mini-max craps strategy - silverthorne publications · 2016. 12. 27. · project. lacy said,...

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Martin J. Silverthorne

Mini-Max Craps Strategy

Mini-Max Craps © 2008 Silverthorne Publications Inc. All right reserved

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Mini-Max Craps StrategyCOPYRIGHT © 2008 Silverthorne Publications Inc.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. Without limiting the rights underthe copyright reserved above, no part of this publication may bereproduced, stored in or introduced into a retrieval system, ortransmitted, in any form or by any means (electronic, mechanical,photocopying, recording, or otherwise), without the prior writtenpermission of both the copyright owner and the publisher of thisbook, except for inclusion of brief quotations in a review.

Address all inquiries to the publisher:Silverthorne Publications, Inc.848 N. Rainbow Blvd., Suite 601Las Vegas, Nevada 89107

Created in the United States of America.

The material contained in this book is intended to inform andeducate the reader and in no way represents an inducement togamble legally or illegally.

Mini-Max Craps © 2008 Silverthorne Publications Inc. All right reserved3

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Table of ContentsIntroduction 4Why Craps? 9The Game 17The Bets 31Mini-Max Bets 50The Betting Series 55Choosing the Betting Pattern 63Money Management 70Partnership Play 76Using the System 82The Max Switch Method 86Skilful Play 104Discipline and Control 115Casino Comps 131Online Gambling 144Casino Etiquette 154Beat the Casinos 160


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Introduction

Mini-Max Craps was first published in 1989. The basicsystem is an old one. Prior to publishing the book, I had revisedand refined the system, adding a number of new elements and Iknew that it was a very effective way of playing the craps game. Hence the original book.

In a major revision, added to the 1994 version, the MaxSwitch Method of selecting bets was added. This dramaticallyincreased the effectiveness of the system. As I am writing this onJuly 4, 2002, I am beginning the second revision of the Mini-MaxStrategy. Even though casino conditions have changed some sincethe last revision in 1994, the strategy continues to be as powerfulas ever. Yesterday I visited a local casino, bought in for $300 atthe craps tables and left an hour and a half later with $153 inwinnings. I assure you that once you learn the Mini-MaxStrategy, you will be able to win just about any amount of moneyyou want, even starting with a midget bankroll of $50.00!


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In the past five years, the craps game has waned inpopularity under the onslaught of the myriad of video games — thevideo poker game, video blackjack and the proliferation ofprogressive and jackpot slot machines, many offering lottery-likepayoffs.

Was I facing a losing battle in updating a system designedfor an old work horse, based on using nothing more than a pair ofdice and a table layout, versus the micro-processor controlled, lightflashing, bell ringing monsters which have transformed the casinolandscape into a noise and light polluted mechanized waste land?

My lovely wife, Lacy, provided the answer to this question. She is one of the biggest fans of the Mini-Max approach to craps(she only bets on the don't pass, causing more than a few stareswhen she calmly walks up to a "hot" dice table and beginswagering on the don't side). Lacy also likes to play slot machinesand her insight was part of the inspiration to persevere in thisproject. Lacy said, "I play slots for fun, but I can never count onwinning. Winning is pure luck. When I play craps, using Mini-Max, I always plan on winning."

And that is the answer. Casino patrons who are counting onluck and really don't care whether they win or lose should stopreading at this point. Or, if you are like Lacy and like to win, thenMini-Max will provide you with the ammunition to do so.

In revising the original book, I wanted to carefully considerthe changes which have occurred in the craps game and toincorporate any changes in strategy which might be advisable toadjust to changed playing conditions.


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For example, double odds craps tables are the norm ratherthan the exception these days. Five times odds tables are commonin Las Vegas and ten times odds are available at Binion'sHorseshoe in downtown Vegas. The higher odds tablestheoretically offer the craps player a better deal. Yet Mini-Maxdoes not use odds as part of its strategy. Was I missing out on agood thing? Should revised Mini-Max incorporate taking or layingodds as a strategy?

I reviewed my records of Mini-Max play in casinos. Incredibly, using the system over a six-year period, I had never hada losing casino trip when I used the Mini-Max strategy. Howmuch could I improve a system with these impressive credentials?

I reread the numerous correspondence I had received overthe years from Mini-Max users. I have many testimonial letters inmy files attesting its effectiveness. I have several friends whoswear by the system and never use any other method at the crapstables.

Even with the changes in the craps game, I could find nojustification for changing the basic principles of Mini-Max. Except for perhaps one.

You will find, when you read this book, that I recommendthe concept of partnership play. This is only a recommendation,and is not essential to using the system. The major reason forhaving a partner is simple. Mini-Max wins twice as fast when twopeople are using the system. As you will see when you read thisbook, partners can make opposite wagers at the same time (thoughnot in the same amounts) and both have winning sessions. Amajor gripe from some


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Mini-Max users is that of the partnership concept. They simplyobject to a system that suggests using a partner when playing craps.

Yet they don't want to lose the effectiveness of having a partner. Sort of like playing doubles in tennis, but with only a single playerper side.

This complaint has bothered me for years, yet I have neverknown what to do about it. I enjoy playing craps with a partnerand Lacy will play the system, with or without me. But this is noteveryone's cup of tea.

Recently I began experimenting with the betting patternsrecommended in the first edition of this book. These patterns haveworked well for years, but part of the effectiveness of partnershipplay relates to the complexity of the betting patterns possible withtwo partners, which is just not feasible for one person to employ. Ifelt that it was possible to improve the recommended Mini-Maxbetting patterns, without using partnership play.

My patience paid off. Two new chapters have been addedto this edition of Mini-Max Craps, which reflects the results of thisstudy. A new betting pattern was developed which I call "TheMaximum Switch Bet Selection Method," or Max Switch for short.

Using this method of betting, a single player can experienceabout 75% of the winnings of partnership play. The method is soeffective that the hourly-winning rate for a single player isimproved about 50%. And this translates into phenomenalwinnings! I was so excited about this improved method ofwagering that I used it to develop a technique whereby a player


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with a modest bankroll can win over $13,000 for five days of hardcraps play. But I am getting ahead of myself. You can read allabout it in the chapter "The Max Switch Method."

So what about the old workhorse game of craps? Thestrategies shown in this book can be used to earn a handsomeliving at the dice tables. You will find almost no slots or videopoker players who can make this claim. The earnings powershould be justification enough for some of the "electronicgamblers" to take a hard look at the dice game.

And what does Lacy think about the "new and improved"Mini-Max. She tried out the new strategy and promptly informedme that she will continue to wager only from the don't pass side,just like she always has. But that's Lacy. And I never argue with awinner!


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Why Craps?

Dice have been used as gambling devices for severalthousand years. Even the language of dice reflects its influence onhistory. When Caesar made his decision to take his army acrossthe Rubicon in defiance of the edicts of the Roman Senate, hechose his response from the language of the dice player: "Iactaalea est." The die is cast.

Gambling with dice is pervasive. It has been found inalmost every culture, from American Indians to Africans. TheGreeks and Romans used dice made of bone or ivory, others useddice made of bronze, onyx, alabaster, marble or even porcelain.

Craps is of American origin. Some time after 1800 aroundNew Orleans, the American Blacks begin playing a version of thegame, no doubt adapted from the English game Hazard, which theFrench sometimes called Craps.

The New Orleans version of Craps moved up theMississippi on the nineteenth century river boats. By about 1890the game began appearing in the form of Bank Craps in some


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American casinos. The big casino game at this time was Faro, andCraps did not become really popular until World War II whenthousands of GIs learned backroom Craps.

Street Craps, also called private Craps, backroom Craps oreven backalley Craps, was where a lot of us first cut our teeth.

I learned to play Street Craps before I was old enough tobuy a drink (at least legally). I used to cut school at lot and hangout around some of the pool halls. I didn't know beans about thegame, and I used to regularly bet pennies or even nickels in thegames where I was tolerated.

An old Craps hustler let me in on the secret of beating thegame. With Street Craps, the players bet against each other. Inorder to make a bet, you had to find a player to take your actionand fade your bet. The hustler explained to me that about two-thirds of the players would always bet right, that is, with theshooter. Almost a third would bet wrong (against the shooter)when someone else held the dice, and would switch to betting rightwhen they got their hands on the dice.

A very small percentage — maybe two or three percent ofthe players — would bet wrong 100% of the time.

And only this small percentage of wrong betters stood muchof a chance of being long term winners in the game.

Street Craps always favors the wrong better. Themathematics of dice, which we'll talk about a bit later, favors the


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wrong bettor in the backalley game. Most people don't know this,and most players wouldn't change their betting if they did.

There are a couple of problems with betting wrong all of thetime. For one thing a lot of players don't like it. They figure youare running some kind of scam or are a dice hustler (which ofcourse my mentor was). The second risk is that when the dice gethot and stay hot, the wrong bettor can find himself facingescalating losses which can wipe out hours of winnings in a fewminutes.

The hustler figured a way out of these problems. He betwrong nearly all the time except when the dice got hot. Then hewould go with the shooter for a few rolls. This strategy kept himfrom getting labeled as a hustler or con man and also protected hisbankroll.

But when he switched to betting right, he would alwaysdrop the size of his wagers and only increase his right bets if theshooter kept popping numbers and winning his bets.

On the wrong side he was willing to increase his bets after acouple of losses, figuring that every roll has to come to an end andhanging in there with the shooter for a couple of passes was justgood business.

And he made some pretty good money using the system. Inever learned to hustle dice games. I played if there was a gamegoing and did pretty well using the hustler's system.


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The casinos have simplified the game of craps by bankingthe game. It is no longer necessary to find another player to fadeyour bet; the house or bank fades all the bets. This can be a realadvantage for the wrong bettor. He doesn't have to disguise hismoves because the house doesn't really care how he bets since theyfigure that they hold the hammer on all players anyway. But thehouse did one thing to hurt the wrong bettor. They took away hismathematical advantage over right betters.

With street craps, the right bettor (betting for the dice topass) fights odds of about 1.4% against him. The wrong bettor(betting for the dice to miss) has an advantage of about 1.4%working for him. This is why the only sensible way to bet in StreetCraps is to bet wrong.

When the casinos cleaned up the game, they barred thenumber 12, or in some cases the number 2, as a win for the don'tbettor on a come out roll. With this rule change, the wrong bettorbucks about the same odds of losing as the right bettor. So intheory it doesn't make much difference which way you bet in bankcraps, the house holds the hammer on all bets.

Except that it is still possible to play a version of the oldhustler's system. It has been modified to work for Bank Craps. You give up a little because the casino takes the Come-Out 12away from the wrong better. But every other advantage for thewrong bettor stays in place.

So why play craps? Because its origins are ancient? Because some old dice degenerate taught me how to beat thegame? Naw. Not good enough. I don't think that anyone ought


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to play the game unless they play to win. Not for fun. Not becausethe game is the number one casino action game. These reasons arenot good enough. The only reason to play the game is to learn howto hold the hammer over the bastard casinos.

And I am not trying to talk anyone into taking up gambling. I don't have to. Nearly everyone gambles. And most do it badly. If you don't gamble, don't take it up on my account. But if you do,I want to present a little theory on why you should consider Craps,and if you do pick Craps, how you can learn to hammer the game.

Let's assume that you don't know zip about casino gamblingand you are thinking about the choice of games. I plan onpresenting a pretty good case for choosing Craps. But don't takemy word for it. Consider for a minute the house edge or advantageover the player in most casino games. Table 1 summarizes thehouse advantage in certain casino games.


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TABLE 1. HOUSE ADVANTAGEIN CERTAIN CASINO GAMES

Keno Average about 25%

SlotMachines

2% to 25%, use 10% as an average

Big Six Average about 18%

Roulette Double zero — 5.27%Single zero (Atlantic City) — 2.70%Single zero anden prison (Europe) — 1.35%

Baccarat Player — 1.36%Banker — 1.17%

Blackjack No strategy — 15% to 20%Basic strategywith multi decks — 1.5%Card countingtheoretical advantage -2.0%

Craps Pass, Come,Don't Pass, Don't Come — 1.40%Odds Bets:Single odds — 0.8%Double odds — 0.6%Place, field,proposition bets — 1.5% to 16.7%


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If you look at the numbers in the table, the only numberwith a minus in front of it, meaning the player has an advantage, isfor card counting at blackjack. I didn't come up with this number,it is the number the card counters like to use. I don't believe it. Ihave never met one card counter who successfully made a living atblackjack. Most of them develop elaborate systems, try them a fewtimes to see how miserable they really are in the real world, andthen write books and newsletters. I have my own approach toblackjack, and I'll go up against the card counters any day. Butthat's another story.

Ignoring the unproven claim of card counters, where do yousee the best numbers in Table 1? For those of you who cut classeslike I did, best means lowest numbers, as in the lowest house edgeagainst the player. The best numbers are in the craps section. When you can get numbers down to less than one percent againstyou, the game is beatable. If you know what you are doing. Andthat's why I'm here: to show you what to do to beat craps.

Craps has some advantages over the other casino games thatdon't show up in tables of house advantages. It is the only gamethat lets you bet that a number won't show. Ever try that inroulette. Walk up to the table and tell the croupier that you want tobet a no-36 on the next roll. They'll send for the men in little whitecoats.

But in craps you can always bet that a number does ordoesn't show. You have the ultimate flexibility in putting togethera winning strategy.


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The old hustler always went with the probabilities ofwinning. He wasn't playing for fun. He followed the dice andtried to stay on the side that was winning. And that's what I amgoing to show you how to do.


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The Game

If you have ever played craps in the back room of a store, oron an old bed cover spread on the floor, you have played streetcraps. The shooter would establish his point, and everyone wouldstand around until he made his point, or sevened out.

The casino version of the game is called Bank Craps. Thecasino acts as the bank, rather than players betting against eachother. In addition, numerous other bets are allowed.

In the casino version of Craps, you can bet Pass or Don'tPass, Come or Don't Come, make Place bets, Buy and Lay bets, orbet the Hard Ways or any one of several proposition bets. You canmake one roll bets like the Field, or make bets which stay up untila decision occurs, like Pass Line wagers. You have a great varietyof bets which can be made. A right bettor (one who expects theshooter to make his point) could have as many as twenty bets onthe table at one time.

Craps is the traditional game of high rollers. It is the fastestand most exciting casino game. It is the only casino game


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where it is possible to run a $100 stake into $10,000 in a couple ofhours.

And it is the most vocal of all casino games. Walk into anycasino and listen to where all the noise is coming from. It's thecraps players yelling up a storm. Every throw of the dice evokes anew response of whoops and hollers.

Now stroll back to the Blackjack tables or the Roulettewheel. Hardly a whimper from the players. The Blackjack playersare using hand signs to signal the dealer. A Blackjack player couldplay for a week and not utter a word. In Craps, the players areconstantly talking to the dice, the dealers and each other.

CRAPS LAYOUT


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To the novice player, the game appears very intimidating. Everyone else knows what they are doing, or so it seems. Once,when I was showing a lady companion how to play the game, shelooked down for her bet and it was gone. "What happened to mybet?" she asked. The shooter had rolled a come out craps and herPass Line bet had been whisked away by the dealer. She felt likeshe had hardly settled in and they already had the audacity to takeher bet.

The game moves very fast to the newcomer, but after youlearn the game, you will notice the times when the game is sloweddown (to your irritation) much more than speeded up. The game isfast, but it only seems fast when you don't understand the bets orwhat the dealers and players are doing.

Because of the speed of the game, and the variety of betsavailable, what is normally the best casino game for a playerbecomes a trap for many. Many people lose money at a ferociousrate at Craps because they lay down too many bets and have nopatience. Most casinos figure to keep about 20% of the drop, thatis, win 20% of all money exchanged for chips at the craps table.

The thing I like best about Craps is that when you start towin, there's not a damn thing the house can do about it. Blackjackcard counters get thrown out for winning. Winning Craps playerscan cause the casino bosses to break into a cold sweat, but they arenot thrown out. Usually the bosses start engaging in "slow down"tactics at a table where the players are killing the house. Theboxman may reprimand the shooter for his


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shooting style. (I've seen players chewed on for shooting too high,too low, too hard or too soft — you tell me).

When the shooter starts to make pass after pass with lots ofnumbers in between the action can get serious. When the majorityof players have black ($100) or pink ($500) chips in play, thecasino can drop $50,000 to $100,000 in short order.

I have seen individual players win over $100,000 at thecraps table. The bosses will try to slow down the game,excessively examine the dice between rolls, bring in fresh racks ofchips and in general make total nuisances of themselves, but theplayers are allowed to keep on winning. Don't you like this game?

I recently showed a young man how to play Craps in acasino. He was a died in the wool Blackjack aficionado, withdelusions of counting down multiple decks and all that crap. Afteran hour at the Craps table I asked him what he thought. He calmlyturned to me and said, "Well, I guess I'm finished with Blackjack."

If you have played the game before, forgive me my waxingeloquent. If you haven't played, then please take the time to try itand better yet, use my system so you will win.

Most casinos will have at least one craps table, except forthe slot palaces specializing in the one-armed bandit trade. Somestates allows slots and blackjack, or some other combination ofcasino games, and exclude craps. The "real" casinos will have at


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least one craps table. The big joints in Nevada and Atlantic Citywill have eight or more craps tables per casino.

Within the last year, I experienced some of the mostenjoyable Craps in Mississippi. Those Southern boys know how toplay the game with a vengeance.

The area where the craps tables are grouped is called thecraps pit with the casino employee in charge of this area known asthe craps pit boss.

A casino craps table may range in size from 14 to over 20feet. They look like oversized billiard tables. In the old days someof the floating craps games and games in sawdust joints used toconvert billiard tables by attaching boards to the sides of billiardtables to act as backstops for the dice. This was alsohandy when the law showed. Pull the side boards down and theboys were just having an innocent game of billiards.

The number of players who can play at a craps table islimited only to the number who can squeeze in. If the table iscrowded, it is considered polite to ask if you can fit in, rather thanjust shoving your way into the table. Some craps players havebeen known to shove back, and asking is usually the better policy. If the table is crowded, the nearest dealer will usually ask theplayers to scoot over, if you ask nicely.

The table is covered with felt which is usually coloredgreen, but I have seen them in shades of blue, purple and even


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eye jarring red. I don't recommend the red ones for all nightsessions, too hard on the eyes.

The possible craps bets are marked on the felt in a pattern ofbetting areas called the craps layout. In the old days, these weredrawn on billiard tables with chalk, now they are all nice andprinted.

The table layout has three sections. The middle section,called the center, rests under the watchful eye of the person onstick. The end sections are mirror images of each other, with onedealer per end.

The center bets contain the lousiest bets in the game such asthe hardways bets and a number of one roll bets. I will tell youabout these bets, but in general, you can enjoy a long andsuccessful craps career without ever tossing a chip to the centersection for a wager.

The more important wagers are available on the endsections of the table. Here you will find Pass Line bets, which aremade by over 90% of all craps players, Place bets, Come Bets,Don't Pass wagers, Don't Come Bets, Field bets, the Big 6 and Big8 wagers, and Buy and Lay bets. Odds bets, which are not markedon the table, are also made on the end sections of the table.

There are usually four casino employees at a craps table. The person seated in the middle of the table, in front of the casino'schips, is the boxman. Today, many of these boxmen are


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box women, so I guess you ought to call them box people, whichdoesn't quite sound right. Anyway, these box whatevers are thepeople in charge of the craps table. They drop your cash into thedropbox when you buy in, watch the dealers, settle disputes withplayers, and in general act as managers of the game. Many times afloor person will be standing behind the boxman. If you havecasino credit and need a marker to buy in, the floor person willaccommodate you. They will also rate you if you are trying to geta comp (a freebie from the casino, usually a meal).

Many times the floor person may be joined by the pit boss,the big honcho of the craps pit. If the game is very active, anotherboxman may be brought in as well.

Recently, playing in Mississippi, I played at some tableswith no boxmen. I hadn't seen this before. I asked one of thedealers about it, and he told me that it saves the casino aboutseventy grand a year per table. I think eliminating the boxmen maybe one of those cases of being penney wise and pound foolish, buttime will tell if it becomes a trend.

