Craps: Controlled Shooter Practice & Development

Learning to become a skilled Controlled Shooter is not easy, takes discipline, and a commitment to teaching yourself a new skill, but for most, becoming a Controlled Shooter is absolutely doable with the right level of dedication to practicing each of the components of the controlled throw.

The good news

Even the slightest ability to influence the outcomes of the dice can vary the probabilities enough to flip the house edge in your favor based on the low house edge of craps.
Learning to become a Controlled Shooter does not require a large financial investment. Aside from a couple of sets of Casino Grade Craps Dice to start with, the tools needed in your later sessions are inexpensive, and most available at Amazon for very low prices.
Many have been able to use their winnings along the way to fund any additional tools and trainings as they continue to perfect their Controlled Shooter skills
AT NO TIME do you need to purchase a craps table. I get asked this all the time. I’ve been a Controlled Shooter for years and still don’t own a craps table. While I’d love to have one, I’ve never been successful at convincing the wife it’s what we need for our family room.

The bad news

You won’t become a skilled Controlled Shooter overnight. It will take at least a couple to several months to develop enough skills to pay dividends at the craps tables.

We’ll cover each of areas below, as well as list any necessary, or optional tools required to create a successful practice and development routine.

Two items before we get started

Always use the hardways set ‘4/5’ (4s on Top, 5s in Front) on both die for all practice sessions. This will gain importance as your development progresses and you begin tracking your results.
We recommend you only purchase items that you need for the particular stage of practice in your development when you get to it. There is no need to purchase any items in advance.

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SETTING THE DICE

45 dice set

Goal: To naturally and easily set the dice when they are slid to you from the stick.

Tools Needed: Casino Grade Precision Dice 19mm – Go to Amazon here

The stick will slide the dice to you in any number of configurations except with a 7 or craps number showing. Many times, they’ll send the dice to you with the point number showing on the tops of the dice. All of that is fine, and designed to be helpful, but you need the dice aligned to the particular ‘dice set’ you’re using.

Being able to take the dice from any configuration and getting them into the position of your ‘dice set’ quickly and easily is critical for a number of reasons.

Craps is a fast game. Both the players and the dealers will begin to become annoyed if it takes you too long to set the dice.
Taking too long to set the dice will disrupt your concentration and flow on the more critical components of your throw
You’ll immediately identify yourself as someone who is attempting to alter the probabilities of the game. It won’t be an issue when you start, but as you start winning, it’s going to bring ‘heat’ to you very quickly

Even more importantly, when you’re controlled skills are slightly off at the craps tables, you need to be familiar enough with the dice to know if you need to slightly alter your ‘dice set’ to achieve your desired result

Dice Layout 3

Precision Casino Dice are all set the same way regardless of the casino you visit.

The first thing you’ll notice is that the two opposite sides of any number will add up to seven. The ‘one’ is opposite the ‘six’, the ‘two’ is opposite the ‘five’, and the ‘three’ is opposite the ‘four’.

This is a simple exercise designed to have you become so familiar with the dice, that you will be able to quickly and naturally move random dice into the ‘dice set’ you desire without thinking.

5 Dice

Take the 5 dice from one of your dice sleeves and roll them onto a table. Then select any two of the die and set them into the 4/5 hardways set. (4s on top, 5s in front).

Since this is just to become familiar with the dice and getting them into position, you can do this anywhere. You can be standing, sitting, watching TV or listening to music.

Do this until you can set the 4/5 hardways set even while being somewhat distracted. This may take an hour to several days to conquer.

While this may seem wildly simplistic, you’ll find that this will pay you great dividends throughout your training and at the craps tables as your skills develop.

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GRIPPING THE DICE

Dice Grip

Goal: To consistently execute your dice grip toward delivering a controlled toss

Tools Needed (Casino Grade Precision Dice 19mm) (Controlled Shooter Dice Grips)

Once you’ve aligned the dice to your preferred ‘dice set’, you’re now going to pick up the dice using the ‘dice grip’ you’ve selected that is comfortable and will allow you to most easily deliver a controlled toss to the opposite side of the table.

