Page 14 - December 2007 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Bob Dancer: Video Poker
MIs There a Tiger in Your Tank?
ost of us have seen Tiger Woods play golf on television, or perhaps even in person. ere is a world of di erence watching him play versus watching weekend du ers. I’m not talking about how far he hits the ball or how accurately. Since he’s the best golfer
in the world, of course his strokes are superior. But that’s not what I am talking about today.
e Tiger attributes I am referring to are preparation, concentration, and doggedness. If he’s asked in an interview about the third hole at a course he hasn’t played in three months, he’ll respond (without looking at any notes) that it’s a 383 yards, straight except for a small
Let’s shift to video poker. Strong players know how to play every hand. On a hand like A♥ Q♥ K♣ J♣ 9♣, they’ve thought about it in advance and know how to play it when it comes up. (Answer: Generally speaking, when you get 6-for-1 or more for the ush, you hold
dog leg to the right near the green, and if you miss the green, you better do it on the left and not the right because it will roll forever if you miss it on the right. He knows this kind of detailed information on every hole of every course he plays. He has a game plan going in and knows how to adjust it according to thewind,humidity,etc.
As for doggedness, he plays the same whether he’s ve strokes ahead or ve strokes behind. He’s missed something like two cuts in the past 150 tournaments, because he’s always trying to do well on each particular hole. Many other players, once they get out of contention for the top prize, seem to give up and just go through the motions. Not Tiger. He’s ghting until the end.
“KJ9” and when you get 5-for-1 for the ush, you hold AQKJ, although there are exceptions to this general rule and we discussed them in last month’s column.) ey do not need to guess on a hand that starts out K♣ J♦ T♦ whether this is one of the times it is correct to hold KJ or is this one
of the times you hold “JT.” You ask a player like this
about the players club, and he knows how much the basic club returns and whether or not there are any promotions going on currently that a ect his play. You will nd that there usually is such a promotion because good
players play almost all of the time during promotions. ey virtually never stop by to play “just for kicks.”
Insofar as concentration goes, you’ll rarely see good players drinking alcohol or chatting with friends. If someone does come by to chat, you’ll usually see these players stop playing until the conversation is over. e distinctions between hands (say K♥ J♦ T♦9♥ 3♣ versus K♥ J♦ T♦ 8♥ 3♣ versus K♥ J♦ T♦ 7♥ in 9/5 Super Double Bonus where the correct plays are
KJT9, KJ, and “JT” respectively) are so small that playing while distracted can cause mistakes. Although most hands are straightforward, you never know when a tricky one will arise and so you must be alert.
With respect to doggedness, I’ve seen players get glassy-eyed when they are losing or giddy when they are winning. eir play sometimes changes accordingly, either steaming to catch up or not caring so much because they are“playing with house money.” Neither is appropriate. e correct play does not change whether you are ahead or behind.
In one respect, this is the opposite of what Tiger Woods faces. On the last hole of a tournament, if he is one stroke behind, he might take extra chances for a birdie in order to catch up. Or if he is a few strokes ahead on the last hole, he might play extra cautiously in order to preserve the lead. is is very appropriate for him, but not at all appropriate for a video poker
player.
Even with this last exception, using Tiger Woods
as a model is useful. Success for most endeavors has a lot in common. People who have the same habits as the experts (in terms of preparation, nose to the grindstone, attention to detail, etc.) tend to do well. People who tend to treat things with a much more casual attitude don’t do so well.
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, 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.
As for concentration,
he takes his time before
every shot. Unless the
shot is six inches from the
hole, he studies it from
this way and that before
he makes his decision.
Sometimes he discusses it
with his caddie, to get a second opinion he respects.
“With respect to doggedness, I’ve seen players get glassy- eyed when they are losing or giddy when they are winning.
Their play sometimes changes accordingly, either steaming to catch up or not caring so much because they are ‘playing with house money.’ Neither is appropriate. The correct play does not change whether you
are ahead or behind.”
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Page 14
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
December 2007
Video Poker with Bob Dancer