Question of the Day — 16 Aug 2019

Does Bob Dancer pause before drawing when he's dealt four to a royal?

Bob Dancer responds: Absolutely! I do the same when I’m dealt a 4-of-a-kind, a straight flush, or certain trips -- three aces or three deuces, depending on which game I’m playing. My reason for the pause is that I don’t want the machine to “unhold” any of the relevant cards. Occasionally, when I’m playing fast, a card doesn’t hold.

Now, it’s relatively low expected value (EV) when you want to hold a pair of sevens, but you hold only one of them. On the other hand, it's very expensive, EV-wise, to be dealt a suited AKQJ and hold only AQJ. So I slow down long enough to make sure that all the cards are securely held before I hit the draw button.

I virtually never draw someone else’s attention to four to a royal or any potential good hand before the draw. That opens the door to a conversation. I want to concentrate when I’m playing and when I’m talking to someone, my accuracy goes down.

Does that answer the question?

If not, I suspect that you're asking whether I take some time to contemplate all the good things on which I'm going to spend the money from the royal if I hit it. If that's the case, the answer is no.

I don't play for life-changing stakes. I strongly believe I'll hit approximately the correct number of royals each year and whether it's today or tomorrow doesn't matter much. The royals are coming and I don't sweat today's score very much. If I do hit a royal, or even three, today, it's a pleasant feeling, but it goes away quickly.

 


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