Dear Craps Enthusiasts,

This month's newsletter is about giving credit and placing blame. Having hung around craps tables as long as I have, there are particulars which eventually become clear. It's not that I was any sort of gifted individual with any greater capacity of figuring these nuances out, it's just that after a great deal of time, the truth about some things is unveiled simply because you've encountered that truth time and time again. I'm always surprised when someone points out a particular person in reference to a great roll that individual had previously. Whether it was their last roll, a roll they had a couple of hours ago, or even a roll they had a day or two ago. They actually believe that person can or will duplicate such a feat just because they saw them do it before. Haven't we all had great rolls before? Does that mean we can duplicate it any time we get the dice? Of course not. If we could the casino would have security escort us from their premises. I'd like to assume for my own personal mental preservation, that it never entered you mind that they were there to protect you and your money. Even though that may be a by-product until the casino can relieve you of it. Getting back to the point, and I may as well get to the heart of it, no one truly deserves credit whatsoever for having a great roll. It's not as if they really had anything to do with it at all except for the dice being in their hand before they ended up in their final position resting at the other end of the table. No rhyme, no reason-just reality. The dice are plastic cubes; they have six sides-they land on one side revealing a number of dots on top; the combined two numbers of dots are what they are. That's all there is to it. Ask a person who's rolled them for an hour to do it again; they can't. It was what it was, and that's all there is to it. Let's hope you were at the table when it happened, and let's also hope you've learned what I teach people to do in such instances-so that you're $100,000 or so richer! Likewise, and this is something which occurs on a much more frequent basis because there are more seven-outs then there are great rolls, people have a severe tendency to blame a roll ending in 7 on anything handy, other than themselves that is. It can be the cocktail waitress's fault, or some passer- by who stopped long enough to poke his head over someone's shoulder to see what was going on out there. Little did he know he was going to be the cause of those two dice ending up showing a combination of seven dots out on the table, and cause everybody to lose their money. What was he thinking?! It's so ridiculous I have to make fun of it. But I've been guilty of it in earlier years, myself. It took me a long time to realize these truths about a craps game. I'm a human as anybody else. I remember a pit boss walking up behind a boxman one time, and leaning out to see what was going on when he saw I had a $1,000 10-he said, "Come on, roll another 10." It came up a 7 and my first mental reaction was, That guy had to stick his nose in it! The longer I assessed the situation though, I realized the guy was real-he was rooting for me. And why shouldn't he be; after all, it wasn't his money. Plus he'd been around long enough to know the reality behind the fact that it truly doesn't matter what any particular individual thinks or says. The dice just are what they are. I did hear him say to another floor-man that he'd never seen anyone turn a $5 bet into a $1,000 bet before. It was a nice compliment, but in all honesty I believe I'd rather have just collected $2,000 on the 10. Another common one that takes place when the dice hit someone's hand or their chips, then comes up a 7. That's always the cause of the 7! Of course if it's just another number the obstacle doesn't get the credit. Credit and blame-there isn't any really. The dice just are what they are. You can take credit if you know what to do when you're standing at a table and those dice get out of line though. I hope you've contacted us and made arrangements to learn that information. If you choose to give us a call, Margaret is a pretty pleasant person to deal with. I hear her talking with people all the time and she enjoys it. Probably most importantly, she makes the people who call comfortable. The call is free-we hope to hear from you. I believe that leaves you with only one question you can ask yourself in making your choice concerning contacting us: Do I want to be smarter about what to do at a craps table than I am presently, or not?

Good Luck, Gene and Margaret