Page 28 - April 2015 • Southern California Gaming Guide

DSealing With Distractions
ome time ago, I decided to go play video poker at a locals Las Vegas casino, partly because it was double points promotion night, and partly because I was in the mood for some Chicken Scallopini at one of their restaurants. Both the promotion and the restaurant
are long gone. Of the two, the double points was far more important. If it had been single points only, and hence the casino had an advantage, my desire to win would far outstrip my desire for good food. I took the novel I was reading at the time and asked the restaurant hostess for a
“ Table for one, no smoking, under a light.”
At the restaurant that night were two large parties,
including one that was quite noisy. After quickly verifying that I knew none
drinks themselves. Winners need to be able to put these thingsoutoftheirmindandconcentrate.
of the diners, I ordered my dinner and read my book. After 30 pages and an enjoyable meal, I signed the comp, left a tip and stopped by the hostess station to say goodbye and grab a toothpick. e hostess commented that she couldn’t understand how I could possibly read.
“I need perfect quiet in order to read. And tonight was so noisy,” she said.
e noise hadn’t bothered me at all. For whatever reason, I am able to concentrate on what I am doing and shut out extraneous events. I hadn’t really considered this before, but I expect that this is one factor in video poker success.
“Perhaps it is a good idea to practice video poker when the TV and the radio are both blaring loudly, and your home is either too hot or too cold for your optimal comfort. If you can do well
during practice in that environment, you should bereadytodowellina casino, too.”
Video poker is a form of applied mathematics. Each machine has a predetermined optimal return, which can be evaluated (by computer) by using only the information found on the pay schedule.
Every hand is a problem, and (except for very few ties) there is only one correct answer to each of these problems. Most of the hands in video poker are quite simple, which is why many people think it is such an easy and enjoyable game.
In 9/6 Jacks or Better, as in every other video poker game, several times an hour you will see hands requiring thought, even for the best of players. Distinguishing between hands such as
A♥Q♠J♦T♠8♠and
others believe that luck is much more important than skill.
Winning players know there is a di erence. Going for the straight ush is appropriate on the second hand, but not the rst. And they are able to focus on the problem in the casino, which is a lot di erent than focusing on the same problem in a quiet living room.
Perhaps it is a good idea to practice video poker when the TV and the radio are both blaring loudly, and your home is either too hot or too cold for your optimal comfort. If you can do well during practice in that environment, you should be ready to do well in a casino, too.
Professional video poker player Bob Dancer’s radio show Gambling With An Edge, is on Thursday evenings 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Paci c Time on radio station 1230 AM in Las Vegas online at klav1230am.com. Dancer’s products may be ordered at bobdancer.com or at 1-800-244-2224 Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Paci c Time.
Casinos are noisy places, both intentionally and unintentionally. Slot machines come with built-in sound e ects. Somebody is always hitting a jackpot somewhere in your vicinity. Cocktail waitresses are often selected for their distract-ability, not to mention the potency of the
A♠ Q♦ K♣ T♦ 8♦ is not trivial. Both hands have a choice between an inside straight draw and a straight flush draw. For some players it is always a guess. For other players, they
play so fast that they don’t even see both choices. Other players think it doesn’t matter much. Still
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PAGE 28
SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
APRIL 2015
Video Poker with Bob Dancer