In addition to where my blogs usually appear, starting a few months ago they also have been found at www.gamblingwithanedge.com. This is a site created by the folks at The Las Vegas Advisor and groups together podcasts from the radio show and blogs from a number of successful gamblers.
One feature of that site is it’s a handy place to post your own comments for or against anything written. Today’s blog was inspired by comment written about one of my recent blogs. It wasn’t an unfriendly comment. It wasn’t a personal attack of any sort. It was likely intended as gentle teasing. But nonetheless I disagree strongly with what was written.
The blog in question was dated October 25, 2016 and part of it referred to an incident where I “instructed” my ex-wife Shirley on my way of gambling. More than one reader responded with how they have taught spouses how to gamble.
One reader posed the following: My wife and I have been married for 44 years. She has just started to play VP. Instead of me teaching her I just gave her a copy of Bob’s book on how to win at JoB…….if she loses there is only one person (other than herself) to blame……sorry Bob.
Thanks for plugging my Winner’s Guide (actually co-written with Liam W. Daily). If I personally were trying to learn a game and someone had already created that kind of a book, it would definitely be part of my learning process. I use all sorts of sources to help myself get better at things.
With that said, tossing someone a Winner’s Guide and telling them they’re now on their own is a lousy way to teach them how to play a winning game.
Why? Because people learn in different ways. Some people learn by reading. Some learn by listening. Some learn by doing and being corrected. Some people are A students and very proficient at comprehending what they read, but more people aren’t.
A Winner’s Guide make a lot more sense if you also are using computer software along with it. I personally use Video Poker for Winners, WinPoker, and Wolf Video Poker to assist me. For learning a new game they all work, and each has small advantages the others don’t.
Even with a computer and a book, most players can’t tell you when Q♠ T♠ 8♠ is more valuable than a 4-card inside straight with three high cards in the same hand. Studying at that level by themselves is beyond what most players can or will do. A personal tutor (assuming that’s what you call an accomplished player who has already learned the game well) can explain this easily enough, but it will often take several repetitions before the new student has it mastered. And then a few weeks or months later, a review will often be required. And then later, another review.This kind of information doesn’t stick firmly in the minds of many.
Perhaps more fundamentally, even though the Jacks or Better Winner’s Guide can help teach you how to play each hand correctly, it won’t turn you into a winning player. Although there are some exceptions in a few places, the best common version of the game returns 99.54% before including the slot club and other benefits. That means the house has an edge of 0.46% if you can play perfectly — and it takes a while to learn how to play perfectly.
The concepts of free play, mailers, promotions, comps, and other goodies won’t be learned from the Winner’s Guides. These concepts are every bit as important as how to play the hands correctly, and are arguably more difficult to learn.
Plus, they keep changing. Very few slot clubs are the same today as they were three years ago. Similar, yes. Identical, no. And knowing where those differences lie can make or break you.
Although my blogs sometimes address these subjects, I may be talking about casinos and/or stakes which you don’t play. For “local” (to the student) information, that student is going to need local tutoring.
Does every reader of my blog need to be a tutor? No, of course not. But thinking that you’ve done a good job teaching by giving the student a book, even a good book, is fooling yourself. It takes a lot more than a book.
And if you become a teacher to help somebody else, you will become a better player in the process.
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I have always admired how confident you are about your talents. A perfectionist of sorts. So just have to tell you that your Video Poker for Winners is flawed and not up to the standards of the author. It constantly gives the wrong paytable odds. One day the paytable odds say one thing and another day they say something different. A glitch maybe? Not a good look for the “Einstein” of video poker to be associated with.
Usually when people say this it is actually a user mistake — not a software mistake. For example, in 9/6 JoB, one day the computer will say you should hold AQ from A♠ Q♥ T♥ 7♠ 3♥ and the next day you should hold QT from A♠ Q♥ T♥ 7♠ 3♠. Both plays are correct, but it might seem like it must be a mistake if you’re not an expert.
The above example is a simple flush penalty. There are penalty card situations in other games which are much more subtle.
If you wish to document where you think an error is, please send me ALL FIVE CARDS and the game (including pay schedule) and what the software says to hold. Then send me ALL FIVE CARDS of when the software says to play it differently. Very likely the hands are similar but not identical — and that difference is sufficient to change the correct play.
My comment that is the basis of your article was, apparently, a poor attempt.at humor, Of course I worked with my wife on developing VP skills, We had and have numerous discussions on VP and money management as well
She also uses computer software to hone her game. She is a recereational player with much more knowledge than she had when she first started. My attempts at levity failed, but I will say unequivocally that without your boook she would be far behind the curve.
Just go to wizardofodds.com and then to the video poker section and print out correct strategy for the hand being played. You can create the correct strategy for most games here: http://wizardofodds.com/games/video-poker/strategy/calculator
Don’t waste time and money on software.
The Wizard of Odds site is an excellent, free, resource. It has advantages that commercial software products can’t touch.
Conversely, practicing is MUCH more effective using VPW than the WOO site — as are Multi Strike strategies and bankroll calculations.
I personally use that site, along with VPW, WinPoker, and Wolf Video Poker. Each provides useful information the others don’t. They are all similar — but hardly perfect substitutes.
Calling software a waste of time and money is probably something said by someone looking primarily at the “price of admission” rather than the value received.
Say a professional software product costs $50. A person playing quarter video poker runs through $50 coin-in in 40 hands. A dollar player the same in ten hands. Avoiding purchasing a product like that so you can save a few bucks and use a free source from the internet is penny wise and pound foolish.
I was very happy with the video poker guides I bought along with the software, “video poker for winners” and the cards – all less than $100 – never knew how to play VP, now I do. Gambling has always just been entertainment to me, but now it costs a hell of a lot less, and I achieved a VIP tier the first year – thank you Bob – to me it was money well spent. I also paid a whopping less than $5.00 for VP Pocket for android and Iphone – to practice on the go
Anyone who thinks they can be an expert video poker player without practice on software is kidding themselves. Knowing a strategy is one thing, executing it is another. You have to be able to pick out what is relevant from each hand without missing any of the possibilities. If you don’t practice with a program that will correct you, you may think you are playing perfectly but you aren’t.
I bought Video Poker for Winners over 3 years ago and have probably played half a million hands on it, and it has never made a single mistake in analyzing a hand. You do need to recognize that you can play it against its strategy or against perfect play, and the two are always different.
This is not a reply to the current article, but a question about tipping in Casinos. I generally am comped my room, food and drink and airport pick up/ drop off and am familiar with tips regarding these services. But I’ve searched your articles and the internet and can’t find info on tipping VIP services. I’ll tip the limo driver $20 each way but when I get to the hotel VIP check in I’m not sure what if any the tip should be to them. I don’t want to tip too little and seem cheap nor do I want to over tip. Is there an article on this subject?
Usually I do not tip at VIP service unless there were some special requests/services. But just ordinary check-in doesn’t earn a tip from me.
Everybody has a different philosophy on this and you have to work it out yourself. I haven’t written about this particular subject because I don’t have anything definitive to say