Frank Scoblete’s World Craps Championships ^TM brought 167 players from around the country to Las Vegas on the weekend of July 22 and 23 to participate in the first non-casino craps tournaments ever held. There were 10 tournaments spread out over two days – all of them head-to-head matches, based on dice rolling skills, with the winner of each match advancing to the next round. Each tournament had 96 players competing for first, second, and third place trophies and cash prizes.

The first nine tournaments, listed below, crowned the winner as the champion of specific dice throwing results – for example, the No-Sevens Champion was able to roll the longest without a seven appearing. The winners and second place finishers of the nine tournaments were automatically placed in the 10^th tournament The World Craps Championship (WCC). In addition, at least 14 other players were selected by lottery to be in the WCC so the final field in the final tournament was made up of 32 players.

The winner of the World Craps Championship tournament was Linda "Lowroller" Mabry – a well-known gambling writer and member of Golden Touch Craps. "I’ve taken the Golden Touch Class five times and I am getting better and better," she said while being interviewed for a Hollywood film being made of the event. The tournaments were also filmed by Time-Warner Television, Swedish Television, and many of the participants.

But the weekend was not just the exciting tournaments. "We had great events in addition to the tournaments," said Dominator, a lead instructor in the Golden Touch Craps dice control seminars. "We had exhibition challenge matches where instructors went against each other head-to head. We had a great Awards Banquet where we gave out the trophies and cash prizes; and also where we gave out special awards called The Goldies to members of Golden Touch who made outstanding contributions to our organization."

Perhaps the comic highlight of the weekend was a special match dubbed "The Spanking Match" that pitted the great dice controller Howard "Rock ‘ Roller" against "The Mystery Guest."

Well, Howard "Rock 'n Roller" met his match and was spanked on the stage by "The Mystery Guest." So who was "The Mystery Guest?" It was none other than Howard’s mother, Thelma, who said: "Howie has been a bad boy, flying to Vegas all the time, buying condos, gambling and running around, and he needs to be spanked." And she did spank the big guy on stage to roars of applause and laughter.

How did she win her match? She defeated Howard by rolling four hardway numbers in a row! Some people now claim that she actually didn’t roll those numbers but that the judge, Frank Scoblete, cheated for her. Frank responded to these remarks by saying, "It was my tournament and I expanded the definition of a hardway number to include anything Thelma rolled!"

The tournaments crowned individual champions but there were also team championships as well. Teams from Florida to Hawaii competed to see who had the most skillful members. Cleveland won a narrow decision to become the team champion. Each member of the teams had an individual score that was averaged with the other members of the team to come up with a team average for determining who won.

Finally, the "best man" and the "best woman" were also crowned. These were the individuals who beat the most people in the first nine tournaments.

Here are the results of the tournaments and the winners of special awards:

THE COME OUT CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Jim Buckley
2. Craig "Ace" Gordon
3. Roger Garza

THE IN THE FIELD CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Dennis "Nitro" Dion
2. Charlie "Sandtrap" Romano
3. Joyce Jesuitas

THE MAKE YOUR POINT CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Nancy Visco
2. Ken Droog
3. Don Catlin

THE ON THE HOP CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Louis "Lou-cifer" Van Dyke
2. Jim Buckley
3. Charlie "Sandtrap" Romano

THE 4 AND 10 CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Don Garcia
2. Linda "Lowroller" Mabry
3. Robert Marshall

THE 6 AND 8 CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Pat Higgins
2. John Gunn
3. Fred Pippin

THE CRAPSHOOTER CHAMPIONSHIP
1. John Chabot
2. Bob Chandler
3. Glenn Bush

THE HARDWAY CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Tim Barnes
2. Kathleen Bush
3. Chris Taga

THE NO SEVENS CHAMPIONSHIP
1. Phil Corder
2. William Gow
3. H.D. Steve

THE TEAM CHAMPIONSHIPS
1. The Cleveland Crew – 10.2 points
2. The Atlantic City Boardwalk Rollers – 10 points
3. The West Coast Wise Guys – 10 points
4. The Florida Shooters Association – 8.5 points
5. The Chabot Clan – 8 points
6. The Fabulous Hawaiians – 7.8 points

THE BEST MAN
1.Charlie "Sandtrap" Romano – 19 points
1. Louis "Lou-cifer" Van Dyke – 19 points
1. Jim Buckley - 19 points
2. Dennis "Nitro" Dion – 17 points
2. Jim Hatfield – 17 points
3. Don Catlin – 16 points

THE BEST WOMAN
1. Kathleen Bush – 16 points
2. Joyce Jesuitas – 15 points
3. Nancy Visco – 13 points

THE GOLDEN SHOVEL AWARD
Missouri Rick

THE GOLDIES
The Family that Plays Together Goldie - The Chabots
The Fabulous Hawaiians Goldie – Renfred, Roland, Art, and Regan
The Above the Crowd Goldie – Dave "Da Porker"
The Postman Rings a Lot Goldie – "1MoreShot" Joe Oliver
The Generous Spirit Goldie – John "Skinny" Therkelsen
The Silk Purse Goldie – Charlie "Sandtrap" Romano
The Above and Beyond Goldie – "Travelin" Marilyn Taylor

