Golden Touch Craps

Post of the Month - October

This month, the POM choice was completely unanimous. The responders to the post said they enjoyed it and newer members said they learned from it. There is no POD this month.
Goddess

Return from the dead!

DavidM - 01:35pm Nov 2, 2009 PT
Tunica, '08, refresher '09 Non official 40-50-60 roll. POM

That is what it feels like. Halloween was a perfect time. This is the follow up to my report "Venting and Crossroad". Total disaster of not ever, ever winning. Slammed. Stored all practice gear. Quit.

Back on a heavy practice schedule for two weeks. Not just throwing, but paying attention. In doing so I realized I had started playing more aggressive than my bank could handle. Stayed much longer than I should have, because I really love being at that table for long periods. My confidence was shot, and I was just beat. Re-read McCall's "Warrior Trader". My wife helped me on "focus..focus..breathe..focus..focus." Wrote down my absolute battle plan. Rigid 5 count, including myself. $$ discipline with press only after a profit. Slow spread out only after a profit. Must, must, walk when tired, or aggravated. Really tough, because as I stated, I really like being at the table.

Here in East Texas I am only 2hrs away from five good riverboat Casinos. I go often, and this was going to be a tough 3 day week end for me. Wife had a goal to achieve, and I had to get back on the horse.

Probably the best thing that happened for me...I found a empty $5 table at around 2am. Ragged, ugly, but it let me work steady. I didn't get past the 5 count until my last roll of a monster 12. So ugly I didn't put any odds on the last 4 times I shot until after 5 count. Only one come bet on myself..just any other shooter. Finally that feeling we all know was coming back. I remember the exact moment I exhaled and thought, "this is going to be ok". Hardest thing for me seemed to be throwing too hard. I hit my spot exact, and bang dice went everywhere. I hit the "E" on the Pass LinE everytime. Bang and there they go. Slowed my arm speed, and adjusted to the top of big red 6 with less revs. SR1, left handed. Finally a rally with the most beautiful 12 roll, ever. I was tired and went to the room for notes and ZZZZZZ .

Next day was good. Patience, and only shoot in my spot. Shoot 3 times and then recharge. That is tough. Over 10K rolls and I am having to re-train and re-learn, on things I knew as a "green weenie'. I don't know why I fell off the wagon, but I am going to make this work. Ignore the distractions, focus, breathe, and shoot.

As day turned to night, I knew it was coming. Didn't know when, but I could feel it in the air.

It arrived at exactly 1:40am Sunday morning. Rob, a great stickman, and a Bear of a man had just sent me the dice. Table was not full at all. Only two, what I call real players. He leaned over to me as I picked my two dice, and quietly said, "David why don't you give these guys a show. You are due right now." I am sure it is his job to do that for customers, but you know it hit the right button. I said "I am going to." If you know me, you know I never talk trash at the table, no high 5, no jacking my jaw..ever. "Take care of me, and I can do it." He did. Set for 7's. 7-7-7-7-11-11-7. That is seven of those things. Pt was 9. Remembered setting hard 6 with 6's to the right gave me an enormous number of 9s. (on that darn bouncy receiving station at home) Set it. Hit it. Boom and I am gone. For me it was everything I had been working on. When chips covered my spot, I adjusted. I could hit a postage stamp if need be. You shooters stop and think of all the things you have had to contend with. It happened. After the 4th point all 6/8, the table was an absolute wreck. I loved it. That was my objective. To be able to shoot in the center of the storm.

Two things on the distraction list were new. One I handled. A guy to my right, slightly drunk, kept wanting me to show him what I was doing to the dice. "Man what you do'n to dem dice? Show me!" He kept grabbing my right arm. "Wha chew do'n Man?" Someone moved him at some point in time. Anyway he was gone. I knew this was all a test. A new stickperson came in and started complaining to the other dealers that she was tired, and had missed a party, or something. They finally told her to "shut up woman, were busy". Never heard that before. She had been just sort of putting the dice in my area to pick up. In the Come area usually. Sometime on a 7, she didn't really care. When dealers told her they were too busy, she started slamming the dice to me. Hitting my chips. Breathe..focus. Then this shrill high pitched voice, dripping with attitude, says, "ya better stop swinging yo arm in MY face." She did this for a couple of shots. I ignored her. I was shooting from SR1 1/2 for this table. She leaned out, played with the stick. All the things you shooters have seen before. I smiled and kept shooting. Everyone at that table, including the dealers and boxman, was having a great time. (read $$$ for all) Except her. She hit me.

