Craps Creeps in this petty pace...

There is a thread where we’ve (meaning LarryS and Superrick and some others) are discussing something called “the Gamblers’ Code.” This “code” based on their view is almost sacrosanct, similar to the “code” of Confession for Catholics; the lawyers’ code of secrecy between lawyer and client, and the biggest of all, the protecting of sources by writers.

Now we know that writers have gone to prison rather than reveal their sources. That is a true code! But a gamblers’ code? I don’t think so.

For some reason these two gamblers believe I should break my promise to the Captain and reveal his name. This is their strange idea of the Gamblers’ Code. Betray a confidence. They want to know who the Captain is so I should feel free to break my promise. More of their thinking: The Captain is dead; so reveal his name even if you promised him otherwise. Come on, come on, break your promise. Is that the Gamblers’ Code?

Now, LarryS, a typical gambler based on his posts and obviously not a writer, thinks I should have pressed the Captain to explain why he didn’t want his name used. Why should I do that? I've done other journalistic work before (and even now) where I keep names private. Something as simple as, "I never want my name used," with me responding, "You got it," would be enough for me. Or something such as “This is off the record.” These are terms any writer well knows.

Personally, if you were to contact me and use your real name and write, "I don't want my name used," I would honor your wishes.

Superrick also thinks I should reveal who the Captain is by stating that many Atlantic City casinos knew who he was. Yes and no. The Captain did not use his title when he booked rooms through his hosts (“Hi, this is the Captain, got a suite for me?) --- although some hosts did indeed know he was “the” Captain. (I name one in my new book.) Did all pit people know this man was called the Captain when his Crew were mostly orange chip players and they had some of their table(s) to watch? I leave that to you to decide.

Did the Captain’s barber, his waitress or waiter know this man was the Captain? I answered this silliness several times in posts of the past. He used his real name. My barber doesn’t know I am a published writer. I close my eyes and get a haircut and shave.

Superrick has made an interesting point in some post done several times on several message boards that he has asked (or had friends ask) about the Captain’s amazing 147-roll hand and no one has said they saw it or knew about it. Interesting. How many people / dealers / pit folk does Superrick know from Atlantic City of that time? How many friends and casino dealers does this guy have from that time period in Atlantic City? Fifty? A hundred? Five? None? This sounds like fiction from Superrick.

Superrick has made the point that no one at that table has ever talked. How does he know that? I am guessing that most (if not all) of them talked. I remember an amazing Pai Gow Poker event that was the most unusual I ever heard of --- unique. When I brought it up in AC, no one had ever heard about it --- no one at the casinos where I played that is. In Vegas…if you read Everything Casino Poker you will be agog at the story.

LarryS wrote: “The Gamblers’ Code. Yes it’s a gambler’s code to honor such [anonymity] requests. But there is no gamblers’ code where you can’t ask questions.”

Superrick wrote: “Yes. The gamblers code as far as the Captain goes is dead if his legend is to live on, some answers to some of the questions need to be answered.”

Gamblers’ Code? Oh, please. We know that degenerate gamblers will lie, cheat and steal to get money so they can gamble. These players wreck their families; destroy their lives and our two gambler friends believe their ilk have some kind of code of honesty? Please.

Honor? Gamblers’ honor? The very guys who claim they honor the “gamblers’ code” are pushing and pushing and pushing for me to break a writer’s code; to break my promise to someone. I have to hope that others see the hypocrisy in this. Well, I am not convinced that some of the posters on some of these boards see the silliness of our two friends’ opinions.

But that’s it for me. I am -30- this line from now on. I do realize that this -30- will not stop them from continuing to post their silliness on various message boards but...so what?

 

There is no such thing as 'the Gamblers’ Code', unless it is out of a Disney movie.

I really don't care if The Captain was real or not. Many of the things Frank wrote about the game of craps have certainly given me some great insights and consideration as to my own play. I feel I am a much better player because of reading Franks books.