THE WORLD CRAPS CHAMPIONSHIP
The World Champion – Linda "Lowroller" Mabry
1st Runnerup – Tim Barnes
2nd Runnerup – Bob Corrai


Now About Atlantic City

We are in the dog days of summer now and the Atlantic City express became a non-starter for almost one week in July due to a budget fight in New Jersey. That’s right all the casinos were closed because the Casino Control Commission was not considered essential personnel (as are police and fire fighters) and without the control commission the casinos can’t operate. The state lost 1.4 million per day in tax revenue because of the shut down.

But the solution to the problem is the solution politicians always find in all situations where their prior decisions have screwed up everything – they voted in more taxes. We pity the citizens of New Jersey because they are now the most taxed state in the union – at least we think they are when all the taxes are factored in.

The good news is that the casinos did finally open and the gambling-hungry crowds returned.

We are not big "summer fun" in AC people as the heat, the crowds, the Boardwalk bums, and the games just don’t appeal to us. Give us the fall, the winter and the spring. Give us the time when there are few teenagers hanging out on the Boardwalk and on the fringes of the casinos trying to look cool. When the kids go back to school, Atlantic City returns to the way we like it. Yes, there is an abundance of old timers, many of whom remember Atlantic City for the way it was, but there is also something fresh about the air, the ocean, and the sand in the non-summer months.

The games really don’t change much from month to month but we look for little differences.

Dear Alene and Frank,

I just wanted to give your readers a little update on the conditions I found
at AC.  I visted Borgata after they opened the expansion to their casino on
June 30th.  Borgata already had more blackjack tables than I have seen in
any other casino in AC.  Well they have even more tables now.  Not only have
they opened new tables in the expansion but they have converted additional
tables to blackjack in the original gaming area.  They even had two $5
tables open during this trip.  Usually they only have one.

Penetration at Borgata remained in the 75 percent range.  One piece of news though. Although none of the tables were marked "No mid-shoe entry", the $50 and
up tables outside their original high roller room were no mid-shoe entry.  I
don't know if this is new but I was turned away from two tables when I
attempted to sit down and play.  All the other $5 to $25 tables allowed
mid-shoe entry.  All games are still six decks.

I also had a chance the play at Resorts and Taj.  Both places were still as
you reported.  The Taj had a few $25 six-deck games outside their high
roller room with no mid-shoe entry while the rest of the eight deckers on
the main floor allowed mid-show entry.  Resorts was all eight decks on the
main floor.  You could find a few games at Resorts with penetration at 75 percent or
slightly more.

Hope this helps.

Jon

Dear Frank:

I enjoy your writing and I want to tell you that I just love your new book Golden Touch Blackjack Revolution! I thought you guys were kidding when you said it is the easiest method to play to get an edge. Well you were right. The Speed Count and the Optimum Basic Strategy are just great. I now love playing blackjack because nothing beats playing with an edge.

Keep up the good work.

Yours truly,

Ned

* * * *

* * * *

All the ratings of casinos are based on the blackjack games.

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Here are our ratings for August 2006.

BALLY’S PARK PLACE: No change from last issue. Bad reports coming in about service here. No mid-shoe entry in high roller room and on a few of the main $50 tables in casino, otherwise you can usually Wong here if you wish. Mixed reviews about how deep the penetration is. For craps players, this is a good casino for the game. There is one 5X odds table, usually a $25 minimum; the rest are 2X odds. Crews are friendly. Tables are somewhat high so short shooters get your platform shoes. There are many more carnival games than ever before. Looks like Three-Card Poker rivals blackjack!

BORGATA: Hotel rating is an A. Penetration is pretty good right now. Penetration on all the 6-deck games varies between 75 and 80 percent so you can get some good games here. Reports say that two $5 tables are now opened every day – amazing when you consider how high the AC minimums are going. Craps has long tables, 14-footers, and very bouncy, although there is talk of two smaller tables - somewhere. This is a happening place and caters to a young crowd. Great casino for Golden Touch Blackjack.

CAESARS: No change from last issue. Excellent restaurants but you have long walks to find them. Cheerful place and worthy of the name it bears. Hotel/casino rating is A. They are going deeper. You can expect about 80 percent penetration with most of the dealers. The main floor of eight-deckers has some of the upper-limit tables ($25 and $50) with no mid-shoe entry. All the games in the high roller pit are also no mid-shoe entry with $100 minimums. Table game action has improved and that is very noticeable in the blackjack pits – which are all 8-deck games. Six-deck games in high roller room have 80 percent penetration, as do the eight-deckers on the main casino floor. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. The craps games here are good with 12-foot tables and friendly crews. The tables are a little high so smaller controlled shooters should wear their "special shoes."

