Our Workshop Weekend and Mr. Cranky Pants...
I thought I would share that the Three Amigos workshop held early this
month turned out to be a successful experience. It is always wonderful
to witness our players apply what they learn in the Dice Coach's
virtual craps pit to the actual casino tables. As seems to always be
the case, tuition for the workshop is compliments of the casinos. A
nice return on the student's investment, if you understand my meaning.
It is very common for a student to participate in our workshop and go
home a winner with the chips gained from our group in-casino play
sessions. Our goal of empowering the player with the confidence to
win was definitely achieved this time around. Thanks everyone for
your support and it is an honor to learn from you and play, to win,
alongside with you at the tables.
By the way, be sure to check out the Dice Coach's learning videos at
dicecoach.com. The videos are so informative and really do
help learning how to approach this game in a way that makes most
sense. I know that students who took the opportunity to view the
pertinent ones for their game came prepared to gain the most from
their workshop session. And, we got to the real tables that much
sooner to enjoy our wins.
A side note. I have to kid Dice Coach on his "celebrity" status.
Seems that now that there is a "face to a name" in cyber space with
his learning craps videos, casino patrons are coming up to him left
and right, sheepishly asking him, "Are you the Dice Coach?" They love
his videos. Kiddingly, I asked him, "What's next? Autographs? Do I
need to carry a sharpie pen for you now?" I must say my play time with
the Dice Coach is filled with interesting moments in the casino.
Kidding aside, if there is a subject Dice Coach hasn't addressed yet
in his videos, write him. I'm sure he'll place your suggestion on his
video lesson "to do" list. Just the other day, I inquired about a
team play video. He said it would make a great video and so I will
look forward to that one. Hey, maybe I'll be in it.
A Moment Caught "Off Guard."
While visiting Vegas during our workshop weekend, I had an opportunity
to visit and play at the Bellagio. As some of you may know, I have
listed this casino as one of my preferred places to play craps. Each
time I visit Vegas, I make it a point to schedule a session there.
Most times my sessions are of a solitary "hit and run" nature and
there are other times that I choose to play for an extended amount of
time with certain playmates. With our workshop, I had the
opportunity to play three group sessions and they were all a financial
success.
I did have an interesting, "what would you do?" kind of experience
during one of my group sessions and I thought it would be something
helpful to share with the community.
In working and corresponding with students, I encourage the player to
always be aware of the many factors that determine table selection and
game entry. The all important questions I ask myself have everything
to do with "who, what, where, when and how" can I be successful with
this game at the moment the decision is made to play, even before we
open up a table as a group.
A little background about my game with this casino. I utilize markers
for my session buy-in and in most cases, the dealers issue my chips in
a timely manner which is generally acceptable to me. Sometimes, I
know there will be "glitches" and it is part of the energy the pit
people like to express as they sense the player positivity facing
them. True to form, they go through their checklist of things and
finally give the table an "all clear." Then I get my chips.
Delays from the floor personnel usually get tolerated by me because it
offers an opportunity to build a positive rapport with my dealers and
box man as I wait for my chips. And, my entertaining dialogue goes on
until I exit the game. If our conversation entertained me and served
me well monetarily, I tip the dealers generously as I "color up."
Now, there was a certain cranky pants floor person who decided he did
not like our banter and decided to butt into my box man conversation
which caught me by surprise. "Okay," I thought to myself. "This
feels different." Wow, this guy was in a bad mood and his words sure
let me know it. His looks toward me even felt strange.
"Uh, oh, what kind of sign is this?" I wondered. This is where that
little visual of the robot from the old Lost In Space television
episodes pops in my head and repeats "Danger Will Robinson, danger!"
All my bets were called off, with "cranky" insisting the dealers take
them down. "What bit his butt?" I wondered.
"Paging The Professor." This was one of those times when I wished
Michael Vernon was there for insight into the unseen dimension of this
game. He's a master at teaching that special awareness we all need to
utilize with this game.
The Professor's game is all about patience and detachment. A believer
of right time and right place, I could hear him telling me to detach,
detach, detach. A wonderful playmate, my Mr. Vernon is a walking
testimonial on how a true master approaches his game with discipline
and focused intent. Sadly, for me, he was already on his way home.
Anyway, all this occurs while the game is in progress. I notice Beau
in a full betting swing, pressing his bets. The students and my
playing acquaintances are utilizing the pass line progression approach
taught to them and then there I am with no bets on the table watching.
This table is moving toward a hot streak by a lady shooter with great
energy rolling the dice out of expected probability. Her hand is one
of those that any player betting conservatively will win without
working or thinking too hard and for those who lean into the game, a
very nice profit will be converted into cash.
I watched, as point after point was completed without my making a
bet. Honestly, as much as I watched the players around me pick up
their pay offs from the bets they were pressing, I knew, with all the
fuss surrounding my interaction with the pit staff, that if I so much
as placed a bet down on the table for action, I would invite Mr.
Cranky pants to spar with me and I would forever change the energy of
the table and in doing so would change this beautiful shooters energy.
So, I found myself facing a conundrum. Not being one to send the game
into a downward negative spiral, I stopped playing. I was aware enough
to know the players don't want to feel the combative energy hovering
outside of this "hot" roll.