Two things that I have kept from Frank:

1. Don't bet on every shooter.
2. Don't make crapper bets (anything with a house edge of 2% or higher)

#2 is probably the one that is the hardest to kick. You see all those hardways, Yo's, Crap checks, High/low's, Three way craps, Hoppers out there and the big wins that sometimes come with them sort of eats at you to want to get in to some of that action. But then I remind myself that these same crapper betters have horrifically huge bankroll swings and in the long run are losers due to the high house edge that they are up against. I have not yet meet any player who plays like that who is considered to be a pro or sustainable gambler.

Can the dice be controlled? I do think there may be at times some influences on he dice that are extra-ordinary in nature. I also think that the power of the mind is vastly underrated and unexplored for the most part. I do think that the methods that these Dice Clubs teach tend to put ones mind on the dice, and that is where I think the influence really comes from. A truly developed mind could eventually influence the dice without ever the person having to touch them themselves.

You cannot bet on every shooter, but you can bet on those you believe in. The 5-count is an construct means to find belief in a shooter, as is waiting for a pass line win. However, I tend to find that ones own mind in observation of a shooter and the environment tends to form its own belief as to bet or not.

There are all types of degenerates. Gambling, drinking, drugs, and sex are just the most common form of degenerates. The traits are all the same with the lying, stealing, and cheating. There is no honor or code with such people, and trust me no ethical or decent person will want to be around such people for long. For the leave a wake of destruction around them and there is no helping them at all. Such is the way of the degenerate and sorry are those who get to close to them.

 

Frank -

If NOT mistaken -

You're opening title comes from a Shakespeare play that we were required to memorize the following stanza / verse -

" Out, out , brief candle -
Life is but a walking shadow -
A poor player who struts and frets his final hour -
Upon the stage -
Then is heard NO more " ! -

This dates back to the '60 when I was in High school in Newark, NJ -

Graduated in '66 - just in time to make it to the " TET " party in Cu Chi with the 25th Inf. in 2/68 !

There might be a bit more to it -

But - alas - TIME does taketh it's toll !

$...eE..$

 

Right on the money. Over my 33-year teaching career I had my students memorize 125 lines from Shakespeare. These were some.

 

Mark V -

You " MIGHT ' be correct that there is NO " Gambler's Code " -

There is " NO honor among thieves " either -

However, I WILL tell you THIS -

There is a " CRIMINAL CODE " -

OR - More succinctly a " PRISONER's Code of Ethics " -

IF a prisoner who committed a crime of sexual deviance against a minor - OR - was convicted of assault on a female -

WOE be THAT prisoner when he is put into " General Population " -

That prisoner is a " walking dead man " - it is just a matter of " time " - when the prison population WILL DO -

WHAT the court system failed to do !

I know quite a few guards who served in county and state prisons which verified the above -

AND - the guards " look away " when " justice prevails " !

$...eE..$

 

Tomorrow, and tomorrow, and tomorrow,
Creeps in this petty pace from day to day,
To the last syllable of recorded time;
And all our yesterdays have lighted fools
The way to dusty death. Out, out, brief candle!
Life's but a walking shadow, a poor player,
That struts and frets his hour upon the stage,
And then is heard no more. It is a tale
Told by an idiot, full of sound and fury,
Signifying nothing.


$...eE..$

 

Excellent. That's 100 percent for $nakeEye$.

 

Now, LarryS, a typical gambler based on his posts and obviously not a writer, thinks I should have pressed the Captain to explain why he didn’t want his name used. Why should I do that? I've done other journalistic work before (and even now) where I keep names private. Something as simple as, "I never want my name used," with me responding, "You got it," would be enough for me. Or something such as “This is off the record.” These are terms any writer well knows.>>>>Frank S

yes we all understand where a writer/reporter gets the "this is off the record" statement /request. AND the writer does know imbedded in that request is the following "this is off the record because I dont want to have to deal with the crap that others will shower down on me if they knew I said it.....I dont want to have to deal with the consequences".
THAT is implied in the request. A follow up question of "WHY" is not needed. Its self evident.

hOwever if someone asks something unusual like "never reveal my name even after I die".......a writer/reporter is almost required to ask 'WHY". Its not self evident. Its a valid question. Its an given "follow up" question. Writers/reporters are curious by nature, they ask questions and get answers. Its in their nature. They are not dunces that just follow direction of others.

