I’ve written recently about retiring from gambling when the new IRS rules for gambling become effective on January 1, 2026. While I’m a senior citizen and retirement is what many people my age dream about, that doesn’t sound very attractive to me. I’ve always taken great pleasure in using my brain and figuring things out. So, what am I to do?
My current best guess is that I’ll write my second autobiography, tentatively entitled Million Dollar Video Poker — The Next 25 Years. The story from my original Million Dollar Video Poker ended in 2001, with me getting kicked out of MGM Grand and Venetian after having a lucky six-month period when I netted more than $1 million.
In 2001, I had my 54th birthday and was still in my prime gambling-wise. While there is no doubt that gambling at video poker was much more lucrative in the 1990s than it has been since, I have still found numerous opportunities every year since then, and have made more money from gambling after 2001 than I made up to that point.
Most of the opportunities I found are no longer around. Do players really want to learn about this history? Do they want to know what kind of mistakes casinos were making in 2004 and 2015 and 2023? I think yes. While there are an infinite number of ways for promotions to be structured, the same types of mistakes by casino marketing people keep happening over and over again. At a minimum, the book will give players examples that just might be relevant down the road.
Good games remain today. After the pandemic. I had good years along with an expensive 2024 — but they added up to more than a half-million dollars net win for me. Some of the games I profited from are gone, but many remain.
I think, though, that the most useful thing I can write about is how I attacked whatever came along. The actual solutions I came up with may not be relevant in a changed environment, but the approach I used to come up with those solutions is still relevant.
Would Anthony Curtis publish this book? Probably. Depending on how good it is. And part of his role as a publisher is to help make the book better. If the first draft weren’t quite good enough, that wouldn’t necessarily be a showstopper.
Part of the problem is my memory isn’t as good today as it was during my first book. And the events I would describe would be 20 years ago, whereas most of the action in MDVP was from two or three years prior to when I wrote about it. We may have to include a disclaimer like what is found at the front of many movies, “Based on a true story.”
Another problem is that some of the juicy promotions are still going on today, and writing about them and how to beat them would be tantamount to killing the deal. That’s probably not a showstopper because it’ll take three or four years to work through the Huntington Press queue, and by that time the promotions would be killed off by others.
Before announcing this project, I wanted to be certain I could see it through. So, beginning in August of this year, I began drafting several chapters for the new book and also making a list of things I wanted to talk about that I haven’t written yet. While it is nowhere near completed, perhaps the first draft of 20% of the final book has been finished. I’m convinced it’s a worthwhile project and I can keep going.
What would you do if you retire? I have the same issue, although gaming is not what I do to make money. I tried to retire, and it sucked. After doing the same thing every day for 55 years, not doing it made me go crazy, made my wife (of 43 years) crazy. Went back to running my company. Too bad the new gambling taxes issue will make it a lot more of a losing proposition. That is forced retirement, and sucks worse. From what my friends in DC are telling me, the 90% deduction of losses will not make it to April of 2027 (when you would have to file 2026). It will probably not be in anything this year, but will be next year.
As a casual gambler, I would be interested in the new book. Always liked reading your MDVP and Jean Scott’s books to assist in finding the best value possible through promotions and slot club. The knowledge gave me the thought process to try and do my own scouting looking for errors made by casinos.
I thought back on an episode LVA, you discussed another round of strategy cards? An updated line up since full pay deuces is dead. Add on bonus deluxe and triple double. What about carnival games? Imagine a strategy guide for UIltimate X.
sign me up, I’ll buy that!!!
so mgm grand and Venetian do not like people winning to much money very interesting but then again that is there right amd if people do not go in well that is our right good luck on the biik
Go for it!
Hey Bob, I’m happy your thinking of writing another book. I would like to see a chapter on what are the best video poker games out there to play, especially now with the way the casinos are screwing with the pay tables! I was in Vegas two weeks ago and found the Red Rock have screwed with there 98% video poker games by making Double Double Poker 8-5 which isn’t 98% anymore! (False Advertising)
I would also like to see a chapter about what is your mind set when your playing and things aren’t going well. I tend to get very negative when the game is going against me and I feel it makes my outcome worse! How do you change it, or do you just stop for awhile? One other thing that I would love to know is that, should you excel in one game (JOB) or should you learn all the games so you don’t get bored by one set of rules?
What ever you put out I will definitely buy and I would love personal teaching if you still do that sort of thing? I am retired and can come out to Vegas for an extended amount of time. I’m will be back the week of Thanksgiving and it will mark my seventh time this year I’ve spent five days there in 2025.
As an old journalism/writing major from Penn State, I salute the “new book” project.
I have a friend, Tony Cavender, who published a book on folk medicine back in 2003. He’s now 75, just had a fiction book accepted for publication next year (“The Bell Witch”) and is working on an additional book. He is getting a real kick and focus out of writing as a wrap-up to his career (he’s an anthropologist).
I salute you and whatever writing project you undertake.
One quick note, just because it’s a hobby of mine. Consider doing a chapter on how human beings have changed since the first book was written and how that affects their abilities. Are the new generations more or less likely to be able to apply math to gambling? Are they psychologically improved or inferior to those of us who grew up in the 50’s and 60’s? Is their training better or worse?