In addition to all the bosses, there are three working stiffswho handle all of the players wagers. The dealer in the center ofthe table is called the stickman and handles all of the center betsfor players, calls the game and moves the dice around with a stick. The dealers on each end handle the bets for the end sections of thetable.

There are four dealers to a crew, and they rotate positionsevery twenty minutes, with one of the crew taking a break at that


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time. Each dealer takes turns at the stick and at each end of thetable.

An active stickman can really liven up the game. Theaction of the game can be announced in a very enthusiastic andcolorful fashion. This tends to stimulate the players to makemore, and bolder wagers, which is exactly what the house wants.The person on the stick will constantly extort players to make betsin the center of the table where the odds range from miserable(Hard Six or Hard Eight — 9.09% in favor of the house) toridiculous (any of the one roll bets — house odds from 11.11% to16.67%). The stickman often uses craps superstitions to exhort theplayers to make the worst bets. One craps superstition is that if theplayer's point is one of the even numbers of 4, 6, 8 or 10, for whichthere is a corresponding hardway bet, betting the number to showthe hard way will help bring out the number.

In general you can ignore the betting advice of the dealerson stick. Their recommended bets are the best wagers for thehouse, not for you.

Each table has its own table limits. These limits are usuallyshown on small plaques at each end of the table on the side railnext to the standing dealer. Both minimum and maximum bets forthe table are shown. Typical table limits are $2 minimum, $200maximum (smaller casinos) or $5 minimum, $1,000 maximum(larger joints). Minimum wagers will vary from casino to casinoand from table to table in the same joint. A $5 minimum table maybe operating next to a $25 minimum table. Table minimums willbe raised whenever more players are


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available such as at night or on weekends. It is always to thecasino's advantage to have higher minimums set. Many players,who should be making $2 wagers, will make $10 or even $25wagers if that's what the house mandates.

From a player's viewpoint, higher minimum wagers can bedevastating. If the house does not offer a minimum wager withinyour range, then don't play the game. Many players have no ideaof the relationship between the bankroll used for a craps sessionand the minimum wager which should be used, and get cleaned outin short order playing beyond their means.

If you want to play where the maximum wagers won'trestrict your style, try the Horseshoe Club in downtown LasVegas. The place caters to craps players, offering ten times oddsand wall-to-wall craps tables. Your maximum wager is limited tothe amount of your first wager. If you want to bet a million bucksa pop, just clear it with one of the Binion boys, they willaccommodate your action.

While we are on the subject of downtown Vegas, I want tomention quarter craps. Some of you eastern players who have beenweaned on ten buck minimum tables may sneer, but I have hadsome of my best action on the quarter craps tables. For twentybucks, you can begin your craps education. Here, for five bucks,you can have several bets working for you.

Casinos use checks or chips in place of cash at the crapstable. Chips come in $1, $5, $25, $100, $500 and $1,000denominations with twenty five cent chips thrown in for the tableswhich allow them. Each chip is colored differently. One


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dollar chips may come in any color, or the casino may use dollarslot tokens as chips. Five dollar chips are usually red, $25 chips,green and $100 chips, black. Five hundred dollar chips are usuallypink. The big $1,000 chips come in various flavors. I'm sure youwill remember the color if you are playing with them.

Cash is not used at the table, so you must change your cashfor chips. When you first arrive at the table, you lay your cash onthe table and ask the dealer for change. Watch the table before youbarge in. Wait until the shooter has thrown the dice. It isextremely bad dice etiquette to have the dice bounce off your arm.

Do not hand the cash to the dealer, place it on the tablewhen the dice are not rolling. If you want a certain number ofchips of different denominations just ask the dealer.

The dealer will hand your cash to the boxman who willcount it, drop it into a slot in the table where it falls into thedropbox, and tell the dealer the amount of chips to give you. Thedealer will place the chips in front of you, and it is your job topick up the chips and get them off the table. Your chips may bekept in the rail in front of you on the top of the sidewall of thetable.

When you have finished playing, you must take your chipsto the casino cashier to convert them to cash. The craps table onlytakes cash for chips, not vice versa.

With your chips in the rail in front of you, you are nowready to begin playing. I recommend that you keep one hand over


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your chips. Some thieves like to snatch chips from careless playersand you should keep you eye on your chips.

Unless you are the only player at the table, the craps gamewill be in progress when you arrive. The game consists of a seriesof mini-games. A player who rolls the dice is called the shooter. This player will roll the dice on one or more Come Out rolls until apoint number of 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 is rolled. After a point numberis rolled, the shooter will continue to roll the dice until one of twothings occurs. If a 7 is rolled before the point number, the shooterhas sevened out and a new shooter will try his or her hand atmaking a point. If the point number is rolled before a 7, theshooter has made the point and has the opportunity to shoot again.

Each mini-game consists of the shooter establishing a pointand then rolling the dice in an attempt to repeat the point number. Of course, in Bank Craps, a lot of wagers can be made in between.

After a shooter fails to make his point and sevens out, thedice will be offered by the stickman to the next player. The dicerotate around the table in a clockwise fashion, with each player, inturn, being offered a chance to roll the dice. The only requirementto shoot the dice is for the shooter to make a Line bet, that is a beton the Pass Line or Don't Pass Line.

Any person who does not wish to shoot the dice may refusewhen the dice are offered. There is no stigma to notshooting the dice and many players do not shoot as a rule. Usuallythe players who are betting against the other shooters


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(Wrong bettors in craps parlance) by making such wagers as Don'tPass and Don't Come bets, will refuse to shoot.

A marker is used on the table to indicate whether a shooteris in the "coming out" phase of the game or whether he is trying toroll an established point. When the player is coming out, themarker or buck rests in the Don't Come betting area, with the blackside marked "Off" showing. After a point is established, the buckwill rest on the backside of the point box for the shooter's point,with the white side marked "On" showing.

It is important to know which phase the game is in beforebetting. Some bets are made only before the Come Out roll, otherbets may be made at any time during the game, while still othersare made only after a point is established.

One more word of advice before moving into the intricaciesof the game. Keep track of your own bets. Dealers trackindividual bets by positioning the chips in each betting area tocorrespond with the position of the player at the table. Byobserving where your chips are placed by the dealer you can tellexactly which bets are yours. When the table action is heavy it isnot uncommon for a dealer to miss paying off a winning bet, or toplace your winning chips in front of another player. It is yourresponsibility to watch your own bets and know when they win orlose so that you won't reach for another player's winnings or letanother player pick up your winnings.

Whenever you win a bet, remember to pick up the chipspromptly. Chips left on the table will probably be considered to bea wager and if you forget to pick up your winnings, you will


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probably be making another wager whether you intended to or not.

Many players act like the dealers are the enemy at the crapstable. They're not. Most are decent people working at a thanklessjob where obnoxious players are the rule rather than the exception.

There are a few dealers with an "attitude." When Iencounter one of these people, I just change tables. Life is tooshort and all that. But most dealers are competent, efficient andfriendly if you give them half a chance. A good dealer will remindyou to take odds or to make some bet that you normally make. Most dealers are rooting for you to win. A dealer's salary is verylow, and dealers depend on tips or tokes to make a decent living. When you are at a table with friendly, helpful dealers, you shouldplan on toking them.

Many players toke dealers by tossing a couple of chips forthe boys on the hardway bets. These are long shot bets which payeither 8 for 1 (Hard 4 and 10) or 10 for 1 (Hard 6 and 8). Mostdealers appreciate a bet made on their behalf on a wager with abetter chance of winning. If you are wagering on the Pass Line,you should make an occasional Pass Line wager "for the boys." When you make a wager for the dealers, tell your dealer that thebet is for the dealers. He will tell the boxman, and if the wagerwins, you will have toked the dealers. You will notice that whenyou make a dealer bet which wins, a dealer will place the winningsin his breast pocket.


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It is not necessary to tip the dealers if you are losing. Theywill understand. If you are winning, they appreciate the occasionaltip. It is better to tip the dealers while you are playing rather thantipping as you prepare to leave. When the dealers know that youare not a stiff, their normally good service becomes even better.

I have had many occasions when I have been overpaid bydealers whom I was regularly tipping. I have also had losing betsignored and left up. If a dealer overpays you should never callattention to it. I have felt in many occasions that the dealers wererepaying me for my tipping, with an unspoken agreement betweenus.

Even if you are not rewarded by overpaid bets, theatmosphere at the craps table will improve once you are perceivedto be a tipper, and you will enjoy the game more. What's more, allof the casino personnel will respect you as a class gambler whoknows the rules and respects and appreciates the hard work thedealers perform.


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The Bets

I am going to briefly review the bets available at BankCraps. This is not intended to be an in depth discussion of all crapsbets. The Mini-Max Craps strategy does not employ all craps bets. If you want to learn more about every craps bet, as well as crapsbetting strategies, I suggest the book, How to Play Craps Like aPro, available from Silverthorne Publications.

Pass Line Bets

Pass Line bets, also called front line, or Do bets are thebasic bets made by Right bettors, those bettors who are betting thatthe shooter will make his point.

The bets are made by placing chips in the long narrow spaceon the craps layout marked Pass Line in this country, or Win Linein some games outside the United States. The house pays thewager at even money (1 to 1) and enjoys a percentage advantage of1.414% over the wager. It is the most common bet at craps.


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A Pass Line bet is made before a Come-Out roll. Come-Out rolls occur during three different circumstances:

1. When a new shooter is starting.

2. After a natural (a 7 or 11) or a craps (a 2, 3 or 12) isrolled on a Come-Out.

3. After a shooter has made a point and is rolling the dice toestablish another point.

A Pass Line wager wins on a Come-Out if a 7 or 11 isrolled, and loses if a craps number of 2, 3 or 12 appears. If anyother number is rolled (a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10), that number becomesthe shooter's point. If the shooter repeats the point number beforea 7 is rolled, the Pass Line wager wins. If a 7 shows before theshooter is able to repeat the point number, the Pass Line wagerloses.

Don't Pass Bets

Don't Pass wagers, also called back line or Don't bets arethe basic bets made by Wrong bettors, those bettors who arebetting that a 7 will be rolled before the shooter makes his pointnumber.

The bets are made by placing chips in the area marked Don'tPass or Don't Win. In a private craps game, the wager gives theplayer a favorable percentage of 1.414%. In Bank Craps, thecasino bars either the two sixes or two aces on the come-out roll. When the barred combination appears on that roll,


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it is a standoff, there is no action for the wrong bettor. With eitherthe 2 or 12 win barred, the Don't Pass wager gives the house anedge of 1.402%.

The wager pays even money, that is, 1 to 1 for a win. Don'tPass wagers are much less common that Pass Line bets. At atypical craps table, you will see one or two Wrong bettors, with theremaining players making Pass Line bets.

A Don't Pass wager wins on a Come-Out roll if a 2 or 3 isrolled if the 12 is barred or on a 3 or 12 if the 2 is barred. If thecasino bars the 3, don't play there, they are taking advantage ofyou. If a 7 or 11 is rolled on a Come-Out, the bet loses. If anyother number is rolled (4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10), that number becomesthe shooter's point. If the shooter rolls a 7 before repeating thepoint number, the wager wins. If the shooter repeats the pointnumber before a 7 is rolled, the bet loses.

A Don't Pass wager is at its greatest disadvantage on theCome-Out roll. There are 8 ways in which a 7 or 11 can be rolledfor a loss, and only 3 ways a 2 or 3 can be rolled for a win. Thus,on a Come-Out roll, the Don't bettor faces 8 chances of losingversus 3 opportunities of winning.

Come and Don't Come Bets

The difference between a Come bet and a Pass Line wageris only in the timing of the bets. Pass Line wagers are made on aCome-Out roll before a shooter has established a point. Come betsare made after a point has been established.


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Come bets win or lose exactly like Pass Line wagers. If anatural of 7 or 11 shows on the first roll of a Come bet, the betwins. If a craps number is rolled on the first roll, the bet loses. Ifany other number appears, that becomes the point number for thatCome bet.

Likewise, a Don't Come bet differs from a Don't Pass betonly in its timing. Don't Pass wagers are made before a shooter'sCome-Out roll, while Don't Come bets are made after a point isestablished.

Come bets and Don't come bets are made by placing chipsin the areas of the craps layout marked Come and Don't Comerespectively. After a point has been established for that wager, thedealer will move a Come bet inside the front part of the box for thecome number. When a point is established for a Don't Comewager, the dealer will move the wager to the back part of the boxfor the particular number.

The bets pay even money for wins. Pass Line and Comebets must be left up once made, as these wagers enjoy a temporaryadvantage on Come-Out rolls, and the house will not allow you tomake these wagers only on Come-Outs. Once you make the bet,you are stuck with waiting to see if the shooter can repeat thenumber.

Don't Pass and Don't Come wagers may be pulled afterCome-Out rolls, as the player has the house at an overwhelmingdisadvantage once the bets are up. Anyone who pulls a Don't


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Pass or Don't Come wager after it is established, is making thesingle most foolish move in craps.

Odds Bets

Odds bets are the only wagers in craps where the house hasno advantage over the player. But there's a catch. The oddswagers can only be made in conjunction with Pass Line and Comebets for Right bettors or with Don't Pass or Don't Come bets forWrong bettors.

Because the Odds bet must be coupled with another wager,the Odds bet only reduces the house advantage over a particularwager. Remember, there is no free lunch in craps.

With Pass Line and Come bets, as well as Don't Pass andDon't Come bets, the odds are taken only after a point isestablished. The house will define the size of the odds bets whichmay be taken by allowing single odds, double odds, five timesodds or some such multiple. These multiples define how large theodds bets may be in relation to the original wagers.

For Pass Line wagers, odds bets are made by placing thechips representing the wager directly behind the Pass Line wager. For Don't Pass wagers, the chips are placed next to the Don't Passbet in the Don't Pass betting area. With Come and Don't Comebets, where the dealer has placed the wagers in Point NumberBoxes, you will have to have the dealer make the wagers byplacing the chips to be used for the Odds bet on the table andtelling the standing dealer what you want.


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Odds bets may be pulled down at any time, at the player'sdiscretion. If the odds are taken or laid in conjunction with aCome or Don't Come wager, you will have to have the dealer'sassistance. Odds bet taken are automatically off on Come-Out rollsunless you instruct the dealer otherwise. Odds laid are alwaysworking unless you take them down or tell the dealers that yourodds bets are off.

Odds bets pay in exactly the same proportion to the pointnumber as the number's chance of being made as compared to a 7being rolled first.

The following are the odds payoffs for odds taken on PassLine or Come bets:

Number Odds Payoff

4 or 10 2 to 1

5 or 9 3 to 2

6 or 8 6 to 5

These payoffs are determined mathematically by comparingthe number of ways a number can be made as compared to thenumber of ways a 7 can be rolled. Since there are only three waysa 4 or 10 can be made, compared to six ways a 7 can be rolled, theodds of rolling a 4 or 10 before a 7 is 6 to 3, which reduces to 2 to1. With four ways of rolling a 5 or 9,


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compared to six ways of rolling a 7, the odds are 6 to 4 or 3 to 2. With five ways of making a 6 or 8, the odds of rolling either ofthese numbers before a 7 are 6 to 5.

When single odds are taken, the wagers should conform tothe following rules:

1. Odds taken on 4 or 10 are always the same or less than the PassLine wager. If $5 is wagered on the Pass Line, with 10 as thepoint, the odds wager will be $5 or less.

2. Odds taken on 5 or 9 are always for an even amount. If $5 iswagered on the Pass Line, with 5 as the point, the odds wagershould be for $4 or $6, so that the wager, which pays off at 3 to 2may be paid off correctly.

3. Odds taken on 6 or 8 are always in increments of five unitsdependent on the betting unit the player is using. A $3 Pass Linewager, with 6 or 8 as the point, may take $5 odds. A $15 Pass Linewager may take $25 for odds ($5 is the basic betting here) when 6or 8 is the point. A $75 Pass Line wager may have $125 taken asodds with a point of 6 or 8. In general, casinos offering singleodds allow players with three unit wagers to round the odds portionof the bet up to the nearest five units, when the point is 6 or 8.

For example, assume you make a $5 Pass Line wager andthe shooter's point is 5. If you take $6 for odds, you total wagerwill be for $11, consisting of a $5 Pass Line wager, and $6 inOdds. If the shooter repeats the point number before a 7 is rolled,you will be paid $14 in winnings, consisting of $5 for the


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even money Pass Line bet, and $9 on the $6 Odds wager. Ofcourse, your original wager of $11 will be returned, so you willreceive a total of $25 for the $11 wager.

With Wrong bets, Odds must be laid rather than taken. Since the 7 is more likely to be rolled than any point number, theplayer must lay more odds than the payoff for a winning wager.

Odds are laid as follows:

Number Odds Payoff

4 or 10 1 to 2

5 or 9 2 to 3

6 or 8 5 to 6

Odds should be laid so that the correct payoffs can be made. When single odds are laid, the wagers should follow the followingrules:

1. Odds laid against a 4 or 10 can be as much as double the size ofthe original wager. If $5 is wagered on Don't Pass, odds of $10 orsome lesser even amount may be laid.

2. Odds laid against a 5 or 9 should be divisible by three. Hereyou will lay three units to win two. With a $5 Don't Pass wager,odds of $9, $6 or $3 can be laid.


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3. Odds laid against a 6 or 8 should be divisible by six. Here youwill lay six units to win five. With a $5 Don't Pass wager, odds of$6 can be laid to win $5. With a $3 Don't Pass wager, the housewill still allow you to lay $6 odds. With a $15 Don't wager, youmay lay $30 to win $25.

Place Bets

Place bets are some of the most popular bets in Bank Craps. The point numbers can be played by making Pass Line wagers,which give the player the opportunity to bet on one number, Comebets which allow the player to wager on multiple numbers andPlace bets which also allow the player to bet on multiple box orpoint numbers.

Place bets are made by placing the chips on the table,usually in the Come betting area, and telling the dealer the numbersyou will to "Place."

Place bets differ from Come bets in a number of ways. They win or lose in basically the same way: the number on whichyou have wagered must show before a 7 is made. The differencesbetween Come and Place bets are:

1. For a Come bet to win the number must be repeated. A Comebet which has 6 as a point can only win if the 6 is repeated before a7. With Place bets, a 6 needs to made only one time for the bet towin.


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2. Come bets are always working, even on Come-Out rolls. Placebets are automatically off on Come-Outs unless the playerstipulates otherwise.

3. Place bets may be pulled at any time by the player. Come betsmust stay in place until they are either won or lost.

The flexibility of Place bets attract many players. Place betsmay be made and pulled after a couple of wins. With Come bets,once the bet is established, the player must wait for a decision. Many times a hot shooter will make his point and then roll a 7 on aCome-Out roll. The Place bets are safe as they are off on the roll,but the Come bets will all go down with the appearance of a 7. The Come bettor must start all over in establishing his bets, whilethe Place bettor will have his bets in place with the first roll afterthe Come-Out.

Place bets pay off at less than true odds. Table Five showsthe correct odds for payoff on the point numbers, the Place betpayoffs, and the house edge on each wager.

TABLE 5. PLACE BET ODDS AND PAYOFFS

PlaceNumber

CorrectOddsVersus a 7

CasinoPayoff onPlace Bet

CasinoAdvantage

4 or 10 2 to 1 9 to 5 6.67%

5 or 9 3 to 2 7 to 5 4.00%

6 or 8 6 to 5 7 to 6 1.51%


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Place bets should always be made in multiples of five unitsfor bets on 4, 5, 9 or 10, and six units on wagers made on 6 or 8. In quarter craps, where a twenty five cent chip is the basic chip, theminimum Place bets are $1.25 (five chips) on 4, 5, 9 or 10, and$1.50 (six chips) on 6 or 8.

