Dear Frank:

After a weekend at the Borgata and losing only $500 at craps, which didn't seem that bad for the long length of time I played, I have compiled some questions that I would hope you can help with. I read a couple books on craps such as Beat the Craps out of the Casino, Forever Craps, Get the Edge at Craps, and The Craps Underground.

I used the Captain's 5-Count method followed by two $15 come bets with 2x odds and placing the 6 or 8 or both ($18 each) at times. However the 5-Count did save me some money, I still ended up down $500 this weekend. I was playing at minimum $15 dollar tables.

My first question is why did I only accumulate $6 in comps after my length of play and amount of bets? Is it because I didn't bet every roller since most sevened out right before the 5-Count? Is it because I'm only 23 years old? How can I increase my RFB but not lose as much? And is there any way I could change my play?

Michael

Dear Michael:

Even with the 5-Count, if you are betting only on random rollers - then you will lose in the long run. If you played for eight hours, you would probably put into action about $17,000 had you bet on all the shooters. Since the 5-Count eliminated about 57 percent of the shooters, you really put into action about $7,300. Facing a 1.5 percent house edge as you did, your losses would be $110 on average. So you lost more than average.

I know Borgata is a high-end property but $6 in comps seems extremely small. You should have asked the floormen who were rating you what they had your average bet at. Do that next time. You can also ask your host to look at "the screen" to see what they rated you at.

Since most craps players don't place all their bets up at once, I doubt if the 5-Count hurt your rating.

Other than learning how to control the dice, your betting seems conservative. Don't change that.

All the best in and out of the casinos!

Frank Scoblete