The following is a hypothetical problem set at an unidentified casino: Assume the games are single line, for dollars, and I play $20,000 coin-in a month. Assume the slot club pays 0.25% and the mailer gives me $160 a month (i.e. $40 a week times four weeks) as long as I play $20,000 or more […]
Posts in category Video Poker
The Principles are the Same
I periodically attend a dinner hosted by Tommy and Debby Hyland. Tommy has run a large blackjack team for decades and is a member of the Blackjack Hall of Fame. A number of gamblers of various stripes are invited to these dinners and the conversation is often stimulating. Tommy is also a very good golfer […]
Checking out the Downtown Grand
I don’t read a newspaper. I pay attention to the news, but get it online. Bonnie has subscribed to the Las Vegas Review-Journal for 20 years and reads it daily. She is not particularly savvy about gambling offers, but she cuts out many of them and places them in my office. Mostly I either already […]
My Adventure at the SLS — Part 2 of 2
In last week’s article, available here, I explained how I happened to be playing for large stakes at the newly-opened SLS Casino on its opening weekend. I was down $34,000 after four hours of play. The story continues: Shortly thereafter I hit $20,000 aces. While I was “in for” $56,000 at this point ($40,000 in […]
My Adventure at the SLS — Part 1 of 2
The SLS Casino opened up at midnight on a Friday the week before Labor Day, 2014. Half a day later, Saturday afternoon, I visited to check it out. I wanted to see if there were any games worth playing. In the High Limit room I ran into Scott McDermott. Scott had been some sort of […]
A Different Voice
One of the mantras I keep harping on is, “Today’s Score Doesn’t Matter.” I’m sure each of my regular readers has seen that dozens of times. Most of my readers who are willing to be persuaded already accept that. Others will never accept that no matter how often I keep repeating it.
Knowing a Strategy versus Using a Strategy Card
Strategy cards can be useful. Generally speaking, they use some sort of notation to shorten and simplify a written strategy. Most cards intentionally give up some accuracy in favor of ease of use. I sell strategy cards and Winner’s Guides which include strategies.
It’s a Mindset
There are definitely certain skills necessary to be a successful gambler, but in addition to the skills, your mindset is important as well. Playing games well, whether for money or not, requires thinking in a way that the general public usually does not.
A Difference in Strategies
In late September, I taught a 9/6 DDB Quick Quads class at the South Point. One of the combinations you hold in that game is KTx — where ‘x’ stands for a suited card too low to be part of a straight flush or a royal flush — namely a suited KT2, KT3, KT4, KT5, […]
It’s Better to Do It Yourself
Not long ago I was teaching a Quick Quads class at the South Point. As often occurs, after the class several students came up to chat. Sometimes they just come up to thank me; sometimes they want to ask about a particular hand; and sometimes people hang out just to hear my answers to questions […]
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