Dice Control Execution - The Total Process
Lesson 6 in an ongoing series on Dice Control
By Jerry Patterson and John Vance and Pro Football Register and Slots at GBC, Book reviews by Howard Schwartz (Manager of the Gambler's Book Shop in Las Vegas)
Dice Control Execution - The Total Process
Lesson 6 in an ongoing series on Dice Control
By Jerry Patterson and John Vance
Copyright © 2004 by Jerry Patterson
All Rights Reserved
Dice Control is not just about the skill of setting, gripping and throwing the dice - it’s a total process including zoning in, aiming, releasing and following through. Here is how it is done:
Become comfortable with the table. As the dice are coming to me, I’m rubbing the felt on the table and preparing my mind set. I’m now relaxing and breathing slowly and deeply. My bet size has already been determined with the betting tactic I will use and chips are positioned in my chip rack to facilitate minimal disruption of gripping/throwing process.
Dice Set. Quick and smooth, 2 seconds max. Dealers don’t have time to even notice most of the time.
Grip. Grip the dice with the one-finger or three-finger front with all fingers “even” with each other. By now I have begun entering the “ZONE” my “calm place,” - a standing next to a beautiful waterfall and blocking out every thing and every person at the table. I’ve become ONE synergistic element with the dice, all working together toward one mutual outcome.
Aim. Stretch arm toward the desired target area, taking a deep full breath in, filling my lungs, never, ever allowing my eyes to rise above the green diamonds. No eye contact with other players, never, ever allowing this distraction from my “calm place!”
Dice Square & Flush. During my aim, adjust my wrist to ensure the dice are perfectly square and flush to the back wall.
Holding deep breath in, bring hand back, short back swing, “breaking wrist” just slightly if at all, dice remain square to end wall.
Begin a “full exhale” as hand and arm “flow smoothly forward” to desired release point with hand ending straight out, parallel to table bed, in “Fish Mouth Release”.
Eyes remain “fixed” on the target landing area.
All thoughts are now subconscious.
Muscle Memory has now taken over.
Release thumb nanosecond before dice sliding off front fingers “evenly.” The split second difference of the dice pulling away from the front fingers insuring 1 to 3 revolutions with slowest possible momentum to achieve the desired “arc” with very soft landing. The reverse spins neutralize the forward momentum so when the dice land, the forward energy has been reduced by the dice backspin - just the right amount of spin to balance or counter the forward momentum.
Follow through. Continue with arm/hand and wrist breaking upward all the way through a relaxed smooth release, removing any “jerking motion” at release (follow through like a golf swing). Eyes now on the dice watching them “float” through a nice slow arc with slight backspin holding tight together as they land in the target zone, visualizing & influencing the dice to the desired spot and outcome.
Nice slow arc and landing. The dice take two to three bounces, square and flush to the table surface just in front of the diamond wall, gently repel off the back wall and then “die” like “fly paper” sticking them to the table.
With the desired number resulting, I gently hit the table with my fist and, with a low whisper, say “Y E S!” This provides positive reinforcement directly to my “muscle memory” influencing the next roll to be consistent, duplicating the same identical movements and process for the next throw.
Thinking through only ONE toss at time. Only the toss I’m currently in matters, nothing else. Each following toss stands alone, on it’s own, one at a time.
Now, slow breathing while assessing the dice as the stick man brings them back to me. A quick and easy check tells me which die I have to adjust and I make those moves quickly and seamlessly. I remain in my “water fall calm place.” I’m totally comfortable, fully relaxed in my “right brain,” my thinking is now all subconscious, I don’t hear most of the table talk, it’s blocked out, only thinking of my next throw with consistency and total confidence of the desired outcome is my subconscious thought.
I have NOT MADE THE DICE PERFORM. I’m working with them, not against them, no force. I have done no more than merely allowed the dice to deliver the desired results, influenced only by my muscle memory.
When all the elements are tuned in, all at once, all together, the dice deliver flawless results, over and over again. It’s truly an amazing thing to see and a really awesome feeling to achieve. When that eventual “7” brings the journey to an end, you feel yourself coming out of a deep trance. You look around, and there are the folks you now recall who were there a few moments ago!
After 20 to 30 plus rolls, this takes its toll on one’s energy field. It normally leaves me exhausted, needing a well-deserved break to re-energize myself by finding, seeking any kind of warm and friendly distraction that will relax and prepare me for the next session.
For more on dice control, pick up a copy of Jerry Patterson's book – Casino Gambling: A Winner's Guide to Blackjack, Craps, Roulette, Baccarat and Casino Poker.
Pro Football Register and Slots at GBC
By Howard Schwartz
The 2004 Pro Football Register (520 pages, paperbound, $18.95) is a great resource for those who want to know not only how to spell every pro player's name correctly, but where he attended school (high school and college), what records he has set and his seasonal and lifetime statistics. Published annually, it goes in alphabetical order from Khalid Abdullah (a Bengals linebacker) to Paul Zukauskas (a tackle for the Browns). You'll be able to see if he's got a brother or cousin playing for another pro team; and on occasion learn the correct pronunciation of his name--example: Dat Nguyen's last name is pronounced Win. Top draft picks for 2004 are listed in a separate section and head coaches are as well. The book is a fine reference for fantasy leaguers or for those who need to settle arguments or decide who wins a trivia contest.
Frank Legato has written a fresh approach to one of the most popular casino activities. His How to Win Millions Playing Slot Machines! (Or Lose Trying) (168 pages, paperbound, $14.95) explains everything from how the newer slot machines work to which pay back the most money or most frequently plus how to avoid phony systems and the art of maximizing your returns from slot clubs.
(The books mentioned here are available from Gambler's Book Shop, 630 South 11th Street, Las Vegas, NV 89101. Call l-800-522-1777 from 9 to 5 Monday through Saturday Pacific time to order, using only MasterCard, VISA or Discover card (no Amex accepted). You may order through the store web site at www.gamblersbook.com and view the store's 1,000 books, videos and computer software. You may also call or write and ask for the free 80-page catalog to be sent to you. The store, founded in 1964 by John and Edna Luckman, is located about two miles from Downtown Las Vegas, and the same distance from where the Strip begins, a block west of Maryland Parkway, just off Charleston Boulevard.)