Buy Bets

Point numbers may also be bought. Buy bets pay off atcorrect odds, but you must pay the casino an amount equal to fivepercent of the wager in order to receive true odds. The effect ofthis commission paid to the casino is to give the house an edge of4.76% over a Buy bet. Because the house vig is larger than any ofthe Place bets, except for the 4 and 10, only the 4 and 10 shouldever be bought.

If your Place bet on 4 or 10 is larger than twenty units onone number, or ten units each, if both the 4 and 10 are place, youshould Buy the numbers rather than placing them. With a $20wager on one or both numbers, the casino will charge you a $1 vigfor the privilege of buying the numbers. A $20 Place bet on the 10will pay off $36, while a Buy bet on the same number will pay off$40, less the $1 commission, for a net $39. So long as yourcombined wager on the 4 or 10 is at least twenty units (which isfive bucks at twenty five cent craps), the Buy bet is a better dealthan the Place bet.


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Lay Bets

The Lay Bet is the opposite of a Buy Bet, and is used byWrong bettors who are wagering that a 7 will show before thenumber laid against. Lay Bets are paid off at correct odds, but thebettor must pay the house a commission on the projected win to getthis payoff.

Lay bets may be made at any time and normally work onCome-Out rolls unless called off. They are made by placing yourchips on the table, along with the required commission andtelling the dealer what you want to do. The dealer will place thebet in the back part of the box for that number where the Don'tCome bets are placed.

Because of the five percent commission paid on possiblewinnings, it is necessary to lay enough so that the possible win is atleast $20. On the 4 or 10, $40 would be the minimum lay bet, as awin, paid at 1 to 2, would pay $20. On a 5 or 9, you would lay $30to win $20 (paid at 2 to 3), and on a 6 or 8, you will lay $24 to win$20 (paid at 5 to 6).

Lay bets may be added to, reduced or removed at any time.


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Big 6 and 8 Bets

Big 6 and Big 8 bets are prominently marked on the crapslayout. These bets can be made at any time. Like the Place bets,with these wagers you are betting that the number you bet on,either 6 or 8 or both, will repeat before a 7 shows on the dice. If itdoesn't show before a 7, you lose your bet. If a 6 or 8 (whateveryou bet on) is rolled before a 7, you win your bet.

These wagers usually pay off at even money. With an evenmoney payoff, instead of the correct odds of 6 to 5, the wager givesthe house a 9.09% advantage. In Atlantic City casinos, the betpays off at 7 to 6, the same as Placing the 6 or 8.

Some players play the Big 6 and Big 8 at $1 or $2 minimumtables and wager less than the $6 required to make a Place bet on 6or 8.

My advice is to never make these bets, except where thewagers are paid off the same as Place bets. If you are short ofbankroll and want to bet on the 6 and 8, you should find a twentyfive cent craps table, where the 6 and 8 can be placed for $1.50each.

Field Bets

Field Bets are one roll bets that one of the numbers shownin the field, 2, 3, 4, 9, 11 or 12 will show on the next roll. Sevenout of the possible eleven dice numbers are in the field, whichmakes the wager look like a good one to many players.


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The Field Bet is paid off slightly differently in downtownLas Vegas and in Northern Nevada. In downtown Las Vegas, thecasinos pay off a 2 at 2 to 1 and a 12 at 3 to 1. In NorthernNevada, some casinos pay a 2 at 3 to 1 and a 12 at 2 to 1. In eithercase, field numbers other than 2 or 12 are paid at even money. With either the 2 or 12 paid at 3 to 1, the house edge is 2.77%.

Most casinos pay 2 to 1 on either a 2 or 12, and even moneyon any other field number. With these payoffs, the houseadvantage is 5.56%.

In either case, the house edge is too high for Field Bets tooffer much interest to those who want to win at Craps.

Proposition Bets

We now come to the center of the table, where bets areplaced and paid off by the stickman. There are a number of betsavailable, none of which are worthwhile. In order to complete ourreview of craps wagers, I'll cover them.

Hardway Bets

A Hardway Bet is a bet on one of the even numbered pointnumbers of 4, 6, 8 or 10 that the number will be rolled as a pair,before either a 7 or the number rolled any other way shows. For


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example, if you bet the Hard 6, you are wagering the a 6 will berolled as a 3-3 (a pair) before it is rolled as a 1-5, 5-1, 4-2, 2-4, orbefore a 7 is rolled. Rolling a number as a pair is referred to as the"hard way." If the number is rolled any other way, it is referred toas the "easy way."

Hardway bets can be made any time and stay up until theyeither win or lose. They may be called off on Come-Out rolls.

Casinos usually pay 9 to 1 (usually shown as 10 for 1,which is the same payoff) on the Hard 6 or 8, and 7 to 1 (8 for 1)for the Hard 4 or 10. With Hardway wagers on 6 or 8, the houseedge is 9.09%. Hardway bets on the 4 or 10 give the house an11.11% edge.

Any Seven

This is a one roll bet which pays off at 4 to 1 (5 for 1) if a 7shows on the next roll. Since the correct odds of a 7 being rolledare 5 to 1, this wager gives the house an edge of 16.67%.

Any Craps

The Any Craps wager is a one roll bet that a craps numberof 2, 3 or 12 will show on the next roll. The bet is paid off at 7 to 1(8 for 1). Since craps numbers can be rolled only four ways out ofthirty six, the true odds on rolling a craps number are 8 to 1. Thelower payoff gives the casino an advantage of 11.1%


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Betting the 2, 3, 11 or 12

These are all one roll bets which win or lose depending onthe whether the number bet on appears on the next roll of the dice.

The 2 or 12 can be rolled only one way, and the oddsagainst rolling either of these numbers on the next roll are 35 to 1. The casinos usually pay these wagers at 29 to 1 (30 for 1), for ahouse edge of 16.67%.

The 3 or 11 can be rolled two ways each, and the correctodds against rolling either number on the next dice roll is 17 to 1. With typical payoffs of 14 to 1 (15 for 1), the house edge is16.67%.

The house loves the action on any of these bets with thesucker like odds in favor of the casino.

Horn Bets

With this wager, the 2, 3, 11 and 12 are covered with onebet. At least four chips must be used for the wager. If any of thesenumbers show on the next roll, the casino will pay the usual payofffor that number, and keep the three losing chips.


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Hop Bets

Hop bets are not shown on the craps layout. They are betsthat a particular number or a particular dice combination will showon the next roll. Numbers with one way of showing, such as a 3-3or a 5-5, are paid at 30 to 1 (correct odds are 35 to 1). Wagers onnumbers which can be made two ways, such as 5-4 or 2-3 are paidat 15 to 1, where the correct odds are 17 to 1.

Table 6 shows the correct odds on all craps bets.


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TABLE 6. CRAPS BETS, PAYOFFSAND CASINO ADVANTAGE

Bet CasinoPayoff

Casino Advantage

Pass Line 1 to 1 1.41%

Come 1 to 1 1.41%

Don't Pass 1 to 1 1.40%

Don't Come 1 to 1 1.40%

Taking Odds — Pass or Come

4 or 10 2 to 1 none

5 or 9 3 to 2 none

6 or 8 6 to 5 none

Laying Odds — Don't Pass orDon't Come

4 or 10 1 to 2 none

5 or 9 2 to 3 none

6 or 8 5 to 6 none

Place Bets

4 or 10 9 to 5 6.67%

5 or 9 7 to 5 4.00%

6 or 8 7 to 6 1.52%


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Bet Casino PayoffCasinoAdvantage

Buy Bets

4 or 10 2 to 1 4.76%

Lay Bets

4 or 10 1 to 2 2.44%

5 or 9 2 to 3 3.23%

6 or 8 5 to 6 4.00%

Big Six and BigEight

1 to 16 to 5 (AtlanticCity)

9.09%1.52%

Field With 2 and 12 paying 2 to 1 With 2 or 12 paying 3-1

1 to 1 except 2and 12

1 to 1 except 2and 12

5.55%

2.77%

Hardways

4 or 10 7-1 11.11%

6 or 8 9-1 9.09%

Any Craps 7-1 11.11%

2 or 12 29-1 16.67%

11 or 12 15-1 16.67%


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Mini-Max Bets

PASS LINE AND DON'T PASS BETS

In order to use the Mini-Max Craps System, you will needto understand two bets at craps: the pass line and the don't passbets.

The pass line bet is probably the most common bet at craps. When making a pass line bet, the player is betting that the shooterwill make his point or "pass" the dice. The pass line bet wins on afirst roll bet (called the "come out" roll) on a seven or eleven andloses on a two, three or twelve (called craps). If any other numberis rolled (a 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10), this number becomes the shooter'spoint, and the pass line bet wins if the shooter rolls this pointnumber before rolling a seven.

The don't pass bet is the mirror image bet of the pass linebet. Here the bettor is wagering that the shooter will not make hispoint and will roll a seven before rolling the point number (calledsevening out). On the first (or come out) roll, the don't pass betloses on a seven or eleven and wins on a two or three. If a twelve


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shows on the come out roll, the don't pass bet neither wins norloses.

After the shooter has established a point, the don't pass betwins if the shooter fails to make his point number before a sevenshows.

These two bets offer very good odds to the player, with thehouse edge or advantage against the player only about 1.4%against the player on either a pass or don't pass bet. If both bets areplayed with partners betting opposite, then the house advantage isabout 1% against the player.

These are the only craps bets you will need to understand touse and win with the Mini-Max System. If you don't understandthe other bets at craps, it will not affect your ability to win largeamounts of money using only the pass and don't pass line bets withthe Mini-Max concept.

UP-AS-YOU-LOSE VERSUS UP-AS-YOU-WIN

In betting in a game of chance, the player has only threebetting strategies available. He can bet the same amount eachtime, which is called flat betting. He can increase his wagers aftera winning wager, which is called increasing your bets as you win. And, he can increase his bets after a losing bet, which is calledincreasing your bets after you lose. All systems developed foreven money propositions in games of chance will use one of thesethree approaches to develop a winning strategy.


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The least favorable method of play is flat betting. Here theplayer must win the majority of his bets in order to quit a winner,and this is not possible most of the time. For this reason, mostgambling experts recommend one of the other approaches, ofeither increasing wagers after winning bets, or increasing wagersafter losing bets.

The rationale behind increasing your bet after a previous bethas won is simple. You are trying to win a larger amount ofmoney at a faster rate by using your previous winnings tomaximize your ability to win. This can be a sound strategy if it isonly done with the intention of receiving two wins in a row. Manygamblers attempt to continue to raise their wagers after wins tryingfor several wins in a row. This strategy is risky if your intention isto win on a regular basis. The probability of winning three times ina row on an even money bet, such as pass or don't pass at craps, isonly one in eight.

The opposite strategy of increasing your bet after a losingbet can be very sound, as you have only to win a fraction of yourwagers in order to come out a winner. The greatest risk ofincreasing your bets after losses in an attempt to recoup previouslosing bets, is the risk of incurring an even greater loss if yourattempts to recoup fail. Nonetheless, increasing your bets afterlosses is sound when applied within reasonable limits so that yourlosses are not large. For example, the probability of calling one betright out of three bets is seven to one in your favor, and the "up asyou lose" concept applied to specific situations can be a winningsystem.


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PARLAY SYSTEMS

The concept of a parlay is an old one, and probably comesfrom the French or Italian word "paroli." It means leaving yourwinnings on the table after a winning bet to try to achieve anadditional win. For example, if a player has just won $10 on aneven money bet, he will leave his winnings and his original bet ashis next bet, so that the next bet will be for $20. If this bet is won,the player will have won a total of $30 in two wagers, starting withonly a $10 bet.

There are a number of parlay systems designed for Roulette,and they can be sound if the player only attempts to parlay his winone time. The odds of losing two parlay attempts in a row are toogreat to make this strategy a consistent winner.

THE MINI-MAX SYSTEM

The Mini-Max System combines the best elements of theup-as-you-win, the up-as-you-lose and the parlay systems toproduce a very powerful winning system. The only bets requiredat craps to implement the system are the pass line and don't passbets which are the easiest (and the soundest) bets at craps.

Besides combining the best aspects of these systems on thebest craps bets, the system is so flexible that the player with the$50 bankroll can win with it as well as the player who brings$10,000 or more for his gambling.


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The Mini-Max System also allows the small bettor to win arespectable amount of money as it is an ideal system for player tostart with small wagers and to gradually increase the size of thebets as his winnings increase. As you will see in this book, it ispossible to start with $50, and if you are able to play for severaldays, to win several thousand dollars.

Perhaps most important, the Mini-Max System is designedto protect the player against large losses. While the system hasproven to be a consistent winner, it is possible on occasion for thesystem to break down and produce a string of losses. The designof the system is such that it will minimize the losses to the playerwhen this occurs, so that the player will not have to bring a largebankroll to play the system correctly.


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The Betting Series

PROGRESSIVE BETTING SERIES

A progressive betting series is a series of bets designed toproduce a win for the player if the player follows the strategyproposed by the betting series. One of the oldest and best-knownprogressions is the Martingale System.

With the Martingale System, a player doubles his bet aftereach loss, thus insuring a win equal to the first bet whenever a winoccurs. A Martingale betting series might look like this: $10, 20,40, 80, 160, 320, 640. If a player loses the first bet of $10, the nextbet will be $20. If this bet wins, the player will have won $10,having won $20 on the second bet and having lost $10 on the firstbet. At any time in the series when the player has a win, he willhave won exactly $10. The player using this system will havemany small wins, and sooner or later, he will lose all of his bets inthe series. The above series stopped at $640. Why not increase theseries two more bets and have bets in the amounts of $1280 and$2560? Well, the casinos are aware of these types of betting


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progressions, and they take care of the possibilities of playersdoing this by setting house limits on the maximum size betsallowed. A typical casino where craps is played might allow aminimum bet of $5 and a maximum bet of $1,000. With theselimits, it is not possible to play a Martingale type of progressionbeyond seven or, at the most, eight doublings.

Does Martingale work? The concept of Martingale issound, but unfortunately, when the losses occur, they can morethan wipe out many hours of accumulated profits. It is verydisheartening for a player to play for twenty or thirty hours using aMartingale progression and have all of his winnings disappear ineight adverse dice decisions.

The biggest problem with Martingale is that the rate ofwinnings, in this case winning at the rate of $10 per win, is notenough to offset the losses when they happen. The house limitstake care of the possibility of using a ten bet or longer Martingaletype progression.

Our testing of these types of progressions indicates that aseries of eight to nine bets is optimal so long as the winning rate isincreased so that a winning bet will produce a win equal to orgreater than ten percent of the size of the largest bet in theprogression. In other words, when the betting series wins, the winmust be greater than 10% of the largest bet in the series.


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Applying these criteria to the Martingale series, we find thatafter the $80 bet any wins of $10 is less than one-tenth the amountof the required bets of $160, $320 and $640. Martingale does nothold up to the requirement of wins exceeding 10% of themaximum bet in the series.

This is a dilemma, which has faced many expertsattempting to design a system to win on even chance games on aregular basis. Fortunately, we have come up with a solution.

The solution is found by changing the concept of how aplayer wins the betting series. With our approach, the player willcomplete and win his betting series when he has been able to wintwo bets in a row. This is the parlay concept of betting, andcombined with the concept of increasing your bets as you lose,allows us to design a betting series of nine bets, where any parlaywin at any point in the series will meet our criteria of the winmeeting or exceeding 10% of the largest bet in the series.

THE MINI-MAX BETTING SERIES

The basic betting series used for the Mini-Max System is: $10, 10, 10, 20, 20, 40, 40, 80, 80.

The player will always begin with the lowest bet in theseries, $10. If this bet is lost, then the next bet will be the second$10 bet. The player will continue to increase his bets inaccordance


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with the bets in the betting series until he has a win. At this point,the player will leave the bet and its winnings on the table for onemore wager. If this wager wins, the series is over, and the playerwill start the series again with the next bet being the first $10 bet. If the parlay bet (second bet after a win) loses, the player willresume the series exactly the same as if any bet was lost: he willwager the next higher bet in the series following the lost bet.

In playing this system, the player will find that over half ofthe wins occur with the first three wagers. Part of the strength ofthis system is that winning on any of the first three bets produces arespectable win. If the player wins and successfully parlays thefirst $10 bet, he will have won $30. If he wins and parlays thesecond bet, his win will be $20. A parlay on the third $10 bet willproduce a win of $10. The table below shows the amount of theparlay wins at any point in the betting series when a wager is wonand parlayed.

SeriesBet

10 10 10 20 20 40 40 80 80

SeriesWinWithParlay

30 20 10 30 10 50 10 90 10


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The parlay wins on the larger bets are quite large in relationto the bets in the series. A parlay win on the first $80 bet producesa net win for the betting series of $90, which is larger than thelargest bet required in the betting series. The smallest win possibleof $10 is more than 10% the size of the largest bet required of $80. This approach more than meets our criteria of wins exceeding10% of the size of the largest bets required in the series.

The win rate using this progression with the parlays is verygood. A game lasting twenty to twenty-five dice decisions willproduce a win of $100 to $150. By dice decision, we mean adecision producing either a win or loss for a pass line or don't passbet. The normal rate of decisions for craps in a casino is from fiftyto sixty decisions per hour. So, if we are able to win over $100 intwenty or so dice decisions, this translates to a win of over $100 inabout twenty to twenty-five minutes playing time under casinoconditions.

To compute our expected net rate of winning, we mustconsider the effect of losses when they occur, as the above winningrates were for successful series where no loss of all the bets in theseries occurred. When we factor in the occasions when an entirebetting series is lost, we find that playing at this series level, oneplayer will average about $83 per hour net winnings. If twopartners are playing, then the rate of win per hour is $166 hour innet winnings.


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VARIATIONS OF THE MINI-MAX SERIES

Thus far, we have presented only one betting series wherethe Mini-Max System can be applied. There are a number ofbetting series where the same concepts are successfully applied,from very low betting levels where the player with a $50 bankrollhas a good chance of winning, to much higher betting levels for thelarger bettors.

In Table 1 we present some of the more popular bettingseries using the Mini-Max concept, showing the amount of moneyrequired for each betting series and expected hourly net win rateunder casino conditions. Incidentally, with partnership play, whichwe will discuss later, the net hourly win rate would be doubled.


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TABLE 1 — MINI-MAX BETTING SERIES

Betting SeriesAmountRequired

Net HourlyWin Rate*

1 1 1 2 2 4 4 8 8 $ 31 $ 8

5 5 5 10 10 20 20 40 40 155 42

10 10 10 20 20 40 40 80 80 310 83

15 15 15 30 30 60 60 120 120 465 125

25 25 25 50 50 100 100 200 200 775 208

30 30 30 60 60 120 120 240 240 930 249

*Winning rates for a single player.

When buying in at the craps table, it is not necessary to buythe exact amount of chips equal to the total amount required for thebetting series. A buy-in equal to the amount required may berounded. To play at the $31 level, a buy-in of $30 will besufficient.


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At the $310 level, $300 will suffice. At the $465 level, $450 isadequate. The reason that a lesser amount than the amountrequired as shown in the table may be used is that the amountsrequired per the table are only necessary if the player loses everysingle bet in the betting series when beginning to play, and thisoccurrence is so rare that each of the betting series may be playedwith slightly lower amounts for convenience in converting cash tochips.


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Choosing The Betting Pattern

PATTERNS OF BETTING

For the two bets available at craps for the Mini-MaxSystem, pass line and don't pass, there are three patterns of betselection, which have produced the most consistent results intesting this system.

Before we discuss these bet selection methods, we shouldclarify what we mean by a betting pattern.

The betting pattern is the method used to determine whethera pass line or don't pass bet is made for each of the bets in thebetting series. Many gamblers playing craps will use a hunchsystem or rely on certain craps superstitions in selecting their bets. We have found that using a predetermined bet selection system andadhering to it will produce far superior results to the hunch orrandom selection methods of choosing bets.


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BET DON'T PASS ONLY

One betting pattern which has produced consistent profits isbetting the don't pass only. Here the method of bet selection isvery simple. Every bet is made on the don't pass. This is theeasiest of our bet selection methods, and it consistently producesprofits.

