Category: Video Poker

As you know, I’m primarily a video poker player, but I have played table games at the Palms often enough that I sometimes get mailers for their table games. For February, they sent me four “First Card is an Ace” coupons — one useable each week.

In blackjack, an ace as a first card is worth something like 57% of your bet. The exact percentage depends on the rules and the accuracy of your play, but for today’s article, 57% is close enough. The coupons need to be used on a 6-deck shoe game and I can bet anywhere from $10 to $100 with the coupons. Continue reading Changing Expectations

Different people use different types of logic. I try to use “deduction,” whereby I learn the general rule and then apply that to specific situations. A friend of mine, Abe, uses “induction,” which is to look at specific events and then form a general rule that these events will usually reoccur in similar situations. Continue reading Induction versus Deduction

This semester in my free video poker classes at the South Point, I’ll be teaching, among other games, 9/6 Double Double Bonus (DDB) (February 12), 9/6 Double Double Bonus Quick Quads (QQ) (February 19), and 9/6 Double Double Bonus Ten Play Ultimate X (UX)(February 26). These games have much in common with each other, but they also have significant differences. I see people playing both QQ and UX using “normal strategy.” That is a big mistake. Today’s column is dedicated to showing some of the differences among the games. Continue reading Odd Man Out

In 2001, I had Lasik procedures done on both of my eyes. Before that, I couldn’t see the big E on the eye chart without my glasses which I had worn for more than 45 years. I received the mono-vision version, which basically meant that I would see for distance with my left eye and close-up with my right eye.

Being free from glasses was wonderful. My vision was not so sharp in the intermediate ranges (say 2-8 feet), but overall, this was an acceptable trade-off. Continue reading The Eyes Have It

Let’s assume that I think all video poker machines in Nevada are fair — and when I say fair I mean that each unseen card has an equal probability of showing up next. Now let’s assume that I play 200,000 hands of single line Jacks or Better and do not hit a royal. That’s about five cycles. The chances that I will go the next five cycles without a royal on a fair machine are about 1-in-150.

You then ask me if I still think the machines are fair. My answer is going to be, “Yes, the machines are most likely fair.” My ‘prior belief’ dominates my belief system. Continue reading How Do You Convince Somebody?