Casino Drill
Six numbered shapes receive one through six shots, for twenty-one rounds. Tom Givens’ Casino Drill combines counting, target changes and two reloads.
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Full video transcript 1:15
- 0:01
The Casino Drill is used to practice thinking and shooting at the same time.
- 0:04
This drill is best understood by a demo. Before starting, you need three magazines with seven bullets each. Let's see it.
- 0:16
Empty. Three more on four.
- 0:22
Empty. One more on five.
- 0:29
Tom Givens named it for that load: seven, seven, seven.
- 0:33
I recently ran this at the range with a friend, and the most obvious hack is to think ahead to where you'll be forced to reload.
- 0:38
Givens has a version where you load six, seven and eight, and shuffle the mags. So much for that hack.
- 0:44
I haven't tried this yet, but if you do, let us know what you think of it.
- 0:47
Here's how the drill is scored: you get twenty-one seconds, and every miss costs you a second.
- 0:52
Givens says anything under fifteen or sixteen seconds is really good. And it only counts in class, in front of everybody, so don't send him your ten-second runs.
- 0:59
My favorite part is that it's a creative way to get you thinking, when your tendency is to just blast away.
- 1:05
Givens' school is on USA Arms. If your instructor isn't, tell us and we'll get it fixed.
- Published distance
- 5 yards
- Rounds
- 21
- Target
- Six numbered shapes
- Creator
- Tom Givens
Target order and reloads
Givens’ example uses six shapes numbered one through six at five yards. Each receives the matching number of shots. Three seven-round magazines supply the twenty-one rounds. [1]
The first reload comes after one hit on shape four; the second follows four hits on shape five. Each interrupted shape is finished before the sequence continues. [1] [2]
| Shape number | Assigned rounds | Running round count |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2 | 2 | 3 |
| 3 | 3 | 6 |
| 4 | 4 | 10 |
| 5 | 5 | 15 |
| 6 | 6 | 21 |
Time goal and penalties
The goal is twenty-one seconds. Lucky Gunner’s explanation adds one second for each miss, shot out of sequence or shot on the wrong target. A twenty-second run with two such penalties scores twenty-two seconds. [1] [2]
Counting while changing targets
Givens uses the drill to divide attention between the shot count, the next target and hit placement. Errors can appear in any of those three parts. [1]
Tom Givens’ course and variations
Givens describes creating the drill in his own video. KR Training also documents its use at the Rangemaster instructor conference. [1] [3]
Givens describes a reverse-order version and variations with shuffled six-, seven- and eight-round loads. These change when the reloads interrupt the sequence. [1]
Sources and further reading
- Tom Givens — Casino Drillyoutube.com
- Lucky Gunner — Casino Drill rules and variantsluckygunner.com
- KR Training — 2017 Rangemaster Instructor Conferenceblog.krtraining.com
Sources reviewed September 29, 2026. Next review by March 29, 2027. Send a correction with a supporting source.