I get dozens of video poker emails a month from people I’ve never met. Often the emails are similar to the following:
“I play Double Double Bonus. From a hand like KK773, I hold the kings and a friend tells me to hold two pair. Which is right?”
I typically answer that it’s correct to hold two pair — and the answer would be easy to obtain using video poker software or by consulting a strategy card or Winner’s Guide. If they wish to get better at video poker, they need to be able to check these things out themselves.
If I get a similar question from the same person, perhaps this time it might be, “I play Double Double Bonus. From a 3-card royal and a high pair, I always hold the 3-card royal. A friend tells me to always hold the high pair. Which is correct?”
This time I answer that if you’re playing a game where the flush pays 5 for 1, it’s always better to hold the high pair. If you’re playing a game where the flush pays 6 for 1, it’s usually better to hold the high pair, but not always. You should check out the hands on a computer or consult a Winner’s Guide.
Further, I inform him that it is not my role in life to answer questions he can easily find out through the use of computers and books. In addition, I’ve noted his name and email address and will no longer respond to emails from him.
Often the person writes back with an “I’m sorry.” Sometimes the person writes back and tells me what an arrogant, selfish, money-grubbing $%#@#!@ jerk I am. So be it. Although I attempt to treat people fairly, I don’t feel that because someone bought a strategy card from me three years ago (and for which my “profit” was probably $1 not including the hundreds of hours spent “perfecting” the card) I am obligated to be at their beck and call forever. Insulting me is not a good method for convincing me to continue as their “Answer Man.” Occasionally these same people will continue to send emails, which I continue to ignore. Sometimes they have even asked the Las Vegas Advisor and/or videopoker.com to forward their emails to me. They do get forwarded and I continue to ignore them.
Video poker takes time to master. To get good at it, you need to study systematically. There are almost 2.6 million unique hands, but “only” about 5% of that many hands when you call the suits 1, 2, 3, and 4 instead of clubs, diamonds, hearts, and spades. Why this makes a difference is because A♣ K♠ Q♠ T♥ 3♠ will be played exactly the same as A♦ K♠ Q♠ T♣ 3♠ or any of the 22 other ways you can have ‘KQ3’ of any suit 1, A of any suit 2, and T of any suit 3. (And yes, I’m neglecting those rare games where a royal in spades pays differently than a royal in hearts, diamonds, or clubs.)
The questions themselves were reasonable. You MUST learn the answers to them in order to play well. But a part of the process is being able to look them up for yourself. It’s not a trivial task, but it isn’t that hard either. And it’s the kind of thing that gets easier the more you do it.
There’s a variety of software products available. I personally use Video Poker for Winners, WinPoker, and Wolf Video Poker — in addition to using the free tools available at wizardofodds.com. While there’s a huge amount of overlap among these tools, each has a bit of functionality the others don’t.
To get good results using any of these tools requires some practice. At a minimum you should wallow around the program enough until you can find out how to play any hand, find the return on the game, practice with the program correcting your mistakes, and enter a new pay schedule into the software. That’s at least 90% of what most players use the software for.
For me, in addition to the above, I want to study the special cases where a simplified strategy doesn’t play all the hands correctly to my standards. You certainly don’t have to study to this degree, but the information is available if you do.
If I always am there to answer these questions, it’s a waste of my time and you never learn how to do it yourself. Call it “tough love” if you like, but you need to learn to look up these things yourself.
I will continue to respond to occasional, polite emails and continue to ignore the ones that aren’t so occasional and/or not very polite. Helping you get started is part of what I do, on a pro bono basis. Becoming your private tutor is an entirely different matter.
Also, if you attend the free classes at the South Point on Wednesdays beginning August 10, we regularly go over there how to look up these things on the computer. If you’re fuzzy on how to do it now, you’ll be quite a bit more proficient after going to class.
Just thought, after reading this, that I should send you an e-mail telling you how much I’ve enjoyed your column through the years. We often stay at South Point but never stopped to say hello or thanks for your work. Just didn’t want to bother you. I’m not much of a video poker player, in both senses of that term! I won’t be sending any e-mails asking for advice, no need to bother you or not much need for the advice either. Don’t want to make a couple hours or so spread out over 5-6 days seem like work. We go out to enjoy the town and bet football and basketball. Those games HAVE been more than kind to me over the years. Why am I sending this at all? Your column sounded like at times, you feel a little under appreciated. Wanted to let you know that’s not true. Even us very casual readers can get a smile or two out of the words you post. Take Care and remember that we are out here true. Oh, and thanks.
Great article, Bob D.
BTW – It’s been many yrs – since I had last attended your class(es) as an out-of-towner. And I enjoyed all the knowledge on even the most marginal of plays on any game that was discussed. I go back to the days when you even had classes at the “Castaways’ (or Showboat?) hotel/casino- that was way out on Boulder hwy, then later at the Reserve/Fiesta (Henderson). Those were the ‘peak’ days of vp, and learning for me, in my opinion-with the availablity of higher e.v. games/casino promotions, etc available. ‘The good ol’ days as some would say. (although new trends not always bad – like the “Ticket in/Ticket out” system, vs carrying bucket(s) / trays of metal coin(s) to cashout everytime). And of course with the modern computer age, lots of practice software is available to use on one’s home computer or even portable laptop.
