Notes

Dominating Small-Buy-In Poker Tournaments.7 Dice Secrets Every Craps Player Should Know
I won?t claim to be any sort of poker savant, even though I play the overall game seriously, I?m not a poker pro at all. I make the majority of my living being an advantage-play casino gambler, battling the home in blackjack and video poker for the most part. For me, poker is really a way to blow off steam and an escape from the often rote and mechanical world of table game advantage play.

At the poker table, I?m free to mix up my moves, applying creativity in conjunction with strategy to try to outwit my opponents. Even though most casino games have long since been mastered through mathematical analysis, Texas hold?em still offers an unpredictable game where random chance, bluffs, and the human element all conspire to influence the outcome.

Simply put, I love playing poker for pleasure over profit. Even so, the goal for each poker player is winning ? to win this pot, the next one, and eventually, the complete tournament.

I?ve had the pleasure of winning a tournament or two in my own day, and let me tell you, there?s nothing quite like it on the planet. The adrenaline rush, the sense of accomplishment, and of course, the top prize payout all combine to generate an event you won?t soon forget.

That will help you experience that feeling on your own, I present my guide to dominating small-buy-in poker tournaments.

Game Selection IS ESSENTIAL
?Game selection, although often overlooked, can be an important part of your poker education. You should avoid a game where in fact the lineup includes a bunch of pros. Be wary of how tough the overall game you?re in is, and try to avoid the toughest game inside your home!? ? Phil Hellmuth, 14-time WSOP bracelet winner
On my latest trip to Las Vegas, just a few weeks hence, in fact, I happened to arrive right as two mid-level tournament series were occurring. I had a choice between playing several prelims at the Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza, or the WSOP-C event at the Rio. Both series offer several events that fall within our small-buy-in classification, and both venues are recognized for running top-notch tournaments.

Thus, I had two seemingly evenly matched series to choose from.

Predicated on prior experience playing both, however, it didn?t take long at all to decide on the WSOP-C. Affectionately known as ?The Circuit? by touring pros, this offshoot of the bigger WSOP travels round the country hosting small-stakes series. Almost all of the prelims are priced at $365, and each stop is capped off by a $1,675 Main Event.

Conversely, the Venetian DeepStack Extravaganza can be an in-house affair, hosted many times each year by the Venetian poker room. But while the buy-ins are almost identical, with a slew of prelims priced at $300 roughly and a $1,600 Main Event, tournaments at the Venetian tend to attract tougher tournament players.

Maybe it?s because these guys and gals grind there every night, developing a roomful of card sharps just looking forward to tourists like me to saunter in. Or simply the bigger-name pros look down upon the WSOP-C as the ?minor leagues,? so that they avoid the Rio before real WSOP arrives. Regardless, I?ve found the WSOP-C to offer softer competition, so I chose to play there over the Venetian.

That?s just one single example, of course, but it illustrates the significance of game selection.

During any series or circuit stop, you?ll have a dozen or even more prelim events on the schedule. And in a place like Sin City, there?re usually two or three mid-level series taking place as well. Without a sensible approach to game selection, you can easily put yourself at a disadvantage simply by signing up to play much tougher opponents.

In the initial WSOP-C Rio event I entered ? a $365 No Limit hold?em tournament with re-entries and a $250,000 guaranteed prize pool ? I came across myself sitting alongside senior citizens and tourists searching for a good time. Don?t misunderstand me, there were a lot of competent players on hand, but on an overall scale, the grade of competition was rather weak.

And while the cards didn?t cooperate for me personally on that day, an authentic amateur who just happened to be visiting Vegas that week wound up winning the whole shebang. For just $365, Randy Khami outlasted a field of 1 1,074 entries to take home $57,462 in winnings, along with his first WSOP-C gold ring. For a casual player like Khami, who had never cashed for more than $1,400 before, playing against the softer WSOP-C field gave him an opportunity to live every poker player?s dream.

On the other side of the Strip, a similarly sized prelim event at the Venetian saw professional Jon Turner take the title. Turner, better known as ?PearlJammed? from his days being an online beast, simply added to his a lot more than $2.7 million in live tournament earnings. Met with highly talented pros like Turner, players like myself and Khami are the proverbial ?dead money? at the table.

