Wisdom

My mentor, the Captain, had some sayings he’d like to repeat, partly to remind himself of their importance, partly to encourage others to think correctly. They certainly had a profound impact on me.

One was “Winning is the most fun.”

This is why he played. He did not see the game of craps as an unwinnable game. He saw it as a game where he could get a slight advantage. How so?

First he made dice control an important element of his playing style. If he could alter the randomness of the game he could figure a way to beat it. How to do that was an important question; so. he worked on his throwing.

He certainly figured out how to change the odds of the game and hit repeating numbers. Early on in the process he shared his thoughts with growing number of the “crew,” those individuals who made him their leader.

Most of the “crew” were not interested in dice control as they loved to play craps the normal way – most could be characterized as happy “crazy crappers;” players who made all types of bets and got carried away by the game. They lost tens of thousands of dollars.

The practice it would take to control the outcome of a dice roll was just too much effort. And you weren’t guaranteed a win either, much like a batter in baseball trying to determine which pitch to swing at and even then there was no solid guarantee that particular pitch would result in a hit.

Still, make the right bets, keep the contest close, and he found he could beat the game.

He had one lady – known as “the Arm” – who had a natural throw. She could control the dice in a way that others couldn’t. Her throw was not the Captain’s throw; it was uniquely hers. Over the years she would help bail out most of the players.

The Captain developed a system called the “5-Count” which he would use on all shooters. This system would spread out the game so the Captain (and those of us who followed him such as me) would not bet on every random roller. We would select who we wagered our money on.

This was a key for him too. The random rollers basically cost everyone money. Although you had to wager on some to stay at a table, wagering on all was just a worthless exercise over time. The “5-Count” made it possible to pick which shooters to bet on.

Over the decades the Captain figured out how much to wager, who these bets would be made on, and when to leave a table. He was never in a rush to play. That was a key to his success.

If he was tired and didn’t have his shot, he’d take a walk or go to his room to nap. The desire to play inhabits most gamblers and many just can’t stay away from the table or take a short (or long) break.

Of course, the Captain had great rolls too. He once set the all-time record for consecutive throws in a game – a record now broken a couple of times. Still, his key to the game was to keep himself down and only play when it was the right time.

He and his crew went to the casinos every weekend. That was their way. The crew’s Jimmy P. also discovered how to throw and he and the Arm and the Captain formed a kind of trinity of players who knew that “winning was the most fun.”

All the best in and out of the casinos.

Frank Scoblete’s books are available at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble, Kindle, e-books, libraries, and bookstores.

This article is provided by the Frank Scoblete Network. Melissa A. Kaplan is the network's managing editor. If you would like to use this article on your website, please contact Casino City Press, the exclusive web syndication outlet for the Frank Scoblete Network. To contact Frank, please e-mail him at fscobe@optonline.net.