I will be teaching a six-week semester of classes at Sam’s Town, on Tuesdays, starting in the middle of June. The schedule is listed below:
| June 14 | 1:00PM | 9/6 Jacks or Better | |
| June 21 | 1:00PM | 10/7 Double Bonus | |
| June 28 | 1:00PM | 9/7 Double Bonus Progressive | One Class Only |
| July 05 | 1:00PM | Full Pay Deuces Wild | |
| July 12 | 1:00PM | What Video Poker Players Should Know About Slot Clubs | One class only |
| July 19 | 1:00PM | Secrets of a Video Poker Winner | One class only |
I normally teach a 10-week semester of classes, but the casino wanted to try this out gently. They wanted to see how many people show up to the classes, and whether or not those people gamble when they come in. If they like the results of this semester, they will probably sign up for another semester next year. If they don’t, they won’t. Players who want to see more classes there should show up, bring their friends, and gamble some when they’re there.
Every casino has its own mix of games to teach. I haven’t taught either 10/7 Double Bonus or Full Pay Deuces Wild in a while because where I usually teach classes, the South Point, those games aren’t to be found.
Three of the weeks (9/6 Jacks or Better, 10/7 Double Bonus, and Full Pay Deuces Wild) will have two separate classes — a beginner’s class from 1 p.m. to 2:45 p.m. and in intermediate class between 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. The other three weeks will be one non-stop class beginning at 1 p.m. and going to about 3:30 p.m.
I’ve been teaching classes for 14 years, and this will be the first time I’ve taught a progressive in my classes. Sam’s Town has LOTS of progressives, and the one I’ve chosen is 9/7 Double Bonus. For two primary reasons.
First of all, they have a quarter 9/7 Double Bonus progressive there that resets to $1,500. This makes the return greater than 100% 24/7 — and sometimes a lot over. We’ll be discussing in the classes when this game is a better mathematical play than Full Pay Deuces Wild. The answer will depend on what B Connected tier level you’ve obtained, how old you are, and what day of the week it is! (If this doesn’t make sense to you the first time you read it, you NEED these classes!)
Second, they have a progressive bank of 11 quarter Triple Play machines. This bank has a progressive on each of the three games, plus a “dealt royal” progressive. This frequently is a good play. Although you can also find 8/5 Bonus Poker on these machines (a slightly higher-returning game), I decided to teach Double Bonus because of the other bank of Double Bonus progressive machines, and also because you can find a similar bank of Triple Play quarter progressives at the Orleans, where Double Bonus is the best game.
If you play this game at either casino, you probably should attend both the 10/7 Double Bonus class on June 21 and the 9/7 Double Bonus progressive class on June 28. The June 28 class will start out with the differences between the 10/7 and the 9/7 games — and for this to make sense you need to understand the 10/7 game. These games are played a LOT differently than 9/6 Jacks or Better or any pay schedule of Double Double Bonus. If you play all of these games more or less the same, you’re leaving a lot of extra money behind in the casino.
I’ve taught “What Video Poker Players Should Know About Slot Clubs” before, but this semester we’ll be covering the B Connected system in much greater detail than I’ve taught before. I touch on a lot of different slot clubs in this class, but I concentrate on whichever casino is hosting the class.
The classes will be held in the Red Rock ballroom at Sam’s Town. (This ballroom shares a name with the Red Rock casino, which is more than 20 miles away. Hopefully nobody focuses on the Red Rock name and ends up in the wrong place.) Although the ballroom is not hard to find, most players don’t visit the ballrooms and hence do not know where to find any particular one.
If you park in Parking Garage #1 (which is the only one touching Flamingo — one block east of Boulder Highway) and take the overpass from the third level of the parking structure to the second level of the casino, the Red Rock ballroom is the first one you come to, on your left, as soon as you enter the casino building.
If you’re in the casino and take the escalator right in front of TGI Fridays, hang a U-turn at the top of the escalator and follow the signs to Parking Garage #1. Just before you take the overpass to the garage, the ballroom will be on your right. The slot director tells me that there will be plenty of signs to help you find your way.
Since I’ve been teaching at the South Point for a few years now, the question comes up about how come I’m not teaching there anymore? The answer is that I still am. Michael Gaughan, the owner/CEO of the South Point, has decided that two semesters a year there are the number he wants. I taught one 10-week semester there year this year between February and April and I’ll be teaching another one there between September and November.
The classes are free, and everybody at least 21 years of age is welcome.