If you haven’t selected a dice set yet, go to Craps: Dice Sets & Dice Setting For The Controlled Shooter

This practice session is broken down into two parts

Getting your hand and fingers into the proper positions for your ‘dice grip’
Setting, picking up and tossing the dice using your preferred ‘dice grip’

DICE GRIP SESSION 1

For the first part of the session, you’re going to set the dice and pick them up using your dice grip. This will feel totally unnatural and your fingers likely won’t be in the proper position.

Adjust the dice and your fingers, as necessary, to get them into the proper position even if you have to use your other hand to get them placed correctly.

Still holding the dice, now in the proper position, move your hand with the dice back onto the table and then lift your hand as though you had just picked them up.

Once you have the dice and your fingers properly positioned, you want to experience what that feels like, so you’ll begin to know that you’re executing the grip correctly as you’re picking up the dice.

Continue to repeat this exercise until you’re picking up the dice and not needing to make any adjustments after inspecting your grip.

(Sounds tedious, I know, but you won’t be able to inspect your grip and make adjustments at the craps tables, and you’ll have no chance of executing a controlled throw without the proper grip.)

As you continue to practice, the ‘dice grip’ should begin to feel more natural and you’ll begin to know if your fingers are positioned correctly as your picking them up and before inspection.

DICE GRIP SESSION 2

For the second part of the session, you’re going to set the dice, pick them up using your dice grip, and toss them as though you were at a craps table.

Don’t worry about how the dice fly in the air, your only goal here is to ensure that your grip doesn’t break down as your beginning to toss the dice. Since you should be applying very light pressure on the dice with your fingers, you also want to ensure that the dice are not slipping out of their grip during a tossing motion.

Every 3^rd to 5^th time gripping and tossing the dice, stop your motion just before releasing the dice and inspect your grip. If you find any breakdowns, make the appropriate adjustments and try again.

Continue to repeat this exercise until you’re confident you are consistently executing the grip and toss without any additional breakdowns.

If you’re like most of our students, you’ll try to race through this section to get to the section on learning to deliver a controlled toss of the dice. This is where applying discipline comes into play. Starting with the proper grip is critical to executing a controlled toss and even then, you’ll need to make some additional adjustments to your grip.

Make sure you master this step before moving on to ‘The Toss’.

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THE CONTROLLED TOSS

travel toss

Goal: To successfully execute the controlled toss

Tools Needed: Varied – Will be listed by section

Learning to successfully execute the controlled toss will be the most challenging part of your development. If you stay motivated and work on the steps listed, in order, you’ll surprise yourself at the progress you’ll make day after day.

The craps tables are lined with players who gave up at this point. That’s why you’ll see a lot of players set the dice, use one of the outlined dice grips, and then just randomly chuck the dice across the table. Stay committed, and don’t be one of those that quit at the first sign of difficulty and gave up on making a financial difference in their lives.

Follow the steps as outlined and don’t advance to the next section until you’ve mastered the section you’re on.

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THE CONTROLLED TOSS – SESSION 1

Tools Needed

2 Casino Grade Precision Dice 19mm (same color)
- Glue 2 same color casino grade precision dice together in a 4/5 – 4/5 set (4s on top, 5s in front)
  - Use care and make sure the dice are perfectly aligned when gluing them together
  - You want to create a dice ‘bar’ that represents the 4/5-4/5 dice set
- 1 Practice Landing Box
  - You do not need to purchase anything at this point. A cardboard box will do
    - Cut out everything but the 2 sides, the back, and the bottom
  - Place the landing box on a table approximately 28 inches off the floor and 8 feet away from your launch station
    - Most craps tables are 28’ to the bed and 14 feet long, 8 feet will put you in position R1 or L1 at the table
    - Use care which tables you use – I learned the hard way and needed to refinish a dining room table due to the sharp edges on the dice.
    - Most folding tables are approximately 28 inches high

We’re using a ‘dice bar’ (2 die glued together), to learn the wrist, arm, and release action of the toss, and learning to have the dice travel through the air, symmetrically, and with backspin, without the added complexity of learning to handle two individual die. The ‘dice bar’ will eliminate one level of complexity until you complete this section.