Therefore, one of the important steps you can take toward dominating small-buy-in poker tournaments occurs before you ever buy in. Practicing savvy game selection offers you the best possiblity to overcome the odds and find yourself enjoying a deep run.

Study Your Structure Sheets Closely
?I was raised playing tournaments with fast structures. It had been fun for me as a youngster, just playing was enjoyable therefore i didn?t mind playing in tournaments with 20-minute levels and huge jumps. I?m not just a kid anymore, though, and I find fast paced structures to get boring very quickly. I simply don?t enjoy the pre-flop aspects of the overall game nearly around the post flop portion of the game, however the faster the structure, the less of an opportunity you need to really make use of the weaker players at the table.? ? Daniel ?Kid Poker? Negreanu, the all-time tournament earnings leader with over $36.5 million in live cashes
Another facet of game selection which allows you to maximize your ability while limiting your skill liability is studying structure sheets.

As ?Kid Poker? himself observes, most small-stakes daily or nightly tournaments run by local casinos work with a turbo structure. Quite simply, the starting stacks are on the smaller side (5,000 to 10,000 chips, generally), while the blinds escalate quite rapidly at 15- or 20-minute intervals.

Conversely, a ?major? tournament just like a series Main Event or higher-priced WSOP prelim gives players larger stacks (15,000 or 20,000) and longer blind levels (half an hour to one hour).

And within every individual structure, skipping certain blind levels can wreak havoc on the overall gameplay. Once the blinds jump from 400/800 to 600/1,200, for instance, passing up on that 500/1,000 level instantly shrinks your ?effective stack.?

Just in case you?re in the dark on that poker slang, your effective stack simply measures your chip count contrary to the current big blind.

Let?s say you have 10,000 chips when the big blind is defined at 100. In cases like this, you?re sitting on 100 big blinds, that is quite comfortable. You have room to maneuver, make creative plays, and mix it up during post-flop rounds without fear of going broke.

But just a few levels later, with the big blind risen to 500, your 10,000 chips now equate to just 20 big blinds. You?re still doing fine at this time, but your options are a lot more limited. Any opening raise you make will start using a decent chunk of your stack, so you have to be much more conservative pre-flop. Players often talk about being ?handcuffed? at the 20 big blind or lower level, with their plays reduced to folding or shoving all-in.

Utilizing the same two tournaments mentioned earlier, you can see what sort of slightly different structure serves to influence the overall game.

In the $365 buy-in WSOP-C event I played, the starting stack was 10,000 chips, and blind levels lasted half an hour each. Level 1 started at 25/50 blinds, and the first antes kicked in at Level 5, with the blinds sitting at 100/200 and a 25-chip ante. Thus, my 10,000 chips were worth 200 big blinds at the beginning, and 50 big blinds whenever we started anteing up.

But by taking a glance at the Venetian structure sheet, you?ll find that a $400 buy-in bought 18,000 starting chips, and the blind levels lasted 40 minutes apiece. The opening blind level was 50/100, and the antes kicked in at Level 4 (100/200/25).

In this case, your 18,000 starting stack was worth 180 big blinds first, slightly less than the WSOP-C event. But when the antes arrived, signaling the true start of any tournament, that same stack held a value of 90 big blinds ? almost double what you?d have in the WSOP-C event.

Had I run through these calculations beforehand, I would?ve hit the Venetian instead. Those tournaments live up to their DeepStack title, letting players have far more wiggle room through the middle and late stages of the game.

Studying structure sheets is an essential poker skill, as you?ll have the ability to plan ahead to gauge precisely how shallow or deep your stack will be at any stage.

Look, Listen, and Observe
?While live poker offers you the opportunity to take plenty of information regarding your opponents, in addition, it provides you with plenty of down time where little is happening. If you don't focus well, you'll miss loads of vital information that may help you adjust to your opponents? specific tendencies, letting you win a lot more money. When playing poker, switch off the distractions and play poker.? ? Jonathan Little, two-time World Poker Tour champion and author of Strategies to Beat Small Stakes Poker Tournaments
With the pregame prep out of the way, it?s time to tackle some actual poker tips.

