Page 10 - February 2005 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Column: Video Poker with Bob Dancer
Page 10
FEBRUARY 2005
Knowing Your Ace From a Hole in the Ground
by Bob Dancer
L et me share two recent “adventures” of mine. What they have in common was they each happened in the same week and each caused my mind to race in inappropriate directions.
Shirley spent several days in Colorado recently for a religious conference of some sort. I stayed home and, as is my custom, played and/or wrote about video poker. I was having lunch bu et at nearby Sunset Station when I saw a very pretty young lady standing about fteen feet away clearly beckon to me with her nger. I didn’t recognize her so I gured she must be beckoning to someone else, so I pointed to my chest and mouthed, “me?” She nodded and kept urging me forward with her nger.
I’ve decided that it’s merely coincidence that I misidenti ed the “advances” of two di erent women back- to-back. is is more a case of “impending senility” than it is of “impending sexuality.” When I shared these stories with Shirley, I told her that I thought they would be interesting to write about in some way, but that I’d have to relate them somehow to video poker. After all, that’s what I am paid to write about. And I didn’t think generalizing my experience to “eating at Station Casino bu ets makes sexy things happen to you” was either accurate or a very good story line.
Shirley responded, “ at’s easy. Many people respond to the potential of aces in much the same way you responded to these women. ey simply overestimate the possibility of good things happening.”
I agree. Bad video poker players love aces and hold them whenever they can. In Deuces Wild, for example, you’ll see beginner players holding a suited A-K, or, worse yet, even a single ace by itself. Not smart plays. Or from a hand like A♣ A♥ 3♥ 4♥ 5♥, every seat-of- the-pants Double Double Bonus player holds the pair of aces, even though the hearts are much better. Or on a hand like 3♠ 3♥ 6♣ A♦ 8♥, you’ll see many players hold 3-3-A even though 3-3 is worth a lot more.
Why do players do this? Probably because they overestimate the similarities between live poker and video poker. Or perhaps they underestimate the number of strategy di erences between games. And since four aces pay so much in some games, these players tend to hold any aces in all games—even in cases, like 3-3-A, where ending up with four aces is impossible.
Or, maybe, they think that an ace loves them (i.e. the player), even though the ace isn’t doing anything inappropriate. It’s just being a regular old ace and letting the player’s mind wander where it will.
Bob Dancer is America’s best-known video poker writer and teacher. He has a variety of “how to play better video poker” products, including Winner’s Guides, strategy cards, videos, and the award-winning computer software, Bob Dancer Presents WinPoker, his autobiography Million Dollar Video Poker, and his recent novel, Sex, Lies, and Video Poker. Dancer’s products may be ordered at www.bobdancer.com
I am a happily married 57-year-old man. Being faithful to Shirley is not a problem. I notice attractive women sometimes, but don’t pursue any of those “options.” My life works well enough right now that messing with a good thing strikes me as being strategically stupid. Nevertheless, when a very pretty 35ish woman suggests that I come talk to her, I nd this impossible to ignore.
I was just about to stand up and go over when two youngsters, maybe three
and ve years of age, ran past me
and went over to my mystery
woman, who apparently was their mother. Seems like the woman was motioning to her children and probably didn’t even see me.
Whatever was going on in my mind had absolutely nothing to do with what was going on in hers. I grinned at my confusion, and went back to my lunch and the book I was reading.
Two days later at the Green Valley Ranch Station bu et, when I was shown to my table by the hostess, a woman sitting at the next table over gave me a very friendly look. is was not a vaguely friendly smile you give to a complete stranger. is was a “You’re exactly who I want. Come to me” look.
As I went to get my food I found my mind wandering. I didn’t recognize the woman and women don’t generally hit on me. I have lost twenty
pounds recently, but a male model I’m not. ere are thousands of people who have taken my video poker classes at the Fiesta or elsewhere, but these people also know Shirley and have no reason to believe I’m a philanderer.
I return to my table and this mystery woman smiles irtatiously again in my direction. I smile back politely, but basically start to read my book
and eat my lunch. I’m neither rude to her nor do I encourage her in any way.
Ten minutes later she is nished with her meal. And she comes over, with a smile
that can only be interpreted as seductive. Turns out she does want something from me. After receiving a positive response to
her, “May I ask you a question?” query, she says, “I took a class from you at the Fiesta four years ago and I’m still confused about when to favor a suited queen-jack over an inside straight in Deuces Wild. Can you explain that to me?” (I found myself simultaneously relieved that the situation didn’t get sticky and somewhat disappointed at the same time. After all, what’s the merit of staying in the boat if you don’t at least get a few o ers to go swimming?) I list a few relevant hands on the back
of the paper place mat and she leaves satis ed.