Execute the pickup, forward motion and toss

From your launch zone, you’re going to practice each of the steps involved in executing the controlled toss, including;

Picking up your ‘dice bar’ using your preferred ‘dice grip’
Practicing the proper stance to eliminate body motion
Aligning the dice, your hand, wrist and arm toward your target
Your forward arm, wrist and hand motion
Releasing the dice at the correct arc, and
Creating a level flight of the dice with backspin

During this exercise, you’re not concerned with hitting a specific target within your landing box. Your goal in completing this exercise is to use each of the steps to create a smooth, level and controlled flight of the ‘dice bar’ into the box.

Let’s get started…

Place the ‘dice bar’ on the launch table in front of you and using your ‘dice grip’, pick up the ‘dice bar’
- In the beginning, double check that you’re executing the grip correctly
Standing perpendicular to your ‘landing box’, spread your feet about shoulder distance apart and shift approximately 90% of your weight to your lead foot (the one closest to your target)
- This will reduce or eliminate any rocking or shifting of your lower body toward the target.
- If you were at the casino, you would also lean against the table and use your non-throwing hand to brace yourself against the table as well, further stabilizing your lower body
- The less muscle and motion to deal with, the more control and consistency you’ll be able to develop
Without letting go of the ‘dice bar’, bring your hand back down and have the ‘dice bar’ lightly touch the table directly in front of you, centered to your body
- While in flight, the ‘dice bar’ needs to be perfectly horizontal to the floor. Starting your forward motion with the dice lightly touching the table ensures that you’re at least starting in the right position
- You’ll need to maintain that horizontal position of the dice throughout your motion and the flight of the dice.
Visually draw a straight ‘travel line’ from your ‘dice bar’ to the ‘landing box’
- You will use this to align the ‘dice bar’ to the target and will follow the same line with your wrist and hand in launching the dice.
- Many of our students use tape, string, or other creative items to mark the line from their launch site to the target. At the craps tables you’ll have plenty of lines drawn right on the table to follow, so if you think that would help, feel free to do the same.
While still holding the dice bar, align the dice to the target using your visual ‘travel line’
- The dice need to be perpendicular to the travel line, horizontal to your target and continue to remain horizontal to the table bed.
Leading with your wrist and swinging from your shoulder, begin your hand motion forward toward your target
- Keeping the rest of your body still, your arm should swing from your shoulder, like a pendulum
- You should have the sensation of your wrist pulling your hand and the dice bar along the ‘travel line’ in one smooth motion
Release the ‘dice bar’ as you continue your motion out and up along the travel line
- The ‘dice bar’ should ‘roll’ off your finger tips causing a backspin on the dice bar throughout the flight
- The dice are released when your hand is about 12 inches off the surface of the table
- You want the ‘dice bar’ flight to travel at an angle between 30 to 45 degrees into the air then land into your practice box
Follow through with your hand and arm until they reach approximately eye level
- DO NOT stop your hand/arm motion upon releasing the dice – This would cause a jerky and inconsistent result

If you’re like many of our students, the first few (or few hundred) tosses of the dice bar will wobble uncontrollably along the travel path. Some even missed their landing box completely. Have no fear! It will get better.

You’ll have accomplished this training session when you can consistently perform the following;

The ‘dice bar’ travels smoothly, with backspin and is perfectly horizontal to the floor and target throughout its flight.

Any wobble, side-to-side or up-and-down movement of the ‘dice bar’, or inconsistency in the travel height or path will require additional practice and repetition.

DO NOT SHORTCUT this session. Session 1 forms the foundation for all upcoming sessions, and it is critical for you to master this session before advancing to Session 2.

