Page 14 - November 2008 • Southern California Gaming Guide

Bob Dancer: Video Poker
Is Video Poker an Easy Game or a Difficult Game?
When I use the word “game”, I am limiting the discussion to a contest where mental ability plays a large role in the outcome, and physical ability plays almost no role. ese are very di erent events than wrestling or basketball, which are also commonly
called games, but where physical ability plays an extremely important role.
Tic Tac Toe is an easy, mental game. ere is de nitely an optimal strategy, but the strategy is
so simple that many school children can master the game completely.
Page 14
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
November 2008
e game of checkers is simpler than the game of chess, primarily because in checkers, all of your pieces t into only two categories (regular and kings), and the rules for moving both sets of pieces are very limited. Chess has several di erent types of playing pieces, and each type has its own rules of movement.
e di culty that exists in both of these games is due to the fact that you have an opponent on the other side of the board doing his best to beat you.
e game of backgammon is simple in nature, but it adds the element of chance, in that you move your men in response to numbers thrown on a pair of dice.
Although the essence of the game is quite easy, the fact that there are 21 unique rolls every time you roll the dice (counting 4-5 as equal to 5-4), looking more than a few rolls ahead is very di cult simply because there are such a large number of possible rolls to consider—and you don’t always know what your opponent is going to play on any given roll.
e games listed so far are “open,” in that all moves are seen by all the players. ere is nothing hidden. In many types of card games, the game is “closed,” in that I don’t show you my cards until the end. Depending on how I play, there are de nitely inferences that can be drawn as to the identity of my hidden cards, and the players who can accurately make these inferences are more successful than those who cannot.
Two-handed card games (like gin rummy) are usually easier than four-handed games (like bridge), which are usually easier than games like poker, which can handle a variety of different numbers of people. Each additional person added brings in elements of skill level, willingness to gamble, and current mental state.
Video poker has few of the elements of any of these games. I’m limiting my discussion to machines manufactured by IGT or other reputable companies, and played in states where the games are fair, including California. In video poker, the following knowledge is usually readily available to you if you know how to look.
The Return on the Game
Does this game return 95%, 98%, or 101%? Although the video poker machine doesn’t usually tell you this information directly, computer programs are readily available that will calculate this information for you once you tell it the pay schedule.
The Correct Strategy
For most video poker games, the correct strategy can be calculated using the same computer programs. Every hand has one best play—or occasionally two di erent plays are tied for being the best. For several games, authors like myself (among others) publish strategy cards that codify the correct plays—subject to some degree of simpli cation. For some games,
Winner’s Guides have been written to explain in great detail the how and why of each play.
The Fairness of the Machine
is is easy. e video poker machine will deal fairly, although you will de nitely go through sessions where it feels that the machine is being unfairly tight, and other sessions where you think the machine is being a whole lot looser than normal. (Although you usually only associate the concept of “cheating” when the machine is tight, not when it is loose.) Machines neither feint nor blu . In fact, it is almost like you
don’t even have an opponent. e results would be the same if you were dealing cards to yourself from a fair deck, although the incentives to cheat are so high that this has to be done by a “dealer,” in the form of a machine.
e three elements listed above make video poker a “solved game.” If you want to eliminate the mystery about how to play any hand in any video poker game, you can do it. is is something that cannot be said for any of the other games listed previously.
But being solved doesn’t mean it’s simple. Taking a computer with you into the casino isn’t allowed, so just because the exact information is available on a computer doesn’t mean you have the information in your brain and can recognize the situations when they arise. 9/6 Jacks or Better and Pick’Em Poker are simple enough games that it’s actually possible for many people to master them completely. Other games (like 9/7 Double Bonus) are more di cult and very few players are capable of mastering the game. Most Deuces Wild games have enough exceptions that essentially no one can master them completely— although it’s possible to play them “close enough” rather easily.
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 or at 1-800-244-2224 Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Paci c Time.
Video Poker with Bob Dancer