Musical Dice -- My Craps Blog

     Unlike previous trips to Lake Charles. where I also had to work, I didn't have to, this time. That's because my software development contract had emded five days earlier. So I had a lot more time for actual gambling.

     At first, I couldn't get onto any craps tables, so I played blackjack first, winning a semi-quick 50 at L'Auberge, theh winning $17.50 combined at two very choppy blackjack tables at Golden Nugget. Then I played poker. still at Golden Nugget, winning 148, for a combined win of $165.50, and a total profit margin so far of $215.50. After dinner, I played blackjack at L'Auberge once again, winning $200, extending my profit margin to $415.50. But dammit, I still wasn't able to get into any craps games!

     After my wife and I took a rest, we decided to go back into the casino, still at L'Auberge, and finally, I got into a craps game. Lately, I'd been experimenting with a lower toss, but when I tried it, it was like a bomb went off, and I kept crapping out early before I could regress with my Two-Hit Blackout strategu. I ended up losing $1013 at that table. Oh sure, I got $12 of it back at the poker table after 5 hours (I do admit also, paying more attention to poker lately as well), so my loss for the session was $1001, making me down $585.50 for the day.

     After breakfast, I got into a craps game at Golden Nugget. This table was a $10 table, and here, I used half of my Two-Hit Blackout strategy, doing 220 inside for two rolls, then regressing down to 2 units. That lasted long enough for me to win $64 (I crapped out not long after the regression). Then I won an additional $112.50 at the blackjack table, for a combined win of $176.50, chopping my deficit down to $409.

     My biggest win of the trip was at the blackjack table, when my wife and I returned to L'Auberge, where I won $537.50, getting me out of the hole.

     What seemed to be the highlight of this trip, regarding my craps shooting, occurred in the mid-afternoon, when I got onto a $15 table at L'Auberge. I shot a 17 from the right end, using my Yo-Yo dice set, with the lower toss. I also used my Two-Hit Blackout strategy, but instead, regressing after only one roll. That's because initially on the come-out, I had a seven-winner, plus two snake-eye rolls, which the Whirl bet (part of my strategy) covered, making me a net of $84 for those 3 rolls. Plus I was still gun-shy about leaving those bets out there too long, after getting smacked the previous night. There were a lot of horn rolls in that set of 17, but I still ended up $231 ahead, when I crapped out. I did win $40.50 more at three very choppy blackjack tables, but then lost 210 playing poker. I did manage to salvage a total win of $61.50 for the session, making my profit margin an even $190.

     We then had dinner at Charlie's, off the casino property, and I got stuffed, having a verg delicious burger with three different cheeses, but the potato skin appetizers was really what did it. They were great. The only place where I had better potato skins was at the Peppermill restaurants in San Jose and Daly City California (this was over 20 years ago, when I used to live in the Bay Area). They don't have these at the Peppermill in Las Vegas, and I'm hoping to see in the near future, if they have them at the Peppermill casino in Reno.

     Okay, enough digression, back to the casinos! After dinner my wife and I went to Golden Nugget. There, I got into a $10 craps game. Initially, I was doing my Two-Hit Blackout strategy, scaled down to half the risk, due to it being only a 10-dollar table. But after four rolls in a row of being non-productive horn numbers, I took the bets down, and did 2 units inside instead. I soon crapped out. It was only because I bet on a random shooter at the right time, that I was able to get my money back at this table, plus $23. Then I went over to a blackjack table, which was pretty good. At one point, while the dealer was shuffling, I had time to think. I was up $187.50 at that table. I added the $23 I won at the craps table, and I figured, that made up for the 210 I lost at the poker table earlier. With that in mind, I left, booking a $210.50 win at Golden Nugget, boosting my profits up to $400.50. And that's where it ended for the day

     However, that would be the last time I would be ahead for this trip.

     I was hoping to increase my profit margin early this morning, so I went to the craps table at L'Auberge, where my wife and I were staying. But this session would prove disastrous. Three different rolls, I crapped out early, using my aforementioned strategy here on a $15 table. I lost $1083 at the craps table, which was probably the same one that I'd lost at earlier at L'Auberge (the dice were really behaving weird). Nack in the hole again, this time for $532.50.

     After breakfast and checkout, I thought I'd try to win back the money at the blackjack table, still at L'Auberge, just like I did the previous day. But this table was absolutely horrible, and I, instead ended up losing another $925. That loss really stung!

     From there, my wife and I walked over to Golden Nugget. There, I got into a poker game. I decided to play this first, mainly to calm my nerves, since it is a slower-paced game, and I'd lose my money slower. Coincidentally, after 2 hours, I won the exact same amount here that I did in the first poker session--$148. Lots of exciting highlights from these poker sessions, which I won't get into here, but if you want to know more details about what happened, email me at musicaldice323@gmail.com, and I'll tell you all about it.

