Worrying About Worrying About Worrying

I was talking to a pal awhile back and he offered an interesting observation. He said he used to worry about setting a point at the dice table, then going point-seven-out.  You know, immediately sevening out after establishing a point.   Then he learned about getting into the zone and playing from a position of power. The only problem was, he worried that after he got in the zone something would happen to take him out of it. And he worried that if that happened he wouldn’t be able to re-focus and get back in the zone. And he worried that if all that happened he would go point-seven-out anyway. Worry, worry, worry.

In fact, some people say worry and its handmaiden – stress – are Public Enemy Number One. Mental illness costs this country upwards of two-and-a- half  BILLION dollars a year. And that doesn’t even take into account the insanity that goes on in Washington D.C.  And the truth is, far more people DIE as a result of worry (stress) related diseases than die from the five most common communicable diseases. Worry causes heart trouble, high blood pressure, some forms of asthma, ulcers, migraine headaches, and a host of glandular disorders. You can worry yourself sick. You can worry yourself blind. You can worry yourself to death. And the fact is – you cannot get in – and stay in the Zone until you learn to whip worry.

Why do we worry? The number one reason people worry is GUILT. And the way to get around guilt is simply to accept the fact that sometimes things go wrong. When things go wrong bad things can happen. And if they do happen – it’s not your fault. It just happened. Punishing yourself for it will only make it worse. If you accept these facts and don’t punish youself when things go wrong – there is no residual fear – no worry.

The answer to whipping worry, then, is simple. Acceptance and forgiveness.

Once you’ve put the brakes on worry by accepting the fact that you might screw something up – and forgive yourself in advance for those occasions when you do screw something up – you can pound worry into the ground with an emotion that is even more powerful.

Enthusiasm.

Enthusiasm is the vital quality winners have that arouses them to action. We’ve all heard the old saying “enthusiasm is infectous.” And how many times have you seen an enthusiastic craps player step up to a cold table and bring it to life? You can do the same thing. You can BE that player who brings the table to life.

You step up to the table enthusiasticly – knowing you are the best shooter in the house – and confident that your betting strategies will put you in the black.

You’ve elminated worry.

You’ve flushed the crap between your ears.

You’re a winner before you ever touch the dice.

The Hard Eight

Why do I go through the hassles of taking on the casinos? It’s not for entertainment – though often it is entertaining. It’s not so I can tip the dealers and show what a good sport I am. I play to win. It’s not just a goal. It’s the only goal. The rest of it — the comps, the excitement, the roller-coaster thrill — is all secondary. I’m in the casino for one reason. I want their money – and lots of it.

I look at advantage play in the casino as the best possible part-time job for me. But as in any profession, there are certain basic tools you must have to ply your trade. I call these tools the Hard Eight. They’re really quite easy, but players around the world struggle with them every day. Let’s open the tool box and take a brief look at them.

1. Knowledge of the game. One of the silliest questions I hear people ask at the craps table is “How do you play this game?” Standing at the table with your hard-earned cash at risk is not the time to learn. Before placing your first bet you should have mastered all of the basic rules of the game, understand the terminology, have a working knowledge of the correct odds and pay-off, and be comfortable with both the pass and don’t pass sides of the game. To that end, you should read some of the top books on the game – including Scarne on Dice, Sam Grafstein’s The Dice Doctor, and John Patrick’s Advanced Craps. Explore the game on the internet through forums like this and through “play for fun” sites and downloads such as WinCraps. Once you feel you have a good command of the game – head to the casino the try it out. But be sure you have a good command of the other seven tools of the trade.

2. Conservative Strategy. A friend of mine loves to play marathon craps session, but long sessions in a negative expectation game will eventually grind you down. The only way to survive these sessions over the long haul is to adopt an extremely conservative betting philosophy. In this gentleman’s case, that consists of a single Don’t Pass bet on each shooter. If he wins a bet his next wager is a single Don’t Pass bet with single odds. On any loss he reverts to his original single unit bet. And while he will never win a huge amount of money, he will rarely lose a large amount either. He is patient and plays his strategy flawlessly, and it achieves exactly what he wants.

