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Mad Professor's Mini-Table Craps Tour with the Vegas Ghost - Part X- continued CONSISTENT
Shooting This
table is totally predictable IF the dice land squarely to the backwall. However, if you tend to land them unevenly, the
dice may make sudden and ACTUAL 90-degree off-axis turns upon initial touchdown. The table is very, VERY touchy that way. It is imperative that your throwing motion and the
angle of the dice at their release point is aligned as squarely as possible; otherwise
this table makes them quite susceptible to random walkabouts and sideways
hopping and popping. I
also found that if I restricted the amount of post-release follow-through of my arm, the
dice would leave my hand at the correct upward angle, yet the natural backspin and sharp,
steep descent would bring the cubes down exactly where I wanted them, and their unused
forward-rolling energy would dissipate within three or four inches of rolling TO the
backwall. To read more about this type of
technique, I would invite you to read the first four chapters of my ten-part Mad Professor's Shooting Bible series. Who
Plays Craps Here? Depending
on your outlook on life in general, and craps in particular, I have good news for you, or
perhaps youll take it as bad news. Its
a small table that accommodates eight people and I can tell you right now that most of
them will be NEW players. Since
this place hardly even registers on anyones sonar, especially serious craps players,
you will rarely find any seasoned pros in these waters. Rather, the game is played in a
less-intimidating, fun atmosphere that encourages newcomers, neophytes and curious
tourists who never had the courage to join in the more frenetic, more expensive,
full-sized, traditionally-crowded mega-hotel tables.
You
are likely to find your table-mates are comprised of a few blue-collar locals and a couple
of mid-America tourists who like the friendlier and slower-paced ambiance of a very
relaxed, lower-cost gaming experience. Ellis
Islands mini-tub does not have the party atmosphere of Casino Royale (Mad Professor's Mini Tub Tour - Part II)
or the gritty and dusty corral feel of the Wild Wild West Casino (Mad Professor's Mini Tub Tour - Part IV),
yet you will find an easy-going, medium-paced game where your Precision-Shooting efforts
are never discouraged, and your skills are profitably rewarded. Our
Session Ive
got to tell you that this was one interesting session.
Both Mel and I had decent hands, but none of them were outstandingly long. In fact, most of them never exceeded twelve or
fourteen rolls, but the great thing was that Inside Numbers constituted almost all of
them. Despite
the whooping and hollering that the new players (recently converted FORMER blackjack
players) were making over the unleashed enthusiasm (and profit) of their newfound game, I
was surprised that the two remaining open spots at the table stayed empty for more than
half the time we were there. That would tend
to indicate that you should be able to find an open spot even on a relatively busy weekend
evening, as we did when we were there. I have
made several subsequent visits and confirmed that fact.
In each visit, my Precision-Shooting has remained steady in that 12 to
14-toss category. While that is significantly
lower than my benchmark, it is nonetheless acceptable and definitely still quite
profitable. My
approach for this session was pretty simple. Using
the $3 Pass Line minimum, and some very steep Place-bet regressions after their initial
hits, the money tumbled in with good regularity. I
backed all of my PL-bets with full Odds, but more importantly, the real profit came from
those steeply regressed Place-bets where I had our dealer set up $88 Inside bets (or
$64/$68 Inside depending on the Point number), then reduce them to $22 after one hit. The steadiness of profit that this type of
betting approach brings in when your shooting is up to par, never ceases to amaze me. Why
Short-Hands Can Still be VERY Profitable If
you have read my article entitled
Can Frequency
Compensate For Shortness? ,
you will know EXACTLY how Precision-Shooters take advantage of even the very shortest 3 or
4-roll hands. Once you surpass the standard
1:6 Sevens-to-Roll ratio, AND you are aware of your Signature Numbers, AND your
betting-method is tailored to take maximum-advantage, and minimum-risk of your SNs,
THEN you are well positioned to make some VERY consistent money off of your own skill. Id
Like to Hop Every Possible Place-Bet Combination Please That
is EXACTLY what one local player said after watching me shoot for the third time. I did a double-take when he said that, since my
brain couldnt quite believe what my ears had clearly heard. Thankfully, the dealer told him that
Hop bets werent allowed at Ellis Island.
Although
he seemed disappointed, it didnt seem to daunt his betting as he made $50 bets on
each of the Hardways, and $3 bets on all of the box-numbers. He parlayed every single bet that won, and for the
rest of his time at the table, never collected one single, solitary dollar to put in his
rack. Every buck that he made, got plowed
right back into a much larger bet. I looked
at Mel without changing my facial expression, and he simply said, Now
theres a casino managers wet-dream. Once
my hand was finished, Mel wanted to make a bet with me as to how long this guys bankroll
would actually last. Mels forty-odd
years of experience in casino-management paid-off as he was much closer to the mark than I
was. Mel chided, It looks like the
Mad Professor is picking up the steak and beer tab after this session. I replied that, based on our play, Ellis Island
was going to be picking up that particular tab tonight. The
fact that this guy stood there watching me throw and marking down every combination that I
was throwing for three hands in a row, made me wonder if perhaps I was missing something
about my own Signature Numbers and further possible profit-potential that they held. I
made a mental note to take a closer look at those 24 Place-bet combinations (only 14
actual individual Hop-bet possibilities) to weigh their merit. Mel must have seen that curious look in my eye,
and he added, Forget about it. Youll
only dilute your own winnings, by trying to outguess your already good performance. Plus theyll be so wrapped up in setting your
Hop-bets, that your hourly win-rate will drop because youll be throwing the dice
about 70% less per hour. You might as well go
and play at a crowded table instead of solo, cause youll be throwing just as
often. Another
Word about Hops and Props While
higher-edge Prop and Hop bets may look more appealing, they also tend to bring more
scrutiny from the Pit. While the table-game
supervisor may not necessarily be interested in your actual shooting, he will be
interested in ensuring that the dealer makes the correct payoffs to you when it wins. If
a shooter is receiving a lot of high-paying Props, then naturally the Pit-guys are going
to take more notice of the player doing the bettin n gettin than
they will of more normal action. I realize
that some players like to draw attention to themselves at the tables and make themselves
the center of any particular universe that they are in.