Among the leading poker instructional authors of the era and accomplished player in his own right, Jonathan Little lays everything on the table in the quote above. If you don't?re willing to play poker, and not simply cards, you?ll never prepare yourself to dominate these small-stakes tournaments.

Most players in the modern age arrived at the tournament table with a backpack, a hoodie, and a set of headphones. These tools are accustomed to make the long days convenient, but for most grinders, they?re also a source of escape.

Let?s face it; Texas hold?em tournaments involve a lot of folding, especially in the first stages. With just 10% of hands falling into the ?premium? category, you?ll be ditching a huge amount of 10-2s and 7-3s before the flop. Folding eight out of nine hands throughout a single orbit can be mind-numbing, to say minimal, that is where music, texting, and the overhead TVs come into play.

But while your opponent is zoning out, you should be taking the exact opposite approach. Make an effort to watch every hand play out, even when your cards have long since been mucked.

Watch to see which players are opening many times an orbit, signaling a loose approach to hand selection, and which ones turtle up right into a fold-fest. Following the flop, try to track an opponent?s continuation bet tendencies. Some will fire a c-bet every single time after opening pre-flop, while some will only continue if they have the goods.

And at showdown, always make use of the exposed information accessible to you. Texas hold?em is focused on deception, so learning exactly which two cards an opponent held ? and how they played the hand ? is invaluable to the thinking player.

Understanding Pre-Ante and Post-Ante Play
?Tournaments usually have not merely blinds but antes after the first few stages. That means that there?s more in the pot to begin with the hand, and whoever wins the struggle for the antes gets a more impressive prize. Once the antes kick in, if you can win more than your share of preflop pots, you?ve already accomplished much of what is necessary to flourish in tournaments.? ? Nate Meyvis, tournament pro and host of the Thinking Poker podcast
Back in the section on studying structure sheets, I paid special focus on once the antes kicked in ? therefore should you.

The first few degrees of a small-buy-in tournament are essentially meaningless, because the tiny blinds and lack of antes produce pots that just aren?t worth fighting over. Even so, you?ll invariably see players fall by the wayside and go bust prior to the antes ever start.

I know this because I was one them.

During my most recent trip to the WSOP-C Rio, I succumbed to the same danger I?m warning you about right now ? playing way too many hands during the pre-ante period. When I sat right down to my first table, I was surrounded by players who would be generously described as ?casual? players. These were grandparents, tourists, and cash game grinders who just didn?t seem to pose a threat at that time.

My plan was as follows. Mix it up early with speculative hands, play a loose aggressive style, and try to benefit from my seemingly overmatched opponents. On the very first deal, I picked up A-10 off suit and played it aggressively, especially after flopping a 10-high board. Unfortunately for me, my foe found two pair on the turn, and within one hand, my 10,000-chip starting stack was carved down to 8,250. I finished up chasing from there, attempting to catch up, until I was the first one eliminated from that seemingly soft table.

The problem with overplaying the pre-ante levels is readily apparent, but when i proved, even decent players can fall prey. Basically, until the whole table is forced to fork out, the pre-flop pot just doesn?t contain enough chips to justify chasing it aggressively.

Let?s say you?re sitting on that 10,000 stack in Level 3, with the blinds at 75-150 no ante. The pre-flop pot holds just 225 in the first place, and also if somebody makes the standard 350 opening raise and catches a caller, the pot is only going to have 775 shared. But more often than not, you?ll be opening for 350 merely to win 225, which doesn?t really accumulate with regards to risk versus reward.

Fast forward two levels to once the first antes have arrived, and the math changes considerably. With blinds of 100/200 and a 25-chip ante, every pre-flop pot (assuming a complete nine-handed table) has 525 sitting in the middle. Here, a typical opening raise of 450 gives you a go to claim 525 chips with out a fight, forming a confident risk-to-reward ratio.

For this reason, lots of the more skilled players and pros don?t even bother to contest the pre-ante levels. By skipping the pre-ante play altogether, they start the overall game competing for pots that actually have some value in accordance with their stack size.

