Are you dissatisfied with your job? Do you feel you need to earn more but don’t know what to do? Let’s assume a person makes $25 per hour working 8 hours per day. This equates to $200 per day. Working 5 days per week equals $1,000 per week. Working 50 weeks per year (taking two weeks off for vacation) equals $50,000 per year. Not a bad income for most people.
For the sake of argument, let’s assume I can make $25 per shooter playing craps. Furthermore, making $25 per shooter, betting on 8 shooters per day equals $200 per day. On average there will be about 15 shooters per hour at the craps table. In other words, you can make in an hour or less than someone makes $25 an hour in a day. Think for a moment.
Playing dice professionally requires that you avoid distractions, maintain mental discipline, adhere to proper rules and techniques, and control your emotions. The greatest reward as a professional is the freedom to “work” your own hours and be your own boss.
Playing craps as a business avoids the usual problems and/or costs. For example, it does not require accountants, bookkeepers or lawyers to operate. You’ll have no billing issues with accounts receivable, no inventory, no advertising, no “customers” and no employees, meaning you don’t have to contribute to employee benefits or taxes. Playing craps as a business requires no insurance, license, dues, or registration. There are no “competitors” playing craps professionally. If anything, you have something in common with other players at the craps table — to take money from the casino, not each other. Warning: Playing dice is gambling! No system, strategy, or method is foolproof. You will not be rich overnight. There will be times when you will lose money. How you handle these losses will determine whether you will succeed or not. Success requires a lot of patience.
All of this sounds good, right? Wrong. Here are some problems with logic. First, unless you live in Las Vegas, Laughlin or Reno, Nevada, you must live in a geographic area where the local casino operates craps tables. Phoenix, where I live, no. So there are costs and expenses for traveling to Vegas to play craps.
Second, you will not win in every shooter. So you should have a bankroll large enough to withstand some losses. An adequate bankroll is $2,500 of money you can afford to lose. Having an adequate bankroll is a must to ensure you have the right psychological attitude. This is where the problem lies because most people play not to lose rather than play to win.
Third, most people who play craps don’t have the discipline to stick to a betting strategy or settle for making $200 a day, let alone an hour. Greed has turned many winners into losers.
Fourth, you must have a betting strategy where you can make $25 for each shooter while minimizing your risk of loss. So you need to understand the basics of the game and then some. There are many different betting strategies that will allow you to win $25 on shooters. Some are better than others.
If you’re going to play craps for a living, treat it like a business. Operating any business requires operating capital. Most businesses fail if they are short on funds or do not have a written business plan with specific goals and how they will meet those goals. Likewise, if you don’t have a sufficient bankroll to play craps, you will fail. Also, if you don’t have a written plan with specific goals and how you are going to achieve them, you will fail. If you don’t understand these concepts, please don’t risk money trying to make a living playing in casinos.
Some of the keys to helping you succeed include, but are not limited to, the following:
1. Stay on the craps table for a short time. Take frequent breaks so you don’t get tired. A longer stay at the table increases your exposure to potential losses.
2. No system is foolproof. Craps is a game of chance. You can and will lose money. You have to maintain discipline and proper money management. You can’t be greedy playing dice. Set daily goals and stick to them. If you win your daily goal, leave the casino. If you lose your daily limit, stop playing and leave the casino. The casino will still be there tomorrow.
3. NEVER GAMB WITH MONEY THAT YOU CANNOT LOSE EITHER EMOTIONALLY OR FINANCIALLY. NEVER ASK FOR MONEY FOR GAMBLING.
4. Never gamble when you are depressed, unhappy, tired or not feeling well. You have to be able to focus and concentrate on what you are doing.
5. Never increase your bet when you lose.
6. Never drink alcohol or use drugs while playing dice. Again, you need to be able to focus and concentrate on what you are doing at the table.
7. Keep an eye on your bets and make sure the dealer has made the right bet for you. If you cancel your bet, make sure the dealer has used the “off” button to indicate it or has cleared your bet. Make sure the dealer has paid you correctly. If you don’t catch the error in time, it can cause you a considerable loss. Dealers are human, they make mistakes.
8. Treat dealers with respect and courtesy. Tip or “toke” the dealer. Your generosity will pay off in the long run. My experience is that if you treat the dealer with respect and courtesy and tip them they will keep an eye on you and they will handle your bets.
These are just a few points to help you become successful. There are many more keys that will help you succeed.
There are many “professional” dice players. You usually don’t hear about them because they are very pretty about what they do for a living. They don’t brag or brag. They don’t draw attention to themselves. Most professional dice players make over $50,000 per year. I have met them and I have played with them. The key word is they are professionals who know what they are doing. So be careful. The point of this article is to make you realize that it is possible to make a living playing craps.
By: David Udjat, for Walk Away Craps
