I’ve been teaching video poker classes for more than 20 years and periodically I address the questions: What can students learn? What do they have no hope of learning? Since the next semester at the South Point begins next week, Tuesday January 8, at noon, perhaps it’s time to address these questions one more time.
1. The “secret” to winning: The secret is to only bet when you have the advantage.
It’s not much of a secret, and it certainly isn’t very sexy, but the vast majority of gamblers do not practice it.
2. What are the pay schedules to look for? Each week you’ll learn a different game. Week 1 will be Jacks or Better, and the most important part of the class is learning to identify at a glance which Jacks or Better machines give you a realistic chance and which ones to avoid.
3. What strategy should you use? Every game has its own strategy. Applying a Double Double Bonus strategy for a Bonus Poker game is not a prescription for winning. Most weeks, we will teach an introductory strategy beginning at noon and a more powerful strategy beginning at 2 p.m. The introductory strategy usually gives up approximately 0.1% from perfection, but it’s relatively easy to master. The second strategy will get you to about 0.02% of perfection, but it’s more difficult to learn.
There’s one class every semester where we also teach an advanced strategy. This semester it is the 99.73% Deuces Wild game typically called “NSU.”
4. You will be introduced to materials that will give you the information you need to get good at the game. Buying the books and then putting them on the shelf won’t do you much good, although I appreciate every book you buy. But buying them and studying them will help you become at least a competent player.
5. Our final class taught on March 12 is all about slot clubs. It’s fairly rare today that games return more than 100% without the slot club — but there are numerous cases where the games return that much when you include the slot club and promotions.
Slot clubs vary in benefits — and different players value benefits differently. As an example, for players who play at many places and get more free food than they can possibly consume, additional meals are largely irrelevant. For players who do not get many meal comps, these meals have considerable value.
Equally important as what you will learn from these classes is a realistic understanding of what you will not learn.
6. You will not become an expert player after attending a class or two. Becoming an expert requires considerable study over a period of time. We will help you get on the right path, but you must spend time walking that path before you reach your destination.
7. This is not a game where you can study for a month or three and become competent forever. New games are introduced all the time. I’m still studying, and I’ve been playing at a pretty high level for 25 years.
8. The final thing I want to talk about is to answer this question: If the classes were really valuable, why would Michael Gaughan pay me to teach you how to beat him? The answer is that many of you will not put in the effort to become good.
Mr. Gaughan is gambling that the classes will create more enthusiasm than actual knowledge. It’s within your power to learn enough to make him on the losing end of this gamble. You can do it, if you put your mind to it. As a group, most of you won’t do it. But some of you will. Are you going to be one of the ones that learn the game or one of the ones who don’t?
Looking forward to the games to begin
8) Also should you prove to be competent, Gaughan will very likely bar/no mail/otherwise limit you, because the South Point is widely known to sweat any skilled action. Were it not for my personal friendship with Gaughan, I (Bob Dancer) myself would have long since been barred there.
They’re also a contributor to OSN.