PATTERN METHOD OF BET SELECTION

Many times betting only the don't pass can be frustrating. Ifa shooter continues to roll passes, then eventually betting only thedon't pass will cause the loss of a series.

A method used to allow a player to flow with the dicedecisions in his bet selection is one we call the Pattern Method. Here the player will bet the same as the second preceding dicedecision. If the second preceding decision was a pass, then theplayer will bet pass. If the second preceding decision was a don'tpass, then the player will bet don't pass. The advantage of thismethod of bet selection is that if there is a long uninterrupted seriesof pass or don't pass bets, then the player will be betting along withthe same pattern of decisions.


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ALTERNATE PATTERNMETHOD OF BET SELECTION

If the dice are choppy, that is there are few patterns ofrepeat passes or don't passes, then the Pattern Method of selectingbets will prove frustrating and may result in losses. An alternativeto this method is the bet selection method where the playeralternates his bets between betting the same as the secondpreceding decision and the opposite of the second precedingdecision.

The Alternate Pattern Method of selecting bets is a verygood one for a choppy table. When the dice decisions are comingin a seemingly random fashion, the Alternate Pattern method willinvariably produce two consecutive wins and win a betting series.

This method of selecting bets is the most difficult toimplement although it is easy to track if you stack your chips torepresent previous decisions (more on this later).

Table 2 shows the Alternate Pattern Method of bet selectionapplied to ten random dice decisions. Column one shows the dicedecisions for pass and don't pass. Column two shows the betselected for each dice decision and column three shows the reasonthe particular bet was selected. The last column shows the resultsof each bet, in terms of winning and losing bets.

As Table 2 shows, the player won four bets and lost fourbets. With the Mini-Max approach, this series would have had twoparlay wins as there were two instances in which wins occurredback to back.


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Notice that no bet was made until the third dice decision. The player waited out the first two decisions, as the outcomes ofthese decisions were necessary for the player to determine his firstbet. The first bet is optional, and the player can start betting eitherthe same as the second preceding decision or the opposite of thedecision. In this case, the player noticed that two passes had beenmade and began his series by betting the opposite with a don't passbet. This is a good way to begin any betting series. If two of thesame decisions have occurred prior to starting a series, bettingopposite is usually a good way to begin.


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TABLE 2—ALTERNATE PATTERNMETHOD OF BET SELECTION

P=Pass d=don't pass W=Winning bet L=Losing bet

DiceDecisions

BetMade

Explanation of BetMade

Outcomeof Bet

1. P -

2. P -

3. d d Bet opposite of #1 W

4. P P Bet same as #2 W

5. d P Bet opposite of #3 L

6. d P Bet same as #4 L

7. d P Bet opposite of #5 L

8. d d Bet same as #6 L

9. P P Bet opposite of #7 W

10. d d Bet same as #8 W


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TRACKING DICE DECISIONS

In order to play with either the Pattern or the AlternatePattern methods of bet selection, a player will need to trackprevious dice decisions. One way to do this is with paper andpencil; however, most players do not want to be bothered withtracking in this manner at a craps table.

There is an easy way to use your chips to do the decisiontracking. When you exchange cash for chips prior to beginningplay, make sure to get at least five $1 chips and at least five $5chips. These chips are colored differently and are easy todifferentiate. You will use the $1 chips to represent passes and the$5 chips to represent don't pass decisions. As a dice decision ismade, place the appropriate chip representing that decision in achip stack separate from your playing chips. Most craps tableshave two rails for players' chips, and you can use one rail forplaying chips and the other rail for counting chips.

The counting chips also help a player remember whether thelast bet was the same as the second preceding decision or theopposite when using the Alternate Pattern Method. If a player'slast bet was a pass, and the second preceding decision was a pass,then the last bet was made by betting the same as the secondpreceding bet. The next bet will be the opposite of the secondpreceding bet.

Many players also like to track the bet level in a bettingseries by placing one $1 chip in a separate stack from playing andcounting chips for each level of bet made in a betting series. Usingthis method, if the bet stack has four chips showing for the last betmade,


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then the player will know that the next bet called for, if bet numberfour loses, is the fifth bet in the series.

Either of these techniques is very easy to master, and thechip stacking, both for decision tracking and bet counting, becomelike second nature after a few minutes of play. The advantage ofstacking chips is obvious. With the many distractions whichconstantly occur at a casino craps table, it is very easy to lose trackof where you are if you try to remember previous decisions, andthe chip stacking becomes automatic so easily that we highlyrecommend it.


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Money Management

BANKROLL REQUIRED

In order to be successful in utilizing the Mini-Max Systemof play, it is important that the player be adequately capitalizedbefore beginning battle with the casinos. Like many systems, thissystem does not win every single session played, and the playermust have a sufficient bankroll with him to weather the downturnsthat occur without feeling pinched.

We recommend that the player's bankroll be equal toapproximately five times the total amount of bets for the bettingseries the player intends to play. If the player is starting at thelowest betting level and wishes to risk no more than $31 perbetting series, then the player should have a bankroll of at least$150 available for system play.

We have summarized in Table 3 the amounts considered tobe adequate for each betting level.


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WINNING STRATEGIESOne of the easiest ways to win with the Mini-Max System is

to play for a set daily goal of winnings, and after this goal has beenreached, to quit for the day.

An aggressive strategy would be to play for a daily winequal to double the total amount of a series. At the $31 level, theplayer would play for a daily win of $62. At the $310 series level,the player would play for a daily win of $620.

TABLE 3—BANKROLL REQUIREDFOR EACH BETTING SERIES

Series Played Bankroll Required

$ 31 $ 150

$ 62 $ 300

$155 $ 700

$310 $1,500

$465 $2,250

$775 $3,800

$930 $4,500

A more conservative approach would be to set a daily goalequal to the amount of the betting series. At the $31 level, a dailywin of $31 would be required; at the $310 level, a win of $310would be the daily target.

Selection of daily targets depends to a great deal on theattitude of the player and the amount of time which the player iswilling to devote to the game of craps. For a casual gambler not


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wanting to play more than two or three hours per day, the goalequal to winning the amount of the series per day would beappropriate.

For a more devoted craps player willing to invest up to eightor nine hours a day at craps, a goal of doubling the series levelwould be appropriate.

Incidentally, each of the above goals could be doubled withpartners playing simultaneously, as we will discuss later. Areasonable daily win for partners playing at the $310 level, playingfor eight hours per day would be $1,240.

Another strategy worthy of employment is to reduce thelevel of the betting series after a loss of a series. Let's say that youare playing at the $465 level, and the loss of the series occurs. Youmay wish to play the next two games at the $310 series level. Thereason for this approach is that losses seem to come in bunches,and by reducing the amount wagered after a loss occurs, you willreduce your exposure to greater losses if another loss of a seriesoccurs within the next two games.

GOING FROM MINI TO MAXI

One of the great benefits of this system is the ability of aplayer to win a respectable amount with only a small stake as theinitial bankroll. It is possible for a player with only a $150 crapsbankroll to win over $1,000 in five days of play using our strategy.

In order to win an amount much larger than the bankroll inonly a few days time, it is necessary for the player to increase the


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level of the betting series as his winnings accumulate. Eachincrease in the level of a betting series used entails the risk of agreater loss should a loss occur; therefore, it is necessary andprudent that the player protect himself by first accumulatingadditional reserves in the form of winnings before moving to ahigher level of betting series.

Table 4 shows the minimum acceptable amounts ofaccumulated winnings needed before a player should considerincreasing the betting series level used. For a player starting withthe $31 betting series, winnings of at least $62 should beaccumulated before moving to the next higher series which risks$62. Playing at the $62 betting series level, the player shouldaccumulate total profits (including all previous profits won at thelower betting levels) of $124 before moving to the next higherbetting series. The formula for computing the amount of profitsnecessary to move up one notch in the series is:

Multiply the amount at risk at the current betting seriestimes two. This is the minimum acceptable amount of profits theplayer must have before moving up to the next betting series.

A more conservative approach which we endorse is that ofsetting a target of accumulated profits equal to three rather thantwo times the amount risked in a betting series after the third levelseries is completed. The strategy shown in Table 4 is somewhataggressive, and a target profit equal to three times the series riskwill help provide the player additional loss insurance.


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TABLE 4—MINIMUM ACCUMULATEDPROFITS TO INCREASE BETTING SERIES

Betting Series

AccumulatedProfits To Move ToNext Series

1. 1 1 1 2 2 4 4 8 8 $ 62

2. 2 2 2 4 4 8 8 16 16 124

3. 3 3 3 6 6 12 12 24 24 186

4. 4 4 4 8 8 16 16 32 32 248

5. 5 5 5 10 10 20 20 40 40 310

6. 10 10 10 20 20 40 40 80 80 620

CONTROLLING LOSSES

About every five games a loss of an entire betting seriesmay occur. An occasional loss will not significantly hurt a player'sprofits, but several consecutive losses will prove disastrous to theaccumulated profits. For this reason, the player may wish to takecertain loss preventative measures after a series loss has occurred. Or, he may wish to take these preventative measures when he isstill winning his series, but the winning is progressing at a muchslower rate than usual, and he is having to fight to win a bettingseries.


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The first suggestion is to stop playing for a while or switchtables or casinos. For some reason, dice patterns tend to grouptogether at times, and if you are fighting to win a series, the dicedecisions may be bunching together in patterns which are adverseto your betting patterns.

Another suggestion to control losses is to change yourbetting pattern. If you have been betting using the Don't Passpattern of betting, try switching to a different betting patternselection method such as Pattern or Alternate Pattern.

An additional counter strategy, which the player can employto reduce losses, is to drop to a lower betting series. If you havehad a loss betting at the $310 series level, it may be wise to playthe next game at the $155 level until a couple more winning gamesare under your belt.

A final suggestion when the tables seem to be turningagainst you: QUIT PLAYING. The idea of playing for apredetermined daily profit incorporates this notion, and it is asound one.


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Partnership Play

THE ADVANTAGES OF PARTNERSHIP PLAY

Playing the Mini-Max system with a partner significantlyincreases the player's winning rate. The first and obviousadvantage of playing with a partner is that the hourly win rate isdoubled with two people playing at the same time. With partnersplaying, it is possible to win four to five times the amount that isrisked at a particular betting series level on a daily basis. Thismeans that two partners, playing at the betting level which risks$310, could plan on winning $1,500 or more daily using thissystem. Partners playing at the $620 betting series level couldtarget daily profits of $3,000 per day.

On the other end of the spectrum, partners betting at theminimum betting series, risking only $31, could make profits of$150 per day, and they might wish to employ our strategy ofincreasing the amounts of the betting series as their winnings


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accumulate. With partnership play, even the minimum bettinglevel offers the players the chance to make some real money, withvery little risk.

The second advantage of playing as partners is theincreased enjoyment of the game by both persons. Human beingsoften perform at much higher levels when other humans arebonded with them in a common purpose or joint endeavor, andthese principles apply equally as well to playing craps as toparticipating in other enterprises.

Partnership play also provides psychological support foreach of the players. The casino atmosphere exerts a powerfulinfluence on most people, and well thought out strategies andsystems are often abandoned as the casino atmosphere works itsmagic on its patrons. Partners are much less susceptible to thenegative aspects of the casino influences as they can talk out theirfeelings and get back on track before succumbing to casino mania.

Another benefit of playing as partners is the ability toinvolve spouses or friends in using the system. Many marriageshave a situation where one spouse enjoys playing craps, and theother couldn't care less. With partnership play, the uninvolvedspouse can become equally involved in the game, usually to thebenefit of both persons.

A final benefit of the partnership concept is takingadvantage of the "offset principle." When two people play at thesame time, the risk of both partners losing a series at the same timeis very small. If one partner loses his series, the chances are verygreat that the other partner will have a winning series. Thus, whenlosses


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occur, they are likely to be offset, or at least partially offset, by asimultaneous win. This offset feature reduces the possibility of alarge loss occurring, which could seriously reduce the ability of thepartnership to win using the system.

BETTING PATTERNS FOR PARTNERS

While partners will play at the same time and at the samecraps table, they will not use the same system at the same time. Itwould be counterproductive if both partners were betting don't passsimultaneously, as there would be no inherent advantage in thepartnership concept as all of their bets would be the same.

Likewise, it is not necessary that the partners always betopposite when playing together. While this would offer thepartners the advantages of the offset principle, it would also havethe disadvantage of one partner losing a bet each time hiscounterpart won a bet. This degree of offsetting is not necessary inthe partnership concept.

We have found, after extensive testing in actual casino play,that a partnership will perform very well if one partner bets onlythe don't pass, and the other partner bets using the Alternate PatternMethod of bet selection.

In using this approach, we recommend that the moreexperienced player use the Alternate Pattern Method, as thismethod is more complex and entails tracking previous dicedecisions to determine the bet selection.


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In playing partners this way, the partners need to be able tochange betting patterns if either partner is having trouble winninghis betting series. The best way to change the bet selection methodis for the partner who is having trouble winning switch to thePattern Method of bet selection. For instance, if the don't passbetting partner loses a series, it may be wise to try the PatternMethod for the next game.

In switching betting series, the two partners should never beplaying using the same betting pattern at the same time. Thisentails the risk of both partners losing a series at the same time.

Changing a betting pattern should only be done after aseries has been completed with a successful parlay win using theoriginal betting pattern. In other words, a player should not switchbetting patterns in the middle of an uncompleted progression. If aplayer is betting don't pass as the bet selection method, and hewishes to switch to the Pattern Method, this may be done after thepartner has had a parlay win using the don't pass betting pattern. Then the first bet in a new series may be made using the Patternselection method.

THE MINI-MAX PARTNERSHIP

When playing Mini-Max as partners, both partners willusually play at the same betting level, i.e., both playing the $310betting series. If partners play simultaneously at different bettingseries levels, then the offsetting benefit is partially reduced, and forthis reason, it is better to play at the same betting level.


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In beginning a game, we have found that the best results areobtained when the partners' first bets are on opposite sides, i.e.,pass and don't pass. Starting this way offers at least one partner thechance of a parlay bet on the second decision and an early win. When one partner is playing the don't pass and the other AlternatePattern, the Alternate Pattern player will normally wait twodecisions before beginning play. The Alternate Pattern partner'sfirst bet will be on the don't pass partner's third bet.

After the first bets are made, the partners should go with theflow of dice decisions and bet in the manner indicated by the betselection pattern.

The time to end a game is really up to the partners as onegame can be played indefinitely. A game is always consideredover when one partner loses his entire betting series, but, other thanthis occurrence, the timing of ending games is up to the partners. In our play, we have found that we prefer to end games aftertwenty to twenty-five dice decisions, which takes about twenty-five to thirty minutes in a casino at an uncrowded table.

To end a winning game, each partner should cease playingafter winning a parlay bet. Partner A may quit two or three dicedecisions before partner B has a parlay win and also quits. Quitting immediately after a parlay win is by far the best time toquit a winning game as an even bigger winner.

We have found that our enjoyment of the system isincreased by writing down the results of each game on a score-keeping sheet. Our first stop after completing a game is at somequiet spot where


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we can record the results of the game. This approach is also asound one for employing the money management strategiesdescribed as it forces the partnership to apply a businesslikeapproach to playing the system. Score keeping is also essential fordetermining whether the partnership has reached a predetermineddaily profit target, and we recommend it highly.


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Using The System

RESULTS OF USING THE MINI-MAX SYSTEM

The Mini-Max System has been played against thousands ofdice rolls. The system holds up for short periods of play as well aslong periods. Table 5 presents statistics we have documentedusing the system.

Using Mini-Max, you can expect when playing gamesabout twenty-five dice decisions in length (about thirty minutesplaying time), to win four games for every game you lose. Thismeans that you will win your games about 80% of the time andlose 20% of the time.

The longest winning streak we have encountered is eightconsecutive games without a loss. The longest losing streak is twoconsecutive losses.


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The expected hourly winning rates (based on fifty dicedecisions per hour) are shown in Table 5. As would be expected,the hourly winning rates are double for partnership play. Theseresults, incidentally, were compiled when one partner was playingdon't pass and the other partner was using the Alternate Patternmethod of bet selection.

As the table shows, the winning rate is quite respectable atall levels of play. Playing at the $310 betting level, two partners,playing nine hours per day, would win about $1,500 per day.

These winning rates suggest some interesting strategies forthe system. Two partners could win about $9,000 in three day’splay with a $1,500 bankroll.

TABLE 5—MINI-MAX STATISTICS

Average length of game: 25 decisions (about 30 minutes)Winning games for each losing game: 4:1Longest number of consecutive winning games: 8Longest number of consecutive losing games: 2


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WIN RATES PER HOUR PLAYED:

BettingLevel $31.00 $155.00 $310.00 $620.00 $930.00

HourlyWinRates:OnePlayer

8.30

41.50 83.00 166.00 249.00

HourlyWinRates:Partners

16.60 83.00 166.00 332.00 498.00

On the first day of play, they would play at the $310 bettingsystem level. After nine hours, based on the average hourlywinning rates for this level of play, they would have won about$1,500. On the second day of play, the partners would play at the$620 level. With nine hours play, they should be ahead $3,000 forthe second day. On the third day, the partners would play at the$930 level. At this level, they would expect to win about $4,500for the third day. Adding up their winnings, we see that they havewon a total of $9,000 in three day’s time, starting with a $1,500bankroll. This example illustrates the power of the system. Amedium sized bankroll can be used to pyramid winnings to ahigher level in a very short period of time so long as the playersexercise control and escalate the betting series only after they haveaccumulated a safe cushion of profits.


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USING THE MINI-MAX SYSTEM

This system can be used to earn a handsome living fromplaying craps, or it may be used for the occasional gambler who ismore interested in being a consistent winner than in generating lotsof action in a short time period.

The system requires patience to be used properly, and inorder to produce the results we have described, it must beimplemented exactly as we have demonstrated.

For these reasons, the system must be practiced at homeprior to trying it in a casino. The system is very simple to use inactual play, but it is only simple if the player or players are sothoroughly versed in its use that there is no hesitation in knowingwhat bet to place at the correct time.


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The Max Switch Method

The Max Switch Method (short for Maximum SwitchMethod) is a new betting pattern developed for Mini-Max, whichsignificantly improves the winning rate over the betting patternspresented earlier. In revising Mini-Max Craps I consideredincorporating this method of bet selection in the chapter "Choosingthe Betting Pattern" but then decided that the method deserves awhole chapter.

Part of the frustration I have encountered using Mini-Maxover the years is the situation, which occurs where the patternchosen seems to be losing every dice decision. The temptationhere is to change the betting pattern (say from Pattern toAlternating Pattern), but you may recall my caution that bettingpatterns should be changed only after completion of a bettingseries through a parlay win. In adhering to this formula, wesometimes must calmly watch our entire series of wagers go downthe drain.


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If you ever start changing patterns in the middle of a bettingseries, you will find that all discipline in bet selection quickly goesout the window and that you will be trying to guess how to betprior to each come out roll. This is precisely the situation whichusing a bet selection method is trying to prevent. Most people arenot prescient enough to do very well guessing the next dicedecision, and playing craps in this manner quickly becomes anexercise in frustration.

The Max Switch Method of bet selection allows, evenencourages, a change in the method of selecting bets in the middleof a betting series. Yet it imposes the discipline needed to preventbet selection from becoming a guessing contest.

The steps for using the Max Switch Method are:

1. When we are beginning a game (which can eitherbe when we have first walked up to a craps table andchanged our cash for chips, or after we havecompleted a game at a craps table and are preparingto began another game) we will observe one decision(a decision being a dice roll or series of rollsresulting in a win or loss for either a pass line ordon't pass wager). We will base our first round ofbetting on this decision.


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2. The betting pattern we will use is to alternatebetween betting the same as the preceding decisionand the opposite of the preceding decision. Noticethat this is different from the Alternate PatternMethod of bet selection which requires alternatingbets between betting the same as the secondpreceding decision and the opposite of the secondpreceding decision.