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THE CONTROLLED TOSS – SESSION 2

Casino Grade Precision Dice 19mm (2 Colors)
- Use 2 individual die of different (contrasting) colors – Use the 4/5-4/5 dice set (4s on top, 5s in front)
  - Using different colors will help you identify which of the die may be flying or rotating incorrectly
  - Using two colors of die will play a major role when you begin tracking your results
  - Personally, I use Red and Green – (R)ed set on the (R)ight
- Practice Landing Box
  - Whatever you used for Session 1 (including a cardboard box) is fine for this session

For Session 2, you’ll be repeating the steps used in the prior session, with 2 exceptions

You’ll be using 2 individual die (of different colors) instead of the ‘dice bar’
- In the prior session, you mastered the use of the major muscles in your arm, hand and wrist to release and deliver the dice bar in a smooth, uniform and consistent fashion
- Using 2 individual die will require you to learn to use the minor muscles in your hands and fingers
- When performed correctly, the 2 die will travel through the air smoothly, symmetrically, and with the same backspin as you did in session one.
- The dice should look as though they are connected (like the ‘dice bar) as they travel through the air.
- Finger position, pressure and release technique will be key focus areas to execute the toss correctly.
You’ll be setting the dice to the 4/5-4/5 set (4s on top, 5s in front) prior to gripping the dice each time
- By mimicking casino conditions, by the time you’ve completed all sessions of the training, you’ll have locked in the rhythm and routine of the controlled toss

As in session 1, do not concern yourself with hitting a specific spot in your landing box or the results you’re achieving. You’re goal for this session is to learn to control the 2 individual die and deliver a controlled toss to your landing box.

Each of the steps are listed below. For additional detail, refer back to that particular step in session 1.

Execute the pickup, forward motion and toss

Place your dice on the launch table in front of you
- You should have at least 4 to 6 die, 2 or 3 each of two colors
- At the craps tables, the stick will slide 5 die for you to select from
Select 2 die (one of each color) and set them to a 4/5-4/5 dice set (4s on top, 5s in front)
Use your preferred ‘dice grip’ to pick up the dice you just set
Standing perpendicular to your ‘landing box’, spread your feet about shoulder distance apart and shift approximately 90% of your weight to your lead foot (the one closest to your target)
Without letting go of the dice, bring your hand back down and have the bottom of the dice lightly touch the table directly in front of you, centered to your body
Visually draw a straight ‘travel line’ from your dice to the ‘landing box’
While still holding the dice, align the dice set to the target using your visual ‘travel line’
Leading with your wrist and swinging from your shoulder, begin your hand motion forward toward your target
Release the dice as you continue your motion out and up along the travel line
Follow through with your hand and arm until they reach approximately eye level

The dice should fly from your hand, to the landing box, symmetrically flying side by side with a backward rotation and should not separate by more than 1 inch in any direction. In flight, it should look no different than the ‘dice bar’ did in the prior lesson.

You’re likely finding this a more difficult task to master than you originally thought. Avoid feeling frustrated. Just as you mastered the ‘dice bar’ exercise, you’ll master this as well.

Areas to focus on and check in mastering this skill

Are you executing your ‘dice grip’ correctly?
Are your fingers centered, placed the same, and with equal pressure on each of the die?
Is the finger pressure you’re exerting on the dice as light as possible without losing control of the dice?
Is your forward hand motion smooth, not jerky, and does it correctly follow the travel line?
Are you following through after the release until your hand is about eye level?
Are you maintaining the dice set horizontal to the target and floor and perpendicular to the travel line throughout your tossing motion?

NOTE: One of the most common problems we find in helping our students is that they open and spread their fingers as they’re releasing the dice. This alone can cause massive issues in executing a proper controlled toss.

As you continue to practice, you’ll find that one die begins to travel correctly in flight, and one does not. Making it easier to identify is one of the reasons for using 2 colors of die. Now you should begin adjusting your grip, fingers, pressure, etc. on the second die until both are traveling correctly and you’ll be well on your way to mastering this session.

