Qualifying Tables
Well, here I am standing by the craps tables just watching the shooter throw the dice. And, of course, with my desire to gamble, I sometimes ask myself: Why qualify the craps table at all? Mathematically, there is no more chance of numbers being rolled after two repeat numbers than after a seven. What makes the seven such a feared number?
And while we are on the subject, why do we also wait for an A or B round in blackjack or track the count and net bets in baccarat? Why do all the Benson Systems put such an emphasis on qualifying and tracking tables as part of their play? Qualification certainly can’t claim to really predict what is going to happen next on the table. That’s absurd. If that were true, gamblers would have discovered this valuable tool years ago and the casinos would be out of business.
No, and as hard as it is for me to admit this, the value of qualification comes no from its ability to predict what is going to happen next on the table, but in its ability to give a winning structure to our play. It is this structure that beats the casino over the long run.
Let me explain this concept more fully. When I first started playing dice, and struggled with the concept of two repeat numbers, I would lose my patience if I didn’t see a nice number roll after finally finding the two repeats. I thought that qualifying tables in craps actually meant that I had a secret way of finding a hot roll.
Truth is, I was completely missing the point. Because in the end, what differentiates any system is that in the strategy, we base our play on following the trends that occur in each game. Not just the individual results that occur from round to round or from roll to roll.
This is important. Because statistically, those gamblers who structure their play around trends will fare much better and show much more consistent profits than those who do not. It’s that simple. All qualification does is help you identify when a trend is occurring, not predict if it will continue.
So, next time you think of qualification as a crystal ball to predicting what will happen, remind yourself that it is just a gateway to a structure that will beat the casino in the long run. Till next time.
