Page 14 - November 2006 • Southern California Gaming Guide

November 2006 Media Picks
Frugal Video Poker by Jean Scott and Viktor Nacht RVeviewed by Borris Bienn
ideo poker is often known as the “thinking player’s slot” because skill and strategy play as signi cant of a role asluck.Playingregularslotscanonlyfallundertheheadingof“entertainment”becausetheoddsareweighed so heavily in favor of the casino. e savvy and skilled video poker player, however, can even out those odds
considerably. While it’s not reasonable for the casual video poker player to expect to make a pro t from video poker, it is reasonable to expect to be able to get considerably more bang for your casino bankroll playing video poker than playing other types of slots. And when it comes to getting advice on how to get the most bang for your bankroll, the reigning expert is the Queen of Comps, the Frugal Gambler, Jean Scott.
8/5 machine. ose are numbers that I can understand! If I play an 8/5 machine when there’s a 9/6 machine available, I’m giving the casino an extra $14.07 an hour. Keeping that money in my pocket is what I call frugal, and it’s worth looking for the better play.
Frugal Video Poker not only includes strategy variations for all of the most popular video poker slots—including an entire chapter on Multi-Strike Poker and a chapter on Video Poker Progressives—but it also includes
chapters on Video Poker Tournaments, casino comps, and tips on how to factor in the value of promotions when choosing the right casino for your play.
Additionally, Frugal Video Poker includes lessons and instructions on how to use the Frugal VP software program to master strategy on your favorite game, estimate your ideal session bankroll, and factor in comps and players club points to maximize your rate of return on each casino visit.
Frugal Video Poker belongs in every casino player’s library.
Borris Bienn plays video poker in California and Gulf Coast casinos.
In Frugal Video Poker, Jean Scott has combined her famous frugal advice with video poker strategy.
Whatever your game, whatever your stakes, and whatever your skill level, Frugal Video Poker has the information you need to maximize the entertainment value of your next trip to the casino.
Strategy is king when it comes to video poker, and the majority of Frugal Video Poker teaches the essential skills every player needs. Of course, the truly essential video poker skills may surprise you. e most important decision you will make isn’t whether to dump a pair of Kings and go for that Royal Flush.
e most important decision you will make is which machine to play in the rst place.
e rst thing any frugal video poker player must learn is how to read the pay tables. All video poker slots are not created equal! When you learn how to read the pay tables, you will know exactly what your expected
rate of return will be on the
game before you put your rst $20intheslot.Scottprovides
detailed and very easy-to-
understand illustrations of
the most common pay table
variations on the most popu-
lar video poker games (and
highlights the pay table num-
bers to watch out for). And
she always brings the numbers
back to the bottom line. For
example, a 9/6 Jacks or Better
machine has an Expected
Value (EV) of 99.54%, while
an 8/5 machine has an EV of 97.30%. is means on the 9/6 machine a medium-speed quarter player can expect to lose $2.81 an hour, and $16.88 an hour on the
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Page 14
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
November 2006
Gaming Media Picks