I lived in greater Los Angeles from my birth in 1947 until 1993 when I moved to Vegas. I was a fan of the local sports teams — primarily Dodgers and Lakers, not so much the Angels, Kings, or Ducks. Perhaps 40 years ago I was listening to a Lakers basketball game on the radio. The main announcer would have been Chick Hearn but I’m not sure who his sidekick was at that time. Probably Keith Erickson but it might have been Lynn Shackleford or even Pat Riley before he traded in his broadcasting job for a chance to be a coach — a career move that worked very well for him.
After two minutes of play, the Lakers had not scored and were behind 12-0. Their coach called a time out. Hearn’s sidekick deadpanned, “If things keep up like this, the final score will be 288 to zero.” Chick almost fell on the floor laughing.
Chick Hearn knew that there are scoring spurts and dry spells during each game. He also knew that there had never been a scoreless quarter of NBA basketball (12 minutes), let alone a scoreless game. He fully expected the game to become competitive very quickly. Whether or not the Lakers won or lost that night, I have no recollection. It was the clever line that made an impression on me that night, not the score.
Many video poker players might not have found that line very funny. If those players lose several hands in a row they become highly irritated — perhaps cursing the machine or even leaving the machine in disgust. Even though these players know full well that there are times the machine is very hot and times it is very cold, these players act as if the streaks will last forever.
Being behind 12 points early in an NBA game isn’t a big deal. Being behind 100 credits early in a video poker session isn’t a big deal either. Or at least it shouldn’t be if you can look at the big picture. It’s a regular occurrence and anyone who gets angry and upset at regular occurrences isn’t enjoying life very much.
The coach of the Lakers called a time out when they were behind 12-0. Taking a time out when the opponent is in the midst of a scoring spurt is a common occurrence in NBA games. The coach usually takes that opportunity to remind his players of the basics and tries to get them all focused and on the same page. The Lakers coach knew he was not going to be teaching his players anything new in the middle of the game, but he tried to get them all working together.
If you’re losing at video poker, it might make sense to take a time out for many of the same reasons as an NBA coach. Analyze whether you’re doing anything correctable (i.e. playing too fast, talking to somebody while playing, not sober or awake enough to be at your best, etc.) and if so, make the correction.
You should also go over in your mind why you’re playing today. Certainly some players play just to kill time. I have no problem with that. While there are a lot of recreational players out there, today I’m looking at the players who are motivated and disciplined enough to only play when they have the advantage.
In the NBA, at least at the current time, there are no player-coaches. In video poker, most of us are our own player-coach. Assuming we’re not part of a team, we have to make our own decisions regarding where to play, when to play, and how long to play. In basketball, when the coach does poorly he gets fired. In video poker, when the “coach” does poorly, he often blames the machine, the casino, or his luck. It’s rare that someone says, “The reason I lose is because I’m not playing well.”
In basketball, preparation is key. Players need to be in good physical shape and the best players practice, practice, and practice. Good players study tapes of their opponents. Although people watching games on TV often say stupid things like “Put me in, Coach. I could do better than that guy,” the truth is that even the worst players in that league are in much better shape than the spectators and have far superior skills. You have to be very, very good to even be a bench warmer in the NBA. And the worst pro teams can usually smoke the very best collegiate or semi-pro teams.
Not so in video poker. Anybody who is of age and has some money can play. Whether or not that person knows his “ace from a hole in the ground,” he’s entitled to play the game. Because of this, casinos are often playing very unworthy opponents. Which is great if you own a casino. But not so great if you are an unskilled player.
Casinos set their games so that players like me can barely come out ahead. Maybe. In the NBA there are rules (such as a salary cap) which are designed so that all teams have an opportunity to be competitive. In video poker, there is no salary cap. If you’re not smart enough, skilled enough, and motivated enough to study — too bad. That’s your problem. The casino will welcome you with open arms.
An NBA player who showed up to work as ill-prepared as most video poker players show up at the casino would be eliminated from the league quickly — simply because there are only a few hundred spots in the league and there are always highly motivated players working very hard in order to secure those spots. In video poker, there are many, many thousands of machines out there—plenty of room for all players seeking to play, whether they are qualified to play well or not.
I know the analogy between basketball (a team game) and playing video poker (a solitary game) can only go so far. But still, the example of being prepared before fighting the battle is a good one. And maybe saying it this way will make sense to some.