1. Setting Dice Craps
2. Is There A Good Way To Throw Dice In Craps
3. Craps Dice Control
4. Dice Throwing Techniques For Craps
5. Craps Dice Setting Chart

The Warm-Up: To be an effective precision dice shooter you must take time to train. Since dice control involves physical movement, the first thing you should do is take time to warm up a bit. The purpose of the warm up is to increase the blood flow to the body parts you will use to execute the precision toss. This increases flexibility and sensitivity,

Begin by warming up the fingers. Open and close your fists several times in a “milk the cow” movement. Stretch your fingers by placing your hands together and effecting a “spider doing push-ups on the mirror” move. Flex your wrists by moving them up and down, then rotating them left and right. Then move on up the arm, flexing your arms in a curling fashion, then rotating your shoulders. It’s a good idea to stretch the long muscles of your back and sides as well with a “reach for the sky” movement. And don’t forget to flex those ankles and knees as well. You’ll be spending a lot of time standing in one spot at the tables so it’s best to start out warm and loose.

Even the most analyzed dice setting grips won't help when throwing dice in a random manner. The dice will just end up bouncing all over the craps table. Even the best 'unbeatable craps strategy' will never work! Setting Analysis: The Union of Dice Control and Dice Setting Make sure to read my simple intro how to shoot craps on this site.

Practice throwing the dice from a distance equivalent to what you will face in the casino. If your preferred shooting position is stick right, for example, and you normally play on twelve-foot tables you should practice from a distance of around eight feet. Craps the numbers 2, 3, and/or 12 D double pitch In dice control, when the dice stay on axis which rarely occurs (less than 5% of the rolls), but one turns two faces more than the other. If players set the dice with the same face, such as a hard ways or 3V set, the roll may likely result in a seven. A website dedicated to supplying serious dice controllers and craps players with quality, affordable craps and dice control products for practice. Products include craps dice control tables, craps dice control rails, casino dice, and accessories.

Once you feel prepared physically go ahead and toss the dice a few times without recording your rolls. Play a mental session of Pass Line plus Place the 6 & 8 to see how you fare. Then, once you are warmed up and your toss grooved in, start to record your rolls.

Setting the Dice: Your primary pieces of equipment when training for precision shooting are regulation casino dice and some sort of practice box. Casino quality dice are available here on this website, or you can order dice from any number of outlets in Las Vegas. Gambler’s General Store is the most commonly cited source. Be cautious, though. Not all dice are created equal. Some outlets sell cheap metric dice manufactured in China or Mexico. The quality of these dice, especially when it comes to weight and balance, may be questionable.

Your practice rig can range from shop-built practice box to a full-sized regulation craps table. Any of these will work fine for your purposes. Just be sure you use casino-grade felt for your layout and authentic pyramid rubber on your back wall. You want your receiving station to be as close to the real thing as possible.

After your warm-up and initial tosses you should spend a few minutes practicing the various dice pre-set arrangements. Decide first which pre-set arrangement you are going to practice. Many find the Hardway set works best for them as it’s easy to see when your dice are off axis – anytime the roll results include an ace or a six that die is off axis.

Next, place four or five pairs of dice in a cup then dump them onto your setting station. Now quickly pick the dice up one or two at a time, pre-set them to the desired arrangement, then set them aside. Repeat this process for five to ten minutes for each of the primary dice set arrangements you commonly use.

Perfecting your Pitch: Once you have warmed up and practiced your dice sets it is time to practice your pitch. Practice throwing the dice from a distance equivalent to what you will face in the casino. If your preferred shooting position is stick right, for example, and you normally play on twelve-foot tables you should practice from a distance of around eight feet.

Use Two Colors of Dice: Many players find it useful to toss two different colored dice during their practice sessions. This makes it easier to track where each die landed upon release. It is very helpful in diagnosing specific grip and release issues. However, once your pitch is grooved in it is recommended you practice with a matched pair of dice similar to the ones you will be shooting with when you head to the casino. If the casino you frequent uses 3/4-inch sand finished red dice, those are the dice you should practice with.

Develop a Smooth and Consistent Delivery: Focus on a smooth fluid movement when you toss the dice. Remember the three “C’s” of the precision toss – comfort, control, and consistency. Try to deliver the dice to the exact same spot on the layout every toss. Shoot for the same trajectory, the same release point, and the same results over and over. Visualize these results and you shoot from the Axis Power Zone.

Track your Results: Every practice session should focus on both the come out cycle pre-set and the point-cycle pre-set. Results must be tracked for every toss and your Sevens to Rolls Ration calculated for each shooting cycle. Rolls should be broken down to include how the numbers rolled in addition to what point rolled. For example: Pre-Set – V-3. Point – 8. Rolled 6-2. With this date it is possible to analyze exactly what happened during the toss. In this case the dice stayed on axis, both pitched forward a quarter turn, and scored a primary hit on the eight. Had the dice rolled 5-2 in this example you would now that the left die was off axis, and probably rolled out a quarter to come up five. This allows you to diagnose the problem and take corrective action.

