This drill was created by Tom Givens, one of the premier firearms instructors in the industry. His courses have yielded students prepared with the handgun, the shotgun, and even students prepared to teach others how to safely and effectively engage threats.
The Casino Drill is called that because it uses the lucky number 7 as the magazine capacity as well as a total of 21 for the round count and time limit. This is more than a simple skill drill: you must have your brain engaged to do the drill correctly.
Distance: 5 Yards
Target: Any target with numbered aiming points 1-6. The official target looks like this, but any similar target can be used.
Scoring: All shots must be on the target, or a penalty of 4 seconds will be added to your total time. The time limit is 21 seconds.
Drill: At the start signal, draw the gun and fire 1 round on the #1 target, 2 rounds on the # 2 target, 3 on the #3 etc. When you reach slide lock (remember we only loaded 7 rounds per mag) perform a reload and continue to put the remaining shots on the number you previously started. This requires that you pay attention to how many rounds you have been shooting, as well as where you are in the sequence. The drill is simple, but it is not easy when you are on the clock.
Do not do this drill to "get good" at it. This is a drill used to show us where are skills are with the draw, reload, target identification and time management. Do it as a metric, or in addition to your target discrimination drills. If you get to the point where the reloads are predictable, change the capacity of your magazines. Go to 6-7-8 capacity or even a a 5-7-9 capacity and make sure they are randomly accessed. Work this drill for what it can do for you.