This next semester of free video poker classes at the South Point casino will be on Wednesdays between August 2 and October 4. Each semester I include one game taught at the advanced level. The advanced level is much more difficult than what I usually teach, and is only for players interested in squeezing every last little bit out of the game.
This semester I’m teaching both 9/6 Jacks or Better (JoB) and 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe (BPD) at the advanced level. I’m teaching them back-to-back, on the same day, September 6, beginning at noon.
The games are very similar. All pay schedule categories pay the same amount except for 4-of-a-kind (25-for-1 versus 80-for-1) and two pair (2-for-1 versus 1-for-1). These two changes offset each other almost exactly, making JoB worth 99.54% and BPD worth 99.64%.
The reason I have room to teach two separate advanced classes is that both of these games have fewer fine points than most other games, and the ones they have are pretty easy. In addition, about half of the advanced points for the two games are identical.
But there are differences. Games that pay 1-for-1 for two pair go for straights much more often than games that pay 2-for-1 for the same hand.
Today I’m going to list 20 hands. Approximately half of them (maybe exactly half — maybe not) are played the same in the two games. The others, of course, are played differently.
Your job, should you decide to accept it, is to figure out which are which. At the end of the article, I’ll tell you which are which — but I’m not going to tell you what the correct plays are. Let me give you an example. One of the hands is K♦ Q♣ J♥ 8♥ 7♥. There are two reasonable plays: K♦ Q♣ J♥ and J♥ 8♥ 7♥. (If you prefer a third play, you will get value out of the beginner classes — August 2 for JoB —- August 30 for BPD.)
If you think they are played the same, which is the correct play? If you think they are played differently, which play goes with which game? If you think that advanced plays aren’t that important so you don’t need to know which is correct, this particular hand is an intermediate play and should be in the repertoire of every player who plays for money that is important to him.
With available software, including some freebies available online, finding out the correct play on a hand is easy. If you can’t be bothered to check on the right play, you are never going to be able to play these games at the advanced level anyway. I’ll explain each of them in detail during the class.
- A♠ Q♥ J♠ T♥ 5♠
- A♦ K♣ J♥ T♥ 7♥
- A♣ K♣ T♣ 5♣ 3♥
- K♦ T♦ 9♣ 6♦ 5♠
- A♠ J♥ T♣ 5♦ 2♠
- K♥ J♠ T♠ 9♥ 5♣
- A♦ Q♣ T♣ 9♥ 8♠
- A♦ K♠ J♠ T♦ 5♠
- Q♣ J♣ T♥ 9♠ 9♥
- A♦ J♠ 7♥ 5♣ 4♥
- A♠ K♠ Q♥ T♠ 3♠
- K♦ T♦ 8♣ 6♦ 5♠
- Q♥ J♣ T♥ 8♠ 7♥
- A♠ K♥ J♥ T♣ 9♥
- K♦ Q♣ J♥ 8♥ 7♥
- A♦ J♠ T♥ 7♣ 4♥
- A♠ K♥ 5♣ 3♣ 2♣
- T♦ 8♠ 7♥ 5♣ 4♥
- A♠ J♥ T♣ 5♥ 2♠
- J♠ T♥ 9♠ 7♦ 5♣
The hands that are played identically in the two games are d, g, h, i, k, n, o, p, q, s and t. The others are played differently.
How did you do? If you aced the test, congratulations. You’ve done some work. If you didn’t ace this test, learning these distinctions is very likely within your capabilities. It’s not really that hard. But it takes effort. Whether or not it’s worth the effort is for you to decide.
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Of course, my reaction is: why on earth would I bother to learn to play either game? Yeah, there’s maybe, possibly some situations where those games are offered and there’s a promo that may push them BARELY over 100%–occasionally–but most of the time, those games are -EV. So you’re basically teaching people to lose–and teaching them to lose BETTER (i.e., less/more slowly) may be a noble effort, but why aren’t you teaching them how to win? For that matter, at the South Point, why not teach the only game in there that is inherently positive (with the slot club) and is available on about 100 machines–NSUD?
Kevin, it is obvious you only know a little about video poker and how to gain an edge while playing it. Mr. Dancer has many years of experience doing so. The two games at hand are both available at South Point and can be conveniently practiced in the same casino where the classes are held. While these two games may not be the best choices at this casino they are still excellent games to have in your repertoire. In the world of AP (advantage play) you never know in advance when an opportunity may arise where one or both of these games are the best choice available. Comparing these examples can also be used to show students how to learn other games where two pair pays only even money. There are additional reasons to support the choice of these two games and I’m sure Mr. Dancer can provide them if you go to his class and enquire.
Rumor has it that playing 9/6 BDX at Sweat Joint on multiplier days will get you 86’d. Remember, this is the same casino that throws out $5 blackjack card counters and threatens them as they are leaving.
If you’re talking about the Riverside in Laughlin, that certainly happened to me. It’s the only casino where I’ve formally been trespassed.