Richard Munchkin received a note from a Gambling with an Edge listener about a subject to talk about. The note referred to a casino where the formerly 8/5 Bonus machines were recently downgraded to 7/5. Part of the note said: Continue reading Picking Up Free Play
Category: Advanced Strategy
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 well-off financially. She’s a pretty strong video poker player, but doesn’t concentrate on learning all of the smallest details. “Why spend hours memorizing rare hands that will save me a tenth of a penny once every two years?” she asks. “I don’t need the money and life’s too short to spend my time on shit like that.” (If you don’t like that language, take it up with Thelma — not me.) Continue reading Being Good at Everything
How Good Do You Want to Be?
Bonnie and I traveled to Los Angeles several months ago and, among other things, spent an afternoon visiting Margo, a platonic friend of mine going on 35 years. The ladies got along great and the visit reminded me of a story I wrote about Margo several years ago. Continue reading How Good Do You Want to Be?
Tells: Dealer Toke Hustling
After a session playing with rookies, I like to ask, “What did you think of those dealers?” or “Who was your favorite employee?” Heat management is one of the most important aspects of the game, and sizing up the personnel is the key to heat management. “Bullet” and I tend to have identical assessments of the personnel, but the rookies often reach different conclusions. Rookies don’t realize that some of the apparently friendly interaction is nothing more than incessant toke hustling, and that grates on veterans, even those who are generous tokers (which Bullet certainly is, and I’m far from the cheapest myself). Continue reading Tells: Dealer Toke Hustling
Breakeven Point Analysis Leads to Some Strange Conclusions
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.
Continue reading Breakeven Point Analysis Leads to Some Strange Conclusions
Drivers, Pilots, Artists, and Perfectionists
Perhaps twenty years ago, I attended a series of motivational lectures by Dr. William Kerley. Near the end of the last lecture, he spoke of the time when he was hired by Continental Airlines to give classes to their non-pilots on how to deal with pilots. To properly understand what pilots went through, he spent many hours in flight simulators for a variety of airplanes. (This happened before 9/11). Continue reading Drivers, Pilots, Artists, and Perfectionists
Opportunity versus Circumstance
I recently was reminded of a quote by George Bernard Shaw. “People are always blaming their circumstances for what they are. I don’t believe in circumstances. The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can’t find them, make them.” Continue reading Opportunity versus Circumstance
How Do I Answer?
I was playing 9/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe at the South Point on a double point day. A lady I’ve known for years, “Sandy,” sat down to play at the machine next to me. She’s a fairly recent widow and I knew her husband as well. We’re friendly, but not close friends. Continue reading How Do I Answer?
2016 Blackjack Ball
Once a year for the past 20 years, the finest blackjack players in the world get together for an evening of drinking, visiting, drinking, dining, drinking, and testing themselves against one another. The event is hosted by wit and raconteur Max Rubin with some help from Barona Casino. A few lawyers and other gambling professionals are also invited, including one grateful video poker writer and teacher. Continue reading 2016 Blackjack Ball
Teaching Advanced 8/5 Bonus
The new semester of free video poker classes at the South Point will begin on Wednesday, January 27, at noon, in the Grandview Lounge — which is eight days after this article is originally published. Everyone at least 21 years of age is welcome. Continue reading Teaching Advanced 8/5 Bonus