I recently was reminded of a quote by George Bernard Shaw. “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, make them.” Continue reading Opportunity versus Circumstance
The Real Problem with Problem Gambling
The University of Nevada has hosted the International Conference on Gambling and Risk-Taking every few years for the past several decades. Increasingly prominent on the agenda is problem gambling, and I attend many of these talks, since there aren’t as many talks on the mathematics of gambling.
While some of the speakers discuss treatment programs, many of the talks, surprisingly, are about identifying and defining problem gambling. At the 2009 conference, a speaker who worked for Harrah’s stated that their biggest challenge in tackling problem gambling was that they didn’t have any method to identify a problem gambler. “Oh well, I guess there’s nothing we can do then!” [shrug of shoulders] Continue reading The Real Problem with Problem Gambling
How Do I Answer?
I was playing 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe at the South Point on a double point day. A lady I’ve known for years, “Sandy,” sat down to play at the machine next to me. She’s a fairly recent widow and I knew her husband as well. We’re friendly, but not close friends. Continue reading How Do I Answer?
Bankroll Concern
I ran into a man, “Paul,” who had taken several of my classes. I remember Paul as a better-than-average student. I believe he makes good “what game to play” decisions and will have a strategy card with him. When we met in early January, I recommended that he play the South Point promotion because I thought it was a good one for him. Continue reading Bankroll Concern
Lifetime Winnings
Every year, the video poker bulletin board vpFREE asks its members to participates in various polls. One recent one was “What was your total lifetime VP profit or loss (include all cash or cash equivalents received) as of 31 DEC 2015?” Continue reading Lifetime Winnings
Casino (Mis-)Management: Time Wasters #1-3
We can’t even cover all the ways casinos waste time in one post, so we’ll just look at three of them that relate to card handling. Now, if you’re in charge of cleaning up the floor of the New York Stock Exchange, do you send the custodians with their mops and vacuums in the middle of the trading day? Probably not. Continue reading Casino (Mis-)Management: Time Wasters #1-3
2016 Blackjack Ball
Once a year for the past 20 years, the finest blackjack players in the world get together for an evening of drinking, visiting, drinking, dining, drinking, and testing themselves against one another. The event is hosted by wit and raconteur Max Rubin with some help from Barona Casino. A few lawyers and other gambling professionals are also invited, including one grateful video poker writer and teacher. Continue reading 2016 Blackjack Ball
Drawing to a Suited KQ
If you draw three cards to a suited ‘KQ’, which is more likely—a royal flush or a K-high straight flush? In games with no wild cards, like Jacks or Better or Double Double Bonus Poker, both jackpots are equally likely. In both cases you need three perfect cards to complete the hands. When you draw three cards there are 16,215 different combinations of cards you may draw, so getting either the royal or the straight flush is a 1-in-16,215 proposition. Continue reading Drawing to a Suited KQ
A Difference in Perspective
Bonnie and I invited some friends to dinner at the Silverton. The husband, Joe, is a competent video poker player and his wife, Sarah, is a recreational player. Sarah is simply not interested in investing the time and energy to become better. Joe mentioned that neither he nor Sarah had ever been in the Silverton before. They live in North Las Vegas and for them, there are other casinos far more geographically convenient than the Silverton. Continue reading A Difference in Perspective
Teaching Advanced 8/5 Bonus
The new semester of free video poker classes at the South Point will begin on Wednesday, January 27, at noon, in the Grandview Lounge — which is eight days after this article is originally published. Everyone at least 21 years of age is welcome. Continue reading Teaching Advanced 8/5 Bonus