“EV” stands for expected value, which is a type of weighted average. The exact definition I’ll leave to the probability and statistics textbooks. As cut and dried as the definition is in the math books, there’s plenty of wiggle room in the way it’s applied to video poker. Before we discuss this wiggle room, let’s […]
Posts tagged royal flush
Why Did You Print the Wrong Information?
I received an email from a player who told me that he found an error in Dream Card. I was definitely interested. If I verified that it was an error, I would send the information along to the folks at IGT (who manufacture the game), videopoker.com (who invented the game), and the player community. Whether […]
How Bad Is It to Be Greedy?
I assume you know what it means to be greedy. If I’m right about this assumption, then you’re ahead of me. I’m very confused by what the word means. I Googled “What is greed?” It came back with the Oxford Dictionary definition, “intense and selfish desire for something, especially wealth, power, or food.” It mentioned […]
Lessons from Chip Reese
I was reading Mike Sexton’s new book, Life’s a Gamble, in preparation for interviewing Sexton on the radio. The Sexton interview will be taped before you read this and will be posted here (that link is to the filtered podcast archives) on Thursday, July 28. The book is autobiographical, with lots of anecdotes about Sexton himself and various other […]
You Have to Work it Out Yourself
I get dozens of video poker emails a month from people I’ve never met. Often the emails are similar to the following: “I play Double Double Bonus. From a hand like KK773, I hold the kings and a friend tells me to hold two pair. Which is right?” I typically answer that it’s correct to […]
Being Good at Everything
I have two good friends, “Thelma” and “Louise,” who are married to each other. I’ve been friends with Thelma for more than a decade, Louise about half that long, and Bonnie and I happily attended their wedding last year. Thelma is very bright and has been successful at a number of things. She’s also very […]
Breakeven Point Analysis Leads to Some Strange ...
A version of this article first appeared in 1999, but I haven’t written about it for a long time and many of my readers are newer to the game than that and didn’t see it the first time.
Quitting When I’m Ahead
You’ve heard the expression “Quit when you’re ahead,” applied to gambling. You’ve also heard, “When you’re on a hot streak, keep firing away!” These two bromides give opposite advice on what you should do when you actually hit a big jackpot. The first says go home. The second says stay and keep playing.
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 […]
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