You must approach the table with the same type of logically conceived, conservative game plan. That doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to the pass line or don’t pass – or limit yourself to a single bet. It simply means you step up to the table with a plan. A strategy that allows you to adjust the size of your bets based on your bankroll, minimize your losses, and maximize your wins. How? By positioning yourself to take advantage of the gambler’s friend – the almighty streak.

3. Sufficient Bankroll. I like to think of my casino chips as bullets. On the battlefield, if you run out of bullets you’re as good as dead. That’s why it is important to build a sufficient bankroll before stepping into the casino. You will always have limited funds to play with when your bankroll is compared to the casinos. The Pit Boss can roll out the reserves anytime by calling the cage and having the security boys bring out a chip refill.

There are lots of ways you can use your “bullets” against the casino. You can use them like artillery, playing those long shot bets, or a machine gunner raining chips all over the table. Or, if you’re smart, you’ll launch a sniper attack, making every shot count. But to stand any chance at all in these bankroll battles, you must have enough capital to start.

4. Money Management. I can only guess at how many times a player standing next to me at the table has pointed to a stack of chips on the layout and asked, “Is that my money?” I’ve heard it hundreds of times through the years. But money management is more than watching your bets. As I mentioned before, you have to adjust the size of your bets in relation to the size of your bankroll. Money management goes beyond that, as well. It requires you to set specific win objectives and loss limits based on your total bankroll. It means knowing exactly how much you will bet in every conceivable win/loss situation you encounter. And it means having the self-discipline to execute those bets flawlessly.

5. Self Discipline. Most gamblers don’t have it. Simply put, self-discipline is how you control your emotions while gambling. A few months back I bought in at a table and — by using good money management and discipline — doubled my money in about forty-five minutes. At the same time, the player next to me lost a little over $14,000. The more he lost the more he relied on crazy, scared-money wagers – $100 hop bets on two or three numbers every roll, and placing the hardways for $500 each. He was pitting his bankroll bullets against the casino’s. The house had him out-manned and out-gunned. Everyone at the table could see he was destined to lose it all — everyone except him. As the old saying goes, you gotta know when to walk away — and know when to run.

6. Trends and Streaks. Craps is a game of streaks. Streaks of Point – Seven Out. Streaks of Point – Pass. And, most often, choppy streaks where there is no dominant trend. Since craps is a game of independent trials — what happened on the last roll of the dice has no influence on what happens this roll of the dice. Predicting a trend is impossible. However, every forty-five minute monster hand starts out with a dozen tosses of the dice. It moves on to the five-minute mark, then ten, fifteen, and twenty. At some point virtually every player at the table recognizes what is happening and the layout fills up with chips. They have spotted the almighty streak. You can spot it too.

7. Precision Shooting. Have you ever noticed that some shooters at the craps table seem to have consistently longer hands than other players? While random trends and streaks do occur in this game, some players prefer to create their own. They do this, consciously or subconsciously, by influencing the outcome of the roll. Generally they take great care in pre-setting the dice to a particular arrangement. Then they affect a consistent, soft toss to a particular point on the table. Casino personnel often crank up the heat on these individuals in an attempt to break their rhythm. Often, though, these shooters appear unflappable as they throw the dice with zen-like precision, banging out number after number after number. Casinos fear them – and for good reason. The best of them have the ability to significantly alter the odds of the game in their favor – all within the confines of the house rules. Can you master this technique? Absolutely.

8. Winning Attitude. Let’s face it. The only one who likes a loser is the casino. And yet you hear people reinforcing a losing attitude at every turn. The science of neuro-linguist-programming – NLP for short – teaches that you can actually program your mind for success through positive affirmations. Yet so often we program ourselves for failure instead.

On a recent Vegas outing I walked into the casino and turned a quick $360 profit at the craps table. Recognizing that the streak at that table was over, I colored up and strolled over to the Wheel-of-Fortune carousel to see if my companion was ready to go to dinner. “Just a minute,” she said, shaking her coin cup. “I just want to lose these last few dollars, then we can go.”