The title of your article pretty much sums it up “You Have to Work it Out Yourself”. I personally have most of the tools above that you have mentioned, and continually ‘review’/reread articles from time to time. Especially as a more infrequent player now, but still regular-enough player to gain comps as an out-of-towner (incl free room offers!) from personal favorite properties around LV area. It does take ‘work’ and time to study/preparation to make the most of the game(s) one is going to play for the highest return/reward/expectation! Or as Lenny Frome’s basic article has mentioned – the 3-legged stool foundation of : “The first leg is knowing what games to play. The second leg is playing the right strategy. The last leg is knowing what to expect. ” (in my mind – knowing What VP game with highest/best e.v for my personality type, right strategy to play the game correctly, and aware of volatility/bankroll need, as part of ‘what’ to expect–having the mindset to stick out the losing streaks, if there is a possiblitly of ending back in the ‘winning’ side)….
Thanks for the refresher, and all the articles you continue to make available to vp players everywhere!
Martin
i couldn’t agree with you more! I have a friend that always asks me to bring my laptop over to his house so he can play my VPW software and learn video poker like I did! I always tell him to download the trial or ante up the $49.95 and purchase the software himself. He also thinks playing for a half hour will allow him to master video poker. I have spent hours a day for a very long time and I am still learning. You have to invest the time and have the desire if you want to master video poker.
Your post reminded me of a comment written by the late Skip Hughes, possibly in the LVA, sometime after the Showboat closed.
He said he had bad news and good news.
The bad news was that the Showboat was still closed
The good news was that the Showboat buffet was still closed!
The worst aspect of this is when people ask me about a hand, I tell them the proper play, and they ignore my advice. A LOT of people do the moron move you describe (breaking two pair in DDB) and even if I spend five minutes explaining to them why it’s a mistake, they don’t believe me. If a play “feels” wrong to them, they won’t make it, regardless of any evidence. Other typical “ignored” plays include drawing to the flush, not the royal, in DB with AKQ5h6s, drawing to the SF, not the deuces alone, in FPDW with 2267s; etc. etc. etc. So once I realized that these people want not actual advice, but rather, validation of their preconceived notions, it became much easier to tell them to “look it up.”
Of course, if I’m feeling mischievous, I tell them to hold the J3 of hearts because “flushes pay a lot on Double Bonus machines.”
Thx for your column and thx for the show.
It’s sad people are generally miserable deadbeats, who rarely stop by to say something nice — and never back it up with
The folding stuff.
Gamblers are an intriguing race. Normally
there are lots of stories, so, they are amusing .. But, financially, they can try your patience.
Never mind – the Video Poker gods, will make a note.
Bob: I have an earlier version of your video poker training software but I haven’t been able to use it for years because it’s for a very old operating system. I notice that none of your newer software is listed for Windows 10. When that happens I will buy it but until then it won’t do me much good.
When is your new software coming out for Windows 10?
Love the column, by the way!
The latest version of Video Poker for Winners, 1.78, works on Windows 10. When you install it, turn off your virus protection software. If you don’t, sometimes that software has renamed VPW modules — creating problems. After installation, turn your protection software back on, of course.
Hey Bob,
I purchased Wiinpoker several years ago and read your columns for tips since then. What an AWESOME return on investment this has been for me. I’m about your age (I’m 68), retired 2 years ago and ramped up my AP play about a year ago. I played some VP before retiring normally with 4 or low 5 figure results at year end. In the past year I have made 6 figures playing twice a week milking a situation that I can now share because it has finally evaporated. This local store had $1 multiplay “times play” 9-6 JOB (99.82%) plus 0.2% free play plus a little over 1% mailers. In addition one morning per week when the store was mostly empty they had “$250 free play” drawings, 2 per hour for 5 hours (1 drawing entry per $200 throughput). Well, I could normally generate enough drawing entries to win 3 or 4 or sometimes 5 drawings on these particular mornings (you could only win once per hour) until they stopped the drawings — I think because people were complaining that my name was being pulled almost every hour. The full pay VP games (16-10 NSUD, 9-6 JOB, 9-6 Bonus Poker Deluxe) have now all disappeared — it was fun while it lasted. I knew this would not last forever, so a few months ago I learned how to count BJ (Hi-Lo) and have been a positive EV red and green chipper — I plan to ramp this up as I gain confidence, and also keep my eyes open for more AP opportunities.
“Joe Mama”
I’ve had your video poker disc for many years– think it’s now worn out (?)-so need to the newest disc.Will I be able to install it on my on my current ‘old’ windows XP?
Thanks in advance,