3. We will continue using the Max Switch Method,alternating between betting the same as the previousdecision and the opposite of the preceding decisionuntil we reach a bet level change in our bettingseries. For example, with a $310 session stake, ourbetting series is 10 10 10 20 20 40 40 80 80. If wehave lost the first three bets (10 10 10) and we arecalled on to bet at the next level, the $20 level ofbets, we will now make a switch in our bettingpattern. If our previous wager was the opposite ofthe previous decision, we would normally bet thesame as the preceding decision. Instead, since weare required to raise our wagers to 20, we will switchour pattern and bet the opposite of the previousdecision. We will use this procedure anytime we arecalled on to move our bets up a level. If we also losethe next two $20 wagers, and our previous wagerwas the same as the preceding decision, we will nowwager $40 on the same (rather than opposite) as theprevious decision. If we also lose the two $40wagers, we will repeat the


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switching procedure before making $80 wagers.

4. We will also alternate the way we begin eachbetting series. If we start our first betting seriesbetting opposite, after we win the series, we willstart the next betting series betting the same. Ofcourse, regardless of how we start a series, we willalternate from betting opposite to same to opposite,except at bet level changes.

5. It is not necessary to observe (stand back and notwager) except at the beginning of a game. Afterwinning a series, we will go right into the nextbetting series, without skipping wagers.

Table 6 demonstrates the use of this technique throughseven decisions of the dice.


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TABLE 6 — SEVEN DICE DECISIONSWITH MAX SWITCH

Decision Method Bet

$Bet

DiceOut-come Result

NetWonorLost

Cum Won orLost

1 P observe — — — — — —

2 d same P 10 d Loss -10 -10

3 d opposite P 10 d Loss -10 -20

4 P same d 10 P Loss -10 -30

5 P same(rule 3)

P 20 P Won +20 -10

6 d opposite d 40 d Won +40 +30

7 P opposite(rule 4)

P 10 P Won +10 +40

This table may be read as follows:

The first column shows the numbers of the dice decision,from 1 to 7.


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The second column "Decision" shows the outcome of thedice roll(s).

The third column "Method" shows how we will respond tothe previous dice decision.

The fourth column "Bet" indicates the wager (P or d) weselect to make based on our method and the previous dice decision.

The fifth column "$Bet" shows the amount of our wager,using the Mini-Max series 10 10 10 20 20 40 40 80 80 andparlaying any winning wagers.

The sixth column "Dice Outcome" is the dice decision forour current bet. If this outcome is different than the Bet, we have aloss, if it is the same, we have a win.

The seventh column "Result" reflects whether we won orlost the decision.


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The eighth column "Net Won or Lost" shows the amount ofmoney won or lost on the decision.

The final column "Cum Won or Lost" represents thecumulative amount won or lost including the current decision.

We begin the game (row 1) observing the outcome of a dicedecision. The first decision is P (Pass).

We make our first wager (row 2) deciding to wager thesame as the preceding decision. We bet $10 on P and the decisionis d (Don't Pass). We lose our wager.

For the next come out roll (row 3) we wager the opposite ofthe preceding decision. Since the prior decision was d, we bet $10on P. We lose our wager.

Our third bet (row 4) is the same as the preceding one, sowe bet on P. We lose again. We have now lost all of the $10wagers and our next bet will be at the next higher level of bets.

Having lost the first tier of wagers, we change our betselection for our next wager (row 5). Using the normal switchingpattern we would have been called on to wager the opposite of thepreceding wager but instead we switch to betting the same. Thepreceding dice outcome was P so we wager $20 on P and win.


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Having won the previous wager, we now parlay ourwinnings and bet $40 (row 6). We switch from betting the same tobetting the opposite of the previous outcome and bet $40 on d. Wewin $40.

We now will begin our series over (row 7), since theprevious parlay bet won, completing a series. Since we began ourfirst series wagering the same as the prior decision, we now switchand bet the opposite of the previous decision. We bet $10 on P andwin. We will continue this second series of wagers from here eventhought the table stops at this point. For our next bet (not shown),we will parlay our win and wager $20 on P (the same as theprevious dice decision).

This table should give you a feel for the Max SwitchMethod of selecting bets. In addition to alternating our betselection between the same and the opposite of the previous dicedecision, we switched this pattern twice in the seven dice decisionsshown in the table. We first switched on the wager after havinglost all of the $10 bets and next switched after we had won a parlaybet and therefore completed a betting series.

You're probably thinking that keeping track of all this mustbe a real chore. It isn't. I use chips to represent dice decisions andthe betting pattern used.

You may recall that earlier in this book I recommended thatwhen you buy into a craps game, you purchase five one-dollar andfive of the five-dollar chips. These chips will be used for tracking.


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Each of these tracking chips represents either a dice decision or abetting pattern selected. Here's how it works.

Dollar chips represent pass line decisions and bets using thepattern selection of the same as the preceding dice decision.

Five dollar chips represent don't pass decisions and betsusing the pattern selection of opposite of the preceding dicedecision.

Chips will be arranged as follows in the rail separate fromyour playing chips. Chips laid flat on the left represent the patternused to start a betting series. If the first wager made in a series isthe same as the prior decision, then one-dollar chip representingbetting the same will be laid down flat in the chip rail.

We also need to track the outcome of the previous dicedecision so that we can make our bet selection. I usually track twodecisions, using chips standing upright in the rail to the right of thechip used to record the starting bet for the series, to represent thedice outcomes. If a pass occurs, I place a dollar chip upright in therail. If the next decision is don't pass, I place a five dollar chipupright to the right of the first upright chip. For the next dicedecision, I will add the appropriate chip to the chips standing onedge, and I will remove the first standing chip so that only twochips are standing on edge.


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At this point, I will have three chips being used to representbets or dice decisions. The left chip laying flat tells me how Iselected the first bet in the series. The two standing chips show theoutcomes of the last two dice decisions. I will now add one morechip, placed flat to the right of the standing chips. This chip willrepresent my previous bet selected. If I bet the same as theprevious decision, the chip will be a dollar chip. If I had wageredthe opposite of the prior decision, I will use a five-dollar chip.

Using this scheme makes tracking easy. If I glance downand see the left most chip laid down flat is a five-dollar chip, Iknow that I started the series betting opposite, so that when Icomplete the current series, I will switch to betting same. If thetwo standing chips are a dollar and five dollar chip, left to right, Iknow that the previous decision (represented by the five dollarchip) was a don't pass, and the decision prior to that was a pass. Ifthe right hand chip, laying flat in the rail is a five dollar chip, Iknow that on my last bet I wagered the opposite of the previousdecision.

After each dice decision, I will need to update my trackingchips. With these chips in front of you it is easy to plan your nextmove. When a dice decision occurs, you will need to glance at thetracking chips and prepare to make the next bet. I usually get thebet down before I update the tracking chips. This way with mybet on the table, I can take more time arranging the chips withoutworrying about missing a come out roll.


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How well can you do using this bet selection method? Table 7 summarizes the results of 25 games I recently played usingthe Max Switch method.

The first column "Game" is used for tracking the number ofgames. The second column "Amount Won" shows the net win orloss for each game. "Total Wagered" shows the total of all wagersmade in a game. The "% Won" column is a measure of oureffectiveness and shows the percentage


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TABLE 7 — 25 GAMES USING MAX SWITCH

GameAmountWon

TotalWagered % Won Rolls

Cum Wonor Lost

1 +90 290 31.03% 49 902 +100 620 16.13 87 1903 +110 250 44.00 60 3004 +140 520 26.92 48 4405 +70 710 9.86 87 5106 +90 370 24.31 76 6007 +80 700 11.43 142 6808 -290 570 -50.88 51 3909 +120 600 20.00 91 51010 +90 290 31.03 50 60011 +100 420 23.81 68 70012 -310 370 -83.78 49 39013 +90 370 24.32 104 48014 +90 90 100.00 22 57015 +90 530 16.98 78 66016 -260 780 -33.33 65 40017 +110 390 28.21 65 51018 +110 130 84.62 37 62019 +90 150 60.00 24 71020 +90 450 20.00 69 80021 +70 1190 5.88 174 87022 +110 350 31.43 65 98023 +90 690 13.04 101 107024 +100 380 26.32 55 117025 +80 600 13.33 119 1250


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that our winnings represent of all money wagered. "Rolls" recounts the total number of dice rolls needed to complete thegame. The final column "Cum Won or Lost" tracks ourcumulative winnings throughout this series of games.

In 25 games we won $1,250.00, for an average win of$50.00 per game. We had three losing games out of 25 games,winning 88% of the games we played. If we exclude the amountslost in our losing games, we compute that our average win perwinning game was $95.91.

Computing the total amount of all of our wagers, we findthat we wagered $11,810 in order to win $1,250.00, for a netwinning rate of 10.58% per wager. Not too bad when we considerthat we were bucking a house advantage of 1.4%. The averagelength of a game was about 73 rolls of the dice, which at 3.5 rollsper average decision is about 21 dice decisions. The average timespent per game was about 24.5 minutes. Our winning rate per hourwas $122.54 per hour, using a $310 session bankroll. The averageamount wagered per game was $472.40. If we exclude our losinggames, we find that the average hourly win per winning game wasabout $235.00 an hour.

Using the Max Switch Method obviously provides veryacceptable winnings. We lost a game, on the average, once every8.33 games, a substantial improvement over the one in five gameswe lost using the standard Mini-Max betting patterns. With a net


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win rate of $122.54 an hour, one player, playing eight hours a day,would win almost $1,000.00! This is the kind of results that getsmy blood rushing.

Using the Max Switch method, it is possible for a singleplayer, starting with a $310 session bankroll, to make over $10,000a week, playing craps eight hours a day for five days. This couldbe accomplished by gradually increasing the size of the sessionbankroll as winnings accumulate.

If we set our requirement of winning three times thebankroll required for the next session stake before increasing oursession stake to the next level, we will find that, on the average, itwill take about eight hours of craps play to win enough in order tomove up one level of session stake.

Table 8 shows the size of the base (beginning) wagers foreach session as well as the required session bankroll. Followingthe first column in the table, we see that if we start with the Mini-Max series 10 10 10 20 20 40 40 80 80 (base bet of 10), we willuse a session bankroll of $310. If we win at an average rate of$122 an hour, and if we must win $930 before raising the size ofour base bet to $20, then it will take about eight hours of craps playto triple our session stake.


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TABLE 8 — PLAYING TIME TO TRIPLESESSION STAKE WITH MAX SWITCH

Base Bet $10 $20 $30 $40

Session Stake $310 $620 $930 $1,240

Win Rate per Hour $122 $244 $366 $488

Profits to increasesession stake

$930 $1,860

$2,790 $3,720

Hours of play to triplesession stake

8hours

8hours

8hours

8hours

After we have won $930, we can begin wagering with $20base bets, using a session bankroll of $620. With averagewinnings of $244 an hour, it will take another eight hours to tripleour session bankroll and win an additional $1,860.

We now begin wagering using $30 base bets. In eighthours more, with an average win rate of $366 an hour, we willhave won an additional $2,790 and have met the requirement tobegin wagering using a session bankroll of $1,240 and $40 basebets.

Using this approach of increasing our base wagers by $10whenever we have tripled our session bankroll can be used to winour $10,000 a week in five days.

Table 9 recounts such a playing adventure. Starting on Day1 with a $310 session stake and a total bankroll of $1,500, we win$930, bringing our total bankroll up to $2,430.


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On Day 2, we increase our session bankroll to $620 andstart making base bets of $20 using the betting series of 20 20 2040 40 80 80 160 160. Our beginning bankroll of $2,430 isincreased by Day 2 winnings of $1,860 to $4,290 at the end of theday.

On Day 3, we racket up our betting series another notch to a$30 base bet (using the betting series 30 30 30 60 60 120 120 240240) and a session bankroll of $930. Our projected winnings are$2,790, bringing our total bankroll at the end of Day 3 to $7,080.


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TABLE 9 — FIVE DAYS TO WIN $10,000+

SessionSize

BeginningBankroll

DailyWinnings

EndingBankroll

Day 1 $310 $1,500 $930 $2,430

Day 2 620 2,430 1,860 4,290

Day 3 930 4,290 2,790 7,080

Day 4 1,240 7,080 3,720 10,800

Day 5 1,240 10,800 3,720 14,520

Net Gain for Week (14,520 - 1,500) = $13,020

On our fourth day of play, we start with a $1,240 sessionbankroll, using $40 as our base bet. Our betting series is 40 40 4080 80 160 160 320 320. With this betting series, you will have toplay on a table which allows higher than a $500 maximum wager,as a parlay wager at the 320 betting level will require a wager of$640. With daily winnings of $3,720, our total bankroll isincreased to $10,800.

On our final day of play, we stay at the same betting level asDay 4 and add another $3,720 of winnings. Our bankroll has beenincreased from $1,500 to $14,520, for a net win of $13,020. Toallow for possible setbacks, we would opt for a more conservativeforecast of a $10,000 win.


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We could have increased our session bankroll to $1,550 onthe fifth day, using a base bet of $50. Had we chosen to do so, ourprojected win for Day 5 would have been $4,650 and our totalwinnings would have been $13,950! We chose not to do so strictlyin the interests of conservatism (we chickened out). However ifyou decide to pursue maximum profits in a minimum time period,there is nothing to prevent you from continuing to increase the sizeof your betting series as your winnings accumulate. Just watch forthe maximum wagers allowed on the table, so that your parlaywagers don't exceed this amount.


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Skilful Play There are a number of decisions you can make in becominga Mini-Max Craps player. You must decide where to play andwhether you will tip or not.

You will also need to make decisions on setting up andusing a casino credit line as well as having your play rated. Howyou handle these situations can have a great bearing on your long-term success as a winning gambler.

Picking where you playYour first choice in deciding to become a craps winner is

deciding where to play. I rate casinos on several different aspects. My first concern is whether the casino offers games that I findplayable.

Every casino sets minimum and maximum bets for its tablegames. Typical minimum and maximum bets for craps gamesoffered by small casinos might be $3 minimum bets and $250maximum bets. These limits will be acceptable for 90% of


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the players using the Mini-Max Craps Strategy. But a few playersmay require higher betting limits.

A more typical problem faces players in casinos which setminimum bets too high. Many East Coast casinos set theirminimum craps bets at $10. Assume that you plan on using thefollowing betting series: 5-10-20-40-80.

You would not be able to use this betting series at the $10minimum table.

Many casinos will change their minimum wagers dependingon the time of day and day of the week. Minimum bets are raisedin the evenings and on weekends. If you are an Atlantic Cityplayer looking for tables with lower minimum bets, you will findmore craps tables with lower minimums if you play during theweek instead of on weekends.

Besides table limits, I also consider the atmosphere of acasino. I absolutely refuse to play in casinos with rude dealers. Ican tolerate slow dealers, dealers still in training and dealers whodon't talk much. But I refuse to put up with dealers who makesarcastic remarks to other players or criticize my play. Life is tooshort. Change tables or, if necessary, change casinos.

Fortunately, most persons working in casinos are reasonablepeople and problematic dealers are not seen too often.

Some casinos have other annoying quirks. Can you toleratea lot of smoke? Some casinos have poor ventilation


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systems so that a dull cloud of smoke seems to permeate the casinoarea. If this bothers you, don't play there.

Other casinos are dirty or have crowded, uncomfortableplaying conditions. For several years there was a casino less thanten minutes from my house where I absolutely refused to playbecause the place resembled a dump (it has been updated and isnow acceptable). These are choices you must make. If youplay in Las Vegas, you have just about every choice you canimagine available. If you want to play in a real craps players' joint,try Binion's Horseshoe downtown. Would you like some realelegance? You'll like the Venetian or Bellagio's.

One thing I don't do is discuss my system while I play. Some dealers will comment on it; most don't. You may getquestions from other players. If you decide to discuss your system,keep it simple. You might state that you like to place the insidenumbers, and you vary your bets depending on how the table isgoing. You might add that sometimes you will leave your placebets up longer, especially if you feel lucky. But that's enough.

If you start talking about the system, you will undoubtedlylose your concentration. In addition, it is almost a given that if youare trying to demonstrate the system to someone, you are going tohave a loss. Call it bad luck or bad karma, but you can believe thatdiscussing the system while you are playing is not a good idea.


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TippingIf you don't like to tip, most international play will suit you

fine. Most casinos in Asia, Europe and Commonwealth countrieslike England, Australia and New Zealand forbid tipping thedealers.

In the U.S. you really have no choice but to tip. Manyplayers refuse to tip, arguing that tips come right off their bottomline. I can't argue with the logic, but I will question the results of ano-tipping policy.

I personally have a great deal of respect for most casinopersonnel and especially dealers. I enjoy tipping them in exchangefor good service, and once it is established that I am a "George"(slang for a good tipper), the level of service increases appreciably.

When I tip, I never just give the dealer the tip. I only tip bymaking bets for the dealer. Most craps players make propositionbets for the dealers, like throwing a $1 chip on one of the hardwaysand announcing "For the boys."

I tip by making a front line (pass line) bet for the dealers ifthe dice have been passing. The dealers appreciate this type ofwager as they realize that they are much more likely to win thewager and get the tip with an even money wager than one withhigh odds against it.

Having a dealer on your side can make a great deal ofdifference in a fast game like craps. Most dealers will figure outyour betting pattern after you have made a few bets. You may


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forget to make your place bets, and the dealer will remind you,especially if you have tipped him.

Act like a gamblerPlay like a loser. If you are in a prolonged winning streak,

don't rub it in the casino's face by continuing to play at the sametable. If you do, make sure that you consistently make the kinds ofmoves which will throw the pit off. Occasionally make erraticplays that vary from the Mini-Max Craps Strategy. But your bestploy is not to overstay your welcome, especially if you are winninga bundle.

If you have a nice win and a floorman comments on it, youcan casually mention that you dropped a bundle at blackjack lastnight and you are still not close to even. But don't do this if younever play blackjack. Make your story plausible.

Hide ChipsAs a winning player, you will want to look for ways to

disguise the amount you are winning. The easiest way to do this isto pocket chips.

This is harder to accomplish if you are playing alone, and iseasiest to accomplish if you have a playing partner.

How to Survive and Prosper as a Professional Gambler,published by Silverthorne Publications, has some excellentsuggestions on chip hiding routines. You can sign up for a freecopy of this excellent reference manual right here -http://www.silverthornepublications.com/KGS.htm

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With a female accomplice, it is easy to slip chips to her andlet her hide them in her purse. Sometimes my wife carries ashopping bag with her, which is a great place to stash chips andoffers additional cover to help us look like a pair of happy, typicaltourists.

If you are a black chip player, you are better off hidinggreen chips, as the bosses are more concerned with watching yourstack of black chips. If you commonly wager $500 or more, thenyou can get away with hiding $100 chips, but don't try to stash the$500 chips as the bosses may catch on.

Play for Cash or on Credit?There are many advantages to establishing credit with

several casinos. Once you have established credit, it is there anytime you want to use it. You don't have to carry cash, arrange forwire transfers or try to talk casinos into cashing checks. Yougenerally will not be able to even cash a cashier's check in a casinountil it has been verified. If you show up on a Saturday hoping tocash a cashier's check, you will be out of luck until your bankreopens on Monday and can verify the check.

Another advantage to establishing credit is that when youuse casino credit, you get to sign markers at the table. You willlook like a gambler, since most gamblers who play with blackchips have casino credit lines.

I'll let you in on a dirty secret. Casinos are not in thebusiness of loaning money to gamblers, at least not now. If


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you have a bad gambling habit and a weak bank account, yourlocal friendly loan shark is more likely to accommodate you thanyour not-so-friendly casino.

When you establish a credit line, the casino is agreeing toadvance you no more than the average balance in your checkingaccount for the last six months.

Your creditworthiness has nothing to do with getting casinocredit. These guys don't care whether you are employed,just filed for bankruptcy or are dodging your other creditors. Casino credit is based on how much bread you keep in yourchecking account.

