Page 12 - September 2006 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Bob Dancer: Video Poker
IMouse Energy
was attending a weekend self-help retreat, and one of the discussions was centered around a Native American myth. Without pretending that I understood all aspects of the myth, let me share with you what I did get.
In the myth, all of the animals of the forest were allied with a young Indian man in order to assist him in rescuing his mother from a very bad man who had captured her. Each of the animals contributed what it could. e bear, for example, contributed brute strength. e eagle was able to y and scout the situation from above. e snake was sneaky, with a poisonous bite.
And the mouse was able to scurry into the crevices where nobody else could get and obtain information that way. ere were several other animals involved as well, and you’ll be happy to know that it was the snake that was nally able to provide the fatal attack, using information gathered by the mouse and eagle.
are getting. While that information is important to them, and I’m not belittling them or the information in the slightest, it’s not important information for me. And when I’m out seeking relevant information, I’m looking for what does me good.
I know the games cold, and am practiced in guring out how much promotions such as “an extra 100 coins if you get 7777” are worth. I write about this periodically in this column and elsewhere, so if you don’t know how to gure these things out, you might want to reread old columns.
At casinos where there are frequent drawings that I believe are worth entering, I keep track of how many tickets are in the barrel as best I can. Sometimes the casino tells you if you know where to look. Sometimes you have to look and make your best guess. Either way, if I know that there are likely to be 100,000 tickets in the barrel and I’ll have 3,000 of them, and they are giving away $20,000, I know my typical share will be worth ($20,000 * 3,000 / 100,000 = $600). If I estimate it will cost me $100 to earn those tickets, then I can calculate that this play is worth $500 to me, and use that information to decide whether this is the best play for me this month. Players who don’t pay attention to these things can’t make this calculation. If I wasn’t at last week’s drawing, I’ll try to nd someone I can trust who was. I have plenty of information to barter, so I can often nd out what I want.
On occasion, using my mouse energy works for me—and sometimes acting like an eagle, bear, or snake works well, too. Anyone who always attacks problems in the same way will nd their method unsuccessful at times. I nd di erent circumstances require di erent approaches, and thinking about using animal metaphors is very useful to me.
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 two novels including, Sex, Lies, and Video Poker. Dancer’s products may be ordered at www.bobdancer.com.
Leaving the details of the myth behind, it occurs to me that a major explanation for my success at gambling was this“mouse energy” described in the myth. is was a surprise revelation, as at 6´1˝ and 220 pounds, with a not-particularly-quiet personality, nobody would describe me as “mouse-like.” My picture appears on video poker machines in Las Vegas, on my newspaper column, next to articles
in several magazines like
this one—not to mention
I’ve been on several TV
shows. At every casino
in Las Vegas and in most
casinos in the country,
there are employees who
can recognize me on sight.
It’s extremely di cult
for me to sneak up on a
casino. So how am I like
a mouse?
Another way is that I speak to hosts and ask questions—not necessarily believing their answer. I ask the same questions to hosts on the day shift and hosts on the swing shift and see if they’re the same. I don’t ask direct confrontational questions (the bear would do that), but rather roundabout questions. Hosts have loyalty to the casino, but they are also accommodating
to the players. ey often see no harm in giving me information about how much play the computers say I’ve played or how much does it take to earn a free room or show ticket. Once I have such data, it is a lot easier for me to gure out theoreticals (used to determine how much in comps I get), and whether this is a good play or not.
I ask questions of other players who play at about my level. Do you get cash in the mail? How much?
How much do you play to get this? is, of course, requires that I share similar information about my mailings, which I am quite willing to do. Since I’m a $5 player, I don’t bother with what the 25¢ players
One way is that I
read the rules to every
promotion. I am hoping
that this will give me
insight into whether, say,
all machines generate the same number of tickets. Or whether certain machines are excluded from a promotion. Or perhaps there’s some other limitation that a ects what I do.
“Hostshaveloyaltytothecasino,but they are also accommodating to the players.Theyoftenseenoharmin giving me information about how much play the computers say I’ve played or how much does it take to earn a free roomorshowticket.OnceIhavesuch data, it is a lot easier for me to figure out theoreticals (used to determine how much in comps I get), and whether
this is a good play or not.”
Page 12
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
September 2006
Video Poker with Bob Dancer