I?m no advocate of skipping levels, and I always show up promptly to play from the start time whenever possible. But nonetheless smarting from my early bust-outs at the Rio, I recognize the importance of playing a snug, tight game with antes in play.

Additional Resources
The strategic approaches had a need to dominate the middle and late stages of a small-buy-in tournament are about as diverse since it gets. Between different playing styles, in-game circumstances, bankroll considerations, and a whole host of external factors, playing properly is a matter of perspective. Owing to the point that I?m not a pro poker player, I figure the simplest way that you perfect your mid- and endgame play is by learning from the very best. To that end, I recommend Jonathan Little?s seminal book on the subject: Approaches for Beating Small Stakes Poker Tournaments. You can examine it out here, but suffice it to state, Little is the leading authority on teaching recreational players how exactly to take their game to another level.

He?s written more than a dozen books on poker instruction, but that one targets the daily/nightly and prelim events that an incredible number of players call home.

Other books to look at are the Harrington on Hold?em series by WSOP legend Dan Harrington, Ace on the River by bracelet winner Barry Greenstein, and the Thinking Poker podcast by Nate Meyvis. I?d also have a look at poker tutorial platforms like Upswing Poker, Run It Up, and Run It Once, which were pioneered by top-tier tournament pros.

Dominating poker tournaments with a minimal buy-in is a superb goal in order to eventually become profitable in events with bigger buy-ins. Use this guide to help you start winning additional money in low buy-in poker tournaments.Craps is one of the most popular games in the casino. Therefore, it feels as though craps is an open book for many players.

But there are also things that nearly all craps players don?t find out about the overall game. Knowing these secrets could make the game more entertaining and help you win extra money.

I?m going to discuss 7 craps secrets that every player should learn as a way to improve both their understanding of the overall game and their odds of winning.

Perhaps you already know some of these secrets. Continue reading to see if you can find ones that you don?t know.

1. Craps Features a Bet without House Edge
Craps offers two of the greatest wagers in casino gambling including pass line and don?t pass line. Here?s how both of these bets work:

Pass Line
Pays 1:1
True it’s likely that 251:244
1.41% house edge
Wins on turn out roll (first roll of new round) when 7 or 11 are rolled
Loses on come out roll when 2, 3 or 12 are rolled
Point is set up if 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 are rolled
Point number should be rolled before 7 to win
Don?t Pass Line
Pays 1:1
True it’s likely that 976:949
1.36% house edge
Wins on turn out roll (first roll of new round) when 2 or 3 3 are rolled
Pushes on come out when 12 is rolled
Loses on come out roll when 7 or 11 are rolled
Point is set up if 4, 5, 6, 8, 9 or 10 are rolled
7 must be rolled before the point number to win
Considering that the pass line and don?t pass line have such low house edges, they give you a great opportunity to win.

But the number 1 secret craps players should know is that there?s also a wager called ?odds,? also it doesn?t have any house edge.

An odds bet is positioned behind your pass line or don?t pass line wager. These bets pay at true odds, which explains why they don?t have a residence advantage.

The higher the chances you take, the lower the overall house edge you?ll be facing. Here?s how much the house edge drops using the size of one's odds:

Odds Pass Line Bet Don?t Pass Line Bet
0x 1.41% house edge 1.36% house edge
1x 0.848% 0.682%
2x 0.606% 0.455%
Full Double Odds 0.572% 0.431%
3x 0.471% 0.341%
3x-4x-5x 0.374% 0.273%
5x 0.326% 0.227%
10x 0.184% 0.124%
20x 0.099% 0.065%
100x 0.021% 0.014%
Some players are unaware of odds wagers because casinos don?t list them up for grabs. Instead, you must notify the dealer that you?re likely to back a bet with odds.

