Summertime. The kids are out of school and those of us who still work for a living start taking time off to spend time with our families, getting away from it all for a few days. For many, that includes a trip to a lake or stream for a little fishing. I even made the trek to the local sporting goods store and purchase a fishing license myself last week.
If you’ve never been big bass fishing – particularly striped bass fishing – on a Texas lake you don’t know what you’re missing. I’ve seen boats pull in fifty or sixty fish an hour, sometimes having fish on four or five lines at a time. It doesn’t get much better than that.
Let’s face it. Craps is a lot like fishing. That hot shooter we’re looking for is the Roland Martin of the game, and that monster hand is the sixteen-pound bucket-mouth we’ve all dreamed of. Can’t find a Roland Martin? What the heck. I’d settle for a Jimmy Houston any day.
If you’re going to have a successful fishing trip at the tables you have to remember to pack the right gear. No, I’m not talking cold beer and sun screen. I’m talking about taking enough bait. Under-bankrolled players are at a disadvantage from the first toss. They try to stretch their stakes by “going light” on the odds bets. They bet at levels so small that they cannot incorporate a regression. Or worse, they try to score a quick win by relying on high-vig prop bets that have super-sized payoffs – if you can beat the odds and score on them. The truth is, if you want to catch a big fish – you probably need a big bait.
If you absolutely must “fish” with a limited amount of bait, then look for a smaller “pond” to fish in. There are $1, $2, $3, and $5 games around Vegas if you know where to look. A $1 table with 3, 4, 5X odds can be great fun – and provide you with ample opportunities to score a nice win on a hot hand. Just remember, on a short stake, conservative betting is the order of the day. You might catch the big fish – but for the most part, playing on a limited bankroll just makes a tough game tougher.
Want to catch your limit? Then pack the right gear. And be sure to bring enough bait.
