Author: Bob Dancer

I received an email from somebody, “John,” who wanted to know if I was willing to pay a finder’s fee for information about a $5 video poker game on the East coast that had so far slipped under everyone’s radar. He thought the game was worth more than $200 per hour. I know John and I trust John–which is a very good start.

Before we went through the “How much do you want?” “How much are you willing to pay?” two-step, I needed to know some information, including: Continue reading Contemplating Foxwoods, Part 1 of 2

Author’s note: A somewhat similar version of this article appeared in 2005. The argument remains valid.

During the 1980s, I worked in the computer departments of three different corporations. As I explained in my autobiography, Million Dollar Video Poker, I needed to go to work as a computer programmer because I was not sufficiently successful at my profession of choice, namely being a professional backgammon player.

The language I programmed in was COBOL–this was way before personal computers were common. I haven’t had anything to do with programming since the early 1990s and do not claim any current proficiency. Continue reading Lessons Learned as a Programmer

I discuss gambling subjects with many people. There is a small group whom I consider “equals or better” and who know as much or more than I do about various gambling games. (My radio co-host Richard Munchkin is in the “or better” part of this group. Although he knows relatively little about video poker, there are numerous table games and “gambling situations” where he is extremely knowledgeable. The gambling public is very fortunate that he shares some of what he knows weekly on our program.) There is a much larger group of people who don’t know as much as I — they are in various states of ignorance.
Continue reading You Have to Pay Your Dues

In video poker, I am interested in whether or not I am winning for the year. I care very little about whether I am winning today, and I care not at all about individual hands — unless that hand is something like K♠ Q♠ J♠ T♠ 5♣. That hand gets my blood pumping. Especially when I am playing multi-line games like Triple Play, Five Play, Ten Play, Fifty Play, or Hundred Play. Continue reading How Often Do You Win a Hand?

I recently received a letter from someone who asked if more quads started as a single pair or as three of a kind? An interesting question to examine with not as easy an answer as you might expect. And since the letter was referring to games without wild cards, I’ll limit this discussion to that as well. Continue reading What’s the Background of a Quad?