Add Chips and a Virtual Session: It is one thing to throw the dice into an empty practice box. It is quite another to throw them on a table covered with stacks of chips. For that reason I recommend spreading a few chips around your landing zone in the practice box, then running a virtual craps session in your mind utilizing your betting strategy of choice. Set a win goal and loss limit and see just how well you do.

Tracking results at practice sessions relies heavily on your powers of observation. By studying the behavior of the dice one can effectively deduce what errors are being made. Here are some of the more common observations and possible causes:

Secondary or Third Numbers Showing: The dice are not rotating on axis relative to one another, or one die is off axis and off rotation relative to the other. This is usually a grip issue. To check your grip pre-set the dice with the straight sixes facing down table, then inspect the grip after pick-up to make sure the fingers are in a straight line relative to the sixes. If the fingertips are in a straight line then the dice are probably sticking to one or more of your fingers. Apply a small amount of talc to your fingertips to rectify this.

Double Pitch, Roll or Yaw: These are fatal flaws that will result in the seven rolling approximately fifty percent of the time. Again, these are generally grip issues. Follow the same procedure as outlined above.

Dice Bounce Left or Right: The dice are not square with the surface of the table upon landing. If the right corner of a die hits the table first it will kick the die off to the left. If the left corner hits first it will kick off to the right. This is very difficult to recognize from the shooter’s perspective. He is viewing the dice from above and behind and cannot effectively ascertain whether or not they are square with the table surface. Ask someone to observe your pitch from straight out to verify the need for adjustment, or simply videotape your toss from straight out and observe the results. One solution to this problem is to actually begin the toss from the table top rather than picking up the dice first.

Dice Rolling Too Fast or Hitting the Wall Too Hard: The dice are being thrown too hard, at the wrong angle, or with insufficient backspin. The player should attempt to toss the dice as gently as possible at an angle of approximately forty-five degrees. A moderate amount of backspin will help the dice decelerate upon landing.

The Axis Power Practice Form: A copy of the Axis Power Practice Form is included with this manual. You may duplicate this form or create your own. Always make note of the date of your practice session and the particular pre-set arrangements used. If you use more than one type of grip or toss make note of that as well. Record your shooting position and distance. You may also want to add information such as what type dice you were using and whether or not you were tossing to a double layer of felt.

While practicing record every roll. Show the individual dice totals as well as the point number rolled. Circle the point if you made your “pass.” Place an “X” or an asterisk next to every “seven out.” Make notes on the form about any specific problems encountered and corrective action taken. When you are done calculate your sevens-to-rolls ratio for the session. Then look back at your indicators for any additional diagnostic feedback. Look for repeating numbers and signature trends. Track for hardway hits and any potential edge on proposition bets.

Practice, Practice, Practice: In order to master any skill you have to practice. Your practice routine may take as little as twenty minutes – or as much as two hours. My suggestion would be to establish a daily routing with a minimum of 72 tosses for each of the pre-sets you plan to use in the casino. Sticking with three or four pre-set arrangements you should be able to complete this in a little over an hour a day. Remember, though, that daily practice is cumulative. You don’t have to do it all in once stretch. Three twenty minute practice sessions spaced throughout the day can be just as effective as one marathon session – and sometimes even more effective.

Craps seems like a totally random game. After all, you simply try to toss dice off a diamond-patterned wall.

And you don’t necessarily have to hit the wall. But casinos want you to make an attempt to ensure randomness.

These factors seemingly produce uncontrolled results. However, a small segment of the craps community believes you can influence your results with a certain technique.

This technique is referred to as “dice control” (a.k.a. controlled shooting). It involves the art of tossing dice in a manner that helps you control the winning numbers as you play real money craps.

Dice control sounds great in theory, but it’s actually a scam. I’ll explain more on this method along with why it’s a complete farce.

Basics of Dice Control

The term “dice control” says everything. You’re controlling how you toss the dice. But how do you pull this off?

Everything begins with how you “set” the dice. Setting refers to holding the cubes in a specific manner, with certain numbers covered and exposed.

The V-shape is one of the most classic sets. It involves holding the dice so that the threes form a V-shape. It’s supposed to reduce your odds of throwing a seven.

The next matter is to toss the dice in a consistent manner. You’re aiming to kiss them off the back wall and reduce randomness.

This feat certainly isn’t easy when considering the diamond-patterned wall. But then again, you don’t need to control the outcome very often to gain an edge.

Assuming you can reduce your “sevens rolls ratio” (RSR) by just a bit, then you can swing the odds in your favor. RSR alludes to the ratio of rolls that produce a seven against those that don’t.

Your odds of rolling a seven are one in six, or an RSR of 6:1 (16.67% of the time). But if you can improve to just 6.5:1, then you’re guaranteed profits over time as a “right” bettor (e.g. pass line). Do even better than this, and you’ll be rolling in the winnings.

Experts advise either buying a real craps table or rigging your own for practice purposes. The latter option is more feasible when considering the cost and space requirements of a real table.

These experts also claim that you must practice for months to develop a consistent toss. This seems reasonable when considering how impossible it is to actually control your throws.

