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Dancer's Answers We publish a brand-new video poker article from Bob Dancer every Thursday in this section. These columns are called "Dancer's Answers". Click on any of the links below for more Dancer's Answers: Bob Dancer Articles - Main Page Vicksburg Video Poker - May 8, 2008 Vicksburg, MS Video Poker - Part 2 - May 15, 2008 Vicksburg Casino Video Poker - Part 3 - May 22, 2008 Common Deuces Wild Mistakes – Juan or the Other – May 29, 2008 Figuring Out Quick Quads - June 5, 2008 Breaking Full Houses in Quick Quads - June 12, 2008 A Quick Quads Puzzler - June 19, 2008 Let’s Go Scouting - June 26, 2008 When You're Not Sure of the Game - July 3, 2008 Can it be Right to Play Hunches - July 10, 2008 Good Hearted Woman in Love With a Good Timin’ Man - July 17, 2008 One-Way Versus Two-Way Straight Penalties - July 24, 2008 Effectual versus Ineffectual Straight Penalties - July 31, 2008 Unusual Dealt Royals - August 7, 2008 Learning from a Horse Handicapper - August 14, 2008 When Bad Is Good - August 21, 2008 I Live For These Moments - August 28, 2008 Las Vegas Do It Different - September 4, 2008 Figuring the worth when there are Multiple Progressives - September 11, 2008 Which is the Better Play? - September 18, 2008 How Much is Too Much? - September 25, 2008 Evaluating a Promotion - October 2, 2008 Sometimes the Jack, Sometimes Ace-Jack, Never the Ace by Itself - October 9, 2008 Why I Don't Play Poker - October 16, 2008 What is a Royal Flush Cycle? - October 23, 2008 A Logical Puzzler - October 30, 2008 Another Look at Changing Machines - November 6, 2008 Testing Matters - November 13, 2008 Next Dancer's Answers column coming on November 20, 2008! |
"I'm Playing The Wrong Game" and Other Video Poker FallaciesThis was originally the first part of a longer article in August 1999 Casino Player. The rest of the original article will run next week.
Item 1: "I'm playing the wrong game"A few years ago, I had just finished a month-long promotion where I had been playing dollar double bonus. The next day, I was playing dollar deuces wild, which was now the best current alternative since the previous promotion had ended. About a half-hour into the play, I was dealt four natural aces. Sigh! Today they are worth $25. Yesterday they were worth $800. "I'm playing the wrong game!" I quipped to the guy sitting next to me. "Yep!" he commiserated, "it always happens that way." In truth, however, it DOESN'T always happen that way. During my month-long double bonus play, I got my share of quad aces. I wasn't due any more. The only thing that happened was that I NOTICED that this hand would play better in another game. So what? A given hand will USUALLY pay more in another game. Spending your time bemoaning that you can't change games after you see the results of a given hand is a big waste of time. There are people who will tell me that it is BAD LUCK to hit the hand on the wrong machine. I guess, but I don't really know what this means. These people rarely talk bout their GOOD LUCK. All their luck is bad. This makes it easier to justify losing, but in truth over time most people get the results they deserve. If you've played several hundred hours or more in your life, your actual net results are very close to what they should be, given the machines you've been playing and the actual strategy you have used. If you don't LIKE your results, your choices are to a) give up the game, b) learn to select better machines and have the discipline to only play on the best ones, or c) learn better strategies on the machines you are playing. HOPING for better results while playing exactly the same will lead to the results that a casino wants. Learning to make better choices will lead to results that a player would want. Item 2: "I'm so glad I didn't make it!"A lady was playing dollar double bonus. Sometimes one coin, sometimes two, three, four, and occasionally five. This is not an intelligent way to play, but it was her way. She soon was dealt Ah Th 5c Kh Qh on a hand where she had played four coins. She gasped, held the hearts, and drew the 3h. A flush, paying her $28. "I'm so glad I didn't hit it with only four coins. I would have felt so bad!" She would feel bad for a royal? I don't understand. Drawing the Jh would have been worth $1,000, which is $972 more than what she received. And she was happy she didn't get the extra money?!? Apparently she believed that you only are allowed so many royal flushes in your life, and that receiving one today affects the number you are entitled to in the future. This is utter nonsense. There is no video poker scorekeeper in the sky who determines anything. You have a 1-in-40 thousand shot at connecting for a royal flush on your very NEXT hand no matter if you've never hit a royal flush in your life or whether you hit three yesterday. I've heard this same kind of logic when it applies to using a computer. "I hate to hit four deuces on the computer because it uses up one of my chances to get one for real money." Utter nonsense again. You will ALWAYS have a 1 in 4,900 chance to hit four deuces on your NEXT hand. It is totally irrelevant whether you hit one last hand or it's been 50,000 hands since you've connected. It's all right to FEEL like you're due. But if you start making incorrect decisions based on these feelings, I recommend you lie down until the feelings go away. Bob Dancer is America's best-known video poker writer and teacher. He has a variety of "how to play better video poker" products, including the software "Video Poker for Winners," Winner's Guides, strategy cards, his autobiography Million Dollar Video Poker, and his two novels, including Sex, Lies, and Video Poker. Dancer's products may be ordered at www.bobdancer.com or by telephone at 1-800-244-2224 M-F 9-5 Pacific Time.
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Classic Dancer We republish a classic Bob Dancer article every Sunday - often these articles are updated with new insights from Bob Dancer, the master of video poker writing. Video Poker Questions and Answers - May 4, 2008 More Answers to Questions About Video Poker Machines - May 11, 2008 Losing is a Major Part of Winning at Video Poker - May 18, 2008 Video Poker VS Blackjack - May 25, 2008 The Art of Tipping Slot Personnel - Part 1 - June 1, 2008 The Art of Tipping Slot Personnel - Part 2 - June 8, 2008 Putting Your Ducks In a Row - June 15, 2008 Luck and Skill in Video Poker - June 22, 2008 Strategy Adjustments in Video Poker - June 29, 2008 One Coin vs Five Coin - July 6, 2008 Video Poker Progressives - July 13, 2008 High Pairs versus Three Cards to a Rolal in Kings or Better Joker Wild - July 20, 2008 The Double Up Feature - Does It Ever Make Sense? - Part 1 - July 27, 2008 Doubling Up - Does it Ever Make Sense? - Part 2 - August 3, 2008 Did I Quit at the Right Time? - August 10, 2008 Money Management: What Does and Doesn't Work - August 17, 2008 "I'm Playing The Wrong Game" and Other Video Poker Fallacies - August 24, 2008 You Use To Be Such a Cheapskate - August 31, 2008 Is This a Good Promotion? Part 1 - September 7, 2008 Is This a Good Video Poker Promotion? Part 2 - September 14, 2008 More Video Poker Fallacies - September 21, 2008 Not All Proposals Should be Accepted - September 28, 2008 An Opportunity Too Good to Pass Up Part 1 of 2 - October 5, 2008 An Opportunity Too Good to Pass Up Part 2 - October 12, 2008 Predicting Your Future Results at Video Poker - Part 1 of 2 - October 19, 2008 Predicting Future Video Poker Reulsts - Part 2 of 2 - October 26, 2008 Moving Up in Denomination - Part 1 of 2 - November 2, 2008 Moving Up in Video Poker Denomination - Part 2 of 2 - November 9, 2008 A Letter from a Non-Believer - Part 1 of 2 More Classic Dancer coming Sunday November 23, 2008. |
