Hi all
I received a questions this morning that I thought was a good one for everyone:
On March 2, 2017 at 9:38 PM JD <jdz.email@gmail.com> wrote:
Dom, I have been practicing and trying to really be strict with everything taught in class.
Since the class I was noticing the lack of rotations on the dice while in the air. I began thinking about it and I don’t think I really noticed anyone in class getting those rotations. I want to improve so I been working on everything.
I have a line fixed on the practice table to make sure I get the arm raised up to proper level. I try to make sure I toss dice over this line each time. I have been really watching my grips. Griping higher up since I recall someone saying if I wanted to take things to the next level I was going to need to do that. I began setting 3’s up and 5’s facing me that way I could use the dots on the 5’s to help place my thumb. I also began marking my fingers that grip the front with a felt pen to be sure I’m leveled. Including when I hit the casino.
I’m paying attention to back swings, my wrist etc. I have noticed that at times the dice begin to lose the twirls. I think its fatigue and something off on the grip. I am guessing most likely thumb or middle finger not centered exactly. Any thoughts on this? Also I wanted to ask you about why since I have been doing all this is it that I am seeing some really nice twirls happening, but I also see a lot more 7’s now?
Thank you,
JD
Dom’s answer:
Good morning JD
Glad to hear that you are practicing what was taught, that is the only way to get to the next level. Addressing your point about throwing more 7’s, maybe you are and maybe you are not. Recording your throws and calculating your SRR is important. Since that wasn’t done before the class and not sure if you are doing it now, observation is not valid.
Now for the revolutions – First holding the dice high on top could be causing a problem. Yes, the higher up you hold the dice the less contact on them, but also it is much more difficult to control them and hold on to them. That could be creating a problem. You need revolutions to keep the dice on axis – how many – well 5 – 7 is good. You do not ever want to flip your wrist to get those revolutions, just let the dice roll off your fingers. Try lowering your fingers if they are really high up to get a little better grip, and possibly raising your thumb a little. That should give you the amount of revolutions that you need.
As far as more 7’s, when you learn this dice control thing, you do have to take 3 steps back to go 5 steps ahead. It is typical. Since you are practicing a lot, think about coming back for a refresher. You will be amazed how much it will help.
I am going to post this question and answer on our forum. You should use it for your questions
Dom
Replies:
Posted by: FourTen on March 3, 2017, 1:28 pm
First, I use the 5’s on Top and 4’s facing me. With the 5’s on Top I can calculate where my index finger should be placed in the center between the two dice. On the 4’s I can also see my thumb center as well.
Secondly, placement of the my three fingers used to be at the every top with my thumb like 1/8 from the top. I could feel the dice with the pads of my fingers. What I found was my dice would split apart on flight. When the dice would hit the table one die would land to left of the table while the other die be on the opposite side of the table. I felt like i had now control at all. Now, this might be working for some people but not for me.
Third, when throwing the dice I would see one die go further out than the other. After emailing Dom back and forth this was fix in a heart beat. Yup my fingers weren’t lined up straight across.
Now for the fix of this all, I had to place my three fingers in the middle of the dice and the my thumb as well. This is when I felt comfortable grabbing,more control, of the dice. With this, my fingers and thumb placement, I can actually see the dice rotating in the air nicely. I could see the pips in the air like 5 5, 3 3 would stand out the most for me.
As for myself, I really don’t worry to much on the result of the dice like if it’s a 4, 6, 5 or the 7. What I really care is how do my dice look in the air and landing. Because what you get at your practice table will be a whole lot different than when you go to the casino. So as long as my dice looks good while practicing at home I’ll let the casino table dictate what the out come is with real $$$$$.
Posted by: Hot Shot on March 3, 2017, 2:24 pm
"Dominator" wrote:
Try lowering your fingers if they are really high up to get a little better grip, and possibly raising your thumb a little. That should give you the amount of revolutions that you need.Dom
Well this is good news for me, because I am a lot more comfortable with being able to put my fingers lower.
One of the instructors told me I needed to change that to get to the next level so I have been trying to train myself to do that, but I had always in the past had fingers further down in the front.
To be clear, what I am see you say is try bringing my fingers in the front of the dice down a bit more and try to bring the thumb in back up. IS that correct?
I can say that I seem to have an easier time getting rotations with fingers higher, but its not comfortable. I don’t feel like I have them secure enough at times to get the proper throw. They will fall out at times as soon as my arm begins to rise and I cant hit that shoulder level extension before the leave. It doesn’t always happen, but it does happen to me.
I will play with this in a couple hours. Get some practice time on and off all day. I plan to hit the casino late tonight.
I’m not currently recording throws. The past two weeks, I have just been trying to get my technique down.
Channing my grip like I have has had me hitting 7’s less than an average roller so I haven’t been counting. IT was so bad that I would see 7 in two rolls frequently. The only nice part was that I was seeing nice rotations more often.
Before I noticed I would see a lot of Dice gliding in the air happening, and it had me worried so I began to try and make note of things I could be doing wrong and tried to retrain myself.
Posted by: HardNine on March 3, 2017, 3:29 pm
Great post.
It’s a long journey, so my initial comment is regarding the "take it to the next level ". IMHO, you have to solidly understand and master this level before taking it to the next level. I’ve noticed the plateaus that I’ve attained on my own journey, and it’s amazing when you know you’ve attained one.
Next, RECORD YOUR ROLLS. The roll recorder in Smart Craps is great. I create a user for every shooting position and create new ones after attending a class.
Over time, you’ll understand the unbelievable variance with just a 1/16" change in your grip. Your thumb may LOOK centered, but make sure you look at your contact points closely. I’ve been schooled on that many times.
To great shooting!
Don
Posted by: Hot Shot on March 3, 2017, 10:44 pm
I cant swing hard or I’m just going to hit rubber or be off the table. A normal toss appears to me like I will get anywhere from 1.5-3 rotations on average. I am clueless on how I can achieve 5-7 rotations.