You supposedly need to approach this method like a professional athlete hones their craft. A pro basketball player doesn’t just start out hitting 80% of their free throws. Instead, they need to work up to these skills.

The same is allegedly true of dice control in that practice makes perfect. Top craps players are said to toss dice for hours a day outside of the casino.

What’s the Promise of Dice Control?

Some of the biggest proponents of controlled shooting include Dominic LoRiggio, Chris Pawlicki, and Frank Scoblete.

These gambling authors claim that craps is a beatable game. They also contend that you can make a fortune over time with enough hard work.

Scoblete often writes about a late gambler who went by the nickname “The Captain.” He claims that The Captain regularly beat casinos out of big winnings.

Besides earning money, another benefit of dice control is that it flies under the casino’s radar. Staff members will turn a blind eye towards controlled shooters. Therefore, you can use this technique without being hassled.

One more benefit is that dice control is physical in nature. You’ll find that perfecting your dice toss is more fun than sitting around counting cards or trying to see the dealer’s hole card (a.k.a. hole carding).

Setting Dice Craps

You may even come to love the practice element. You can treat this matter like a fun game where you want to be the best.

Why Is Dice Control a Complete Scam?

The biggest question mark surrounding controlled shooting is that it’s not banned by casinos. Gambling venues normally don’t care if somebody sets the dice and throws with the same consistency every time.

Casinos are staunchly against allowing advantage gamblers to run over them. They harass and even ban successful card counters to prevent this from happening.

Yet they could care less when it comes to dice setters. Dealers allow these so-called advantage players to set dice within reason.

Now, the aforementioned gambling authors will tout how casinos do harass controlled shooters. They’ll conjure up stories about a dealer or pit boss trying to back off a dice controller.

Another problem with dice control is that there are no reliable examples of successful players. Scoblete’s examples of The Captain are the only stories we have to go off of. But Scoblete has no actual proof that The Captain truly beat casinos or even existed.

Contrast this to other advantage play techniques, like card counting or wheel bias. Both of these strategies have produced documented cases of big winners.

Perhaps another fishy sign is the dice control courses run by LoRiggio and Scoblete. The pair operate Golden Touch seminars, where they teach players controlled shooting for the low price of $1,500.

Of course, they claim that the lofty cost is due to them giving away such valuable information. However, paying $1,500 for an advantage gambling method that’s unproven is over the top.

Many craps enthusiasts want to believe that the game can be beaten through skill. But looking at the facts, things just don’t add up.

Is There a Reliable Way to Beat Craps?

I strongly contend that there’s no legal way to beat craps on a consistent basis. You actually can top the casinos through dice sliding. However, this technique doesn’t satisfy the legal requirement.

The only real way to win in craps is by making good bets and backing them with odds. You start this process by focusing on pass line, come, don’t pass line, and don’t come.

Pass line (made on come-out roll) and come (made after) both have a 1.41% house edge. Don’t pass line (made on come-out roll) and don’t come (made after) each have a 1.36% house advantage.

You can back any of the four aforementioned bets once a “point” number has been established. Betting bigger odds means that a larger portion of your wager won’t be subject to the casino house edge.

Here’s an example to illustrate how larger odds lower the overall house advantage on your wagers:

• 2x odds pass line = 0.848% house edge
• 2x odds don’t pass line = 0.682% house edge
• 5x odds pass line = 0.326%
• 5x odds don’t pass line = 0.227%
• 10x odds pass line = 0.184%
• 10x odds don’t pass line = 0.124%
• 20x odds pass line = 0.099%
• 20x odds don’t pass line = 0.065%

The problem with higher odds is two-fold:

• You must be able to afford the bet.
• Most casinos don’t offer 10x or 20x odds.

Regarding the first point, your odds bet needs to match its multiple in relation to the original wager. If you bet $10 on pass line and take 10x odds, for example, then you must wager an additional $100 ($110 total).

As for the second dilemma, you may not find a casino in your area that allows higher than 5x odds. But you can still benefit with odds ranging from 1x to 5x.

Conclusion

Is There A Good Way To Throw Dice In Craps

I seriously hope that you haven’t paid for any dice control courses or worked on your toss for long. If so, then you’ve been scammed!

Controlled shooting simply doesn’t work. Instead, it’s the invention of clever gambling authors who want you to believe that craps can be beaten for the right price.

If you’re serious enough to spend hours practicing your toss and, most importantly, pay $1,500 for a course, then you can win.

But this narrative is complete BS. You merely need look at how casinos couldn’t care less about controlled shooters to see the truth.

Dice setters fall into the latter category. Nobody can toss a pair of small cubes 12 to 14 feet down a table, hit a diamond-patterned wall, and expect consistent results.

Craps Dice Control

You’re better off throwing your time into a real advantage play technique, like card counting or hole carding. Leave controlled shooting to the delusional crowd who believes that they can make long-term profits.

Dice Throwing Techniques For Craps

Assuming you like craps, then you can still give yourself a reasonable chance to win. All you need to do is make bets with the lowest house edges and back them with odds.

Craps Dice Setting Chart

You may not gain the upper hand on casinos this way. But at least you’ll have decent odds of winning, without blowing time and money on dice control.