She hit me as I was shooting. As my left arm was swinging up, she leaned in and brought her right hand up (I saw it all) and hit my HAND on the outside edge. I yelled out, before the dice ever hit the table, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" They flew out of my hand landed who knows where 7 out! Table went nuts!

I guess I snapped, because at the table I do not get angry or loud. I was both. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, ARE YOU NUTS?" Her brilliant reply in the same shrill voice, "I was scratching my head..I was just scratching my head!" I grabbed my chips and slammed them on the table and said "I am out of here!" A few other things also, but I will not repeat them here. As I was headed out I noticed it was getting louder behind me, and a pitboss was sort of walking along by me. Sort of in the same direction. "I am very sorry about that. I really am. I will handle it." I just kept walking.

It was exactly 2:35am when I hit my room. I stay where I play. A friend told me later I rolled for more than 45min.

Story not over yet

Short rest ZZZZ . I am back at 8:30am, Going home today, but I am on mission. My normal going home day ritual is to hit the other two close by Casinos, finish here where I stay, then leave. Had a late start so I would only go to the closest one. As bad as the stickperson was last night (this morning) this guy was great.

My shot and I was a little shaky. He told me to relax and take my time. Relax and take my time! Where am I? It was a good roll of 27. Half way through a point roll, he said, "I have to let this guy buy in. Relax a minute. OK?" Where the hell am I??? A 5K buy in. Sometime after that he was saying, "we really, really need a hard 4." As fate would have it.."HARD FOOUURR! PAY THE DEALERS ON A HARD FOOUUR!" Didn't look up but they were paid in a handful of Black chips. A 27 with almost no junk really make me happy. I gotta go.

Back to home base Casino. Wife calls and says she will be late because she did reach the goal and they were in the office doing paper work right then. So there I stand. Now what? In a Casino with time on your hands. ummm.

I walk up the boat ramp to the Casino area. Storms and tornadoes had really raised the river level. Not many customers. What's this I see an EMPTY $5 table. Are you kidding me? I buy in, and one more guy shows up. OK. Casino is very quiet. I guess it is because it is 11:30am Sunday, and weather has been a pain. I am thinking, this is too perfect. Be careful, I want to go home with positive thoughts and a profit. After the first throw I knew the wife would have to come find me. I turned off my phone. After a couple of points, the stickman, who is usually a little arrogant and sort of above it all composure, said quietly, "this is going to be good, relax I'll take care of you." WHERE THE HELL AM I? He did.

Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew it was getting crazy. All I saw was the line in front of me, field numbers, and the point to be made. I didn't even look at the dice. They came back set most everytime. A woman in black came up behind on the right to buy in I guess. She waited because I was shooting. I thought, very good thank you. After my 10-12th roll I stood up and stretched my back, raising my head from the table (which I never ever do) I saw a friend at the table across from mine. My eyes caught him looking right at me. He raised his eyebrows. I nodded..yes. He was there on the right before I shot. I will see him next weekend and he will buy lunch.

Nothing lasts forever. As I counted rolls, I just went to red chips, and didn't change to green. Once today I fumbled changing over to Green, and my focus was gone. That was the 27. Green chip, a 3, 7out. So just white, then Red. The rack was full, and my right hand pocket. My count rack looked good also. As often happens one di slowly rolled off of some chips and 7 out. The lady behind me came in and held me up. My wife. I should have known that from the good feeling she gave from just being there. She had to sort of hold me up for a minute, because I really drained fast. No food or drink, not much sleep. As in all things I have competed with, I enjoy bringing it all. All I could say was, "Wow...wow". As I am telling the story it is getting to me again. I hope it always feels this way. It was great fun, and very confirming. She said to me, "you rolled 15 more times after I walked up, and you really do not want to know what you left on the table...at all!!" I pointed to the chips I counted with, she knows my system, and knew I wanted her to color up and clean up the mess. I was going to the bathroom.

I returned and the table was back to normal. A forgotten hero. In Craps you are a hero for just one roll. She asked if I had remembered to count all the rolls. I had missed some right around 10-12 because of some problems. She looked up at me with her beautiful Golden eyes, held up all my counting chips, and said, "here is a F***ing 43 right here!!" She has a way with words. I had 5X my buy in. As we turned to leave the table she leaned over the table (that is a show in itself) and dropped some Green chips in front of the stickman who had moved over to dealer in front of me. "Thank you for taking care of David." He did. He actually blushed, and smiled. He never smiles.

I know it was a long report. It was a long journey from the pits of despair back to a smooth controlled game. It is really hard work and this is the short version.

Thanks for reading this, and for sharing your experiences. It's cheaper than seeing a Shrink. What a journey.

Shoot with passion - DavidM