Here?s what you got to know when putting odds behind either the pass line or don?t pass line:

Odds with Pass Line
Called ?taking odds?
Placed after point number is set up
Point number must be rolled before a 7 so that you can win
Pays 2:1 on point numbers of 4 and 10
Pays 3:2 on points of 5 and 9
Pays 6:5 on points of 6 and 8
Odds with Don?t Pass Line
Called ?taking odds?
Placed after point number is established
7 should be rolled before a point number so that you can win
Pays 1:2 for points of 4 and 10
Pays 2:3 for points of 5 and 9
Pays 5:6 for points of 6 and 8
2. The Cromwell Supplies the Highest Odds Bets
Odds is the only wager in the casino where you?re not facing a residence advantage. For this reason some gamblers take the best odds they possibly can.

The downside is that you truly need to front the money for the odds bets. Here?s an example:

The minimum bet is $10
You intend to take 10x odds
You?ll have to bet another $100
Your total wager is currently $110
Not surprisingly larger investment, craps players are prepared to bet more money to boost their likelihood of winning.

If you want the best odds possible, you then need to visit The Cromwell in NEVADA.

The Cromwell currently supplies the world?s largest craps odds at 100x. This casino also lets you make a $5 minimum wager, which is incredible considering the size of odds you can bet.

Main Street Station is another Vegas casino that provides generous odds. Their maximum odds are 20x, combined with a $5 minimum bet.

In the event that you don?t plan on taking a trip to Sin City any time soon, then you?re out of luck so far as getting really high odds. It is possible to benefit from Betsoft and Playtech craps games though, which both feature 3x odds coupled with a $1 bet.

3. Casinos don?t Offer Big Comps to Craps Players
Many beginner craps players enter into the overall game with visions of racking up big comps. Nevertheless, you that craps is probably the worst games in terms of rewards.

The reason why is basically because craps gives you such a strong chance to win that casinos can?t afford to generously comp you.

Therefore, you?ll often get a 0.1% comp rate on your own total bets. Some casinos offer a 0.2% rate, but this is becoming more rare nowadays.

The only real craps players who earn big rewards are those that place several wagers on each turn. Needless to say, this exposes you more to the home edge, especially when you?re making risky prop bets.

Here?s a good example of everything you?ll typically receive when it comes to craps comps with reduced betting:

Casino comp rate is 0.1%
You make $25 pass line wagers (1.41% house edge)
The average number of rolls per hour is 119
Your pass line bet requires an average of 7 rolls to be decided
This puts you at 17 bets per hour, or $425 in total wagers
Your theoretical comp value is $0.43 each hour (425 x 0.001)
Your theoretical losses are $5.99 each hour
Obviously, no craps player would continue rolling simply for comps that are worth just 1/10 of theoretical losses. Nevertheless, you need to definitely put yourself in line to earn craps rewards.

The nice thing about playing online craps is that the program will automatically keep an eye on your rewards points. At most online casinos, all you need to do is subscribe and make a deposit to be part of the rewards program.

Land-based casinos will vary, though, because you actually have to join up for this program yourself. It is possible to either do this by visiting the casino?s website or visiting the ball player?s desk in person.

Once you?re area of the rewards program, it is possible to give your player?s club card to the craps dealer and inform them that you wish to be rated. The dealer will give your card to the pit boss who'll keep track of your bets and assign comps fairly.

4. You?ve been Lied to about Dice Control
Some casino games have an edge play method that allows skilled players to win long-term profits. Dice control is allegedly the benefit play method in craps.

Dice control begins by holding the dice in a specific manner (a.k.a. setting). The V-shape ? where you hold the dice with 3s forming a ?V? ? is probably the most-popular sets.

The next aspect to dice control is that you need to practice tossing the dice very much the same every time (a.k.a. controlled shooting).

Controlled shooting enthusiasts often rig a craps table in their basement so that they can practice. The theory is that with enough practice, you?ll eventually have the ability to control a few of your throws. That is similar to what sort of pro basketball player will practice their shot again and again until they?ve developed great technique.

What?s great about dice control is that you only need to produce a desired throw (usually avoiding 7?s) occasionally to win. Here?s an example:

You?re attempting to avoid tossing a 7 on point throws
7 comes up an average of seven times per 42 tosses
You?ll gain a long-term edge if you only toss a 7 on six out of 42 rolls
All of this sounds great theoretically, but can someone really control a craps toss with any certainty when you yourself have to bounce dice off the rubberized back wall?