Do you feel a little better about the high rollers signing themarkers? They are signing magnetically coded checks which canbe run through their checking accounts. Normally markers are nothandled this way as the casino prefers to be paid by check, but ifnecessary, the casino markers can and will be deposited by thecasino and will be presented for payment at your bank just like anyother check you have written.

If you are a black chip player, casino credit is almostmandatory unless you want to carry a large amount of cash withyou, which I don't recommend. If you know where you will beplaying, you can arrange to have cash deposited with the casinocashier and sign markers against your own front money on depositwith the casino.


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The fascinating book, Gamble for Free is most informativeon how to get and use casino credit.

Rated PlayersOnce you start playing with green or black chips, you are

going to be asked by a floorman if you want to be rated. Manynovice counters resent the intrusion of a floorman and answerevasively or even negatively. This is a big mistake. By rating yourplay, the casino is evaluating your ability to receive compsor freebies from the casino. Comps can really add to your bottomline and can be very profitable once you learn to play the compgame. Another reason to become rated is that being rated andreceiving comps from the casino is what gamblers normally do. And you want to look like just another gambler.

Even if you are a low to mid-range player and want to getfull RFB, which stands for Room, Food and Beverages comped,there are many casinos which will accommodate you.

Gamble for Free presents a complete system for getting themaximum amount of comps out of your casino. Using casinocomps, you can travel just about anywhere and get full VIPtreatment. Many casinos will even pay your airfare. But you haveto know how to work the system to maximize these benefits. Isuggest that you learn how to get the maximum amount of compsand let a casino pay for all of your gambling excursions.

As a Mini-Max Craps player, you are in the perfect positionto get and benefit from comps. No matter what your


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level of play, you can increase your enjoyment and profits byavailing yourself of casino comps.

Learn to play another casino gameI highly recommend that you learn to play at least one other

table game besides craps. My number one choice of the game tolearn is blackjack.

Blackjack is still a favorite game of many high rollers. Justby learning basic strategy you can play almost even with the house. If you add a winning strategy on top of this, such as the uniquebetting system revealed in Power Blackjack, then you are on theway to having a second casino game you can beat. You can readmore about the Power Blackjack Strategy atwww.silverthornepublications.com/PowerBlackjack

Blackjack, using the Power Blackjack Strategy, is anexcellent game for using hit and run tactics. If you have beenplaying craps and are tired of concentrating on your wagers,blackjack may give you just the break you need. You can rest youraching legs, as players customarily sit at the table rather thanstanding like craps players. This can't hurt your reputation with thecasino. Because many high rollers now favor blackjack, you willenhance your appearance as a high roller when you add this gameto your repertoire. By mixing a little blackjack play in with yourcraps games, you will look more and more like another gambler tothe casino bosses.

You may be surprised how well you do at blackjack. On atypical casino visit, I usually make almost as much money playingblackjack as I do playing craps. Silverthorne

http://www.silverthornepublications.com/PowerBlackjack


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Publications is the premier publisher for winning blackjacksystems. You can check out some of their fine publications in alisting at our web site at -http://www.silverthornepublications.com/Gen.htm

If your casino offers roulette, you may want to learn to playthe game. Your best chance of winning at roulette is at a wheelwith a single zero. Single zero wheels with the en prison rule arethe standard game in international casinos with house odds of only1.38%, about the same as the line wagers in craps.

If you play on American double zero wheels, you will bebucking house odds of 5.26%. This is a harder game to beat.

You can play roulette for relaxation, but even when I relax Ienjoy winning money. I use an intriguing roulette system whichwins over 90% of the time and throws off nice winnings evenagainst the American wheels. It is described in Target Roulette,published by Silverthorne Publications (see –http://www.silverthornepublications.com/TargetRouletteGold/

You are almost ready to take on the casinos. I havepresented a system which has been proven to win against casinocraps. Perhaps you have been practicing the Mini-Max CrapsStrategy. You have figured out how to put together your bankroll. However, the greatest battle still awaits you. The casinos haveeven more powerful weapons at their disposal than the house edge. They are masters at a whole number of psychological traps set toensnare you, with the end goal of relieving you of as much of yourmoney as they can in the shortest and most pleasant way possible.

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Let's take at look at the casino's battery of weapons and seewhat you can do about them.


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Discipline and Control

At this point, you should have a good understanding abouthow to use the Mini-Max Craps Strategy to win money at craps. You should know when to bet, how much to wager, and when toquit. You know about how your bankroll determines the size ofyour wagers and about using game bankrolls. You should havesome definite ideas about how you want to interact with casinopersonnel. You have learned some ways to improve playingconditions by interacting with and tipping the dealer. You alsohave been introduced to the idea of playing on casino credit andplaying for comps.

Now you have to deal with the largest obstacle to yoursuccess. The greatest single threat to your success is not the casinopersonnel. It is not a bad run at the tables. It is not the risk ofconsecutive losses eating up your bankroll. It is not the wine, thewomen, and the atmosphere. The greatest single threat to yourplaying career will be yourself. Surprised? Read on.


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Self ControlUltimately, success at casino gambling, business, romance

or life, for that matter, largely depends on self-control. Winning atgambling is all about self-control. It is about controlling theamount of money used for gambling. It's about reducing losses. It's about limiting the amount of money used for any session ofplay. And ultimately, it's about walking out the door a winner.

Gamblers are a lot like fishermen. They like to talk aboutthe one that got away. How many times have you been in a casinowinning and ended up leaving a net loser? In the real world, theonly wins that count are the ones you go home with.

Actually, it is no great feat to get ahead playing craps.Probably over 75% of all craps players are ahead sometime in theirplay. But do they walk out the door winners? No. Probably closeto 90% of all craps players end up losing money. The typicalcasino hold is about 20% for a craps table. Hold is a term referringto the amount the casino keeps as its win out of the money droppedat the table — e.g. the drop. If you buy in for a hundred dollarsand play for thirty minutes and leave with $85, you have lost $15out of $100. Your contribution to the drop was $100 and your lossgave the casino a hold rate of 15%.

Winning at gambling is first about controlling yourself. It isabout accepting responsibilities for your own actions. In the longrun, you don't win because you were lucky, and you don't losebecause you had a string of bad luck. Using the Mini-MaxCraps Strategy will help you create your own luck. Used properly,you will be able to play at an advantage over the casino and be anet winner.


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If you think about the times you were ahead in a casino andended up giving it all back plus whatever additional cash youscrounged, who is to blame? The casino? The game? The houseedge?

Don't get angry with me for pointing this out. What iswrong with setting aside your winnings when you are ahead? Andwhat is wrong with limiting your losses when you hit a losingstreak? And what is wrong with leaving a losing table?

I hope you answered "nothing." Doing these things requiresself-control. They are easy to think about doing but may be muchharder to actually accomplish. I am a former smoker. I alwaysthought I could quit smoking when I wanted to. But I failed to quita number of times. When I finally quit, I realized how difficult theprocess really was. It was easy to think about quitting smoking butdoing it was quite challenging. Now that I have quit, I am out ofthe woods, right? Well, not quite. I believe that smoking is muchlike a drug addiction, and as a former addict, I am never cured. Iam only one cigarette away from becoming a smoker again.

Control in a casino may require much the same discipline asthat of a reformed smoker. Having a large monetary loss onlyrequires a temporary loss of control.

Trust me, winning is habit forming. Losing, especially at agame like craps when you know you are using a winning strategy,is tough. Some professional gamblers, especially traditionalblackjack card counters, will lose for months at a time.


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I am not sure that I could continue to play blackjack under thosecircumstances. The documented losing streaks for the Mini-MaxCraps Strategy tend to be fairly short. If you play craps regularlyusing this strategy, it is highly unlikely that you will ever encountertwo back to back losing casino visits. But it can happen.

Once you are in a losing streak, you will be hard pressed tocontinue with your set game plan. You will begin to questioneverything about the strategy. The dice rolls will not seem right. The shooters will all be lousy. You will start to feel like no matterhow you wager, your bets will lose. When your larger bets lose,you will begin to question the betting strategy. After you haveencountered a few very cold tables, you will even question whetherselecting the time you make your wagers is really worth all of theeffort.

Trends are a dominant factor in gambling. Every crapstable has streaks. If you are in a winning streak, you may beginto feel omnipotent. However, when a losing streak hits, you maystart to question every aspect of your playing strategy.

Perhaps the best thing you can do whenever you encounterlosing tables is to first change tables. Your next option is to quitplaying craps for a time. Depending on your feelings, you shouldeither quit gambling altogether during your break, or if you are stillin the mood to play, switch casino games. I have found on manyoccasions that a switch of games was exactly what I needed toimprove my mood.


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Many players seem to become chained to a particular tableat some point in their play. This may be fine when the table iswinning, but could spell disaster during a prolonged losing spell.

While losing is tough, winning may be even tougher forsome people. Many players subconsciously feel that gamblingwinnings are "ill begotten gains." Many times persons raised witha strong work ethic cannot adjust to the reality that winning atgambling requires a great deal of effort too. Gambling winningsmay not seem real or may even seem shameful. Many people feelguilty when they win. For these people, walking out with some ofthe casino's money doesn't feel right.

Gamblers never cease to amaze me. Gambling falls intosome special category of human behavior that escapes the normalrules we usually live by. People change their behaviordramatically in casinos. Consummate misers can't wait to throwtheir money away in casinos. People who clip coupons every weekto save ten bucks on groceries think nothing of dropping ahundred, five hundred or even a thousand in a casino.

Discipline is all about the ability to develop a winning plan. Control is about being able to follow it.

Ego NeedsWe all share a need for recognition. We like to talk about

our triumphs. Once you become a successful consistent winner atcraps, you are going to feel the need to talk about it occasionally.


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You need to curb the urge to discuss the fact that you are awinner, especially while you are in a casino. If you have a big winat the roulette wheel, feel free to comment on your success. Thecasino is not concerned with roulette winners, because they do notbelieve that anyone can gain an advantage over them in this game,at least not without cheating.

Obviously, you should never discuss your craps winningswith any casino employees. Your goal is to look as much likeanother losing gambler as possible. Casinos don't like winners,and you are much more likely to get the royal treatment if you looklike another losing gambler.

Occasionally I have been asked about how my strategieswork outside of the casino. When I first learned to beat thecasinos, I was quite enthusiastic and wanted to share myenthusiasm with other people. The typical reaction when I haverevealed that I have a winning craps system is total disbelief. I amsimply not believed. My best advice is to act like the vast majorityof casino patrons who don't have a clue as to how to win.

Play the PartI have given a number of suggestions about looking like a

gambler. Everyone has his own style, and I am not suggesting thatyou disguise yourself physically or change your identity. However,persons who look serious, never drink, never tip, or don't talk todealers or floormen do not look like gamblers and will not get thefull benefit of casino generosity, including comps.


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I have tried to give you as much ammunition as I can, butyou can add your own finishing touches. Using casino credit is amust if you are a black chip player. You simply don't want to walkaround with ten thousand dollars or more on your person. Not onlyare you literally risking your life should a mugger decide to targetyou, but you could run afoul of U.S. laws if you leave the countrywith more than $10,000 on you and don't declare it. Using thecasino's credit and signing markers will make you look much morelike a gambler, and it actually is a very convenient way to play.

You should also play for comps. Once you are playing withblack chips, you will have comps offered to you and you might aswell enjoy them. Even mid-range gamblers and low rollers canavail themselves of substantial comps.

The Casino is Not Your EnemyThe dealers, floormen, cocktail waitresses, pit bosses, shift

bosses and casino hosts are not your enemy. While pit bossesoften scrutinize the play of high rollers, they are just doing theirjobs. Many of the casino employees are actually rooting for you towin. We have discussed how to get a dealer on your side by beingfriendly and using your tips advantageously. But your floorman,who, incidentally, is just as likely to be a woman called a floorman,is not against your winning. As long as you are not perceived as athreat to the casino's bankroll and are not engaged in behavior thecasino objects to, e.g. card counting, you are free to winoccasionally. Just don't rub it in their faces.


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Floormen are the primary decision-makers on the amount ofcomps you get, and I always chat with the nearest floorman. Starting a conversation is easy. Once you are a credit player, youwill interact with the floorman as soon as you buy in, by signing amarker. After establishing some rapport with a floorman, I willoccasionally ask him or her for advice on certain craps wagers. Itis always better to down play just how knowledgeable you are. Most floormen enjoy helping players and like to show off theirown expertise.

In dealing with all casino personnel, your goal is to alwaysbe a polite, friendly person who likes the casino, enjoys talking topit personnel, is impressed by the floorman's tremendousknowledge of craps, makes large wagers and doesn't quite knowhow to play craps correctly. This act will buy you a tremendousamount of unrestricted playing time, and your comp rate should goup exponentially. You are the perfect player from the casino'sviewpoint, and the casino bosses will be willing to pay to ensurethat you play in their casino.

Things to AvoidThere are some things I just won't tolerate when I play

craps. Top on my list of "the things I like least" is a crew of rudedealers. If the dealers start making comments about my play, orare rude to other players, my advice is to just leave.

I don't need this kind of aggravation. If there are extremelyobnoxious players at the table, just leave. If you have a bad feelingabout the table, trust your instincts and leave.


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I also refuse to play with rude players. I recall one instanceyears ago at the Desert Inn when there was a young and obviouslydrunk player at the opposite end of the table. He made commentsabout every shooter and was constantly harassing the female dealernext to him, making off color comments about her clothes, hershape and her dealing. I finally told him that no one thought hewas funny and that it was time to back off.

He told me to f___ off and I told him that it was time forhim to go. By this time the boxman had signaled security.

Up walked two burly security guards. Mr. Jerk wasescorted out of the casino. After the uproar had subsided, thedealer he had been harassing gave me one of her biggest smilesand thanked me for supporting her. The floorman gave me athumbs up and he comped me to a delicious gourmet meal.

DrinkingYou've been waiting for this part, haven't you? I have yet to

read a book on gambling where the author does not admonish thereader not to drink. Professional craps players, I guess, are tooengrossed in observing the game to even lift a glass to theirbeleaguered lips. If they do manage a drink, it has to be Evianwater. For the bosses and for most players, having a drink whileyou play is part of the fun. Gamblers do it for sure. And you wantto look like a gambler, right?

I generally have a few drinks while I gamble. I also drinkstraight orange juice, coffee, iced tea and even ice water at thetables. Drinking something alcoholic at the craps table is one moresignal to the pit that you are not a threat. I generally go slow on thealcoholic drinks and time my drinks. In general, the


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fact that you are a craps player will go a long way towardsenhancing your reputation as a gambler.

SuperstitionsSuperstitions really have no effect on the outcome of cards

or dice or little balls spinning around inside of larger wheels or dothey? Most gamblers and many pit personnel are superstitious. Gambling itself seems to breed superstitions.

What happens is that we remember certain events thatoccurred prior to, or in connection with other events, and weassume that there is a causal relationship between two seeminglyunrelated occurrences.

The dice game is rift with superstitions. Lady shooters arelucky, as are virgin shooters, who have never rolled the dicebefore. If a die or the dice fly off the table, many old pros call theirodds, place and buy bets off on the next roll, as everyone knowsthat sevens come after the dice fall on the floor.

Blackjack players have their own superstitions. Many ofthese concern upsetting the natural order of the cards. If you havebeen playing one hand of blackjack and suddenly spread to twohands, the other players may become unglued at the move. Likewise playing a hand differently than they would have cancause a barrage of negative comments.

Poker players may wear their lucky hats, and where would aslots player be without her lucky charm bracelet?


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Many casino bosses have lucky and unlucky dealers. Acraps crew which loses too much money may find itself fired, or atleast broken up and the members rotated into different crews. If ablackjack player is winning too much money, a boss may bring in alucky dealer. In the good old days when Vegas was mobbed up,the lucky dealer may well have been dealing seconds, with a real reason behind the luck. In this day of corporate casinos, acheating dealer is unlikely, as a casino is not willing to risk itslicense over one winning player. However, many bosses believecertain dealers are lucky for the house, just as other dealers areunlucky. If a boss decides a dealer is unlucky, the hapless dealer isnot likely to have a fruitful career with that casino.

Because gamblers and bosses are superstitious, it makessense for you to at least appear to be superstitious too. If you lose,it is because the table is too cold, or in the alternative, if you win,you are on a hot streak. Hot and cold streaks do occur, but itdoesn't hurt to play them up. Talk of hot shooters and hot rollshelps spice up any conversation with a boss as well.

In addition to enhancing your conversation with bosses, youcan use your superstitions to influence dealers as well. More thanonce I have told a dealer that I feel that the next shooter will belucky and placed a larger bet when the floorman was watching.

Use superstitions to justify certain plays when you aretalking to the bosses. Just don't get caught up in believing too


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many casino superstitions yourself. Your lucky hat is not likely tohave been responsible for your last win, nor is a particular casinonecessarily unlucky.

I will admit that I partially subscribe to the "unlucky casinosyndrome." There are some casinos where I never seem to do well. I have no rational explanation for this. However, since I tend toplay in Las Vegas where dozens of casinos vie for my attention, Ican easily avoid the casinos that are unlucky for me.

Moving Up Your Betting LevelsIf you devote much time to craps using the Mini-Max Craps

Strategy, at some point you will want to increase the size of basebets — jumping from a 10-20-40-80-160 line betting series to ahigher level for example. Many players find that an emotionaladjustment is required to make these moves. The size of thewagers required may intimidate them to the extent that they feelcompelled to modify the Mini-Max Craps Betting Strategy.

Of course, you must adhere to all of the requirements I havedescribed before you decide to increase the size of your basewagers. You never want to over-bet your bankroll, and you shouldonly increase the size of your wagers when your bankrollis large enough to justify it. If you are undercapitalized, then youclearly are out of your league to jump from green chip to blackchip play.

However, once you have built the prerequisite bankroll, youshould be able to increase the size of your wagers. To acclimateyourself to making larger wagers, try moving in steps. You mightincrease from being a $5 line bettor to using $7 wagers as yourstarting point. There is no law that says you have to jump to from


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the 5-10-20-40-80 series to the 10-20-40-80-160 series next. Create your own betting series using $7 as a base place bet if youare uncomfortable in making the leap from $5 to $10 base wagers.

Probably your biggest hurdle will be moving up to black$100 chip play. You will receive a great deal more attention fromthe casino than when you were a red chip or green chip player. Most of the attention will be positive. When you play with blackchips, you automatically join an exclusive club with significantcasino comps to be made available. However, your play will alsobe under greater scrutiny, and this bothers many players.

In addition to being showered with comps, you will alsofind that black chip play has other privileges. It is usually mucheasier to find uncrowded tables as a black chip player.

I suggest that you start wagering at a comfortable level foryou. Your comfort level may be as a $5, $10 or a $25 player. Stayat this level until you have thoroughly mastered, not only thetechnical side of playing correctly, but the emotional side ofdealing with players, bosses and dealers. When you are ready,both psychologically and with adequate bankroll, try moving upjust one step and then playing at this level for awhile. Continue to hone your casino people skills at each new level and don't forgetto look and act the part. Black chip players do act differently thannickel chip players.


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The Casino As Your New OfficeWalking up to a craps table the first time can be an

intimidating experience. If you have not played much, you will notfully understand the roles of the dealers, the boxman, the floorman,the pit boss, the other casino personnel, and the eye-in-the-skycameras following your every move.

If you are unfamiliar with casino surroundings, you maywant to progress into your new role as a winning craps player on astep-by-step basis.

You can first play using only the Line Betting System. Thisis an excellent approach, and you will win plenty of money usingthis approach.

Once you feel very comfortable playing craps, you can addthe Place Betting Strategy to your system. It may take a number oftrips before you feel confident enough to play the whole system. One advanced craps system which has been tested and endorsed bySilverthorne Publications is called "Power Craps." This strategyincorporates a place betting as part of its strategy. You can readmore about it at www.silverthornepublications.com/PowerCraps

Only after you have mastered all the Mini-Max Crapselements should you consider moving up to black chip status. Atthis point, you should feel that the casino is your new office, andthe casino personnel are your fellow workers.

http://www.silverthornepublications.com/PowerCraps


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Remember that the casino is not your enemy. The primaryfunctions of modern casino personal, including bosses, are to makesure the casino patrons have a good enough experience that theywill become repeat customers.

