V P Virgin

I have been going to Vegas for 10 years now, but have always paid the slots. From everything I read on this site I seem to be in the minority as a slot player . I am interested in giving VP a go but have no idea where to start - any ideas on how to get started would be welcomed .

The 10 day free trial of Video Poker for Winners is a good place to start, to see how you like it.

It's available here at LVA.

After that, there are books and software you can purchase if you feel so inclined.

Others here may disagree, just my opinion. The software helped me a lot and I enjoy playing it.

First, welcome to the group!

As for Video Poker, there are books and computer programs from which you can learn and practice.

As for books, I recommend the following:

Video Poker Optimum Play: Second Edition by Dan Paymar; The Best Of Video Poker Times by Dan Paymar; Video Poker For Las Vegas by Lenny and Elliot Frome;
Winners Guide For Jacks Or Better Video Poker by Bob Dancer; Winners Guide For Double Bonus Video Poker by Bob Dancer; Video Poker For The Intelligent Beginner by Bob Dancer; and Frugal Video Poker by Jean Scott and Viktor Nacht.

The last book is a companion to the computer program (that is now FREE as a download from its creator -- Jim Wolf) called "Frugal Video Poker" which you can get at www.wolfvideopoker.com .

There are also some Video Poker computer programs that you could pay for (such as Video Poker For Winners [by Bob Dancer] and Optimum Video Poker {which is also good for MAC computers} by Dan Paymar.

ShopLVA.com does sell VP packages by Bob Dancer and Jean Scott, so you can check into them as well!

I'd also recommend that you go to Dan Paymar's website (at www.optimumplay.com) and print out his FAQ section.

With VP, you really need to learn not only how to recognize the different types of either holding no cards at all, partial types of paying hands as well as full hands that can be held (or entirely discarded) as well as what pay schedules that are offered on machines are decent and which are bad.

You also need to learn how to deal with Slot Clubs and the benefits that they offer.

You can play at VP machines in casinos with printed out playing strategy charts and I highly encourage that!

Also, I encourage players to take their time with the hands (don't play them too quickly) because just as with life in general, SPEED KILLS!

Playing VP too fast can leave you much more prone to making strategy errors which can literally cost you money.

I hope that this helps you!

RecVPPlayer

Similar to horserace betting, I did better at VP before I knew what I was doing. LOL

As mentioned, try some free online sites and play around with it, holding the cards to make poker hands. Once you have a feel for the basics, then you can get into the nitty gritty of it if you want to. I don't subscribe to all that, too lazy, but I do pretty well.

The reason you don't read much about slots on this site is that there isn't that much to say about them. Put the money in, push the button, await outcome. There is strategy to VP, thus tons is written back and forth, pros and cons, opinions on best games and strategies, etc.

Hey, if you like slots, that's fine. But you might enjoy VP too.

I'll second something that RecVPPlayer said -- download the FREE "Frugal Video Poker" software if you have a PC and give it a spin. The graphics aren't the fanciest, but the information in the program is top notch.

http://www.wolfvideopoker.com/FVP.htm

A couple of other websites to check out:

VideoPoker.com has many different games available to play for free (a free registration is required). While the games don't have any of the learning/training tools that Frugal Video Poker has, they do offer a realistic way to play for free and get a good idea of how video poker machines work, so when you go to put money in them in the casin you'll already be familiar with them.

Finally, www.VPGenius.com has some good information and tools on their website for calculating payback of a machine, hand selection, and the like. Also free.


Please start by learning how to properly play "Jacks or Better" ("JoB"), as it's the basis for most every other video poker variation that's out there. After JoB, you can graduate to Bonus Poker (BP), Deuces Wild (DW), and other games like Double Bonus (DB) and Double Double Bonus (DDB). Start by learning plain old Jacks or Better, though.

Thanks you have all given me a lot to think about !

Can be overwheleming at first ianbunce1. Good advice above for Learning.

If you can sit with a friend who plays, it helps..........start at Low denom, like nickels, as a beginner.

I did that..........as a newbie we played nickels til hitting a royal. Eventually progressed to quarters.
Played single line quarters for over a decade before graduating to dollars. But thats just me.
A ton of playing & practice inbetween.

To this day.................its still Fun to play.

So, If you aren't having Fun playing VP.? Can go back to your slots.
Good Luck

Most important piece of advise is if anyone mentions someone by the name of Rob Singer ignore them.

The two main differences between slots and VP are 1) With the proper comps and slot club promotions, you can actually get yourself an advantage playing VP, and 2) You have to think, at least until you have played it a few hours and things start to come automatically.

So you need to decide if those two differences appeal to you. Once you have a particular strategy down -- and 9/6 Jacks or Better should only take a couple of hours -- VP is actually more fun (IMHO) than slots. You can play a lot longer. You have the feeling of control. And, just like your first kiss, you will always remember your first royal. And like all the kisses that come afterward, which you may not remember, but you'll enjoy yourself immensely whenever you get a large payout and have a profitable session. You will have many many more profitable sessions at VP than on the slots.

All the above advice may seem slightly overwhelming. Just get one book or computer program to start. I personally think Bob Dancer is the top authority, and I use his VP for Winners software.