As players scratched their heads, wondering and asking why I would not
get into the game, I knew at that moment, if I began to enter, I
risked delaying the game with the floor person there to share with me
some more of his manly energy. "Me Tarzan, you Jane."
So, I felt that removing myself from the game was warranted and
necessary in order for the hot roll to continue. I know that some
would argue that it would not have mattered. I beg to differ. I have
played this game for too long and my belief system supports that there
are greater forces at work that don't have to be proven to me.
Now, knowing that it was my ego that was fueling what I was feeling at
the time, my delayed entry into the game became a permanent disengage
from the game. With my ego feeling like it was missing out I left the
area to refocus. Frustrated, I knew full well that this game requires
a bigger part of me that extends beyond my ego in order for me to win.
The game that was being played out before me was not my game. It was
someone else's. My game was yet to be discovered.
This was definitely a time when I had to remember "What do I share
with my students?"
The answer was simple to acknowledge the situation. And, that is what
I did. The emotions I was feeling at the time were draining me of my
energy. Remembering that quite often, people will make decisions about
their future based on emotions instead of looking at what is the best
course of action, I found myself reciting a list of items I share
about dealing with game situations not going my way.
What the heck do I do to turn this situation around for myself?
First of all, why fight with Mr. Cranky pants? It's draining to my
energy. I'll only attract even more of what I don't want from him.
Backing away from the craps table, I acknowledged how I felt about the
situation. I admitted my feelings to a player there that I trusted.
Heck, I was frustrated and resentful. I have this casino at the top
of my list for a reason and it was because of my positive interaction
with the staff. This was a new experience for me and caught me off
guard. Still, I did not have to wallow in these feelings. I knew all I
had to do was identify them and it was easier to do because I had
great supporting players surrounding me.
Why disclose my feelings? Because until I identified my feelings, I
knew I would be unconsciously fighting with them, as they did battle
with my wounded ego and suppressing the part of me that controls my
creativity. And I know that fighting is what exhausts me of my energy
when I need it the most for a winning game.
Once I identified what and how I felt, it became part of my awareness
and I did not have to struggle with it anymore. What a relief!
Next, I focused on a way to feel better about my situation and I knew
I did not have to figure it out all the answers right that minute. I
trusted that at some point I would just know what to do about my game
situation and that was all there was to it.
With the intentions of renewing my emotional batteries, I immediately
looked for a place with some pleasant music, sat for a while, took
quite a few deeps breaths, went to look at the glorious water
fountains in front of the Fontana Room to neutralize what I had just
put myself through.
"Just breathe," I told myself. Just take deep belly breaths and focus
on taking each breath in and feeling that action all by itself. I
knew this would bring me to the present moment. Done properly, it
works all the time and lifts my energy.
I could not help but be calm after all the deep breathing. I returned
to the table where I had left my chips and proceeded to find "my"
game. Well, my game was not too far. In fact, it was right next to
the table I had just left. It was a green chip table with no
waiting.
Once detached from the emotional drain I experienced at the other
table, I was able to focus on a new table with neutral energy. I did
not engage in a conversation with the dealers or box man. Instead, I
focused on deep breathing and focused on achieving what I was there to
do.
With my attitude adjusted, my intent was to have a lengthy roll. And
to make playing more interesting, I added some shooting with the goal
of parlaying my hard ways. Yes, I shoot for the hard ways and I run a
three step parlay and complete them very often. This is just my
betting style that works for me. Do you know what the pay out is on a
hard way parlay done three times??
All in all, everyone turned out to be a winner. While it is always
great to be in on the hoopla of a wonderfully hot table that is easily
and visibly dumping chips to its players at the right time, sometimes
the same goal can be accomplished in a quiet, subdued, almost
invisible fashion. With focused energy toward winning, coupled with an
unstoppable attitude, I doubled my buy-in, I colored up discovering
more about myself, my game and confirmation of what I preach does
work.
As Dice Coach would say, "This stuff works!" Sometimes his language is
a bit more colorful though, if you get my meaning.
This was an experience about game selection and the fact that "my"
game may not lie within the success of the group's game. This
particular experience was connecting with what I express to my
students about successful play.
One reason I play at the Bellagio is for the energy of the atmosphere.
Bellagio, The Wynn, and a few others have a certain type of beauty in
aesthetic architecture, and a clientele that appeals to me. And, the
staff in the craps pit have always been cordial and overly helpful,
most times anyway.
I need to add that anytime I decide to end my game, whether the
session was successful or not, it is always a great idea for me to
reflect, taking just a few seconds to understand what choices were
made that determined the outcome of the session and especially for the
positive ones, to lock in the feelings that provided the energetic
fuel that lead to success.
Quite often, in life, people will make decisions about a frustrating
situation based on emotions instead of looking at what is the best
course of action according to their reality created by their beliefs
and values. Personally, I value winning, and searching for ways to
accomplish this. I know it is difficult, to say the least, to create a
win when I experience being caught off guard. So, it is great to know
that my approach to winning is holding true for me as it should for my
students.
One last thing,
Hey Mr. Cranky Pants, I send you nothing but my love and thank you for
my experience. Until we meet again, there is always another game, at
another time, in another casino, any day of the week.
