Musical Dice -- My Craps Blog
December 26, 2025
The holiday season has been a very busy time for me and my wife, and thus, we hadn't been out to a casino since our Vegas trip six weeks ago. That said, I now have two exciting announcements: First of all, we'll be in Lake Charles the 28th to the 30th of this month. Secondly, we'll also be in Biloxi from January 27th to the 30th. More on both of these trips coming up in future blog entries. Stay tuned! ☺
Decenver 28-30, 2025 -- LAKE CHARLES XLVII -- Last Chance For 2025
As busy as me and my wife had been lately, with the holidays, trying to promote our businesses, etc., we couldn't make it to a casino for about a month and a half. In fact, it had been over two months since we'd been to Lake Charles. This time, we booked two nights at L'Auberge, How will this last gambling trip of 2025 go? Let's find out together!
Day 1 -- Then It Hit Me
This time, when we arrived at L'Auberge, the room wasn't ready at first. So I decided to play some. First, I went to a craps table, which was a $15 table. There, I played the Pass line with the intent of trying out the Arnold strategy. However, I had a Whirl bet out there as well, and a yo roll on the come-out fueled a change of plans to play 6 and 8 for 24 each, and to place single odds behind the point of 10. It worked long enough to win only $25. But that was okay, since I just wanted to get my feet wet. I did add $50 at the blackjack table, for a session win of $75. Not a bad start.
After that, the room became ready, and we checked in. It was then that it hit me how tired we both were. For the bus ride to Lake Charles was rather cramped and uncomfortable, due to it being unusually crowded. As a result, we spent the rest of the afternoon in bed watching football games. It was a welcome change of pace from the past several weeks.
We had dinner at the Ember Steakhouse, still in L'Auberge. One change from our usual: No blue cheese on the wedge salad, given what happened to me 7 weeks ago in Vegas. The meal was still most delicious and filling.
After dinner, I decided to play craps, still at L'Auberge. This time, it was at a $25 table. This time, I played the Arnold strategy with $25 units on the Pass line, and the Come bets, and $100 on the DC. I made $25 doing that the first time. Then I switched to the 4x + 1 strategy, doing 440 inside for one hit. Fortunately for me, a 5 hit, and I immediately reduced to 110 inside, netting $30 more. But that would be all for that strategy, as the shooter soon crapped out. Then I went back to the Arnold strategy. This time, I made $50 with it. It was at that point that I left the table $105 ahead. I felt like I really had to grind that one out, but I still felt pretty good afterwards.
From there, we went to Golden Nugget. There, I tried the Arnold strategy again, but my DC bets kept getting sniped. It eas then that the meal really hit me. Admittedly, I went on tilt instead of leaving the table. I ended up losing $813 at that $25 table. I ended up down $633 for the day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.
Day 2 -- Oh, You Remember
The first gambling session on this day was at L'Auberge, after breakfast. This time, it was a $25 craps table. This time, I used the Progressive Come strategy, beginning with $25 on the Pass line. Somebody, who apparently has seen me play before, told me that the table was pretty bad, which was why I was willing to try this strategy. I figured the shooter would crap out early. The point was 5. I then made a $50 Come bet, which traveled to the 10. Then I made a $100 Come bet. I thought surely the shooter would crap out then. Instead, the Come bet traveled to the 8. I told the guy standing next to me, "Now, I pray." The 8 came soon afterwards, and I was already out of the hand. After a long while, then the shooter rolled a 10. I then placed the 6 and 8 for $30 each. I think the 8 hit again. But soon afterwards, the shooter crapped out. I made $95 at the table, for I left after then. Again, I just wanted to get my feet wet with an easy session to start the day off.
