As an outside sales kind of guy I get lots of opportunities to attend - and teach - motivational selling skills seminars around the country. This morning I attended a dandy one at the American Airline Center in Dallas . . .
As the morning wore on it occurred to me that much of what we were talking about applied to precision craps shooting as well. The first thing the speaker talked about was momentum. Momentum simply means you keep moving forward. You move forward by doing the things that promote progress. Practicing your toss technique is one example. Running through virtual betting sessions is another. But momentum is something you have to keep going when you transition from the practice rig to a live session in the casino.
How many times have you started out a session with a nice win. Then, over the course of the next half hour or so your winnings start to dwindle. Then they're gone and you're eating into your seed money. You've lost your forward momentum. You started out playing to win - and you ended up playing not to lose. Unfortunately, when you focus on not losing you tend to lose more. Which gets me to the second point.
Focus on what you want instead of what you don't want. Imagine standing at the table. You are ten minutes into a hand. Your point is six. You've just tossed four eights in a row. All you have to do is turn the dice over to toss a six. You are totally focused on throwing the six. You are seven-proof. But as your hand stretches to twenty minutes . . . a half-hour . . . forty-five minutes you realize you have tossed every number on the layout except the six. Payouts are coming in the hundreds of dollars, but still the number you are focused on eludes you. Finally, you set the V-3 as you have every toss, then roll the set over so that the hard eight is on top instead of the threes. That should bring out the six, you think. But subliminally you think I hope it doesn't bring out the seven. Next toss - seven out. Line away. Your focus shifted from what you wanted to what you did not want - and that's exactly what you got.
Next on the list - Function in the Now. What's happening right now is the only thing you have any control over. What happened last toss is over and done with. What press move you plan to make three tosses from now doesn't matter. The only thing that matters when you have the dice is here and now.
The final thing I jotted down was to eliminate unmanaged time. In a sense this goes back to my old plan your play and play your plan philosophy. Time is not your friend in the casino. That's why you won't find any clocks on the walls. The longer you play the greater your exposure to the house edge. The greater your exposure to the house edge - the more you lose. Instead of camping out for hours at the tables waiting for the dice, plan your play for a time when the tables will be less crowded. Instead of hanging around at the roulette wheel while giving your feet a rest - leave the casino and go to the coffee shop. Instead of standing at the table an extra twenty minutes while waiting for a ten dollar buffet comp, pay for your own lunch out of your winnings. Manage your time in the casino and you'll manage your money.
Want to win more when you hit the casinos? The answer is simple. Play to win instead of playing not to lose.
Copyright 2007 by Steve "Heavy" Haltom - all rights reserved.
