Video Poker Interview - Jeff Lotspiech

Jeff Lotspiech owns and operates one of the higher quality (and oldest) video poker websites on the internet. He was kind enough to answer a few questions for us, and we're grateful to have spent some time getting to know him.

Most professional gamblers don't decide to share their information like you have. What made you decide to become a video poker teacher and writer?

I didn't start out with totally altruistic motives. In the mid 80s, when video poker was just starting out, there was a lot of bad information out there. I knew with my computer program I had the correct probabilities and accurate strategies. I was planning to make some money out of my hobby and write a book. However, once some good books started to appear--notably the books from the late Lenny Fromme--it no longer seemed necessary. Meanwhile, a new technology was emerging: the world-wide web. (This was 1995 or so.) This technology was relevant to my real job, and I wanted "to learn by doing". Since I had all this video poker information "on the shelf", I set up a web site as an educational experience for myself rather than with an idea towards making any money.

Video poker is significantly different from both slot machines and regular poker. Do you ever play slot machines or regular poker at all? Have you gotten into the Texas Holdem craze lately?

I try to keep track of slot machine technology, so I play occasionally. I don't play regular poker. I realize the what I know about video poker does not translate to real poker.

If you were a brand new video poker player just learning today, and you aspired to be a professional player, what games would you learn to play first and why?

If someone wants to make a living playing video poker, my first advice would be to set up realistic expectations: over the long haul, you are going to be earning not much better than minimum wage. That being said, however, I'd recommend starting with full-pay Deuces Wild. The strategy is relatively simple, and player advantage is the largest available nowadays. The only problem is that the casinos know this too, so they restrict it to $0.25 machines. Eventually, the player could move on to full-pay $1.00 Double Bonus. The strategy is harder to learn, and the net profit is about the same as $0.25 Deuces Wild, but you are putting 4x more money through the machine, so whatever side benefits you might get from the casino will be larger.

Which 3 casinos do you play video poker at a lot these days?

Green Valley Ranch, Green Valley Ranch, Green Valley Ranch. Actually, all of the Station casinos in Vegas have good video poker. GVR just happens to be the one closest to where I live. The Palms has full-pay $0.25 Deuces Wild with a progressive, the best payoff I know in Vegas, but I don't often get in to play there.

Do you play blackjack at all? Do you know how to count cards?

Before video poker, I used to play blackjack, and I tried to do simple counting. You know, where you just count aces and fives. I found I could count OK, but more than once I realized the deck must have been shuffled and I hadn't even noticed. In other words, I wasn't very good.

What's the hardest video poker strategy lesson to learn?

Full-pay Double Bonus or 7-9 Jacks-or-Better. With 7:1 for the flush, three-card flushes come into play. I still can't play Double Bonus absolutely correctly without my cheat sheet in front of me.

What's the biggest mistake most aspiring video poker professionals make?

Keeping a flush or a straight when you have two deuces in Deuces Wild. Keep the two deuces. I know most of the time you're hand will end up worse--three of a kind. However, if you keep the pat hand, you are giving over 2% return back to the casino.

How much time do you spend playing video poker each week?

I'm going to lose a little credibility here, but I only play about 1-2 hours per week. I find the math, not the actual playing, the interesting part. Now that I live in Vegas, I probably play less video poker over a year than I did when I just used to come here occasionally on vacation.

What's the funniest experience you ever had playing video poker?

I'd have to say it was the first and only time I entered a video poker tournament. I thought, "I'm a video poker expert, this should be child's play."

Wrong.

In most video poker tournaments, it is not how accurately you play; it is how fast you play. Let's say an expert player has a 0.5% advantage over the average player (and that is generous). But suppose an average player can play 2% faster just because he ignores some subtle hands. At the end of the tournament, he should be about 1.5% ahead... he would have that many more credits. In other words, manual dexterity is the overwhelming factor. For all my expertise did me, I might as well have entered a Pac Man tournament. I didn't win.

What do you think the future holds for video poker in the USA?

I hate to say it, but there has been a steady trend to eliminate the machines that are in the players' favor. I expect within the next ten years for full-pay Deuces Wild machines to disappear. Perhaps full-pay Double Bonus will remain, just because the strategy is so hard to play correctly. On the other hand, with rise of casino gambling in the rest of the country, not just in Nevada, more people will be playing video poker--the machines just won't be as good.

We've read that video poker and blackjack are the 2 most popular casino games in the USA after slots. How popular is video poker in other countries?

I don't know, but I can tell you I get emails from around the world.

Do you think there might ever be a World Series of Video Poker?

Possibly, but it could be like my tournament experience: who can play fastest? Even if the play is not driven by the clock, the difference between good play and bad play is dwarfed by the difference between good luck and bad luck (over the short haul). Thus, even a multi-day tournament would not really determine who the best players are.

Do you have any plans to appear on television in some of GSN's new lineup of shows about casino and gambling games?

I'm losing even more credibility, but I've never heard of GSN.

Other than gambling books, what do you like to read?

I'm a history buff.

What other games do you play on a regular basis besides video poker?

No other gambling games. I do play chess, however.

Be sure to read our article about free video poker.

This page was written on May 9, 2006 and was revised last on September 18, 2007.

See also: Skip Hughes

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