I also understand that their egos crave adolescent attention and positive
affirmation that makes them feel loved, adored and worthwhile. However,
winning parlayed Prop and Hop action may bring attention that is a pleasure to bask in
right now, but as more and more notice is focused on dicesetting, that ego-satisfying
attention that some people crave, may bring about undue changes to the game as we know it. Obviously,
one winning session will not bring about changes. However,
you have to consider the cumulative effect that it has on the Pitbulls who keep seeing the
same parlayed winning Hop bets get paid over and over again. Only the truly naïve or truly greedy would refuse
to admit that big parlayed Hop-bets will bring closer scrutiny to this craft that we call
Precision-Shooting. Just
in Case the World DOES NOT End Tomorrow Playing
sensibly and taking moderate profit from a large number of casinos is probably the best
way to maintain a low profile, and ensure that you arent spoiling it for other
Precision-Shooting students of the game that come along after you. I know the urge to rape, pillage, burn and ravage
the earth with wanton disregard is the ego-maniacal code that some people choose to live
by, but sometimes its best to play like there just MAY be a tomorrow, and possibly
even a tomorrow after that. The
Rest of Our Session Mel
and I ended up staying at Ellis for just over three hours.
Normally, Ill make a quick Hit n Git, but with the
increasing number of players that eventually filled up this lone table, it made it easier
to go in there, take some of the casinos bucks, and not overexpose MY face to the
disappearance of THEIR money. Again,
although my shooting was less than stellar, it was good enough to derive some decent
profit. I always find it mildly amusing that
sometimes the short tables are the hardest to adapt to.
Well, I find it mildly amusing when I am WINNING, and mildly frustrating
when I am LOSING. In
either case, it is always important to keep your bets within a comfort range where you are
not forcing your throws or over-thinking your toss.
Even at a cheap $3 table, you can still lose a ton of money if your shooting
isnt dialed-in. The
E.I. Players Card Just
like nearly every other casino in North America, Ellis Island has its own players
card, called the Passport Players Club. As
with most places, its intended for use by slot and table game players alike. This
yellow-colored beauty not only lets them track your casino action, but it allows you to
print out your own comps at their new self-serve Passport Central kiosk. No need to even ask for a comp. You just insert your card, and punch in the
restaurant of your choice, the number of people in your party, and the printer does the
rest. Of course,
you can use the more conventional, ask-the-table-game-supervisor method. Either way works well, although the kiosk is
faster if you are in a hurry, while the old-fashioned human-approach locks your face, name
and award-winning personality into the mind of the somewhat over-worked Pit Supervisors
who tend to increase the rating of people that they have come to know and like. What Is
Compable? Dont be
afraid to ask for a comp whenever you play here. The
worst they can say is No, and at Ellis Island, Im not sure that that
word is even in their comp-dictionary. From
comped micro-brews and steak dinners to free rooms and gratis slot, BJ and roulette
tournaments, the EI has a liberal comp policy that puts the major casino-corporations to
total shame. There
are always plenty of freebies and giveaways for locals and anyone else who is on their
monthly mailing list. The Brew That Puts
Brewery into Ellis Islands Name Yea,
yea, I know that some people would consider it a sacrilege to talk about a casino that has
its very own brew-pub without talking about the beer.
Okay, Ill sum it up in four words
I DONT LIKE IT! While the
original Ellis Island in New Yorks Harbor quenched the thirst for freedom of the
poor, tired and huddled masses, it was not known for its fine libations. Unfortunately, neither is Ellis Island Casino
& Brewery! Okay, if you
took some of them old 78-rpm shellac-based phonograph records and melted them down, then
filtered the resultant liquid through a week-old loaf of bread, the taste would be the
same as Ellis Islands Gold Ale, but why would you even want to try that. Their beer could turn a heavy drinker into a
tee-tottler in less than 20-ounces. What
is redeeming is that their brewed-on-premises root beer is a little bit of
sarsaparilla-heaven here on earth. Yes, the
cocktail waitress will bring it to you at the craps tables, and YES, they will definitely
appreciate your generous tip for that particular service. A Word About
Their Food It
would be unfair to talk about Ellis Island without mentioning their food, and their
24-hour $4.95 steak-dinner special. Its
garnered a Las Vegas Advisor Top Ten placing for close to 40 months in a row. In the Its-been-four-hours-since-our-last-price-increase
world of Las-Vegas, forty months is definitely a long time.
Its a 10-ounce top sirloin which comes complete with rolls, soup or
salad, green beans, choice of potato, and garlic toast.
It IS NOT listed on the menu, so you have to ask for it like youre a
member of some secret Carnivore Society. Dont
worry, the waitress will know exactly what you are talking about. Okay
folks, thats it for this venue. Until
we meet up at the next mini-table on this tour, Good
Luck and Good Skill at the tables
and in Life. Sincerely, The Mad
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