The next gambling session took place at Golden Nugget. After unsuccessfully trying to get into a poker game (the wait was too long), I went to a craps table. It was a $15 table this time. Things got off to a very rocky start, as I kept getting sniped on the DC when I tried the Arnold strategy. Before anything real good started happening, I had invested $1200. Not long after I'd bought in for that last 200, this woman at the other end of the table was shooting, and she did pretty good. At one point, I had a bet on the hardways, and she rolled a hard 4. When I yelled out "Deuces Wild!" she responded with "Shut the front door!" Anyone who responds that way, has obviously seen me play before, for that is my most-used expression at the craps table. This surprised me, for I don't remember seeing this woman play at my table before. Anyway, after she crapped out, the dice came to me. From my position at Right End, I choose to go with the Yo-Yo dice set. Ironically, I didn't even think I was shooting all that well, for even when I was using my low-toss delivery, the dice were going off crooked. But nonetheless, this turned out to be a real good shoot, just enough to make my Best Craps Shoots Hall Of Fame page, for I shot 20 times when I crapped out. I was still down, but by less than $200. I stayed around for the next two shooters. For the following shooter, I did a variation of a new strategy I'm soon going to publish, called the DC-35 strategy. After a point was established, I made a $100 Don't Come bet, and after it traveled to the 6, I did 78 across, covering the other numbers. 4 and 10 each hit once before the 7 came. Made $76 off the roll, For the last shooter, I played the Pass line for $20, with the intention of doing either the Arnold or the Progressive Come strategy. But I also had a $10 Whirl bet, which kept hitting, either with Yo's or 7-Winners. I knew then that I'd gotten my money back, so I just stayed put after the point was established. When the shooter crapped out, I left the table $41 ahead. Whew! What a battle!
From there, I played at the Horseshoe. Again, I got off to a rocky start. However, this time, the good rolls didn't really come this time. For I didn't shoot that good there. Oddly enough, the same woman that was at my table at Golden Nugget, was also at my table at the Horseshoe. But neither of us had good shoots this time. However, the dice were not nice at this table. The woman soon left, and I left $548 down.
After that, we returned to L'Auuberge, and rested for quite a while. We even watched part of that football game where my Rams played horrbly against the Atlanta Falcons for the first half of the game. We then ate dinner at the Chinese restaurant there. It was my intention to get into a craps game, or a blackjack game. But all tables were full, so I just called it a day. I finished down $412 for the day. Argh!
Day 3 -- The One Game I Didn't Lose At
As far as gambling sessions go, my best one on this trip came this morning, but very little of it was due to craps. I won $16 playing the Progressive Come strategy. I did end up ahead, but got shot down trying to make a move, placing 6 and 8 after I was assured that I was ahead. That craps session was sandwiched in between two blackjack sessions, one where I won $150, and the other where I won $100, for a total casino win at L'Auberge of $266.
My final session was at Golden Nugget. I was determined to play poker this time. So after I got on the waiting list for poker, I played craps. Another time of playing the Progressive Come strategy, where I won $32 with what is a pretty grindy strategy. I played blackjack, and I ran into big trouble there. The cards were absolutely horrible, and when I was finally called to the poker table, I left the blackjack table down $522.50. At the poker table, it was pretty grindy there too, with me winning a mere $27 after almost 2 hours. Hey, it's better than a loss, plus poker was the one game I played on this trip, where I didn't lose. The session was a loss, being down overall for $463.50
For the day, I "only" lost $197.50. For the trip, I ended up down $1242.50. For the year as a whole, in terms of actual numbers, this was my worst gambling year ever (this includes a series of substantial poker losses I suffered in Southern California in June, not part of this blog). I did end up just under $1200 ahead for the year, playing blackjack. As far as winning percentages, they were near or above normal in all three games. In craps, my normal win percentage is just above a 2-1 ration, and this year, it was exactly a 2-1 ratio. In blackjack, my normal win percentage is just above a 3-1 ratio, and this year, it was closer to 5½-1. With poker, my win percentage normally is about 55%, and this year, it was closer to 57%. Hopefully, next year will be better.
