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, KT6, KT7, or KT8. This is standard 9/6 DDB strategy — although if you don’t play this particular game, it might look a little weird. Continue reading A Difference in Strategies
Category: Video Poker
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 that others are asking. Continue reading It’s Better to Do It Yourself
Comparing the Values of 3-card Straight Flushes Among Games
When Liam W. Daily and I were devising our strategy cards and Winner’s Guides several years ago, we noticed that in many games, the value of certain 3-card straight flushes was similar. In 9/6 Jacks or Better, for example, KQ9 (two high cards and two insides) is worth $3.21, JT8 (one high card and one inside) is worth $3.20, and 345 (no high cards and no insides) is worth $3.18. In all cases, I am assuming a 5-coin dollar player and the last two cards in the hand provide neither flush nor straight interference. Continue reading Comparing the Values of 3-card Straight Flushes Among Games
Is This Fair?
The specifics of the following are fiction. But similar situations have happened numerous times.
Let’s say there’s a drawing at a casino, with about 50,000 tickets in the barrel. I’ve hammered away at a $25 machine for 15 hours and have 800 tickets myself, resulting from $800,000 coin-in. A lady in green, on the other hand, is a quarter player who played four hours and has 3 tickets. We both show up, hoping to win the $25,000 prize. Continue reading Is This Fair?
Good Thing the Machine Malfunctioned and Should You Make a Fuss?
Author’s note: I am posting two articles today, September 9, and none next week. This article tells of a September South Point promotion that is good for the player community and will expire September 30. Therefore I didn’t want to delay it another week.
Continue reading Good Thing the Machine Malfunctioned and Should You Make a Fuss?
First Things First
This article was first published in 2005. The specific game I was playing is no longer found at this particular casino — and now I’m married to Bonnie rather than Shirley. But the point the article makes is still a good one to remember.
I was playing NSU Deuces Wild one evening recently at the Palms. Depending on the specific promotion, I frequently play on multi denomination ($1, $2, $5) Triple Play / Five Play machines that have several choices of games to play. I hear a female voice to my right querying, “Why does everyone play Deuces Wild on these machines?” Continue reading First Things First
A No Brainer — Or So I Thought
This past Saturday, August 23, the Palms casino in Las Vegas hosted a $50,000 slot tournament. This was a tournament where, so far as I know, extremely limited skill was required. As long as you were hitting the button whenever the reels were stopped, you were going to get the maximum score that your particular machine would allow for that session. Whether it was a little or a lot was dependent on the luck of the draw. Continue reading A No Brainer — Or So I Thought
Contemplating Foxwoods, Part 2 of 2
Check out Part 1 of this story here. I’ll wait until you come back.
I asked John to provide me with a number of things before I flew to Foxwoods, including:
a. A photograph of the pay schedule and denomination. A one digit mistake in how much a flush pays, for example, can change whether the game is playable or not. Continue reading Contemplating Foxwoods, Part 2 of 2
Contemplating Foxwoods, Part 1 of 2
I received an email from somebody, “John,” who wanted to know if I was willing to pay a finder’s fee for information about a $5 video poker game on the East coast that had so far slipped under everyone’s radar. He thought the game was worth more than $200 per hour. I know John and I trust John–which is a very good start.
Before we went through the “How much do you want?” “How much are you willing to pay?” two-step, I needed to know some information, including: Continue reading Contemplating Foxwoods, Part 1 of 2
Thinking Like a Casino Manager
Winning video poker players DO NOT think the same as casino managers. While there is no one “right way” to think, it’s wise to remember that casino managers often are the ones who make the rules. Sometimes players need to shift their thinking cap in order to understand those rules. Continue reading Thinking Like a Casino Manager