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Welcome Doctor To
Our Humble Madhouse I have a friend,
probably the most intelligent person Ive ever met, who occasionally joins my group
in our Las Vegas excursions. We refer to him
as Doc as he has a Phd. from one of the ivy league schools. Hes tall, excruciatingly thin, and appears
to be made up of only arms and legs. If you
were to meet him in passing, his appearance and demeanor would leave you with the
impression that hes a bit of a stiff. When
my friends and I would head for the craps tables, he would go to play blackjack. Hes a moderately strong BJ player, and would
probably be an excellent one if he played more frequently and was more passionate about
the game. One night, awhile
back, instead of his normal routine, Doc followed us to the craps tables. Just want to see what you guys get all wound
up about
Three of us settled
onto a table with Doc standing behind looking over our shoulders. In between rolls, we explained the basics of the
game, which he quickly grasped. We
couldnt have timed our arrival any better as the table began to shift from cold to
warm about the time we placed our first bets. Within
15 minutes, my friends and I were all up about 20 units.
You shouldnt be winning, you know
.the odds are stacked
against you. Doc said. We nodded and
continued to call out our wagers. He
continued to watch. The stick calls,
Five, pay the line! The
table erupts in cheers, laughter and high fives. Forty minutes pass. Chip racks are filling and what was once a half
full table is now packed with players standing elbow to elbow. No one is having monster
rolls, but nearly everyone is making at least a pass or two and throwing some numbers in
between. Doc, who has a thoughtful scowl on
his face, seems almost irritated that things are going so well for us. Doc, come on! Well make some room. Squeeze in and
play! I said. He shakes his head,
The probabilities have to start evening out soon.
This has been going on far too long. A correction is due. I tried to explain
that he was over thinking, being too analytical, but he would have none of it. We continued to win at a steady pace, all the
while Doc appeared to be doing math computations in his head. I think I even heard him say something
about standard deviations and the Gaussian curve! Finally, after a
little more than an hour, I needed a rest. I
handed Doc two green cheques and said, Play. Ride
the wave. Just quit thinking so much! If you lose, then its my money. Ill be back in 5 minutes. I called for color
and went in search of a drink. As I walked
away from the table, I heard Doc quietly ask for the six and eight to be placed for $6
each. As it turned out,
it was two drinks and 25 minutes before I returned. I
found that Doc had indeed been riding the wave. With
a little assistance from my two other friends, Doc had made a tidy profit. Apparently the little old lady at tables
end, (who, to this day my pals claim was blind) had just concluded a looooong roll with
what they were calling Seeing Eye Dice.
Doc was no longer mulling over probabilities and table corrections,
but whether he should come down with his place bets after two hits or
three
Doc turned toward the
shooter, and yelled Cmon shoota shoota, SaWING! In the fifteen years that Id known him, I
dont think Id ever seen him so animated! Sadly, the rest of
our group was due in from the airport, and it was time to meet them back at the hotel. Time to go gents. I said, pointing at
my watch. The look on Docs face made me
think for a moment, that we might have to physically drag him from the table. After a stop at the cashiers booth, while
Doc and I waited for my buddies to return from the restroom, he recounted for me, in vivid
detail, every bet he made, every regression, every win.
What a rush! he said, Craps REALLY gets under your skin. Its addictive! Well play later
tonight, right? And to that I said, as
another raucous cheer came from the craps table we had vacated, Welcome Doctor, to
our humble madhouse. |
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