A BOYD’S EYE VIEW OF VIDEO POKER
Too Cool For S chool
definitely believe some table game players consider themselves far cooler than any slot or video poker (VP) players. But what if it could by be proven incontrovertibly that the expected return Linda Boyd (ER) of a given VP game, say Full Pay Deuces Wild (FPDW, ER 100.7620%) or even 9/6 Jacks or Better (ER 99.5439%) was better than their table game’s odds? They’d probably still conclude that the “coolness” factor makes up the difference. Too Cool For School: One thing for certain is that any game with a skill component requires that the player know the basics to receive the pre-figured statistical odds. You may think all VP or blackjack (BJ) games are created equal, but nothing is further from the truth.
Table Game Skills:
Let’s take a look at BJ, for example. If the dealer hits a soft 17(Ace plus a 6, which can not bust with the next card) it increases the house advantage over a game where the dealer must stand on soft seventeen. That’s because if the dealer is stuck on seventeen (players would hit a soft 17) then participants with 18 through 21 score a win and those with 17 get a push. (In some truly miserable BJ games the dealer takes pushes.) It’s true that the dealer may win anyway by standing on soft 17 but the odds favor the player when the dealer must stand. My point is that it is imperative to know the correct strategy for any game with a skill component or your probability of winning is less than the theoretical return. Accuracy requires you to figure the percentages in conjunction with the house’s specific game rules, in addition to playing accurately, to determine long run odds. For those who do know all the rules of their BJ game and the ER there are some good options. Be aware that cardcounting, an easy skill and not even detectable (you must know junior high math), is almost worthless when both continuous shuffling devices and multiple decks are used. This can be extrapolated to apply to every other table game on the casino floor. You simply can’t determine the game’s ER without knowing both the rules (also the rake for poker) as well as your individual skill level and it absolutely varies from casino-to-casino.
10 ARIZONA PLAYER January 2015
VP Skills: No different than felt games, nobody can tell you whether a generic VP game is better or worse than a table game. Some Deuces Wild games, like FPDW, will have the best odds in the house in the hands of a skilled player while others, like any form of Coyote Ugly Deuces, are to be avoided. So how do you know? You must practice at home on tutorial software (Dean Zamzow’s WinPoker is my recommendation) and find a game with a decent ER (there are free removable ER tables in my book “The Video poker Edge”). If somebody is telling you that the casino controls the amount of royals or other rubbish you should not believe them. Arizona, like Vegas, legislates that a RNG (random number generator) be on all VP devices, so the game’s ER and your skill determine the long term odds. Short term anything can happen in all casino options since “luck” is a part of every gaming sessions. Final Thoughts: Years ago I was a high school math teacher and those too cool for school either learned new skills (like owning a business) or suffered with low-paying jobs. It’s time for a reality check on those gamblers who don’t know basic strategy for their table game or a thing about the other players in a hold’em game to take a deep breath before passing judgment on VP players. If you don’t know the odds of your given game, factoring in the rake for card games, whether or not there’s both a zero and double zero for roulette, special BJ rules and so on, then there is no reason to feel superior to VP players. In fact if you’re playing 6/5BJ or the dealer hits a soft seventeen and other house advantage rules, then it’s you that is being schooled by the casino. It’s your right to play a bad game but the smug attitude, if you have one, means you’re too much a fool for school. Smart players know the odds before laying their money down in VP, table games or any other form of wagering (including sports bets). Linda Boyd , a long-time table game player before turning to video poker, also writes for “Southern Gaming and “Midwest Gaming and Travel” her book, “The Video Poker Edge”, includes free removable pay schedules and strategy cards for the most popular games. Look for her story in the 2013 and 2014 Editions of “American Casino Guide” (ACG) and her YouTube videos, also with ACG. Her radio shows with Southern Gaming will soon be available on iTunes. The 2010 Second Edition of her book is available in both paperback and kindle at amazon.com, bookstores or Square One Publishers. www.squareonepublishers.com or Toll Free: 877-900-BOOK