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THE CONTROLLED TOSS – SESSION 3

Casino Grade Precision Dice 19mm (2 Colors)
- Use 2 individual die of different (contrasting) colors – Use the 4/5-4/5 dice set (4s on top, 5s in front)
Practice Landing Box
- Whatever you used for Session 2 (including a cardboard box) is fine for this session
- Wax paper, aluminum foil or any other type of material that will leave a mark when the dice hit it

For Session 3, you’ll be using the skills you mastered in session 2, but we’ll be refining your skills in 2 key areas

Hitting the target within your landing box
- Once you’ve established your target landing zone (in a later session), you’ll need to be able to consistently hit that target each and every time you toss the dice
- This will be critical to becoming a Controlled Shooter and establishing consistency in the results you deliver
Ensuring the bottom edges of both die are landing flat to the table and horizontal to the back wall of you practice box
- If the dice land at an angle or on their corners, you’ll not only lose the braking power of your backward rotation, but the dice will also either shoot to the left or right, or even scatter after landing.
- You’ll be using the wax paper or aluminum foil here as it will clearly mark how your dice are landing

In preparation for this session, in addition to setting up your launch and target box the same as in the prior session

Attach your wax paper or aluminum foil to the bottom of your practice box.
Mark a target in the center of the box about 6 inches from the backwall of your practice box

Practice, Inspect, Adjust

Utilizing the controlled toss skills you learned so far, you’re going to utilize the same steps from session 2 to mimic a casino environment, including setting and gripping the dice, aligning the dice and your hand to the target, following through on your toss with a symmetrical flight with backspin, and delivering the dice to the landing zone. But now, you’re going to deliver your dice to a very specific target and ensure your dice are landing correctly.

After setting and gripping the dice, create a visual travel path to the specific target within your practice box
Deliver the dice to that specific target using the controlled toss you learned earlier.

Inspect

After each toss, you need to inspect the foil/paper you attached to the bottom of your practice box for the following

Did you come within one inch of your specific target?
Did the dice form a ‘straight line’ on the foil/paper that is parallel to the backwall?

If the answer to either of the above questions is ‘no’, then make the necessary adjustments to your grip, finger pressure, the toss, etc. and attempt it again.

Continue to ‘Practice, Inspect, and Adjust’ your toss until you are consistently hitting within one inch of your target and your landing is flat and horizontal to the backwall.

DO NOT ADVANCE to the next session until you are achieving at least an 80% consistency rate on the above exercise.

Be objective in the assessment of your results. Two out of 10 misses of the target is 80%, but if your 2 out of 10 misses on landing are different tosses, then that’s really only 6 out 10 correct tosses being 60%.

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THE CONTROLLED TOSS – SESSION 4

Casino Grade Precision Dice 19mm (2 Colors)
- Use 2 individual die of different (contrasting) colors – Use the 4/5-4/5 dice set (4s on top, 5s in front)
Practice Landing Box (Build or Purchase)
- You’ll now need a practice box with rubber diamonds that closely mimics a real craps table.
- It should be at least 2 feet wide with about the same depth.
- If you’re handy, you can find plans online to build your own
  - (Most home centers will pre-cut the pieces for you)
  - Here’s an Amazon link for the rubber diamonds (click here)
- For those not-so-handy, like myself, there are plenty of choices on Amazon for a fair price
  - Here’s a link to Amazon with their selection of practice boxes (click here)
  - Be sure it’s at least 24 inches wide and about the same front to back
    - The sides should be at least as high as the rubber diamond backing

In Session 4, you’re going to continue to hone your Controlled Shooter skills from the prior session, but now you’re going to work on the reaction of the dice after they land on the table.

In addition to delivering the dice to the opposite side of the table in the way you’ve learned in the prior sessions is one of the keys to becoming a Controlled Shooter.

