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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
May 1, 2008

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

An Easy Yet Important Quick Quad Puzzler - November 20, 2008

Some Quick Quad Mathematics - November 27, 2008

Barona Improves its Video Poker - December 4, 2008

An Interesting Quick Quads Puzzle - December 11, 2008

Shirley Plays Suduku - December 18, 2008

How Often Does One Time in 360 Occur? - December 25, 2008

Earning a Free Cruise - January 1, 2008

Next Dancer's Answers column coming on January 8, 2009!

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You Used to Be Such a Cheapskate

Along with last week’s column, this ran as one column in August 1999 Casino Player. The “Report” cited in the column is long out of print. The Dancer/Daily “Winners’ Guide” on the same game is a far-superior replacement.

Second title suggestion: How Are Your Flushes Running Today?

Quite some time ago I was playing at the Four Queens in downtown Las Vegas. They had dollar 10-7 double bonus, a decent cash return from their slot club, and they were running a generous promotion. Without going into exact details, suffice it to say that it was worth more than $25 per hour on average, and at that time of my life, that was a good enough promotion to get me playing long hours.

While playing there, a face from my past walked by. A lady I dated eight years before (when I still lived in California) and her husband of two years were in town for a visit. I was genuinely glad to see her. We had remained friendly, and I hadn't seen them for awhile. A few months previously, I had mailed them a copy of my 10-7 double bonus report (which was still in draft form), because I knew they played that game.

"Joyce and Tom" came up, said hi and asked to watch me play. I suggested she sit down and play, with my money, and I'd give her pointers along the way. Since they were normally quarter players, playing for dollars was very exciting.

I had about 300 credits, so I moved over and she sat down and started. The first hand that came up was actually quite easy, but gave us something to talk about. She was dealt 4h 4c 8h Jh Ah. The choice, obviously, is between the low pair and the 4-card flush. This is an easy play in double bonus. The 4-flush is worth $3.21 more than the low pair. But Joyce looked at me and said: "How have your flushes been running today?"

"Huh?" I didn't have clue what she was talking about. She's not the type to talk about bathroom matters. What gives? "Well," she explained, "if flushes haven't been running for you today, it's a big waste of money to play for them." "I've been getting my fair share," I stammered, so she held the hearts.

My judgement is that what has been happening earlier today has absolutely nothing to do with how you should play the hand. You will never see on a strategy chart "play this way if you are winning and that way if you are not". But not to Joyce. She sees this game as one of streaks, and is forever attempting to catch one.

It took us about ten minutes to lose 100 credits. To me this was no big deal, but Joyce was feeling mighty uncomfortable. Soon we had another easy hand that gave her problems. We were dealt Jd Js 4h 4c 7d. Holding JJ44 is better than JJ by about $1.54. This upset Joyce a lot. She mumbled that I could never get four of a kind with such a chicken play like that. No wonder we were losing!

She's right that holding two pair precludes getting four of a kind, but that is a minor factor. The increased chance to get a full house more than makes up for this. This is not unusual in video poker. Every time you make a choice on how to play a hand, you give up a chance for certain other hands. Knowing when to give up something in order to go for something else is part of winning video poker.

We kept losing. Soon we were down to 100 credits. This is not particularly unusual at double bonus. It is a very streaky game. But Joyce was now playing v-e-r-y s-l-o-w-l-y. She was trying to change the rhythm of the machine. "Hurry up," I urged her. "Each hand is worth almost 4¢. Your slow play is costing us money" She looked at me like I was crazy. As far as she was concerned, losing on a machine was a good reason to quit. As far as I was concerned, the score over the last few hours or days had absolutely nothing to do with whether or not you should continue playing. I knew I had the advantage. Let's go. Time's awasting!

Soon we were down to 20 credits, Joyce playing very slowly, and she was dealt Ac Ah As 5d 5c. Quick as a wink, she held all five cards. "Not so fast," I said. "Just hold the aces. It's the best play by 57¢". "I can't do it. You'll have to do it yourself. Fifty bucks is just too much to mess around with when you are losing!" So I reached over, un-held the fives, and drew. I got a six and a four, ending up with three of a kind, worth $15. "See!" she said triumphantly, "your idiotic play just cost you $35. I hope you're happy!"

I smiled and said that I was comfortable that I made the right play. Once in 23½ times I would connect for an $800 set of aces, and it would make up for all these $35 losses, and then some.

About this time she was dealt Ac Kd Qs 9h 6c. She held KQ, which is certainly a reasonable play. But AKQ is better in this case, and I told her so. "What! Tom would kill me if he saw me keep the ace. He says always toss the ace from AKQ." "In that case," I kidded, "perhaps you better not tell him." I suggested that Tom was right about this play in most games, but in double bonus it depended on whether there was a 9 in the other two cards.

In a few more hands, we were down to zero credits. As far as Joyce was concerned, my crazy playing was responsible for the loss. As far as I was concerned, this was just a normal swing and nothing to worry about. I pulled out a $100 bill and promptly put it in. She was dumbfounded.

"You used to be such a cheapskate! Now you're throwing money around! How can you continue to waste money on a machine that has clearly shown you who's boss?" I told her I was still thrifty, but that this game was the best one that I knew about on this day, and I was going to continue to play. And that overall I was up several thousand dollars on this promotion.

She played some more. It got a little testy when we had these hands back to back. Kh Qh 8s 5h 3c and Ks Qs 9h 7s 3d. Getting her to play KQ in the first hand was easy. Getting her to play KQ7 in the second was impossible. "Do you want to know why you need to hold all three spades?" I asked her. "Nope! You'll just give me some smarty-pants answer that is too confusing! Why can't you play like a normal human being?"

I didn't have a good answer. I never thought of my plays as being super-human --- or even sub-human for that matter. My goal was to play as perfectly as a computer. If other people didn't understand my plays, that was their problem, not mine. I guess I still feel that way, although I do spend a lot of energy teaching others to play.

Joyce and I remain friendly today, but we'll never agree about video poker. I believe that there is one mathematical way to play every hand. I believe that today's score doesn't matter. And I believe that you should make every decision assuming you are in the long run. And I put my money where my mouth is. Joyce, on the other hand, has a totally different set of beliefs. And she puts her money on the line, backing those beliefs. This is a game that you are welcome to play using your own theories. As long as your supply of quarters doesn't run out, you are welcome to make any plays you like.

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