Dear Mark,
I am writing a screenplay with a character who has the ability to affect the outcome
of dice on a crap game with his throws. I need a term for such a person who has
this skill. Billy F.
I'm guessing here, Billy, but I think you are inquiring about a player so gifted
at throwing dice that he can alter the conventional odds of the game, not the
cutesy-pie player who merely slides the dice in prohibited fashion across the
table.
In gamblese, Billy, the player you're envisioning is called 'an arm'. As to
whether or not such a golden arm actually exists, who can chuck the die with
any accuracy is dicey at best. I fly on the side of gaming folklore, and hold
that it ain't so. Others in the betting house biz disagree. One of my favorite
gaming authors, Frank Scoblete, penned a very enjoyable read called, Golden
Touch, Dice Control Revolution. We are both on the same page in that craps is
a losing proposition and the game is structured to mathematically beat all betting
systems. But in his book, Frank feels that you can control the outcome of a
roll and that the skilled dice controller can change the nature of the game
to favor the player. I’m not saying phooey aloud here, it’s just that
after spending 18 years on the inside, an umpteen years bellying up to a table
that I have to see it to believe it, and I haven’t seen it yet.
As for a player sliding the dice across the table to get a specific result,
yes, that's a possibility. I’ve witnessed that, along with those who have
tried it being escorted off the game. Crap dealers, a box person, the pit boss
or the eye in the sky tend to go berserko if some dice jockey tries to illegally
manipulate the cubes so that a random outcome doesn’t occur.
It's your play, of course, and your hotshot is certainly going to be sharp
enough to know all that, so you might invent a brand new term for his magic
anatomy: Dicerony, Warlock 7, The Wrist of Doom… Let us know when and where
we can see it.
Dear Mark,
Could you tell me the house edge on Video Blackjack and how different rules
and playing perfect strategy affect the house edge? I enjoy playing at my own
pace and can wager smaller than at a table. John S.
You've got the advantages of video blackjack down cold, John: the low minimum
bankroll required, with some machines taking as little as 5 cents a hand to
play. They also spare you the intimidation factor of a live game, while delivering
excellent practice sessions, where you can work on perfect basic strategy.
On the downside, it's tough to find a machine that pays you the true value
of a blackjack (3 for 2). Most video blackjack machines pay even money on natural
21's. Because you can expect a blackjack every 21 hands on a live game, the
loss of that bonus is going to cost you an additional 2.3 percent. Considering
that blackjack has a house advantage of less than 0.5 percent over the basic
strategy player like yourself, you are giving away a considerable amount percentage-wise.
Also note that some machines round down on blackjack payoffs. If you do happen
to find a machine that pays the bonus for a blackjack but rounds down, make
sure your wagers are in two-unit increments so that you can get the maximum
value of your every blackjack.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "I vow to never touch a slot machine
again...although I suspect this resolve has all the firmness of a cream pie."
-- Barry Meadow