Think about that. How many times have you stood in the casino and heard someone say something similar? They don’t expect to win – so they don’t. They just stand there until they throw their last chip in.

Well, there you have them – the Hard Eight. Are they really that hard? Not really. Can you master them and become a consistent winner? I believe you can.

Cruise Ship Craps

To the best of my knowledge the info in this article is up to date. However, you should always check with your cruise lines on their specific games and policies before making any final travel and play plans.

For years the on-board casino on most cruise lines has been a pig-in-a-poke. Unless you’ve cruised on a specific ship in the past you never really knew what you were getting until you boarded the ship. Here’s a listing of what you can expect from most of the major cruise lines you’ll find sailing from U.S. ports:

Carnival Cruise Lines is by far the largest cruise line, currently with 22 ships. Its casinos are among the largest on the high seas. In addition to blackjack, they offer roulette, craps, Caribbean stud poker, Caribbean draw poker, three-card poker and slots.

While most tables are $5 and $10 minimums, Carnival also offers blackjack tables with a $25 minimum. They are also is willing to make higher maximums available for players who obtain approval prior to sailing. Carnival’s blackjack rules calls for the dealer to stand on soft 17, which is consistent with casino rules in Las Vegas and more favorable to the player than the policy of requiring the dealer to hit soft 17 as is found on some other cruise lines.

Carnival’s craps tables feature double odds (most cruise lines offer only single odds) with a pass line minimum of $5 and maximum of $200. Again, the casino is willing to make higher maximums available for players who obtain approval prior to sailing.

Their Ocean Players Club offers something for every level of player from awards for playing slots to credit lines and higher betting limits for high rollers. Players can earn points towards complimentary beverages, free gifts, discounts off on-board services, future cruise benefits and even cash back rebates on future cruises.

All Carnival Cruise Lines’ vessels have a dedicated casino host to welcome you and answer your questions. All of the larger Carnival casinos host slot and blackjack tournaments as well as other events. For more information, visit the Ocean Players Club at http://www.oceanplayersclub.com.

Celebrity cruise lines four newest ships – Millennium, Summit, Constellation and Infinity – each boast a Fortunes Casino. These casinos each features 5 blackjack tables, 2 three card poker, 1 Caribbean stud poker and 1 Texas Hold ‘em table, 1 craps table, 2 roulette tables, and about 200 slots.

The Fortunes Casinos on three slightly smaller Celebrity ships — Mercury, Century and Galaxy — are almost the same, with one fewer poker table and a couple dozen fewer slots. The line’s smallest ship — the Zenith — has the same number of table games but only 143 slots.

Celebrity’s casinos have great ambiance, but the action tends to fade fast after midnight. Generally the casinos close by 2AM for lack of players.

Celebrity claims to offer a variety of comps for players who meet certain requirements. However, details on how their comp program works are somewhat murky at this point.

Crystal Cruises is a high-end luxury line with two ships considerably larger than those of most competitors. The line recently took over operation of its casinos from Caesars Palace of Las Vegas. Most of the casino dealers and managers are former Caesars employees who stayed on after the takeover.

Each of Crystal’s casinos offers blackjack, three-card poker, mini-baccarat, craps, roulette, and slot and video poker machines. Now, as was the case when Caesars ran the casinos, the Crystal Casinos offer all players complimentary cocktails.

Holland America Line’s newest ships — the Noordam, Westerdam, Oosterdam and Zuiderdam — have ultramodern casinos with blackjack tables, Caribbean stud poker, three-card power, Let It Ride, craps, roulette, and slots.

Members of their Ocean Players Club can be rated when playing table games in Holland America cruise ship casinos, and may be eligible for complimentary drinks, free on-board gifts and discounts off on-board services. High rollers may be eligible for discounts on future cruise bookings. However, at last report the Ocean Players Club slot system was not yet available in Holland America cruise ship casinos.

