A push is NOT a win
Dear Mark,
When playing Video Poker, I consistently win by getting
high pairs but struggle for the higher hands. Can I successfully
beat the house on a high pair alone? Rhonda T.
Rhonda, we need to separate the wheat from the chaff. One
of the reasons video poker is so popular is that it returns
your investment for a pair of jacks to aces. But, Rhonda,
never consider a push a win. The psychological effect of
returned coins from a push has at best, dubious value. All
it does is make you feel like a winner, when in reality
you're not. Treat even-money payoffs not as a win against
the casino but just getting YOUR hard-earned money back.
Personally,
I've always felt that this erroneous impression of winning
is one of the most powerful false hope methods the casino
has against you, not only with your high pair scenario but
also when it's a push on a blackjack table or a one-cherry
payoff on a pull handle slot machine.
So do you want to win more consistently, Rhonda? Find 9/6 video poker pay tables or 8/5 machines with progressives nearing $2,200, then play perfect basic strategy. A high pair now and then will make you consistent all right, a consistent loser.
Dear Mark,
In Las Vegas, I saw a casino advertise that on their selected
video poker machines your return can be more than 100%.
Is this possible? Isn't the casino going to lose money?
Mary S.
Yes, Mary, the casinos would lose money if every player
had unlimited access to "selected machines," plus
understood and used perfect basic strategy. But because
fewer than one percent effectively play perfect basic strategy,
the casino won't lose money by making such an offer. You
also answered part of your question by stating "on
selected machines." Sometimes those "selected
machines" can be as few as two on the whole casino
floor.
No
chance of two expert players grinding away at the house
and affecting the casino quarterly report. Plus, the casino
will generally surround those "selected machines"
with others that have pay tables offering significantly
lower payoffs, guaranteeing even more winnings from the
uneducated masses.
Like casino mogul Steve Wynn says, "If you wanna make money in a casino, own one."
Dear
Mark,
I have found a couple of web sites that survey blackjack
conditions at various casinos and sometimes they quote a
"Penetration Percentage." Exactly what is that?
Is there anything a player can do to influence it? Dennis
L.
How many cards a dealer pitches from his deck before he
shuffles is called penetration. If he deals all the cards
out, that's 100 percent penetration. For the average Joe
playing on the game, penetration has little significance.
However, for the card counter, the depth of penetration
is a key variable on whether to play on that game. The deeper
a counter can go into a deck, the better.
You also asked, Dennis, if you can influence it? Sort of.
Every casino has a set policy on how deep they will allow their dealers to go before they want them to shuffle-up.
But casinos do have lazy dealers who don't like to shuffle.
Shuffling
forces them to be certified friendly and converse with the
customer. Believe me, no amount of Prozac is going to get
a stiff dealer yapping. One dealer told me that for 10 years,
working in four different casinos, he always dealt to the
bottom of the deck to avoid conversation. Not once did a
pit boss or the "eye in the sky" ask him to change
his rogue conduct.
By the way, that dealer is now running a casino in the Midwest.
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