Once you become known in a casino, you will find yourselfinteracting with the casino personnel even more. Dealers willwelcome you by name. Cocktail waitresses will remember yourfavorite drink. Bosses will invite you to coffee. A casino host willwork with you to make sure that you get all of the comps to whichyou are entitled.

Once you sense that everyone in the casino is genuinelyrooting for you to win, you will know that you have done your jobwell.

In order to reach this level, there is no substitute for puttingin your hours. You will need to demonstrate that you are not only friendly, but reliable, honest and consistent in your fairtreatment of all you encounter.

Too many players complain to bosses, dealers and anyoneelse who works in the casino. Grumpy players are all too common,and you want to make sure that you don't present this face to your"fellow workers." If you are tired or grumpy, don't play. It isimportant to take breaks frequently and use the time to relax. Youshould be at your peak emotionally when you play, and thisincludes having a positive mental attitude and interacting withplayers and casino personnel on a friendly and helpful basis.


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Eventually the casino will recognize you as congenial,reliable and dependable. And, if you decide to make playing crapsyour new profession, your relationship with your new associateswill serve as the foundation for your new business.


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Casino Comps

Whether you chose to become a rated player at the casinotable games, join a slot club or both, once you get into the system,you can start getting your share of comps. There are a number oftried and proven ways to multiply the number of comps you get. Here are some pointers.

Chose a primary casino and then play there.A basic premise of the whole comp system is to reward

loyal players. Casinos offer comps to lure new players to theircasino and to make sure that their current customers remain theircustomers. If you think you have it tough trying to use the compsystem to your advantage, just think what the casinos are upagainst with new competition springing up every day.

If you are a whale, you can ignore my advice. Just plan oneither bringing or setting up a credit line of $100,000 or larger, andwherever you decide to land will be glad to comp you. If you arein the million dollar plus range, the casino will notonly comp you, but anyone else you chose to bring with you.


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They'll even charter a 737 and fly in as many of your friends as youwant to bring along.

If you are not quite in this range, then it will pay to find aprimary casino and reward it with your patronage. A player withas little as $1,000 can get RFB treatment in some of the downtowncasinos in Las Vegas. A player with a $2,500 bankroll will havean even greater choice of hotel casinos. Move up to the $5,000 to$10,000 range, and a whole other batch of casinos becomeavailable.

But, in order to get noticed and adequately comped with abankroll from $1,000 to $10,000, you have got to be willing toreward a casino with your playing time.

A friend of mine visits Las Vegas about ten times a year. He usually takes $5,000 to $10,000 and manages to lose betweenhalf and three quarters of it per trip. I won't comment on hisapproach to gambling. Quite frankly, it stinks. Anyway, thesubject is comps.

Believe it or not, he doesn't get any. He stays at a differentcasino every trip. I think he believes the constant changes mightimprove his luck. This is not necessarily bad, if he would play atthe casino where he stays. He invariably changes casinos everyhour or two and ends up playing in ten to twelve differentestablishments over the course of two or three days.


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Because of the size of his buy-ins, he is constantly asked ifhe wants to be rated. He always declines. He confesses that hedoesn't want the casinos to know how much he is losing. I thinkthat he is trying to kid himself about his losses.

I have explained the comp system to him. As long as he islosing, he might as well have the casinos kick in $750 to $1,000per trip. This money is there for the asking if he would only pick aprimary casino and give it a reasonable amount of play.

I can't convince him to change his ways. But, maybe I caninfluence you.

There are many other benefits to playing more in a primarycasino. The first benefit is the application of the old saw, "If youscratch my back, I'll scratch yours."

The casino will accelerate the rewards offered you the moreyou play. Some casinos formalize this process and actuallyaccelerate the comps to slot club members as their total number ofpoints increases. Many casinos offer more and more free roomsand entertainment the more you patronize them.

The key to maximizing your benefits from this wholeprocess is to find a casino which matches your needs and thenstart playing there. If you have picked correctly, your loyalty willbe well rewarded.


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Join a slot club and/or get a VIP card.The start of getting comps is to be into the casino comp

system. If you bet $25,000 a hand, the host will find you. If youbet $5 to $25 a pop, you have to get the casino's attention. And theeasiest way to do this is with a little piece of plastic which looksjust like a credit card.

Once you have a card, getting comped will become part ofyour routine. The first thing you will do as a machine player is toinsert your club card in the card reader.

When you sit down at a craps, blackjack or roulette tableyou will present your VIP card when you buy in.

Your card will go down with your cash at the craps tablewhen you lay five hundred in front of the dealer and tell him,"Chips please."

Once you have the cards and use them, all of your play willcount towards something.

Get to know your casino host.

The casino host or the slot host will be your key to gettingthe most comps in most casinos.

If you are a member of the casino's slot club, you will getnearly all of your comps by asking the casino slot host. Manytimes comps for food, rooms, shows and merchandise are built


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right into the slot club payoffs. If you have just joined a slot club,try giving them some play for an hour or two and then asking theslot host for a buffet comp.

My experience with comps from playing slots or videopoker is that the slot hosts are much more likely to be generouswith comps than the personnel at the slot club booths. If you wantbrochures on the slot clubs or general information on the slot club,talk to the clerks at the booth. If you want a particular comp, askthe slot host.

Casino hosts, catering to the table game players, are at thetop of the casino pecking order for granting comps. Their toppriority is to cultivate new customers and to keep the currentcustomers happy.

The casino hostesses are the persons working for VIPServices who help you check in, arrange your limo service, makedinner and show reservations and so forth.

The hostesses will handle most of your scheduling andreservation needs. The casino hosts are the people you need to talkto to arrange RFB and airfare reimbursement.

You can meet a casino host a number of ways. One way isto call a casino before coming and ask to speak to a host. This is agood way to ask about the casino's comp policy and to tell the hostthat you are interested in playing there.


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If you are playing with front money, you should meet yourhost after depositing your money with the cage but before youbegin play.

If you are a cash player and make a large enough buy-in,you may have a chance to meet a host when the casino sets you upwith a VIP card.

After you have played in a casino, you can makereservations through the casino host. Making reservation through ahost who knows you is a good way to get a room even if the frontdesk claims that no rooms are available. Casinos always reserve ablock of rooms for their best customers, and a casino host can getyou a room when a reservation clerk can't.

I recommend taking a little time to develop a relationshipwith a host. Part of developing a relationship is consistency. Ifyou make one casino your primary casino and visit several timesa year, it will be easier to become known to a host than if he onlysees you every other year.

If you are using a casino credit line, the host will introducehimself to you. With front money or cash, you will want to make apoint of meeting the host.

Treat your host with respect and nurture the relationship. He can shower you with all kinds of freebies, including gifts, food,a free room and VIP treatment. And he is paid to do this. Foryour part, you have to convince your host that your action is


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sufficient to justify the comps you want. And being a nice personwon't hurt either.

Be a nice person.Or have I said that? You can get enormous leverage out of

maintaining friendly relationships with the people who work incasinos.

Start with the dealers and cocktail waitresses. These peoplehave a couple of the hardest jobs in the casino and are at thebottom of the casino hierarchy. A smile and a reasonable tippingpolicy will do wonders to get these folks on your side. I believethat creating a positive atmosphere starts with how you act towardsthe casino personnel. A positive atmosphere is conducive towinning as well as to getting your fair share of comps.

You might look at it this way. If you are a grump, thedealer will probably reciprocate. This is contagious behavior, andsoon the whole table will act the same way. The pit personnel notonly will not be impressed with your play, they probably will beput off by the whole scene at your table. Not only will your ratinglikely suffer, you won't have nearly as much fun.

You can't always control how dealers and other customersact. If I join a table where no one is talking, and the dealer barelygrunts when spoken to, I will make my departure very quickly. Usually a few cheerful words followed by a toke for the dealer willturn the atmosphere around. However, if this fails, you can't befaulted for not trying. Life is too short to play under


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miserable conditions. It is always better to change tables than tocontinue to play with an out of sorts crew and crabby complainingcustomers. Under these conditions, you should just leave.

Visit the casino at off times.I nearly always schedule my casino trips for the middle of

the week. I will typically arrive on a Monday afternoon and stayuntil Thursday afternoon. The benefits of visiting during the weekare many. If there are any drawbacks to avoiding the weekendcrowds, I haven't found them.

I don't like waiting and I hate lines. By timing my visits tothe middle of the week, I can usually walk into any coffee shop,make reservations for a gourmet restaurant just about any time Ichose and get show tickets to the shows I want to see.

If you want to really reduce the size of the crowds, travel inthe middle of the week during off season. Las Vegas is slowerduring the middle of summer when it is hot and in the late fall andearly winter when it's colder. The slowest time in Vegas is usuallybetween Thanksgiving and Christmas. But watch out forconventions. The Comdex is usually in town in November. Thenit's impossible to get a room (unless you are a rated player orbelong to a slot club).

If you like to visit Atlantic City, try visiting during themiddle of the week in the dead of winter. You'll not only avoid thelarger crowds, but you'll find that the minimum wagers on manytables have been reduced.


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Visiting during an off time is also an excellent way to getnoticed for purposes of getting rated and getting your comp careeroff to a roaring start.

With fewer players to contend with, a host or a floorman iseasier to meet and to visit with. Also, during slow times, casinostend to be more generous with comps. After all, they are morelikely to have a slew of vacant rooms just waiting to be given awayto qualified players on a Wednesday night in December.

Ask for comps

If you play $10,000 a hand at baccarat, you do not have toask for comps. The casino will shower you with them. If you arelike the rest of us wagering anywhere from $5 to several hundred ahand, you need to ask for comps.

Slot players have the more systematic approach as the cardreaders on the machines are tied into a centralized computersystem, and comps are based on points. If you are a slots or videopoker player, getting a comp is pretty straight forward with thissystem.

Table game players have to deal more with people. And unlessyou are a whale, a boss will almost never offer you a comp unlessyou have just won big in a smaller casino which watches everyloss. Facing a player who might walk out with their money inhand, some casinos will start throwing comps at the player.


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But most of the time, even rated players can play and play andnever be offered a comp unless they ask for it.

My advice? Always ask for the comp. I have given youseveral examples of how to do it.

Maximize your comps.

Anyone who follows the steps I have described can getcomps. Your first step is to pick your primary casino and give itmost of your business. Before you pick your casino you want tomake sure that the casino has a reasonable comp policy and that ithas beatable games. You should also like the casino as you will bereceiving a lot of invitations there once you get into their compsystem.

After picking your primary casino, you need to join its slotclub and get a VIP card. I usually do both. Some casinos, like Rioin Las Vegas, combine rating slot, video poker and table players onone card. Others track machine and table action separately. However, it usually pays to join the slot club, even if you aremostly a table game player.

In many ways, slot club players have an advantage over thetable game players. Their rating is automatic, they don't have toget the attention of some boss. By joining the slot club, they startreceiving mailing from the casino. I have received offers of freerooms from casinos where I had never played a slot machine, buthad joined their slot club.


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If you are just establishing your rating and want to get aroom on a crowded weekend, your slot club membership can beinvaluable. After the reservation clerk tells you there are no roomsavailable, tell her you are a member of the slot club or ask to speakto a slot host. Chances are, the casino will find a room for you.

Getting to know the casino personal is critical. The morethe casino personnel know and like you, the more comps are likelyto flow your way. This is even true for slot players with theirautomated rating system. A slot host can easily "bump up" yourcomp from a buffet for two to a coffee shop comp for two, even ifyour rating is not quite there.

With table players, interacting with the pit personnel iscritical. A boss can make or break you in terms of your rating. Ifyour average wager is $25, your goal is to be rated as at least a $50to $75 player. It is not enough to increase your wagers when theboss is looking, you need to be a nice person.

Playing with front money gives the casino a real shot atbeating you. When you deposit the money in the cage, the casinoknows that they have a shot at winning all of your front money. Ifyou are willing to risk $10,000, this will open the door to full RFBat most establishments.

When you play with front money, be sure to put it all inplay. If you deposit $10,000, draw markers for the full ten grand. This doesn't mean you should lose the money. If you look like a


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loser and the casino sees that you have put all of your front moneyinto play, your rating will increase.

Remember to look like a loser. You can save your braggingfor when you get home. Appear to lose, but lose gracefully. Dealers and bosses hear players gripe about losing every day. Look like a loser but don't complain.

If you run into a fantastic winning streak, don't worry aboutdisguising the fact that you are a winner. The bosses will knowthat you are winning. If you try to hide enough chips to turn a bigwin into a loss, they'll know. When you have a big win, act like awinner. Go ahead and tip a little more. If you are playing craps,shouting is not out of line. I have had some of my best compscome out of big wins as casinos hate to see winners walk out thedoor with their money.

________

Once you know how to play the comps game, you will beable to milk the casinos for every dime your action entitles you to. I have given you some pointers on how to get a quarter's worth ofcomps for a dime's worth of action.

When you combine getting the maximum number of compswith the Mini-Max Craps Strategy, you are in the best position tomaximize your profits from casino gambling.


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If you at least break even, then the comps you receiveconstitute a profit for your play. If you are able to win money atthe casino games, then your profit will be even greater.


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Online Gambling

Fueled by the explosive growth of the Internet and by ageneral acceptance of gambling as a legitimate form ofentertainment, online gambling is growing at a torrid rate.

There are now over 3.000 online casinos with softwareprovided by at least 40 suppliers.

There are three celebrity casinos currently operating — JimRedman, Bubba Smith and Larry Holmes. Three former celebritycasinos are defunct — Kenny Rogers, Evil Knievel and RodneyDangerfield.

There are millions of people who gamble online:

Caesars.com had 137,000 visitors in January 2001.

Casino-On-Net has had 5 million downloads of its software.

FreeLotto.com had 16 million visitors in January 2001.


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Games offered on the Internet range from traditional gameslike video poker and slot machines, to poker, keno, bingo and othergames. Here is a list of games offered by just one online casino: baccarat, blackjack, craps, pachinko, the dragon spirit pachinko,victory poker, Caribbean poker, free ride poker, pai gow poker, reddog, roulette, sic bo, slots, gold rush slots, magic hat sportsbook,video poker, deuces wild video poker, jacks or better video poker,joker wild video poker, king of decks, war and battle royal.

Because of the uncertain legal status of Internet gaming inthe U.S., virtually all online casinos that accept wagers are locatedoutside of the United States.

As of January 24, 2002, only Nevada has legalized onlinegambling. New Jersey is trying to legalize Internet gambling, whileCalifornia, Oregon and Iowa are seeking an outright ban.

As an individual, there is little risk of prosecution becauseof gambling on the Internet as the thrust of prosecutorial power isinvariably directed at online casino operators, credit card providersand software providers.

Technologically, many of the casinos are very similar, asthere are a relative handful of large software developers whodominate the industry. Each casino using software from the samedeveloper will have a similar appearance to other casinos using thesoftware.

Generally, online gaming sites are one of three types, basedon the type of technology used to provide their games.


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Many online casinos require that you first download theirsoftware before you can play their games. This first category of"downloadable software" has to be first transferred from the hostcomputer to your own computer via downloading and then it mustbe installed in order to function. Usually these programs are free. The online gambling sites offering this type of software can begood places to start your play as, once installed, the programs offergreat graphics, sound, animation, and of course, the chance to playfor free.

The second type of software used by online casinos isJAVA software which does not require downloading. JAVAsoftware allows programs to create little programs known asapplets that are embedded directly into a web document. Whenonline casinos use JAVA, the programs run right on your webbrowser.

I am not a fan of casinos using JAVA. With a JAVAcasino, you have to load the software every time you play;whereas, with downloaded software, you can began playing almostinstantly once the software has been installed on your computer. Ihave also had incidences when the JAVA software will freeze mybrowser. In such a situation, you may not be sure whether your lastbet was accepted or not. As a minimum, it is very disruptive tohave to start a game over. And, not knowing where you stand isnot a lot of fun either. It is sort of like someone turning off all thelights in a land-based casino, and when the lights come back onyou are not really sure if you still have all of your casino chips.

The third type of software found uses HTML code which isthe standard language used to create web pages. Sites usingHTML


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are fast to play, but they often have cheesy graphics and no soundor animation.

Perhaps the biggest fear most people have is the fear ofbeing cheated out of their money by the next big "scam" and theydon't want to be one of these people.

All sorts of government agencies and personnel areanxiously hoping that the prosecution of online gambling will betheir ticket to the big time.

Guess what? It is not likely that any of these folks are goingto find major problems with online casinos cheating people. Arethere any crooked casinos online? I am sure there are. There arenot very many, but since there are a few rotten apples in everyindustry, there are bound to be some in the online gaming group.

Almost all online casinos use random number generators tocreate their gaming results. This is part of the software packageused by the casino and most of these programs are encrypted,effectively locking out the casino's ability to modify theprogramming. This is designed to reduce the risk of anyunscrupulous operator changing pay out ratios or otherwiseseeking to gain an additional edge over the players.

The software programs all record bets and results as well asthe time they occurred. In other words, every thing you did onlinecan later be reconstructed if necessary. This is designed tosafeguard both the players and casinos as an "audit trail" is createdwhich can be referred to in the event of an unresolved dispute.


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Of special importance to those who are afraid to use theircredit cards on the Internet is that fact that most online casinosdon't get your credit card number. Third party processors whoforward the money to the casino's account handle the monetarytransfer. If you complain about a casino's fairness, you will mostlikely be given a refund, resulting in a chargeback against thecasino. This is one of the reasons online gaming is so safe. Tostop a charge against your credit card can by done by sending a letter to your credit card company, who will nearly alwaystake your side in a dispute with an online company and refund yourmoney.

If you are interested in playing online let me give you somepointers:

1. Select on online casino that gives you several ways to reach itspersonnel. As a minimum, I would look for a toll free numberthat is promptly answered by a responsive human being. Asimple phone call can be a way to eliminate any unresponsivecasinos before you deposit a nickel with them. If the casino'semployees don't offer you good service before you become aplayer, you sure don't want to risk any money with them.

2. Check to see if the casino is licensed. The book Beat theInternet Casinos by Silverthorne Publications has completeinformation on how to check licensing. When you call thecasino (see item 1 above) you can ask where they are licensed,how long they have been in business and the name that willappear on your credit card statement if you make a depositthere.


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3. Before you play, you should try out the casino's software byplaying for free. If the software is of the downloadable variety,you will have to invest some time downloading and installingthe software. If you have any problems downloading andinstalling the software, call the casino's technical supportdepartment. If the casino can't help you, it's "So sorry Charlie,no techie support, no playie."

4. Before you play, decide how much money you are willing torisk. I suggest you buy in for $100 to $200 and get a feel forthe game by making small wagers.

5. Before you start playing, decide how long you will sit in frontof your computer playing. Time spent in an Internet casino canfly by very quickly. You must also set a stop loss before youstart playing. I suggest a stop loss equal to 50% of your buy-in. If you buy in for $100 and lose $50, that playing session isover. Make sure that you stick with this, even if you hit yourstop loss in five minutes. If you are just dying to continueplaying, log off from the casino and play in the "fun mode"where you won't be risking any more money.


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6. Many online casinos offer better odds than land-based casinos.Because it costs much less to construct a virtual casino, and itsoverhead is but a pittance compared to that of a land-basedcasino, you may find that an online casino can offer youeverything but a free drink. Specifically, many Internet casinosoffer sizable bonuses for signing up. Playing at a casinooffering a sign-up bonus can be very lucrative if you knowhow to go about it.