The other critical component is managing how the dice react after they land on the opposite side of the table. The dice should land, immediately dispel most of their forward energy, lightly touch the diamonds on the back wall, and quickly come to rest with as little additional movement as possible.

There are 3 factors that determine the reaction of the dice after they land from the toss

Speed of the toss
- The initial speed and energy of the forward motion in the toss is the primary factor
- Your goal is to use as little energy and speed on the dice as possible to reach your target
Descent height and angle
- The descent of the dice helps stamp the dice into the table reducing the forward energy of the dice
- Both the height from which the dice descend, as well as the angle of that descent has an effect on how much of the forward energy is reduced
- Both the height and angle of the descent will be determined by the arc you utilize in delivering the dice
Speed of backspin utilized
- The backspin you put on the dice during your toss acts as a brake on the dice, slowing their forward motion
- The faster the backspin, the more braking action applied to the dice
- Too much backspin, sometimes has the reverse affect and sends the dice smashing into the backwall

The right combination of these 3 factors will produce a dice landing that is soft, lightly touches the backwall and comes to rest quickly with little additional movement, or randomness, to the dice.

Unfortunately, each individual’s tossing style is very different due to differences in ‘dice grip’ used, type of finger, hand and arm movement utilized, and even their physical characteristics like height, arm length, hand size, etc.

Therefore, finding the right combination of the above 3 factors for you, can only come with trial and error experimentation.

As you’re working through these exercises, you’ll sometimes have the dice hit the table and immediately stop ‘dead’ on the table. While that is an example of the ‘perfect’ combination on that toss, it’s not necessary to achieve that level of perfection. Even if you could achieve that level of perfection, it would work against you as the dealer would call a ‘no-roll’ and your roll won’t count anyway.

Trial & Error Experimentation

To identify the right combination for your own tossing style, the steps below will take you through each of the 3 factors until you’ve gained maximum control (influence) over the dice results you’re producing.

Maintaining the consistency of the controlled toss you’ve developed thus far, work on each of the steps one at a time. Since these items are both independent factors, they are intertwined and work together as well. You may need to go through each of the steps several times before landing on your perfect toss.

Forward Speed
- This is the first factor to work on. Using your current tossing style, reduce the forward speed of the dice as much as possible.
- The dice should have just enough forward energy to reach your target and nothing more
- As you’re reducing the speed of the dice, you should notice a lessening of the activity of the dice after landing
- When you’ve reduced the forward energy as much as possible, move on to the next step
Descent Height & Angle
- Both the descent height (height from which the dice descend to the table) and the angle of that descent has a significant impact on slowing the forward motion and movement of the dice. It acts as a hammer slamming the dice into table. Too high and the dice ‘bounce’ after hitting the table. Too low and the forward motion continues virtually unimpeded.
- Using your current tossing style, begin with launching the dice at a 45 degree angle toward the target
- Take notice of the dice movement after impact
- Then reduce the arc by 5 degrees each time until you hit 30 degrees
- Select the launch angle between 30 and 45 degrees that provides the greatest stopping power on your dice
Backspin rotations
- The backspin you imparted on the dice at launch act as a brake on the forward motion when the dice land
- Begin with approximately 2 ½ rotations of the dice from launch to landing
- Monitor the dice movement after impact
- Test 1, 1 ½, 2, 3, and 3 ½ rotations from launch to landing and monitor the after-impact movement
- Select the Backspin Rotations that best slows the forward motion of the dice and provides for the lightest touch against the backwall, coming quickly to rest on the table

After completing this session successfully, you should now be able to execute a controlled toss. With continued commitment and practice, you should easily move toward becoming an effective Controlled Shooter.

Once you’ve developed consistency across each of the components of the controlled toss, go to the article on tracking your practice throws. This where you’ll be able to determine the level of influence you have over the dice results and this is how you’ll determine the most effective dice set for use on the come-out and after the point has been established.

For more information on becoming a Controlled Shooter and flipping the odds on the casino, check out…