The Empty Table

Long ago there was one dice crew that hired a very attractive young lady to draw traffic to their table. She got a bit of extra money and some interaction with the shooters and it gave her an interesting start to her real profession in the casino. Meanwhile the crew was getting tips and the table was fairly crowded.

I want to throw the dice when I play so I seek out the empty tables... or near empty. That's the only reason.

What draws me to an empty table? The ability to gamble in peace. The desire to start my own streak and enjoy such solace in a world of my own. The opportunity to do all crazy sorts of bets without having a packed table to worry about keeping track of every bet.

I guess there are pros and cons and even our personal preferences may vary a bit depending upon whether the Tray Lizard has already been around a few times and upon whether the "crowd" at the table has any attractive females in it.

The only time I think an empty table can be really deadly is when the entire crew is on the EO list and just chomping at the bit ... they really don't want you there and the speed of the dice and quality of the calls will surely be likely to indicate that they want you at the other table so they can bring the lid down and get out early.

Quote: AlanMendelson

I want to throw the dice when I play so I seek out the empty tables... or near empty. That's the only reason.

Yup, people will join me, soon enough.

I also know that I am playing the human RNG when I shoot, but I hate, "Losing other people money," on one of my rolls, so I almost prefer to be by myself. I especially hate it when some bets something like Boxcars and implores me to throw it, I just look at them and say, "1 in 36, so sorry about the result of this next roll, but it probably won't be Midnight."

If I am not with my partners, I prefer one other person at the table. I want to relax after I seven out but not have to wait for the dice to come around a crowded table. I only take the dice three or four times unless I am hot. Standing for hours at a craps table is not fun. I prefer therefore to play early in the morning, between 5 and 6.

I have no problem playing at an empty table. In fact, given the choice of playing at an empty table, or playing at a table with 10 people, I will choose the former every time.
I am a rhythm shooter. I like to get into a nice flow and just let the dice go. This is easy to do when I am shooting by myself.
I have also found that the more people on a table, the more chances for the stupid ass bettors who are calling out horn whatevers, and then arguing over whether or not they got paid right. Or the C/E bettor who throws 4 chips down that fly all over the table. There are plenty of people that have no clue about Place betting, but the horn/craps newbies are by far the most irritating.

Given the choice of a crowded $10 table, or having to step up to $25 table to play with just a couple of players, I will generally head to the $25 table, even though that is too stiff for my BR. On the positive side though, if I get into a good roll, you make money quickly on a $25 table. And the people on the $25 table tend to know what they are doing. They may still bet the horn and craps, but they know what they are betting, and they do it quickly.

My ideal table has 2 players at each end

Quote: Mission146

I also know that I am playing the human RNG when I shoot, but I hate, "Losing other people money," on one of my rolls, so I almost prefer to be by myself. I especially hate it when some bets something like Boxcars and implores me to throw it, I just look at them and say, "1 in 36, so sorry about the result of this next roll, but it probably won't be Midnight."

Interesting.

At the Fremont a guy walked up and placed a large bet on any seven when I was shooting the come out. He asked me to get it for him. I said "I'll try." well, I threw a 3 <sigh> which also lost me my pass line bet. The gentleman wasn't upset at all, at least not at me. He said "Oh, well. The dice do what they want," winked at me and left.

I don't mind that at all. it's part of the social aspect of the game, like applauding a point, a number you bet on, or a good roll.

One time, though, I missed the chance to amke a pass line bet. So rather than sit out the entire roll, I palced 6 & 8 and made a come bet. The guy throws a seven right away. I was upset. So I told the dealer "I should get a refund on that," when he collected the place bets. He asked "On the come, too?" And we both laughed.

I don't like the empty table because it plays too fast.

I only play on empty tables, I want the dice in my hands, and will play at weird hours just to find them. While everybody is in bed, I'm out out playing craps. I avoid tables with anybody on them like the plague!
What everybody is going to see in this thread is most DI's do not want to play on tables with anybody on them. Sure there are some that will tell you that they need someone else on the table so they can get a break when they are shooting. They want to finds tables with only a few players on the table.

I put so much time into becoming a DI I never want the dice in anybody's hand and will usually go to the tables with one or two other DI's that I know really well, they know how I bet my game and what to bet on when I'm shooting, the same thing goes for me betting on them. I will only go to the tables with a few of the guys that come into town for a class, when one of the schools are in town, that don't play musical chairs and don't do the five count or any other silly thing. They don't take their classes into casinos and if they did you wouldn't see me at the table with them. They will play at the times I play, doing the samething,.. finding an empty table.

I know of some good guys that are not DI's that will try to find a table with only a very few players on them, because they want to see what every shooter can do before they bet on them, you don't have to be a DI to win at craps, but the way I figure it you are better off taking destiny in your own hands.

The trouble playing at times when the casinos are full of players is as soon as you find a empty table, it will only last for a few minutes, once others see you shooting the table will fill up, most players don't want to be the only player on the table.

Years ago, when Sunset Station was new, I was in there shooting on a table that had three other players on it, the table behind us was just going off there was so much screaming that I kept looking over at it to see what was happening. A spot opened up I my curiosity got the best of me, and I was going to get in on this super hot table, I picked up my chips and made a bee line for that table.

What happened next shocked the hell right out of me, this table was cheering every time someone throw a seven, it didn't matter that they were all losing. That's what can happen when your paying to much attention to the table your on and didn't see that the dice were going around the table.
That taught me a lesson, I never pay attention to what other tables are doing, I don't need to, because I'm not playing in a casino with a bunch of full tables. That happened years ago, when I knew no better, but was at a time where I knew all the good shooters there, that now days everybody that is a DI would call random shooters, because they didn't set the dice, there were six guys and two to three women that you could find at the craps tables every night and they all were good shooters. They were all locals and none of them set the dice, I was the only one that did in that casino.

The other trouble of playing on full tables is, that you will have a lot of movement of players buying in and coloring up, so you can never get the feel of what the table is doing. You lose good shooters, and they are replaced with a new player, now you got to figure out if you can bet on that new player.

To put this in perspective,.. no DI wants to wait over an hour or more to get the dice and most DI's do not think of a casinos as an entertainment experience, we spend way to much time in the casinos, even though I only want to be in one for one to two hours tops when I'm shooting! I don't go to them for entertainment, I will not go for any of their stupid promotions and don't want any of the crap they give away to the locals, to suck them into hitting the casinos. Very seldom will I even go there to eat or see a show, I don't give a players card, I don't want the casinos that I didn't make the mistake of getting a players card in to know who I am. Unfortunately when I first stared out, I got players cards and there are some casinos that I don't give them to that will still have me in their computer, with the comps that I rack up in those casinos, when I have someone in town or all the or children are here I will get them a room.

For those of you that don't know anything about comp's here is a good interview that you should listen to, it's the one on june 13 in the link for the radio show.

http://www.bobdancer.com/radio.cfm