One thing I'm going to try to do in the new year, is take a few more chances when I'm just slightly ahead. On this last trip, I only had one craps session where I'd won over $100. I'm hoping to change that, but I also realize that this may lower my win percentage. We'll see how long this New Year's resolution holds up. In the meantime, I wish everybody a happy and prosperous New Year! ☺
The holiday season has been a very busy time for me and my wife, and thus, we hadn't been out to a casino since our Vegas trip six weeks ago. That said, I now have two exciting announcements: First of all, we'll be in Lake Charles the 28th to the 30th of this month. Secondly, we'll also be in Biloxi from January 27th to the 30th. More on both of these trips coming up in future blog entries. Stay tuned! ☺
As busy as me and my wife had been lately, with the holidays, trying to promote our businesses, etc., we couldn't make it to a casino for about a month and a half. In fact, it had been over two months since we'd been to Lake Charles. This time, we booked two nights at L'Auberge, How will this last gambling trip of 2025 go? Let's find out together!
This time, when we arrived at L'Auberge, the room wasn't ready at first. So I decided to play some. First, I went to a craps table, which was a $15 table. There, I played the Pass line with the intent of trying out the Arnold strategy. However, I had a Whirl bet out there as well, and a yo roll on the come-out fueled a change of plans to play 6 and 8 for 24 each, and to place single odds behind the point of 10. It worked long enough to win only $25. But that was okay, since I just wanted to get my feet wet. I did add $50 at the blackjack table, for a session win of $75. Not a bad start.
After that, the room became ready, and we checked in. It was then that it hit me how tired we both were. For the bus ride to Lake Charles was rather cramped and uncomfortable, due to it being unusually crowded. As a result, we spent the rest of the afternoon in bed watching football games. It was a welcome change of pace from the past several weeks.
We had dinner at the Ember Steakhouse, still in L'Auberge. One change from our usual: No blue cheese on the wedge salad, given what happened to me 7 weeks ago in Vegas. The meal was still most delicious and filling.
After dinner, I decided to play craps, still at L'Auberge. This time, it was at a $25 table. This time, I played the Arnold strategy with $25 units on the Pass line, and the Come bets, and $100 on the DC. I made $25 doing that the first time. Then I switched to the 4x + 1 strategy, doing 440 inside for one hit. Fortunately for me, a 5 hit, and I immediately reduced to 110 inside, netting $30 more. But that would be all for that strategy, as the shooter soon crapped out. Then I went back to the Arnold strategy. This time, I made $50 with it. It was at that point that I left the table $105 ahead. I felt like I really had to grind that one out, but I still felt pretty good afterwards.
From there, we went to Golden Nugget. There, I tried the Arnold strategy again, but my DC bets kept getting sniped. It eas then that the meal really hit me. Admittedly, I went on tilt instead of leaving the table. I ended up losing $813 at that $25 table. I ended up down $633 for the day. Hopefully, tomorrow will be better.
The first gambling session on this day was at L'Auberge, after breakfast. This time, it was a $25 craps table. This time, I used the Progressive Come strategy, beginning with $25 on the Pass line. Somebody, who apparently has seen me play before, told me that the table was pretty bad, which was why I was willing to try this strategy. I figured the shooter would crap out early. The point was 5. I then made a $50 Come bet, which traveled to the 10. Then I made a $100 Come bet. I thought surely the shooter would crap out then. Instead, the Come bet traveled to the 8. I told the guy standing next to me, "Now, I pray." The 8 came soon afterwards, and I was already out of the hand. After a long while, then the shooter rolled a 10. I then placed the 6 and 8 for $30 each. I think the 8 hit again. But soon afterwards, the shooter crapped out. I made $95 at the table, for I left after then. Again, I just wanted to get my feet wet with an easy session to start the day off.
