January 2009 - Post of the Month

Eddie's post was a clear winner this month. There were a lot of good ideas, and information everyone could use prior to a casino trip.

emaloney - 12:53pm Feb 11, 2009 PT
GTC Grad,Refresher,Advanced,Post of Month 2/09

If the GTC Craps style is an athletic endeavor (which I do believe), then preparing for a trip is extremely important. I haven’t read much about this but I thought I’d bring it up. Preparing for my casino trips isn’t just throwing a few times a day or two before. Nor is it just a continuation of my normal practice routine. It’s more serious and concentrated. I start it a week or two before I leave.

Below are the four areas I concentrate on while preparing for my trip.

1) Work on the mechanists throw.
a. Determining my Dice sets
b. Practice setting the Dice sets I will be using. (as Fast a possible without loosing composure)
c. Checking my stance for each of the positions I will be throwing from
d. Checking the Grip. Making sure my fingers are square. Thumb correctly positioned. The hand is in the proper position before throwing
e. Practice gripping quickly and accurately.
f. Checking the throw. Watching the backswing path and distance. Seeing the follow through and the arm position. Looking at my body position before, during and after the throw.
g. The Release. Watching the Dice roll evenly and square. Making sure they are being thrown at the correct angles. My hand position at the end of the throw
h. Dice Reactions. Where the dice landed, how they landed.
i. Practice my throwing positions. I will only play if these positions are open.

2) Determine my betting strategy.
a. I want to know what I will and will not bet. ( I use Smart Craps to help me refine this.. It’s a great tool)
b. Know the payoffs of my bets
c. Determine my buy ins, my Stop loss , Max win amounts, and trip bankroll.
d. I like to test my betting strategy(s) before the trip.

3) Practice like in real casino. (No analyzing the throw here. Just do it)
a. A few warm-up throws like I would do in the hotel room. Clear my mind and focus on the upcoming task.
b. Have noise in the background. Usually a song or TV program that interests me so I must focus on the game.
c. Bet using my selected betting strategy. Proper payoffs
d. Throw from my selected positions and dice sets.
e. Chips on the table near my landing zones at times.
f. Hit the back wall with both dice every time.
g. When 7ing out. Stop for a few minutes and just stand there before starting
h. Quite at my stop loss, my win cap, or a set time.

4) Confidence, the physiological part of the game. (I truly believe this can have major impact on your success)
a. Relax and keep the mind mentally focused
b. Deal with the anxiety of the point 7s or bad throws. Even if that happens over and over.
c. Know my edge, and believe in my edge.
d. See myself as a winner, not matter what is happening around me.



I’m just curious what others do. Feedback and suggestions are welcome.

ejm