     I had one final session back at L'Auberge. First of all, I won $200 combined at two blackjack tables (175 + 25). Then, I went to a craps table, which I think was the same one where I'd won $231 at the previous day (and also where I'd won $950 at back in July). I felt I had something to prove there, so I did my full Two-Hit Blackout strategy, shooting from the end, using my Yo=Yo dice set. This time, hitting two 9's for my two inside hits, I was able to regress. I did press the 9, since I had already rolled it twice. However, the next roll was seven-out. I won $88 at the craps table, for a final session win of $288. I finished the trip down $1021.50, but fortunately, I still am ahead $1264.50 for the year.

     I think the big takeaway from this trip is that I need to practice more. And since I have a lot more extra time, I will.

     It occurred to me after finishing the blog entry regarding my latest trip to Lake Charles, that I really need to enumerate these trips, since there are so many of them in the blog already. So I assigned roman numerals to each of the seven Lake Charles trips I have in the blog (I decided against emumerating them based on the total trips I made to Lake Charles in the past 8 years, which is actually 95). Also, on the multi-day trips where I had the last day first, I re-organized those entries too, so to the reader, it would make more sense. I hope you like the changes. ☺

     Today, November 14th, 2021, marks 100 months exactly that my wife and I have been together (we met 7/14/2013). So this trip was meant for us to be together, and to celebrate our time together

     If only the gambling had cooperated.

     At L'Auberge, after winning $125 at a blackjack table, then I played craps. My shooting was terrible, always sevening out early. My wife, the epitome of a random shooter, was nonetheless the better shooter. I "only" lost $174 at that table. I managed to eek out a win, winning $60 at another blackjack table, for an overall win of $11.

     From there, my wife and I went to Golden Nugget. There, I played poker, winning $111. I then played blackjack, waiting for a spot to open up at the craps table. Turned out to a big mistake, for the cards were horrible, and I lost $800. After dinner at Vic & Anthony's (a very nice steak dinner, BTW), the craps table opened up. Again, my shooting was not good, but another shooter's roll netted me $114. Silly me, thinking I could make up the other $575 at the blackjack tables, thinking the cards had changed. Instead, I lost another $412.50, for a net loss at Golden Nugget of $987.50. Blackjack, my highest-winning percentage casino game, ruined a perfectly good win.

     We returned to L'Auberge, and I got onto a craps table. At times, just at the previous craps tables, I was using the Quarter Pounder With Ease strategy (thank you, Bryan for developing this strategy) for a roll or two on other shooters, and it would work out, minimizing the losses on my rolls. On someone else's roll, I ended up winning $169 at the table. What also made that table enjoyable was a colorful black woman named Lily, whose commentary made me laugh from time to time. A lady after my own heart, only that it's already taken. Anyway, if only I'd stopped there. But I HAD to try for a big win at the poker table. At one point, I was ahead over $350, but then I lost several big pots, and eventually busted out for my $500 buy-in. Worse yet, I lost another $925 at the blackjack table. Day 1 ended on a VERY sour note.

     It wasn't until mid-day that I even started gambling again. It was at the Golden Nugget on the craps table that I played. Again, I was plagued with early crap-outs, although I had ONE time that I was able to regress down, after doing 220 inside for two rolls at the $10 table. I got most of my money back on someone else's shoot, but then I just had to try to get the rest back on my next shoot. Point-Seven-Out again!! I ended up $342 down there. After losing another $500 at the poker table at L'Auberge, I was through for the trip.

     As far as gambling goes, this was my worst trip to Lake Charles in about 6½ years, for I ended up down $3012 altogether. So much for that pretty idea of finishing up for the year. I'm now down $1747.50 for the year.

     There would be no gambling on this day. Yes, I still had some gambling money left, but I didn't feel like risking any more of it. For some reason, I'm just plain off on this trip, and I need to head home, re-charge, and try it again at a much later time.

     One of my other hobbies is writing fictional stories. About 3½ years ago, I wrote a story, in which one of the scenes was that of a female dice controller who was very much off for a long trip to Vegas, only to find out that she was pregnant. She had this totally befuddled look on her face as she kept crapping out early. But now it is me who is befuddled. Since I'm not gambling today, I'm creating this entry into the Craps Blog. My wife and I still have a few hours before our bus is due to leave, heading home to Houston. We still have time to spend together, and enjoy each other's company, the way we always do. My wife loves people-watching, and she saw a man, who was at the same craps table as I was on Sunday, get thrown out of the casino for trying to take pictures on his cell phone, something he was trying to do on Sunday, as well, apparently. My wife had told me then that he was going to get thrown out, and apparently, she was right. She also said that she thinks he had come to Lake Charles on the same bus as we did on Sunday. I hope she's wrong.

     Since I'm not gambling today, I'm creating this entry into the Craps Blog. My wife and I still have a few hours before our bus is due to leave, heading home to Houston. We still have time to spend together, and enjoy each other's company, the way we always do. My wife loves people-watching, and she saw a man, who was at the same craps table as I was on Sunday, get thrown out of the casino for trying to take pictures on his cell phone, something he was trying to do on Sunday, as well, apparently. My wife had told me then that he was going to get thrown out, and apparently, she was right. She also said that she thinks he had come to Lake Charles on the same bus as we did on Sunday. I hope she's wrong.

     With nothing else left to say, I'll just conclude this blog entry here. Hopefully, I'll have better luck the next time I come out to Lake Charles.