The Value of Creating Strategies

In my opinion, much of the value of a strategy lies in the creation process — figuring out what makes this game different from the others; looking for the rare cases; figuring out how to transcribe those cases — not in using a strategy created by somebody else. 

When I’m looking for the rare cases, I’m learning all of the not-so-rare cases automatically along the way. So much of video poker is playing the mundane hands correctly. 

The reason I bring this up is that at one casino, the game I play depends on the promotions. One game pays slightly more percentage-wise but it tops out at a $5 denomination. The “lesser” game goes up to a $10 denomination. Normally playing at the $5 level is better, but fairly often the casino has four-hour promotions where some sort of point multiplier is in effect.  

During those four hours, the expected return from the $10 game (including multipliers) is higher than the expected return from the $5 game. During “non-promotion” times, the $5 game returns more. On one trip, where I’m going to be playing both when the promotion is going on and when it isn’t, I will play some of each game.

The games are similar but not identical, so in addition to having both strategies figured out, I’ve created a list of the “deltas.” That is, which hands are played differently between the games. Before I go to that casino to play, I study all three strategies. Sometimes it is several months between visits to this casino and, since I play these games nowhere else, my memory of the fine points deteriorates over time. So with the three strategies, I can get up to speed again fast.

So far, I’ve spoken a little bit in code. I could just tell you which casino I’m writing about, which games, and give you all three strategies. But while that gives some information to players, it also gives some information to casinos. Which I don’t want. Plus, relatively few of my readers play $5 and $10 games anyway, so I’m risking giving up a situation that isn’t relevant for most of you. If you think you can figure out which casino and which games, please don’t publish those things in the responses to the blog.

The same principles hold for lower denominations — whether it’s 25¢ games versus 50¢ games, $1 games versus $2 games, or whatever. While some of you only play one game, most of you play at least two — and making yourself a list of the deltas would be useful.

The games have to be similar to do this. Deuces Wild games are so different from Double Double Bonus games that the list of deltas would be longer than the full strategies! But Double Bonus versus Double Double Bonus (of whatever pay schedules you play) would be suitable, as would Triple Bonus Poker versus Double Bonus Poker. 

You’re going to have to decide for yourself how advanced you want these strategies to be. I want the strategies to be 100% complete and 100% accurate, but I’m sure I’m in the minority about that. A lot of you don’t play any game 100% accurately, let alone comparing the differences between two or more different games at that level.

So for many of you, what Liam W. Daily and I called “Basic Strategies,” which is as accurate as you can get without using penalty cards, would be suitable. 

If you were comparing 9/6 Jacks or Better (JoB) with 9/6 Double Double Bonus (DDB), you should include hands like A♠ J♠ T♠ 4♠ 5♦ on your list where with Basic Strategy you hold three spades in JoB but four spades in DDB. Unless you’re trying for 100% accuracy, you probably should skip hands like A♠ J♠ T♠ 4♠ T♦, where with Advanced Strategy the correct play is to hold four spades in both games. I’d certainly have that hand on my list, but it’s a fairly rare hand and not worth much if you skip it.

Many of you don’t want to do such hard work to squeeze every last penny out of a game. That’s your choice. I’m not putting you down. But for me this is both my vocation and my avocation and I want to do it as well as I can.