances in amongst these
short-distance sessions. That effort wont be counterproductive. In fact,
you'll likely see an almost immediate improvement to your traditional throwing-distance
game because of it. As
If Those Benefits Arent Enough
One
of the additional benefits of using short practice distances to de-bug your toss, is that
you should be able to see exactly WHERE and WHY the dice are going off-axis when they do,
because they are in such close proximity to you and to each other. While
this exercise is not the cure-all for every dice-setting problem; what it does demonstrate
to most who use it, is that tosses that start out wrong...won't miraculously cure
themselves in mid-flight. That also applies
equally to splaying, wobbling, splattering and sidal-popping problems. When
you start with a strong basic-toss foundation that is built upon this inch-by-inch and
toss-by-toss process; you end up with a reliable throw that is far easier to successfully
adjust and fine-tune when you take your Precision-Shooting show on the road
no matter
what kind of table you run into. Lets
get to some of the questions that came out of that initial inch-by-inch,
toss-by-toss S-B
9
article out of the way
"Are
we constrained to merely observing the results and trying to figure out what we did right
when primary-faces turn up?" You
do have to observe the results (and especially HOW they ended up the way they did),
but it certainly shouldnt constrain you. To
the contrary, those types of keen observations will actually liberate you and accelerate
your profit-objectives. An
on-axis, primary-face outcome tells the dice-influencer that he did everything
right
or perhaps it was just a happy accident. Part
of your job is to objectively determine which of those it was. If you want to get
more on-axis, primary-face outcomes; then you have to toss the dice in a near-similar
manner as often as possible. I
can also tell you that accidental primary-face outcomes will often provided
enlightenment as to what you can do to get the dice to do the same thing again and again
by intentionally throwing them exactly the same way on each subsequent toss. Again though, you cant get silly about the
whole process. Common sense, not common
stupidity should rule your decisions. In
other words, serendipity may not be a scientific approach, but happenstance,
accident and being in the right place at the right time and observing unexpected results,
causatum, reactions and consequences have historically led to some of the most
earth-shaking and completely unexpected discoveries known to mankind.
Ø
By
way of example in the dicesetting context, Ill again mention the unintended Dead-Cat
Bounce result when it happens by accident.
Ø
The
astute player simply has to replicate the same toss-dynamics on his very next throw in
order to get those very same results by intent.
Ø
From
that point forward, and with additional practice, that particular throwing technique
becomes part of his dice-throwing arsenal.
And
so it is with accidental primary-face outcomes too. Observed-results don't constrain us;
rather, they open up the possibility of making each new toss as good or even better than
the previous one. "Is
seeking to increase our primary-hit percentage a realistic goal; or do we pursue increased
axial integrity and expect that improved primary percentages will follow as a natural
result of our increasing skill?" Primary-hit
percentages are obviously closely tied to our on-axis percentage. As our on-axis
percentage increases; then our primary-face outcomes will inevitably increase too.
Ø
If
we can increase the appearance-rate of our primary-face outcomes compared to our
non-primary on-axis results; then obviously our skills become that much more predictable
and so too, that much more BETTABLE.
Ø
As
a dice-influencers skill increases, so too does his ability to control the
rotational-variance between the two die.
Ø
If
you cure an off-axis problem, then you'll obviously be getting more on-axis results.
Ø
More
on-axis results will tend to give you more primary-face results too, but they're usually
only in proportion to the O/A increase.
Ø
However,
when you cure an on-axis problem (like a double-pitch), then you usually end up
with significantly more primary-face outcomes too. Obviously
weve only really started to scratch the surface of axial and facial control, but
its a precursor of what well be covering in the next five chapters of this
series. In
the meantime, it is CRITICAL that you remember that
Depending
on what the dice do on their initial landing and run-in (or bounce) to the backwall, as
well as the amount of rebound energy they get off of the backwall, along with how true and
straight their rollback is...and what their final outcome is; ALL indicate how much or how
little you need to adjust your next throw to get a straight-tracking, even-landing,
low-energy, even-rollout result on that particular layout. Good
Luck and Good Skill at the tables
and in Life. The
Mad Professor
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