Members of the Golden Touch faculty recently participated in challenge
matches against three Las Vegas casinos. The matches were taped
by the A&E Network for a future television special. I can tell
you that the Golden Touchers won, but seeing how they pulled it
off will make for entertaining viewing.
Scoblete takes the position that controlling the dice is the only
way to get a long-run edge over the game of craps. The Golden Touch
method not only teaches the technique, but also how to bet when
unskilled random shooters roll the dice as well as how to fully
exploit those shooters who are controlling the dice.
Which brings us to an interesting question: If enough people successfully
master the art of dice control (and it isn't easy) and casinos perceive
they're losing an edge at their craps tables, will they alter the
way the game is played?
As it stands now, there are only two rules of protocol which shooters
must observe. First, they must handle the dice only with one hand
and they must hold the dice over the layout at all times. Second,
the dice must be thrown down the center of the table and they must
hit the pyramid contoured foam rubber padding against the back wall
of the table.
The shooter is given as much time as he or she requires to "set"
the dice on the layout before picking them up and rolling. This
setting procedure is one of the components of proper dice control
technique. For example, making sure the "three spot" is
on top on both of the cubes and holding them together so that they
form a "V".
Casinos, if they think dice setting is compromising their profits,
could decide to prohibit dice setting. "Just pick 'em up and
roll 'em" could be an enforced rule.
After Edward Thorp's 1962 best seller Beat the Dealer popularized
card counting at blackjack tables, single-deck games disappeared
in favor of six and eight-deck shoes. Expert card counters were
even barred from playing. Will expert dice controllers meet a similar
fate?
Frank Scoblete, the dean of the Golden Touch Craps Crew faculty,
offered his views on the subject:
"Like card counting,
which created an economic boom for the casinos from people who thought
they could do it but couldn't, very few people who take dice control
instruction and attempt a controlled throw will succeed. But as
more and more people think they can win, craps play will escalate
and so will the casinos' profits.
