{"id":5886,"date":"2017-05-23T10:43:56","date_gmt":"2017-05-23T17:43:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/gambling-with-an-edge\/?p=5886"},"modified":"2017-05-24T14:30:35","modified_gmt":"2017-05-24T21:30:35","slug":"learning-from-munchkin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/gambling-with-an-edge\/learning-from-munchkin\/","title":{"rendered":"Learning from Munchkin"},"content":{"rendered":"

My co-host on the Gambling With An Edge<\/em> podcast is Richard Munchkin, a table games player who\u2019s been successful at gambling for several decades.<\/p>\n

We often answer listener questions on the show and if anyone asks about a table game, Richard is the go-to guy. Sometimes I\u2019ll have a bit to add, but mostly what Richard says covers the subject very well.<\/p>\n

He has used one particular phrase in his answers over and over again. The questions vary, but part of the answer stays the same.<\/p>\n

For example, some blackjack player is using one particular count and is considering learning another count because it\u2019s more powerful. Richard will discuss the features of each count, but say, \u201cYou\u2019re stepping over dollars to pick up pennies. A slightly better count is NOT where the money is in blackjack. There are far more important things to spend your time learning.\u201d<\/p>\n

I\u2019ve heard him say variations on this numerous times and I started to wonder if the way I tackle video poker makes me guilty of stepping over dollars to pick up pennies?<\/p>\n

As many of my readers know, I try to learn most video poker games at the 100% level. In NSU Deuces Wild, for example, letting a W<\/span><\/em> stand for a deuce, I play W<\/span><\/em> 4\u2660 5\u2660 3\u2665 J\u2665<\/span> differently than I do W<\/span><\/em> 4\u2660 5\u2660 3\u2665 J\u2666<\/span>.<\/p>\n

For the five-coin dollar player, if he holds W<\/span><\/em> 4\u2660 5\u2660 both times he is making a quarter of a penny error half the time. If he holds just the W<\/span><\/em> both times he is also making a quarter of a penny error half the time.<\/p>\n

I avoid this small error. I learned the game this well when I was playing $25 games so the error every other time is 6\u00a2 rather than a quarter cent. I still have that play memorized even though the larger games aren\u2019t available, insofar as I know.<\/p>\n

Although this particular distinction is one of many many I have memorized, it is safe to say I\u2019ve spent dozens of hours, probably more, learning these exceptions in the first place and reviewing them often enough to keep them memorized.<\/p>\n

Have I gained enough to make the difference between learning these things worth more than even an additional $2 per hour over all the hours I\u2019ve spent studying? Probably not.<\/p>\n

Without spending this time learning these exceptions, could I have played games worth substantially more than $2 per hour and been better off financially? Definitely yes, insofar as finding games worth more than that.<\/p>\n

So, is this a case of stepping over dollars to pick up pennies? Have I been violating Munchkin\u2019s advice (never mind that I spent most of those dozens of hours studying that game before I ever heard Richard give that advice)? Maybe, but if so, as
\nthey say in Traffic Court, I plead guilty with an explanation.<\/p>\n

Although in the Dancer\/Daily Winner\u2019s Guides<\/em> for both NSU Deuces Wild and Full Pay Deuces Wild, we distinguish between penalty cards and \u201cpower of the pack\u201d considerations, for the sake of simplicity today I\u2019m going to include both of these into the term \u201cpenalty cards.\u201d<\/p>\n

The underlying assumption behind the question \u201cIs learning penalty cards worth it?\u201d is that without studying the penalty cards you can play the penalty-free strategy perfectly. For me, at least, that assumption wouldn\u2019t track with reality.<\/p>\n

Just the study and practice I undergo to learn the penalty cards causes me to be practicing the basic strategy simultaneously. For example, the difference between W<\/span> J\u2666 9\u2666<\/span> 5\u2663 6\u2663 and W<\/span> J\u2666 9\u2666<\/span> 5\u2663 7\u2663, which is a basic strategy play, is probably ignored by all players who have not also made a serious attempt at learning all the exceptions. Even though this play is clearly shown on the Dancer\/Daily Strategy Card<\/em> and Winner\u2019s Guide<\/em> for this game, I suspect most players simply ignore it or don\u2019t understand why the two hands are played differently.<\/p>\n

So, while learning the penalty cards might only return $2 an hour on my study time, I also gain considerably more than that because I learn the basic strategy better during the process.<\/p>\n

For me personally, since I\u2019ve chosen a teaching career and a how-to writing career, there are additional income streams available to me for learning this stuff that wouldn\u2019t be available to most others.<\/p>\n

Plus, I like being a student. I was good at school and continue to try and learn new things. So even if learning penalty cards doesn\u2019t make great financial sense, it brings me pleasure. Can you really put a price on that?<\/p>\n

I\u2019m going to conclude that Richard\u2019s \u201cstepping over dollars to pick up pennies\u201d warning doesn\u2019t apply to me in this particular case. And I make this conclusion knowing full well that others may disagree with my conclusion. That\u2019s okay. I\u2019ve made my own bed here and I\u2019m perfectly happy sleeping in it.<\/p>\n

Yes, I know I mentioned that certain hands were played differently than others, but I didn\u2019t explain what the differences were. If you want to know, you\u2019re going to have to look up the information for yourself. If that annoys you, so be it, but the learning process isn\u2019t easy and you need to go through it to become a strong player.<\/p>\n\"Facebook\"<\/a>\"twitter\"<\/a>\"youtube\"<\/a>\"instagram\"<\/a>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My co-host on the Gambling With An Edge podcast is Richard Munchkin, a table games player who\u2019s been successful at gambling for several decades. We often answer listener questions on the show and if anyone asks about a table game, Richard is the go-to guy. Sometimes I\u2019ll have a bit to add, but mostly what […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_active":false,"_exactmetrics_sitenote_note":"","_exactmetrics_sitenote_category":0,"spay_email":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_is_tweetstorm":false},"categories":[29,2,3],"tags":[459,54,1577,1576,1014,507,860,255,553,196],"yoast_head":"\nLearning from Munchkin - Gambling With An Edge<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.lasvegasadvisor.com\/gambling-with-an-edge\/learning-from-munchkin\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Learning from Munchkin - Gambling With An Edge\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"My co-host on the Gambling With An Edge podcast is Richard Munchkin, a table games player who\u2019s been successful at gambling for several decades. 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