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Big
Julie
by Larry
Edell
My
wife and I recently watched the old Frank Sinatra and Marlon Brando musical,
"Guys And Dolls," which is primarily a movie about craps. In it, Frank
Sinatra runs a floating craps game for a living, and usually does pretty well
at it too. That is, until Big Julie comes along and insists that he shoot with
his "special" dice.
Big Julie was a Chicago mobster, complete with guns and bodyguards, who really
hated to lose at craps. In fact, he always won when he used his own dice - 100%
of the time - Always. He had no special system, and his dice weren't
loaded. But they were special, rare dice that had dots on them that only he
could see! So when he rolled them, he generously called out the numbers for
everyone else who of course couldn't see the results.
He made every point, and nobody doubted that he was honest. After all, he was
Big Julie from Chicago and so he never lost.
This got me to thinking about the casino. It never loses either. The casino
is Big Julie. Even if you won every single bet you made, the casino would still
come out a winner. This is because it takes a percentage from each flat bet,
whether the bet wins or loses.
Sometimes it takes more of a percentage than others. For example, it takes 16%
of your "Any Seven" bet, but only .3% of your pass line bet with 5X
odds.
What this translates to you as the player is that you have a choice - Make bets
that give the casino a higher percentage or make those that give the casino
almost no advantage at all. Since the game of craps will always mathematically
favor the casino, there are only three things you can do to beat the game on
a regular basis.
(1) Wager low casino advantage bets only. This includes pass/don't
pass with 5x or higher odds, come and place bets, and a few others. No Proposition
Bets, Hardways, C&E, Any Seven, Whirl, or any other high payoff bets. They
are all different disguises of Big Julie and remember, he always wins!
(2) Learn how to set the dice. When you shoot, even a tiny edge
will offset the 1.4% (or less) that the casino makes on the pass line.
Also be on the lookout for "rhythm rollers." If someone sets the dice
carefully and starts to win, bet along with him!
(3) Maximize your comps. Quite often you'll make more in comps than winnings.
This means you get free rooms, free food and free shows, just for playing the
way you normally would. Never play just for comps, but ALWAYS get the comps
you deserve!
So despite Big Julie running things, you still have a choice - winning or losing.
Choose to win! Don't let Big Julie get you!
And, as always, good luck at the tables!
***************
You can get a FREE issue of The Crapshooter, the only newsletter devoted exclusively
to craps, just by sending two first class stamps to The Crapshooter, Dept INT,
PO Box 421440, San Diego CA 92142. You'll also receive a FREE catalog and a
special FREE offer!
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