The next gambling session took place at Golden Nugget. After unsuccessfully trying to get into a poker game (the wait was too long), I went to a craps table. It was a $15 table this time. Things got off to a very rocky start, as I kept getting sniped on the DC when I tried the Arnold strategy. Before anything real good started happening, I had invested $1200. Not long after I'd bought in for that last 200, this woman at the other end of the table was shooting, and she did pretty good. At one point, I had a bet on the hardways, and she rolled a hard 4. When I yelled out "Deuces Wild!" she responded with "Shut the front door!" Anyone who responds that way, has obviously seen me play before, for that is my most-used expression at the craps table. This surprised me, for I don't remember seeing this woman play at my table before. Anyway, after she crapped out, the dice came to me. From my position at Right End, I choose to go with the Yo-Yo dice set. Ironically, I didn't even think I was shooting all that well, for even when I was using my low-toss delivery, the dice were going off crooked. But nonetheless, this turned out to be a real good shoot, just enough to make my Best Craps Shoots Hall Of Fame page, for I shot 20 times when I crapped out. I was still down, but by less than $200. I stayed around for the next two shooters. For the following shooter, I did a variation of a new strategy I'm soon going to publish, called the DC-35 strategy. After a point was established, I made a $100 Don't Come bet, and after it traveled to the 6, I did 78 across, covering the other numbers. 4 and 10 each hit once before the 7 came. Made $76 off the roll, For the last shooter, I played the Pass line for $20, with the intention of doing either the Arnold or the Progressive Come strategy. But I also had a $10 Whirl bet, which kept hitting, either with Yo's or 7-Winners. I knew then that I'd gotten my money back, so I just stayed put after the point was established. When the shooter crapped out, I left the table $41 ahead. Whew! What a battle!
From there, I played at the Horseshoe. Again, I got off to a rocky start. However, this time, the good rolls didn't really come this time. For I didn't shoot that good there. Oddly enough, the same woman that was at my table at Golden Nugget, was also at my table at the Horseshoe. But neither of us had good shoots this time. However, the dice were not nice at this table. The woman soon left, and I left $548 down.
After that, we returned to L'Auuberge, and rested for quite a while. We even watched part of that football game where my Rams played horrbly against the Atlanta Falcons for the first half of the game. We then ate dinner at the Chinese restaurant there. It was my intention to get into a craps game, or a blackjack game. But all tables were full, so I just called it a day. I finished down $412 for the day. Argh!
As far as gambling sessions go, my best one on this trip came this morning, but very little of it was due to craps. I won $16 playing the Progressive Come strategy. I did end up ahead, but got shot down trying to make a move, placing 6 and 8 after I was assured that I was ahead. That craps session was sandwiched in between two blackjack sessions, one where I won $150, and the other where I won $100, for a total casino win at L'Auberge of $266.
My final session was at Golden Nugget. I was determined to play poker this time. So after I got on the waiting list for poker, I played craps. Another time of playing the Progressive Come strategy, where I won $32 with what is a pretty grindy strategy. I played blackjack, and I ran into big trouble there. The cards were absolutely horrible, and when I was finally called to the poker table, I left the blackjack table down $522.50. At the poker table, it was pretty grindy there too, with me winning a mere $27 after almost 2 hours. Hey, it's better than a loss, plus poker was the one game I played on this trip, where I didn't lose. The session was a loss, being down overall for $463.50
For the day, I "only" lost $197.50. For the trip, I ended up down $1242.50. For the year as a whole, in terms of actual numbers, this was my worst gambling year ever (this includes a series of substantial poker losses I suffered in Southern California in June, not part of this blog). I did end up just under $1200 ahead for the year, playing blackjack. As far as winning percentages, they were near or above normal in all three games. In craps, my normal win percentage is just above a 2-1 ration, and this year, it was exactly a 2-1 ratio. In blackjack, my normal win percentage is just above a 3-1 ratio, and this year, it was closer to 5½-1. With poker, my win percentage normally is about 55%, and this year, it was closer to 57%. Hopefully, next year will be better.
One thing I'm going to try to do in the new year, is take a few more chances when I'm just slightly ahead. On this last trip, I only had one craps session where I'd won over $100. I'm hoping to change that, but I also realize that this may lower my win percentage. We'll see how long this New Year's resolution holds up. In the meantime, I wish everybody a happy and prosperous New Year! ☺