Craps: Dice Control

Much publicity surrounds the controversy of controlled shooting of dice at the craps table. A great deal of professionals have discredited the idea that players can get an edge over the casino via the technique of controlled throwing, believing that the technique is too imprecise to actually function on any significant level (controlled throwing is also known as dice control and rhythm rolling). But many players continue to ask themselves the question of whether the experts are wrong, and the technique can be mastered through careful practice and execution.

A significant reason for the level of sceptics surrounding dice control, is that the term is not exactly parallel to the practice, ‘dice control' is a misnomer here, because it is impossible for a person to control the dice on every throw.

The theory that underpins dice control is that the dice must be set in a certain fashion and then thrown in the same fashion every time, the result of which is a controlled throw. The aim of the game is to change the outcome of each of the dice (two in craps) as they land, thus determining what should be a random process. The aspect of the throw that dice controllers are trying to change is the number of times a 7 is thrown, as they wish to avoid this dice value.

If you are familiar with the game of craps, then you have certainly seen a hot roll, where the player rolls number after number. Occasionally, a player will get into a roll by throwing the dice in the same fashion each time, which results in an overall rhythm to their game. Sometimes players will get into a roll by accident, but manage to sustain the rhythm for a while, rather like beginners luck, they stumble upon a technique accidentally, and only briefly. Other players, on the other hand, will consciously practice their dice rolling techniques in the hope of honing a controllable skill.

Consistency in dice control:
There are several elements concerned in the art of dice control. The primary consideration is the set; the way in which a player sets the dice will have an affect on the outcome, this is true regardless of any attempt to predict the fall. A popular set consists of placing the threes so that they make a ‘v' formation, this is known as the 3-v formation. This is suppose to give the player the hard 6 (that is 3 & 3) on top, the 6 (5 & 1) at the front, the 8 on one (6 & 2) on the back and the hard eight (4 & 4) on the bottom. So, as you can see, there will be no 7's showing on this set.

Once the dice have been set in the 3-V formation then the player must make a precise delivery, one that is strong enough to ensure that the dice reach the end of the table, but weak enough to make sure there is no, or little, bounce once the dice reach the end of the table. SO, you need to ensure that you carry through the technique with the throw you make, as well as the set. This means that you need to practice your throwing technique, making sure that you learn to throw them in the same, or similar, fashion on each roll. You need to be able to throw the numbers, while at the same time avoiding all the 7's. If you manage to throw the dice the same way each time, you will be able to produce the same numbers on each throw.

Throwing a pair of dice can make 36 different number combinations. Out of the 36 combinations, six of them total 7. Therefore, the mathematical probability of a 7 arising inside 6 rolls of the dice (known as the Sevens to Roll Ratio, or SRR, of 6) when the dice roll is completely random, is 1. This is how the house edge is calculated, in relation to the SRR. So, if you were to throw the dice 42 times and you end up rolling 7 7's, then you have SRR of 6 (42/7=6). On the other hand, if you manage one non-random roll and throw 7 7's in 43 rolls, then you have an SRR which is slightly alleviated, 6.14 instead of 6, and this is enough to make the odds of the house negligible if you bet on the 6 & 8 bets. This means that if you manage just to throw one random roll during the course of 43 throws then you reduce the odds of the house and you yield a game where the probability dictates that you will break even.

Practice make perfect:
As with most things in life, this adage holds true in dice control for craps. Two books exist on the market which make excellent suggestions on how a player can hone their dice control skills; Frank Scoblete's ‘The Golden Touch dice Control Revolution' and Stanford Wong's ‘Dominator and Wong on Dice'. These books will cover the fundamentals needed to master the art of dice control, but the hard work will be down to you as you practice, practice, practice!

Dice control is a physical activity, and as you would in any type of sport, getting the technique right will take hours of arduous work- although I doubt that dice throwing will ever be a part of the Olympics, it is probably synonymous to darts, and so can be practiced while eating pies and drinking beer- what better sport than that?

But remember, even if you hone the skill to perfection, you still need to have a thorough understanding of the game of craps, and a particularly in-depth understanding of the odds. Good luck, this method can bring you some great wins if you use it properly...that is all grasshopper...