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HILTON CRAPS TOURNAMENT REPLAY
MAY 28TH. - 29TH. 2011.
The Hilton Craps Tournament has been a standard for tournament play in Las Vegas. Entry
into this tournament is either by paying the $499.00 entry fee, or winning a spot by betting
and hitting the "YO" (11) on the come out roll.
With this in mind, Beth and I practiced for three days perfecting a throw for the come out
"Yo" 11.
Finally on Tuesday May 3rd. at 8:00 PM we entered the casino from the valet area in front. As
we approached the first pit, I noticed that the closest craps table had only six players at the
time and the energy level was very high.
The shooter was at the end of the table with an established point of 5. On his 5th roll he hit
his point. At this point Beth and I bought in and we both placed $5.00 on the 11. I turned to
the shooter and said "hey bro' can you throw me a come out YO?"
He picked up the dice, tossed to the other end of the table and hit a 6-5 "Yo" on the very first
roll! Beth and I were paid $75.00 each for our bets, and won on the pass line too.
We increased our bet to $10.00 on the "YO" and told the shooter "can we will have another
please?" With that he hit "YO" again!
We were at the table for less than 10 minutes, both with entries into the tournament, and we
walk out with $530.00 net win!
After all that practice, it was a random shooter that got us into the tournament!
The tournament itself is held over a two day period, with an initial session held the first day
and the second, third, semi-final and final rounds held on the following day. Four players
advance from each round to move up to toward the final round. With about 300 players
enrolled in the tournament and 12-13 players at each table session, it was careful money
management and strategic plays that improved your chances of moving on.
As an additional twist to the tournament, you can "buy" a double-up chip prior to the first
round. This double-up chip gives you the opportunity to double the payout on your largest
bet, which can make or break you as you vie for the top four spots.
We had at least twelve Dice Coach Students attending this tournament, which also added
extra excitement to each round.
The rules for the tournament are pretty standard for tournament play, with only some minor
tweaks each year. If you are interested in this year's rules, click on this link below:
Link for tournament rules.
http://dicecoach.com/crapsrules.asp
The first round was held on Saturday and Beth and I were scheduled for the 12:30 round at
different tables. I like to watch the sessions before my round to see how the players are
betting and to see if it is a hot or cold table, so I was there long before the first round at
10am.
I also like to chart the tables, watching for any patterns or energy shifts. Sometimes this will
help you and it is always better than having no information at all.
Beth and I both won our first round, advancing to Round Two on Sunday.
At the countdown during my second round I had 4th place locked up. In looking around at
the at the other players chips, I specifically asked who still had an active double-up chip. I
only saw two players with the double-up chips. (You are supposed to keep all chips, including
the double-up chip, in plain view so every player can see what you have.)
Unfortunately the player next to me was holding his double-up chip in his hand and did not
divulge that it was still active. Since he only had $1.200.00 left in tournament chips, I felt he
was not a threat.
With $11,200.00 in chips and careful strategy play, I felt no one could catch me and that I
would advance to the next round.
That is when the player next to me made his move; a $400.00 bet on ace-duce and the rest of
his monies on crapper bets. I was still not worried. Then came the toss of the dice, - and the
ace-duce hit! That bet paid the gentleman next to me $6,400.00 - then he tossed down his
double-up chip and was paid a total of $12,800.00 . His move put me in fifth position and out
of the tournament.
A number of us questioned where that chip came from, but I ended up letting it go. In
hindsight I should have challenged the fact that he had hidden his double-up chip at
countdown and I think the challenge would have held up. It was another lesson learned the
hard way. I guess I got caught up in the moment of the game thinking I was advancing and
then was thrown off balance when he played the double-up chip. If the situation ever occurs
again, I will without doubt protest his bet. And who knows, it might have changed the entire
outcome of my game.
During the rest of the tournament it was cheering for friends and students who were still in
the game, with good conversations during the lulls between the rounds.
One of our students, Basil, made the semi-final round, while three others made it to the final
table. Steve was even able to use his favorite bet - he calls it the Heavy-Nelli split - on the last
roll. He bet all the hard ways for $500.00 each, World bet $1,000.00, Hi/Lo $200.00. The last
roll was a Hard 8 which paid $5,000.00, using his double up chip to make it $10,000.00, then
getting all the other bets back, he was able to take 6th place.
Mike did not make the first round, but was lucky enough to be drawn into the final round
where he came in 9th .
Another cool thing happened to Mike. He had initially paid for his entry into the tournament
as he was coming in late and not sure he could qualify before the tournament. Before the
tournament he was able to play and qualify and the events manager refunded his original
entry fee. In this day of tight casino comps and benefits, it was a great thing to see, a real
customer service oriented move. Not too many casinos are that user friendly these days.
As a side note, after the tournament Steve and Mike took the monorail to the Paris Casino on
the strip where Steve had seen a royal hit on his last trip. He sat at the same machine and
within 20 minutes hit 10 K Q A and drew the J -all clubs for the Royal!
I want to congratulate all of the players in this great tournament, and especially those of you
who made the final table. If you have never played in a tournament, the Hilton is one of the
best in Las Vegas. I thank Jennifer Wilcox, the Casino Events Manager, and all of her staff did
a great job!
Contact information for Jennifer is:
Jennifer Wilcox (Casino Events Manager)
300 Paradise Road Las Vegas, Nevada 89109.
Direct phone line 702-732-5594 Fax 702-732-5330
Before the next Hilton Craps Tournament, be sure to sign up for our Tournament class that
focuses on betting strategies and how to improve your chances of advancing.
Hope to see you in the next Hilton Tournament.
Dice Coach
Dice Coach
| Another 20 minute
roll! I think between that little modification and
adopting your betting tactics, that this will work
well in the long run. Thanks again!
- Bill - |
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The race is not always to the swift, nor the battle to the strong - but that's the way to bet. -Damon Runyon- |
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