Now I dont care about the dudes name. If Frank decided to make up a name or even give the real name as lets say Ramie Spellwell is the name given. ...what the heck would that mean to me. Would that make everything believable now? No.

At this point the secrecy and un-verifiability of the persons name and the events attached to him are the issue. Knowing the name right now would do little to make believers out of non-believers.

Its just that when you look at the whole package.....things just dont add up....and the "WHY" and "Who" are just a couple of the issues.

 

There are many reasons why someone wouldn't want their name put out there. I've stopped giving newspapers, interviews after winning a sailboat race, because of one writer. He wrote things that were not true after reading the story, I call the newspaper and told them I didn't say that in the interview.

After that, I wouldn't talk to any newspaper reporter! So if I told a writer that I didn't want my name out there any writer wouldn't have a story. When Frank was told that the Captain didn't want his name out there the story should have never been printed. In the case of Frank and the Captain, this story will never be proving and Frank will always have to deal with a story he can't prove happened.

Nowadays we are constantly seeing stories challenge, a politician or news figure tells a story and someone starts checking the facts and they are busted, we can look at Brian Williams and what happened to him, because of what he said happened that turned out not to be true. While Frank won't get the same kind of scrutiny that some of these figures get, his story will always be under scrutiny because it just doesn't make sense.

You had in his own words over thirty people standing around that table and they all didn't take an oath of silence so why hasn't one of them came out and told the same story? Frank only has someone that worked for him saying that it happened. When others that worked for him have said they never met the Captain!

 

Frank -

We need to keep that score between you and I -

Otherwise - MY less than stellar - High School academic record - just MIGHT become " Tarnished " ! LOL !!

Thank You !

$...eE..$

 

Some see nothing wrong with a story that just doesn't sound right. Others see major problems with it!

Anything that miss leads craps players should be looked at long and hard. There are always going to be the guys that say, but the author of books writes some good stuff. This may or may not be true, it's in the eyes of the readers. Any book on the game of craps is just rehashed information taking from other books published way before the new one was written. You could almost say they are just plagiarized pieces of works.

Some writers have a way of rewriting what came before them that can be more entertaining to read.
They might throw in one or two things that have not been written about before, that is why we go out and buy these books. I have franks books sitting on my bookshelves.

Frank, you can spin the captain story anyway you want to but it will forever hang over your head. To many craps, players all say the same thing and that is it just doesn't make sense!

While what is written in our craps books or any book gambling will never be scrutinized as much as any public figure now days when they make statements that can't be proven. The writer will never be totally respected by everybody if there is something that the writer can't prove to be true!
Once something is written it can't be taking back.

We are now seeing so many things in our little world that are embellished and when found out will take someone down, just like Bill Clinton, ..I never had sex with that woman.

Brian Williams story that he embellished cost him his job, that will never happen to someone that writes about playing craps or gambling. But it just goes to show you what some individuals will do when they are not thinking about what they wrote! A little story that makes something look like everything is just rosy when playing craps can get out of hand when someone questions it!

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/02/11/b...uspended-by-nbc-news-for-six-months.html?_r=0

Should everything we read about playing craps be 100% accurate, that up to the guys that are reading it. But I will tell you one thing if the writers get away with writing nothing but fiction or embellished stories and you believe all of them your win rate will go down.

Some will do the right thing, even if it cost them money.

He Quit Toronto Star Over Refusal To Publish Story

http://www.huffingtonpost.ca/2015/07/08/paul-watson-toronto-star-resigns_n_7753946.html

 

As a literary expert, it is interesting that Frank Scoblete favors Shakespeare so much ... maybe even copying his writing style by embellishing the original facts:

 

Shakespeare was more a poet and fiction writer who sometimes used historical figures as characters in his plays.
No one ever thinks to use works of Shakespeare as an historical reference book. He never pretended to be historically factually accurate.

Other people in the writing trade do pride themselves on accuracy

 

And Shakespeare gives a foreshadowing of the Captain's problems in Hamlet