by Frank Scoblete

he greatest craps roll of my life—April 2, 1999—came at the right time and place. It had a context over and above the money people made while it happened. It wasn’t just an epic craps roll; it was a saving of face, a vindication, a miracle wrought by a divine hand.
At least, that’s what it seemed to me at the time, and even now, as I reflect upon it.
Chicago Sun Times columnist, John Grochowski, and I were guest authors at "The Meet the Authors" Easter weekend at the Golden Nugget. At an afternoon seminar on Friday, April 2, were Barry Dickerson and his son, Pete. Also, Bill Burton, editor of The Mining Company’s webpage, and John Robison, contributor to Strictly Slots.

BARRY DICKERSON: I’ve read all Frank’s books on craps. I wanted to see Frank play craps and use the 5-Count. I have listened to Frank’s craps tape many times. I wanted to meet him and the beautiful A.P. I wanted to see Frank "Roll Them Bones."

"I want to play craps with you and see you have one of your good rolls. Can we do that?" asked Barry.
"Sure, no problem," I said. "After dinner."
After the seminar, in the elevator, I turned to my wife, the beautiful A.P., and said, "I’m dead."
"What?"
"I’m dead," I repeated. "Dead. Barry drove all the way from Tennessee to see me have one of my good rolls."
In our room, A.P. told me, "You’ve been having good rolls for two years."
"And tonight, all you’re going to hear is ‘seven-out! seven-out! seven-out!’ within seconds every time I get the dice."
"If that happens, everyone will understand," said A.P. calmly.
"He quoted me," I whispered.
"What?"
"Barry quoted whole sections of my tape from memory."
"He must like it," she said.
"I’m dead."

BILL BURTON: Barry, Pete and I started the evening as Frank's dinner guests at Stefano’s, along with the beautiful A.P., John and Marcy Grochowski, John Robison and Rick Barton, whose travel agency, Make Your Bet, was sponsoring the weekend. During dinner we discussed the Captain's 5-Count and the philosophy of rhythmic rolling. Frank has written extensively about shooters controlling the dice. He attributes his good rolls to setting the dice.

After dessert, the moment of truth arrived.
"Well," said Bill Burton, "are we playing craps?"
The consensus was that we should head across the street to Binion’s since it had 10X odds. On the way there, I visualized the dice being passed to me by the stickman, my setting them with the three-spots in a "V" and then lofting them gently so that they hit the back wall on one bounce without rebounding all over the layout. I believe this method of shooting has helped me to have many good rolls the past two years.
Is it possible for a person to control the dice enough to turn a slightly negative game into a slightly positive game? Opinion is split. All other gaming authorities say no. I say yes.
In point of fact, and tongue now out of my cheek, most gaming authorities routinely dismiss the idea that shooters can physically control the dice. Orthodox craps thinking postulates that, since the dice have to hit the back wall, a craps shoot is strictly random. I once believed that orthodoxy. But over the years I’ve witnessed too many good rolls by "The Arm" in Atlantic City, and I’ve had enough good rolls myself that I now tend to believe rhythmic rolling is real. Real enough to change the odds slightly in the player’s favor by reducing the appearance of the seven and/or increasing the appearance of point numbers.
Of course, these rhythmic rollers are in a distinct minority and to find them requires a screening method.
How do you decide which shooters to take a gamble on? I use a technique called the Captain’s 5-Count.

BARRY DICKERSON: At dinner, Frank urged all of us to use the 5-Count when playing at the same table with him—even when he rolled. When we rolled, he told us just to make the minimum pass line bet—don’t back it with odds—until the 5-Count was completed.

Friday night, April 2, and Binion’s was crowded. If you’ve never been to Binion’s in Vegas, it is an aural and olfactory experience—decades of cigarettes and cigars mixed liberally with dashed hopes and dreams, catalyzed by the adrenaline rush of outrageous fortune. If there are gaming ghosts haunting any Vegas casino, they rattle their chains at the Horseshoe.
John Grochowski decided to play video poker, so he wandered off into the smoky fog of a slot aisle. Marcy, A.P. and John Robison stood at the bar, which was right near the table where we would be playing. A.P. gave me a thumbs up sign as we settled in.

BILL BURTON: Frank took the position to the stickman’s right. Barry was at the stickman's left. I stood at the corner on Frank's right, allowing enough room between us to let us shoot comfortably while giving me a clear view to observe his shooting style. Pete took his place to my right. I had made a decision that tonight I would use the 5-Count exactly as Frank advocates. The first shooter failed to make the 5-Count. Pete got the dice and had the same results. It was my turn to shoot. Years ago, the first book I read was Frank's Beat the Craps Out of the Casinos. Now, here I was at the craps table with him. I set the dice with the fives up. I found that this worked better for me than the threes up that Frank uses. I placed my pass line bet and let the dice fly. "Seven! Pay the line!" the stickman called. "All Right!" I thought. My euphoria was short lived. I threw again and, after establishing my point, I sevened out.

When it came time for me to shoot, I placed a minimum pass line bet (the table minimum was $5). The stickman passed me the dice and I selected two. I set the dice in the "V" formation. I didn’t feel quite right, my jacket was pulling on me. I established my point, then rolled another number, and then on the 3-Count, I sevened out.
I noticed that Rick had placed odds behind his pass line bet and had been up on the second number with odds as well. Rick had also gone up on the the three previous shooters. He had taken a pretty bad hit—four shooters in a row sevening out before the 5-Count.
Then Barry, Rick and the two others sevened out early, although Barry and Rick had made it past the 5-Count. I lost money on those rolls. Next, the man next to Pete rolled and sevened out early. Then Pete sevened fast, too.
At that point, Rick left the table. He had bet on every shooter and had lost his session stake in a little more than one circuit of the table. Bill whispered something to the effect of, "Thank God for the 5-Count," just before it was his turn to roll.
Unfortunately, Bill also sevened out quickly and now it was my turn again.
As everyone had been rolling, I had been studying my "spot" on the back wall. I always try to hit the area of the back wall just a fraction before it starts to curve towards the stickman. I was memorizing the spot and trying to get a feel for it. I took off my jacket and handed it to A.P.
A dealer snickered, "He means business."
"God," I prayed, as the stickman passed me the dice. "Please don’t let me embarrass myself."
I set the dice in the "V" and aimed for my spot.
And then it began.
My first point, I recall, was five. I rolled a few numbers, passed the 5-Count, placed my odds, rolled some numbers as I was placing come bets and taking odds, then: "Five! Five! Winner five!"

Continued