Dominic LoRiggio and Frank Scoblete claim that you can, plus they?ve made a lot of money selling books and classes on the subject.

Scoblete often references ?The Captain,? a late craps player who was simply supposedly banned from many casinos, as proof controlled shooting.

But there?s no proof that The Captain ever existed, nor that dice control works.

Gambling legend Stanford Wong was skeptical of controlled shooting and challenged Scoblete on the matter. Wong eventually came to the conclusion that dice control may or may possibly not be possible. This is the closest I?ve ever seen regarding a recognised expert outside of LoRiggio or Scoblete claiming that dice control my work.

This isn?t like card counting where we've verifiable proof that it works, including successful players being banned. Instead, dice control is a theory which has never been proven all together.

5. The Longest Craps Roll Belongs to a Complete Amateur
One account that shatters the controlled shooting theory is the story of Patricia Demauro.

This New Jersey grandmother once produced 154 consecutive rolls before sevening out. The odds of this happening are just one in 1.56 trillion.

One especially interesting thing here's that Demauro was only playing craps for the second time ever when she embarked on her legendary turn.

She was visiting Atlantic City?s Borgata Hotel Casino and Spa with a pal. Demauro planned to play slots while her friend was playing table games, but she got bored and found her friend who suggested that they should play craps together. Little did they know that Demauro would end up rolling for 4 hours and 18 minutes.

A crowd gathered around to witness craps history as she kept rolling again and again. Demauro was surprised at the spectacle and even admitted to the table that she wasn?t an experienced player.

Nevertheless, she produced 154 consecutive tosses and made a fortune in the process. This story implies that any craps player, irrespective of their experience, will get hot.

6. World War 2 Soldiers Popularized Craps in America
Historians have traced craps back so far as 900 BC, when Etruscans held a priestess ceremony that involved a hybrid version of baccarat and craps.

The Etruscans could have a potential priestess throw 9-sided dice to find out her fate. If she rolled an 8 or 9, she was destined to be a priestess.

Rolling a 6 or 7 meant that she wasn?t fit for the work, but still surely got to live. Rolling from 1-5 had dire consequences in that the woman was drowned in the sea.

English soldiers played a craps variation called Hazard through the Crusades. This can be the first known point ever sold when craps started to take its current form.

The French quickly adopted Hazard and began playing it in their gambling houses. The French also brought Hazard to America where Cajuns coined the term ?craps.?

While craps retained some popularity in the American gambling community, it wasn?t until after World War II that the game truly took off.

WWII soldiers frequently played street craps during their downtime. The key reason why they played craps so often is because it?s easy to carry around a pair of dice and money.

Soon, soldiers were playing the game on ship decks, air force bases and in the cargo beds of trucks. These same WW II veterans made craps more popular in casinos once the war ended.

Craps? popularity has continue steadily to remain strong ever since. Many players attended to realize that this game features camaraderie unlike any in the casino.

7. Craps Features Hidden Superstitions that you need to Avoid
Some of the biggest craps secrets include the numerous superstitions that you ought to avoid. Otherwise, you can upset veteran craps players who are also highly superstitious.

The casino doesn?t need you to know any of these beliefs, but other players depend on luck to win, plus they don?t want anybody bringing bad karma to the table.

Here are the largest craps superstitions that you should abide by to get alongside fellow players:

Don?t roll the dice off the table. Many players believe that dice hitting the floor is a bad sign.
Male virgin shooters, or those taking their first turn shooting, are misfortune. On the other hand, female virgin shooters are believed good luck.
Don?t touch a hot shooter in any way (e.g. high-fives, pats on the back), or you could theoretically disrupt their rhythm.
Avoid saying the term ?seven? at the table.
Keep your hands off the table. Dice hitting a player?s hand is another bad sign.
Some players won?t bet on a new shooter given that they think the dice will be ?cold.? The new shooter needs to ?warm up? the dice.

The primary craps secrets that can help your bottom line include knowing about odds bets and where you can find the highest odds.

Also remember that there?s no chance to beat craps beyond backing the top wagers (pass line, don?t pass line) with odds. Controlled shooting might sound interesting, but I strongly believe it?s a hoax.
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