7. When you win, expect to wait up to two weeks for yourwinnings. I have had some casinos take up to a month to sendme winnings. The money for payouts comes from offshorebanks that seem to operate on "island time." Once youunderstand this, you can calm down, as I have never had acasino refuse to pay me a legitimate win. It just takes themmore time. When you call the casino before you play, Isuggested you get the name that the credit card charge willappear under. The charges and credits you will receive forwinnings hardly ever appear in the casino's name, and if youdon't know the name of the bank card processor, you may be infor a difficult time figuring who has paid and who hasn't,especially if you gamble at several online joints.

8. The backend software that runs the games should be suppliedby a major software developer. Some of these softwarecompanies are United Gaming, Starnet, Microgaming,Cryptologic, Boss Media, Real Time Gaming andGamblingSoftware.com.


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9. Make sure that the site is a member of the Interactive GamingCouncil. The sites that are members follow a strict code ofconduct as a condition of membership.

10. Avoid casinos which appear on numerous online "blacklists." There are substantial Internet resources you can use toinvestigate an online casino before you play. Beat the InternetCasinos gives you complete information on how to do this, aswell as a complete system on how to play and win.

Are you interested in playing craps on the Internet? Youcan actually do very well if you pick your casinos well. If you pickthe right casino, which also happens to pay a 10% or greater bonusjust for playing, you can gain a substantial edge over the casino.However, you must know how to play in such a manner that thecasino personal will consider that you have "earned" the bonus andwill not try to interfere with your right to withdraw the bonus. Asyou can well imagine, online casinos offering bonuses to playersare not interested in attracting players who sign up just to get thebonus and then try to withdraw it with very little play. There is away to do this that will keep the casino happy and will still giveyou a large edge over the casinos.

Online blackjack play can be very lucrative. The manualBeat the Internet Casinos focuses on beating the games of craps,roulette and baccarat. However, you can easily combine theinformation in this manual with the Mini-Max Craps Strategy andplay and win at craps on the Internet.


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If you want to play craps in the online casinos, you caneasily make $1,000 a day without leaving your home. If yournearest land-based casino is some distance away, you may verywell consider playing on the Internet. A coupon worth $20.00 isenclosed in the back of this book. You can apply the coupon to thepurchase of Beat the Internet Casinos, which, when combined withstrategies and techniques discussed in this manual, will give you allof the information you need to win at Internet craps.

Online access to Beat the Internet Casinos is found athttp://www.silverthornepublications.com/InternetGold/

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In my opinion, online gambling is here to stay. While Ihave played many more games in land-based casinos using theMini-Max Craps Strategy than in online ones, my results playingonline have been outstanding. Because the heart of the LineBetting Strategy is an assumption of randomness, is it quite likelythat this system will work even better against virtual casinos usingrandomly generated results than against real casinos. My ownexperiences seem to indicate that trends in one direction or theother seem to be longer in real casinos than in virtual ones, and ifthis is true, it will tend to work in favor of the Mini-Max CrapsStrategy which thrives at trendless tables.

http://www.silverthornepublications.com/InternetGold/


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I personally love online gambling. I love its accessibilityand its efficiency. About the only drawback to playing online isthe long wait to withdraw funds. You may want to give it a try.


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Casino Etiquette

If you know how to dine in a fine restaurant withoutmaking a scene, or automatically open doors for others and saythanks when someone holds open a door for you, you willprobably not have any trouble knowing how to conduct yourselfin a casino. I normally don't think much about etiquette until Isee some jerk raising hell with a dealer about his losses, orchewing out a cocktail waitress for taking too long with an order. Then I have to wonder how the concept of manners has escapedhim completely.

I said him, because boorish, obnoxious behavior nearlyalways comes from males, with very few females managing tobecome the perfect asses that males seem to delight in being.

Casinos seem to attract a higher than normal number ofpersons with a need to blow off at some unfortunate casinoemployee. The times I have somehow gotten in the middle ofthese disputes, I nearly always take the side of the dealer orfloorman, especially if a male patron is unjustifiably berating a


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female employee for no reason other than he has poor controlover his gambling, managed to lose much more than that shouldhave, and is now looking for a scape goat.

For most persons who visit casinos, etiquette is simply amatter of common courtesy. It's okay to get a little wild in acasino. These are supposed to be places of fun, and drinking alittle too much may be part of the entertainment. But for asuccessful Mini-Max Craps player, the rules are not quite thesame. The casino is your place of employment and drinkingshould be limited. It goes without saying, courteous behaviorshould be practiced at all times.

At all casino table games, the rules of etiquette are prettysimple. Treat the dealers and other players with respect andavoid being loud, pushy or belligerent. If you get into adisagreement with a dealer, stay calm and be gracious even if thedealer really is wrong. It does not make sense to win anargument over a single payoff and create an enemy for life. Whatever the problem is, you don't want to be cast as the bad guy- by the casino employees or by other players.

Here are some specific tips that apply to the craps game.


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1. Shoot the dice correctly. The dice should be rolled so thatboth bounce off the end of the table opposite the shooter. Thedice should not loft or slide. Many first time shooters haveweak throws that only roll half way down the table. Thestickman will tolerate a weak throw or two while a newshooter learns to throw the dice. However, if you persist inweak throws or in lofting the dice, the roll may have to bedisregarded much your embarrassment.

2. When you have the dice, hold them in one hand kept over thedice layout. The dice should not be switched from hand tohand and your hand holding the dice should remain in view. This helps the craps crew ascertain that you are not a dicemechanic.

3. Do not spend a lot of time setting the dice or engaging in alengthy, elaborate ritual before throwing. Both players andthe casino crew expect you to throw the dice within two orthree seconds of receiving them. If you want the dice set acertain way, ask the stickman to return them to you, showingboxcars, snake eyes or however else you prefer them to be.

4. Make sure you have the dealer's attention before tossing outchips for a bet. You also need to be aware of the flow of thegame and not try to bet at inappropriate times. If the dice arein the air, for instance, your bet will not be accepted.


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5. Watch your own bets at all times. Line bets are easy to trackas you handle the bets yourself and place them directly infront of you. Place bets, however, are handled by the dealer. You should watch to see where the dealer places your bets sothat you are always aware of them. Dealers do their best totrack bets at crowded tables, but it is also the player'sresponsibility to know what he has bet.

6. Watch your hands when the shooter is throwing the dice. Unless you are shooting, do not hold your hands over thetable. If you are shooting the dice and someone's hands are inthe way, don't be afraid to call out "Hands up" before tossingthe dice.

7. Don't force your way into a crowded table. It there isn't roomfor you to put your chips in a separate section of the table,perhaps you don't belong there.

8. When you first buy in at a table, never try to hand your cash tothe dealer. Wait until the dealer is unoccupied and lay yourcash on the table requesting, "Chips only." If you want aparticular mix of chips, just tell the dealer. When I buy in for$1,000, I usually specify, "Give me six hundred in blacks,three hundred in greens and one hundred in reds, please."

9. Don't slow down the game by constantly asking the dealerbasic questions about how the game is played or how bets aremade. There are hundreds of books on how to play crapsincluding this one. You should learn the correct payoffs forthe bets you will be making.


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10. If one of the dice flies off the table and it lands on the floornext to you, you may retrieve it and hand it to the dealer. Otherwise, you will never touch the dice unless you areshooting.

11. Try to be discrete about your wins and losses. No one reallycares to know how much you are willing, and it doesn't doyou any good to advertise that you are a consistent winner.

12. While playing, conduct yourself courteously at all times. If youdrink, refrain from overdoing it and never get drunk. You willneed to stay alert to correctly make the wagers required by theMini-Max Craps Strategy, and contrary to the opinion of somedrunks, alcohol does not make you think clearer.

13. Toke the dealers. Dealers call tips "tokes" as in a token ofappreciation. Many players don't realize that dealers are notpaid much more than minimum wage. Craps dealers try veryhard to please the public. Most dealers want the players to winand have a good time. They know that if the players enjoythemselves and win, they will get toked. I always toke thedealers. If I win more I will toke them more, but even if I lose,I will make several bets for the craps crew. This is not only theright thing to do but will pay you off in spades if you do itconsistently. Even floor personnel know who the tippers are,and my experience has been that if you tip, you will be morethan repaid by hard working dealers, who will watch out foryour bets and by casino complementaries, controlled by andlarge by pit personnel who rate your play.

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It's time to pull together everything we have learned. Thenext chapter reviews all aspects of the Mini-Max Craps Strategy.


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Beat the Casinos!

You may think that with mastering the fundamentals ofusing the Mini-Max system, you have completed 90% of the taskof winning at craps. Mastering the skills we have discussed in thisbook is probably the easiest part of winning. The tough part isputting these skills to use against the casino.

People are funny creatures, especially when it comes tocasino gambling. Mild mannered milk-toast types can becomemonsters when they enter a casino. I have seen persons who wouldnever insult anyone and who usually speak in a soft deferentialmanner become literally livid at the craps table, screaming atdealers, fellow players and anyone else who crossed them. I haveknown persons who operate in a professional environment in theiremployment, where logic rules, become totally illogical at dicetables, believing in the silliest superstitions and basing their play onpure intuition rather than logic or reason.

Let's face it. Craps is without a doubt the most excitinggame in the casino. It is easy to become caught up in theenthusiasm of


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fellow players. When every roll of the dice is enriching you or atleast holds out the prospect of enrichment, the level of excitementcan rise dramatically! The entire casino can hear the shoutsemitting from a "hot" craps table, and to be part of this commonbond of persons intent on removing a good chunk of the casino'sbankroll can be exhilarating.

If the occasional highs followed by the all too predictablelows are an important part of why you gamble, you are going to bedisappointed in Mini-Max. Before I started using the Mini-Maxsystem at the dice tables, I would typically go to Las Vegas withtwo or three friends who were at least as addicted to craps as I was. One member of this group would always talk the dice up, and Iwould usually find myself with several hundred dollars (sometimesseveral thousand) spread out on the table when this character wasrolling the dice. Usually I lost. But sometimes, when his timingwas right, he could roll point after point and hit number afternumber. I have to admit that winning in this way is one of thegreatest feelings in the world. Losing was another matter. Iremember one trip when my friend had lost all the money hebrought, plus a $5,000 advance from his credit cards. He wastotally tapped out with two more days of planned casino time. Hewas down to two cents. I was down to several hundred dollars (Inever quite shared his enthusiasm to the extent of losing everynickel I had on me). I paid for our cab fare to the airport and weleft. There was simply no reason to stay without any bullets tocontinue the war against the casinos.


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The low feeling following this trip ended in a few days andwhen I ran into him a week later, he was talking up the next trip toLas Vegas. He was fully ready to experience the heady feeling ofwaging battle with the casinos. And so it went.

There was (and is) a fundamental difference between myold friend and me. While he doesn't like to lose, I really hatelosing. I had decided a long time ago that I would give up someraw enthusiasm in exchange for a better opportunity of winning.

In almost 14 years of using the Mini-Max Craps system Ihave never had a losing trip. In exchange for this I have given upsome of the maniacal trips I had with my old friend. He refuses tochange his ways and my trips with him to Vegas have becomeinfrequent. He can't stand to play in the structured, patiencemanner that Mini-Max requires.

Before I started using Mini-Max I would tend to personalizethe craps game more than I do now. So and so was a good shooter,this table was cold, or choppy or hot (you fill in the blank). Afterusing Mini-Max I have tended to see the craps game as an endlessseries of random rolls. Madam X may have a good roll followedby


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several lousy rolls. The dice don't know or care who is rollingthem. They continue to roll, bounce and land in a series of randomdecisions. Because we humans see patterns in everything (did youever look at clouds?) we try to characterize people and events andascribe labels and attributes that are not really there.

To become an effective winning Mini-Max Craps player,you may have to change some of your old ways. If you are like myold friend, you may not be able to change. Learning and stickingto a system is one of the hardest things for most people to do. Youhave to ask yourself some basic questions, like why do you want togamble? Hopefully your answer to this question is that while youenjoy the game, you really like winning. If you sincerely want towin, then Mini-Max can help you accomplish this.


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First and foremost, no system will ever make you a winnerif you don't develop the discipline to properly control your ownemotions as well as to follow the system. Emotions are a big factorin gambling and learning to control your own is a huge factor indetermining your success or failure.

The approach that has worked for me is to treat my crapsplaying like a business. This doesn't mean that I have to be solemnand serious when I play. Heck, I like to yell like everyone elsewhen the dice are hot. The difference between most other crapsplayers and me is that I come to the table with a plan and I stick toit. No matter what happens at the craps table I won't change mygame plan. If the table is hot and the dice are passing and mystrategy calls for me to make a don't pass bet, I make the bet. Inever try to outguess the system. If you ever start deviating fromall of the precepts of Mini-Max — the betting series, the sessionbankroll, the betting patterns — you might as well throw the wholesystem out and just play for the hell of it. If you play without asystem, you will get lucky sometimes, but my experience and theexperiences and of countless other gamblers show that you willlose.

With Mini-Max, it pays to remember that you are using a"hit and run" strategy which wins a high percentage of short-termcontests against the casino. It almost never pays to drag a gameout for hours. If you do, and do this often enough, you will findthat your losing games will increase significantly to the detrimentof your


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profits. Even using an excellent system like Mini-Max does notchange the basic mathematics of craps and the house advantage of1.4% against the pass and don't pass bettors. This housepercentage will eventually grind down the long-term player. Sokeep your games short. Hit the tables, win a game and then pulloff.

If you are enjoying a particular table and don't want toleave, even if you have played for twenty-five or so dice decisionsand have just completing a winning parlay, my suggestion is to stayat the table, but take a short break. There is no law that says youhave to bet on every craps decision. Skip two or three decisionsbefore beginning another game. While you are "resting" you canremove all of your winnings by putting them in your pocket orotherwise segregating them from the rest of your chips. Should thenext game prove less fortuitous than the first, you don't want tolose back any winnings from the initial game.


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Pick your playing situations carefully. Many gamblers onlyplay on the weekends when tables are crowded and the dicedecisions seem to drag along. I usually play in the middle of theweek when tables are less crowded. I also gain the addedadvantage of lower room rates, shorter restaurant lines, and ingeneral, better all around service.

The busiest time of day at most craps tables is in theevening, after 8:00. The slack time is in the morning and earlyafternoon. Guess when I do most of my playing? A morning crapsgame may be played two to three times as fast as one in theevening. Besides having more players at the evening session, thereare more high rollers prowling the night air, and these players tendto cover the craps tables with crazy bets (the casinos love them)which really slows down the game.

Why I am concerned with the speed of the game? Besidesthe obvious benefit of not being knee deep in other players, a fastergame increases my winning rate. I am basically looking to put infrom 20 to 25 decisions at the craps table. If I can do this twice anhour, with a short break in between, I am going to win a lot moremoney than if it takes me an hour to accomplish the same thing.

I am going to mention the partnership concept again. Iknow that many of you died-in-the-wool craps players hate the ideaof playing with a partner, but hear me out. Besides increasing yourwinnings per hour, which is one of the ways in which I evaluatemy own performance (after all my time is worth money — thinkabout it), with a partner my winning rate goes up significantly. OK, I admit that the fair way to do a partnership is to splitwinnings equally. But I still come out further ahead with a partner.


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Remember the smoothing concept I discussed severalchapters back. It really does work. You may be having a devil ofa time winning while your partner is breezing through the games. If you average your own lousy games with those of your smoothsailing partner, you are going to be money ahead.

But the biggest advantage of a partnership is of having anally. The casino has lots of allies in its quest to take your money. It has a larger bankroll than you do. The casino can afford to haveshort-term runs of losses that would wipe you out. Yet, it will stillbe there when the tables turn to win back all it lost plus more. Canyou say the same? The casino employs attractive cocktailwaitresses and plies you with free booze while you are at the dicetables. It has dealers who can be intimidating, especially to novicegamblers. It even has a share of obnoxious patrons who may upsetyou enough that you end up losing money. And the casino has thetremendous advantage of offering a game with a built-inmathematical advantage in its favor. I have often felt that thecasino could offer player-advantage craps and still win a bundlewith all of the other weapons in its arsenal. And what do youhave?

Well, you have your own considerable wits. You have theability to leave a table when the going gets tough (the casino muststay and face the heat no matter how much the players arewinning).


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You have a proven winning craps system. Don't you think thathaving an ally with a playing partner might help just a little more? I do, and I think you should at least consider the concept. Try it forone trip and see if it doesn't work for you.

One of my habits to which I attribute part of my success inbeating the craps game is that of writing down the results of everygame I ever played. As soon as I pull off a table, I will find somequiet spot and count my chips. The results of the game go onto asmall piece of paper I carry in my pocket. Later, when I am takinga break in my room I will transfer my notes into a permanentnotebook.

I find the record keeping almost as satisfying as the playing. It is fun to watch your winnings grow and to match your playingexperience to your playing plan. I'll give you an example. Iusually set a daily target win goal before ever entering a casino. Let's say my goal is $2,500. With my record keeping I knowexactly when I hit my goal. What if I feel like playing after I'vereached my goal? What I do, and you can adjust this depending onyour own inclinations, is to play for fun for a while. I like to playon the quarter craps tables where twenty bucks goes a long way. So if I hit my daily target fairly early in the day, and I still have theurge to play, I'll look for a quarter craps table (there are lots ofthem in Las Vegas) and play for fun. When I'm only risking $20,do I stick with Mini-Max? Well, my lovely consort Lacy alwaysdoes. But if I have "locked in" a $2,500 daily profit, I feel like Ihave paid my dues for the day, and I like to play craps free style. By risking only


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twenty dollars, I never get hurt and playing on hunches andutilizing all of the other crazy craps player betting notions isrelaxing. But only after my daily win is locked up. This in oneway I reward myself for a hard day's work.

Winning is the easy part of using the Mini-Max system. Losing is another matter. It is after a losing session that our truesteel is tested. We have to avoid a number of reactions to a loss,only one of which is recommended. Let's start with what youshould do.

After a loss, always take a break. Right then. Not afterthree more rolls. Not after waiting for the cocktail you just orderedto show up. Right then. The only exception is when you areplaying partners and one partner loses his session. The correctprocedure is for the losing partner to cease betting and wait till hispartner hits a winning parlay. This approach will minimize thedamage of the loss. If you are playing solo, the only option youshould consider is to quit immediately.

If you are like most players, quitting is not your first thoughtafter losing a session. You probably want to reach for more money(or sign another marker) and keep on playing. You reason thatsince Mini-Max wins most of the time anyway, hitting the casinohard (and sooner rather the later) makes the most sense. Besides,you can't relax after a loss anyway and at least by playing you aredoing something productive.


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Wrong, wrong, wrong, wrong. If you continue to play aftera loss you are letting your emotions get the better of you. The veryreasons you want to continue playing are the reasons you shouldtake a break. You need to calm down before continuing play. Mini-Max is a methodical, systematic method of grinding downthe casinos. Don't let the casinos goad you into an emotionalresponse that invariably works to their benefit.

When you take a break after a loss, it is best to leave thecasino. Take a walk, take a nap, go swimming or go shopping. Lacy looks forward to losses (at least it seems that way) so we cantake shopping breaks. The last thing in the world I want to do aftera losing session is go shopping. I want to take as short a break aspossible and start playing again. Every loss sets back my dailyprofit plan, and I feel like I need to start playing as soon as possibleto get back on schedule. Against this overwhelming mountain ofmale logic, Lacy smiles and we go shopping. And you know what. As much as I hate shopping (actually with Lacy it is not really thatbad) it works. An hour or two later, I have completely forgottenabout my loss. We have spent some pleasant time together and mycobwebs have been cleaned. And when I return to the tables, I


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usually do well. Lacy calls this her "shopping therapy." Theimportant thing is that it works. Find out what works for you anddo it after your next losing session.

There it is. I have presented a complete plan for winning atthe craps tables. The rest is up to you. I suggest that you start witha low bankroll and increase the size of your gambling bankroll asyour winnings increase. You will raise the size of your sessionbankrolls as both your winnings and your confidence in yourability to control your emotions and leave the casino a winnerincrease. But do me a favor. Leave a little for me. Good luck andhappy gambling!

mini-max craps strategy - silverthorne publications · 2016. 12. 27. · project. lacy said,...

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