CLARIDGE: Does anyone play here anymore? All the blackjack players tell us they avoid the place.

HARRAH’S: Hotel/casino rating is A. In the casino you will find very friendly dealers and pit personnel. Penetration now ranges in the 75 percent area. Resplitting allowed except aces. No midshoe entry. High roller room is 6-deck action, the rest of the casino was 8-decks. Play here and at Showboat and your play counts all across the nation. For those of you who like to go to Vegas you can get some good comps from your AC action in the desert! A room that would be discounted for $80 in AC would be free in Vegas based on the same play – this is not official but based on our calculations of the offers we’ve received. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. Friendly crews and decent tables at craps. We haven’t played there but reports are good. But we must warn you, this is a big slot place too. However, Harrah’s properties in Las Vegas are getting very bad reports about how some of the boxmen treat customers who practice a careful shot.

HILTON: No change from last issue. A place to look at when you are in AC. The blackjack games here are getting good reports from some of our correspondents but you must pick the game based on the dealer because the penetration is dealer dependent. Resplitting allowed except aces. High roller room is 6-decks, rest of the casino is 8-decks with a few $25/$50 6-deckers on occasion. No mid-shoe entry on the six-deckers. High table minimums, especially on weekends, a lot of $25 tables, rare $10 tables. Penetration about 75 percent, sometimes up to 80 percent. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. For craps, we are dealing with 14-foot tables and a couple of 12 footers. Casino is dark. This place needs a buffing.

RESORTS: Resplitting is allowed at all tables but penetration barely makes it to 75 percent now. Casino also offers multiple-action blackjack and Spanish 21 at $10 minimums. Avoid the single-deckers that pay 6 to 5 for blackjacks. Excellent place for craps. Mostly small tables, with some games 5X odds. Last we were there, the high roller room had two 10-foot craps tables that were open on the weekend.

SANDS: Claridge’s seedy cousin. Walk on by.

SHOWBOAT: No change from last issue. Good casino-hotel. Excellent blackjack in high roller room and sometimes the game is just $25 minimums. The penetration is about 80 percent now. A game worth looking at. Rooms are all full-sized and spacious; suites are great. Hotel/casino rating is A. Resplitting now allowed up to three hands. No mid-shoe entry. Eight-deck games have 80 percent penetration and allow mid-shoe entry, although there is not that many tables available. We remember when this place had great table-game action. Can now find $25 games in high roller room at those very good 6-deck games. You can get great deals in other venues by using your card, as it’s a part of the Harrah’s Total Rewards program. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. Craps is fine here too. All the tables are now 12 footers. There are 5X odds on all tables.

TROPICANA: Hotel/casino rating is A. Blackjack games are now decent and so is the new "Quarter" shopping area. The main floor now has 6-deckers with mid-shoe entry allowed on almost all of them. High roller room is 6-decks with no mid-shoe entry. Penetration is about 75 percent on all games. Big improvement here in all areas of play. Craps tables are 12-footers. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. Three Stars stars: * * * ½ *

TRUMP MARINA: Six-deck games in high roller room and 8-deck games on the main floor have penetration of 70-75 percent mark, but you won’t find any dealers going much deeper. Games are mostly $15/$25 and up, especially on weekends. No mid-shoe entry on the 6-deckers but you can jump in and out on the eight-deckers. Craps tables are 12-footers with 2X odds. Haven’t played here in years.

TRUMP PLAZA: No change from last issue. This place is doing better and better now that it is cleaning its act up. Some of our Golden Touch craps players love this place. There’s a multi-million dollar renovation going on to make this a prize casino-hotel again and it is starting to get back its old glamour. The 8-deck games have penetration at 75 percent, depending on the dealer. No midshoe entry on eight-deck games outside high-roller pit but you can find $25 (a few) to $50 minimums on these. Allows resplits, except aces. Most eight-deck tables are $10 and higher. High roller room is 6-deck games. Craps tables are 12-footers. Very friendly crews. Good casino for Golden Touch Blackjack.

TRUMP TAJ MAHAL: We are patrons of the Taj because their dealers and crews are so friendly and professional but other aspects of the property seem to have fallen down. Good game with 75-80 percent penetration, dealer dependent. You can find 6-deck games with $25 minimums right outside the high roller room. In the high roller room all games have $100 minimums. Excellent casino for Golden Touch Blackjack. This is the best casino for craps in AC as well. All 5-X odds tables. The crews have been universally pleasant. Tables are all 12-footers. Three Stars: * * *

WILD, WILD WEST: No change from last issue. All 8-deck games. This is a part of Bally’s Park Place. Penetration is about 75 percent on all games. Decent place for Golden Touch Blackjack. For craps this is a fun place to play with one 5X odds table and one 2X odds table. I remember when this place had many more tables. Crews are very friendly.

THE BEST BLACKJACK IN ATLANTIC CITY: Borgata

The Best Craps in Atlantic City: Taj Mahal

The Best Hotel/Casino in Atlantic City: Borgata and Showboat