Norwegian Cruise Line’s Casinos at Sea offer baccarat, blackjack, craps, roulette, Caribbean stud poker, 3-card poker, Texas Hold ‘em, Pai Gow poker and tiles, Oasis poker, video poker, mystery jackpots, and 24-hour slot machines.

NCL was the first cruise line to offer a rewards program similar to those offered by most “land-based” casinos. Known as the Casinos at Sea Players Club, this program — currently operating on the Norwegian Dawn, Norwegian Star, Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Spirit and Norwegian Jewel and lets players earn “Sea Bucks” when playing either table games or slots.

For table games, Sea Bucks are earned based on amount of time played, the type of game, and the average bet. Sea Bucks are earned on slot machines based on coin in and type of machine.

Once a member has reached a minimum of $25 in points, the Sea Bucks can be used as payment of on-board items like food and beverages or shore excursion packages. Sea Bucks can also be accumulated and used toward payment for a future cruise, however points expire on a rolling-basis 18 months after they have been earned.

Princess Cruises, a favorite with many upscale travelers, has virtually doubled its fleet in the past three years. Casinos aboard Princess ships offer all of the popular table games with Las Vegas style rules including craps, roulette, blackjack, Caribbean Stud, Let It Ride, and Three Card Poker. They also offer a variety of slots including video poker and novelty machines — many of which have progressive jackpots.

Members of the Ocean Players Club can be rated when playing table games in Princess cruise ship casinos, and earn points that can be used for discounts on future cruises or cash back rewards. However, the Ocean Players Club slot system is not yet available in Princess cruise ship casinos.

Royal Caribbean’s newest ships, Liberty of the Seas and Freedom of the Seas, are the world’s largest cruise ships, and their Las Vegas-style casinos are among the largest on the seas as well. The line’s five Voyager class ships — Mariner of the Seas, Voyager of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Explorer of the Seas, and Adventure of the Seas — are only a bit smaller, and their casinos are among the most active afloat.

Freedom and Liberty feature 19 gaming tables, and just over 300 slots. The Voyager class ships feature 16 gaming tables and just under 300 slots. But there is action to be found aboard all ships in the Royal Caribbean fleet, with a minimum of 8 gaming tables and at least 150 slots.

Royal Caribbean now has Players Club, which offers qualifying players complimentary drinks in the casino, and based on play, invites some of its high rollers to expense-paid blackjack and slots tournaments.

According to Royal Caribbean, to qualify for cruise discounts a player is expected to spend a minimum of two hours a day at the table, betting a minimum of $50 per hand at blackjack, $50 per roll at craps, and $25 per hand or spin at Caribbean stud poker, Let It Ride, or roulette. Slot comps are based on play at $5 per spin.

Members of the Player’s Club are also able prior to their trip to arrange personal check-cashing privileges provided they have existing privileges at any U.S. land casino.

One question players often have about cruise ship casinos is “Who regulates them?” The short answer is that there is no independent governmental regulation such as is provided in Las Vegas by the Nevada Gaming Commission or by local gaming commissions in other jurisdictions.

The good news for players is that cruise ship casinos tend to be more likely to resolve disputes in the passenger’s favor than most land-based casinos. After all, they want happy cruisers who return to sail with them again and again. But in the absence of government regulators, the cruise ship casinos operate under a set of guidelines published in 1999 by an organization called the International Council of Cruise Lines (ICCL), whose members include most of the major cruise lines.

The ICCL guidelines address the equipment, conduct of games, internal controls, and customer service for casinos on cruise ships. In terms of facilities and equipment, the ICCL guidelines call for all equipment purchased and installed on cruise vessels to “meet the regulatory standards of the Nevada Gaming Control Board or other licensed jurisdiction for payback and internal software.”

Regarding rules of play, ICCL guidelines require that the rules “generally follow those established for casinos in Nevada, New Jersey, or England.” Admittedly there are some casinos in Nevada and New Jersey with some pretty bad rules for players. Nevertheless, I think the games are fair if you understand the rules in advanced. And in many cases the games will be better than you’ll find in the local casinos in most of the ports cruise ships visit.