There are several components to dice control and all of them must be mastered to obtain an edge at the craps table. The Dice Control 101 series will cover them all. In this installment betting strategies for random rollers will be covered.

And there is an added benefit. The 5-Count can actually give you a "monetary edge" over the casino – even against random rollers

Casinos have staffs of experts in psychology and public relations figuring out ways to fuel the players desire to be loved, appreciated and desired. These staff members are expert at making gamblers bet more, play more, lose more – and seemingly enjoy it more. The casino bosses, shareholders, and executives laugh at the foolish gamblers trying to overcome Lady Luck’s fickleness. And the money keeps rolling in.

The casinos beat gamblers with the house edge on their games, with their massive bankrolls, and with their ability to get the players to almost enjoy throwing their money away. One of the best tools in the casinos’ psychological warfare with players is the area of comps – those supposed freebies given to loyal players. Comps are the biggest weapon in getting people to gamble more than they want, and oftentimes more than they should.

Comps are used to make casino gamblers want to be recognized, loved and appreciated. The red-chip players look at the comps of the green-chip players and are envious. The green-chip players look at the black-chip players and are envious. The black-chip players look at the purple-chip players who are looking at the orange-chip players who are looking at the gold-chip players who are looking at the brown-chip players who are looking at Kerry Packer, who was treated like a god – and everyone wishes to be worshipped like that.

The big RFB comps – that is, comps for everything: your room, food, drinks, shows, limos, shopping sprees and exclusive parties are the nectar of the gambling gods and even the lowliest player wishes to partake.

How idiotic is that? Completely and utterly!

Comps are meaningless if you are losing your money to the casino. So what if they are giving you some of your money back to you in the form of comps – you are still a loser.

Needless to say - but necessary nonetheless, comps are a waste of time pursuing if they cost you more to get than they return. If you are expected to lose $5,000 based on your level of betting, the fact that the casino might return $2,000 in the form of comps just means that you are a $3,000 loser.

There is only one way that comps can work for a player and that is if the amount given to you by the casino actually makes up for all you losses and puts you in an advantageous monetary situation. In short, you are getting more back than you are giving. Advantage players who are actually making money and getting comps have the best deal, but, second to that are 5-Count players who are losing less than what they get back from the casinos.

Let’s go through how this works.

The formula for the monetary edge is simple: Comps + Win or Loss = Monetary Edge. Most casinos will give back between 30 and 50 percent of your expected theoretical loss in the form of comps. Your theoretical loss is not your actual loss. On any given trip you can win and still be considered a loser – or you can lose much more than your theoretical loss.

Casinos rate craps players as facing about a 5 percent edge for the 4/10 and 5/9 place betters and 1.5 percent for pass / come / Place 6/8 players, and a higher percent for the "Crazy Crappers" who make the horrendous bets at the game. It’s a three-tiered system in many casinos, although some just guesstimate how much the player is betting and against what house edges. This guesstimate is usually around 3 percent.

Some casinos count odds – most don’t – some count them at 50 percent. Here is an example of a typical 6 and 8 place better.

• $12 Place Bet of the 6 and 8 = $24 average bet
• 44 decisions per hour (decisions are on 6, 8 and 7 only) = $1,056
• Casino edge of 1.5 percent = theoretical loss is $16 per hour
• 30 percent comp return of casino theoretical = $4.80 per hour
• 40 percent comp return of casino theoretical = $6.40 per hour
• 50 percent comp return of casino theoretical = $8.00 per hour

Now watch what happens when you include the 5-Count in the above calculations. If you use the 5-Count, you only face 43 percent of the random rolls. Your theoretical loss of $16 is reduced by 57 percent which equals a $6.88 loss per hour. If the casino returns 30 percent of your theoretical loss in comps you have lost $2.08 per hour; if the casino returns 40 percent in comps, you are down to a mere 48 cents per hour; if the casino returns 50 percent in comps, you are ahead $1.12 per hour. Got it?

Just using the 5-Count has given you a monetary edge over the house when it returns 44 percent or more of your theoretical loss in comps. The casino is giving you more money than you are losing against random rolls. With controlled shooters, you have the best of both worlds: a mathematical edge in the game plus a big monetary edge in comps.

Casinos love to use psychology against players – it helps the bottom line. But players can also psych out the casinos in the comping game. We want the casinos to rate us as bigger betters than we really are, and/or we want to get more comps than we have actually earned. Here are some suggestions to help achieve this goal.

1. Always tip on top of your bet, whether Pass, Come or Place bet. Keep the bet riding for the dealers. By doing this, the bet counts as part of your bet – increasing your average bet (i.e. rating). If you tip any other way, the bet does not count as part of your bet and your rating (i.e., comps) are less.
2. On the 4-count, if the shooter is on the come-out roll; you can put your place bets up (if you are betting this way). You will receive credit for them even though they are not working on the come-out.
3. Always ask for a comp at least 10 minutes before you plan to leave the table. Let the rater think he has kept you at the table longer than you planned to stay.
4. The Big Bet ploy: If you want to occasionally put up a "show bet" that is substantially bigger than your normal bet to get it in your rating, then do it on the 4-count during the come-out roll. It will be up there longer, seen more readily by the rater, and most importantly, not be at risk. You can even take it down or reduce it when the point is established.
5. If you are a marginal RFB/RLFB player and you are staying at the property, do not put everything on your room. Instead comp-as-you-go. Many times you will be able to get café or buffets comps up front, and then at the end of your stay get the total theoretical comp against the gourmet food on your room bill as well.
6. If you have stopped playing and have asked for a comp, stay at the table. The fact that you are taking up space will motivate the computer to work faster at getting your comps.
7. If you are an RFB player and are interested in getting airfare for your play but have been turned down in the past, ask the casino to put you in a regular room instead of a suite. Usually the suites are five to 10 times more expensive. If you stay in a regular room, they just might pick up your airfare.

The casino psychology departments use comps as a way to get you to measure your self-worth based on how many comps you get and what a big shot you are for getting them. No comp is worth the loss of money or sleep. Play your game and the comps will come or they won’t. Use these tricks too because they can’t hurt!

The next installment of Dice Control 101 will look at "Money Matters as an Advantage Player." Until then…..

All the best in all your casino and life endeavors.

Jerry "Stickman"