More and more of you slot players are giving video poker a try and that's a good deal for you and not a very good deal for the casinos, because you likely are going to lose less at VP. I'm happy and I'm here to help. But you just can't let go of your silly slot-playing superstitions, so your comments and actions are driving me crazy! Please let me explain a bunch of things to you and maybe they will speed your way to becoming a video poker 'shark.'

1. It doesn't matter that you've just hit a 'big' hand.

A lot of you get up and walk away from the machine, but there's no need to. Just because you've hit a Four-of-a-kind or a Straight Flush, or even a Royal, it doesn't mean the machine is done for the day. A video poker game is dealt from a 52-card deck which is shuffled after every hand and you have the same chance of getting a 4K on this hand as you did on the last one. At a 9/6 Jacks game, you'll average a 4K once every 425 hands or so, but that's an average. You could, as I have done many, many times, hit one and get another in the next hand or two. I hit a Royal once and hit another on the same machine an hour later. As long as the buttons work properly and there isn't a draft where you're sitting or the guy next to you isn't a jerk, stay at the same machine, because it doesn't matter! Look at it this way: If you were dealing cards to yourself from a deck of cards with red backs at your dining room table, what difference will it make if you switch to a deck of cards with blue backs? If the pay schedules are the same, then all the games are the same, since they are random. That also means that it won't make a difference if you do move, but why bother? If you're comfortable where you are, then stay put. Plus, when you move, you're not playing and you can't make $$$ unless you're playing.

2. Stop cashing out and then putting the coins back in.

What do you think that's going to do for you? I call those who put coins in, then cash them out, then put them all back in again "pumpers." It's a waste of time. A random deck of cards has no idea how well or poorly you're doing, so play off the credits and you'll rack up more slot club points.

3. Quit asking me, "Has anyone hit this while you've been here?

It doesn't matter! Even if the guy before you hit a Royal, your chance of getting one is still about 1 in 40,000. Even if the guy before you emptied the machine five times, your chances are still the same. Some guy asked me this the other night and I answered (hoping to be left alone): "Yeah, the guy really cleaned up and then left." His answer? "Well, maybe he left too soon. There might be some good hands left." I wanted to say (but didn't): "Then why did you ask?" Jeez.

4. Don't switch to a machine just because someone played it a long time and didn't win.

Sorry, the machine isn't 'due.' It's not important that the machine hasn't hit 'big' for a while; what matters is what YOU see. You're going to get a 4K, on average, about once every 425 hands, no matter where you play (assuming the pay schedules are the same.) It's like the example above: There's no difference between a deck of cards with red backs or blue backs. So, to think you're going to do better by switching to a machine where somebody put in a lot of coins is, again, a waste of time.

5. Stop taking a 'shot' at the dollar machines.

If all you have is 20 bucks, don't go after the dollar VP games. No, I'm not trying to 'save' the good games for me, nor am I a 'snob'. It's just that the odds of hitting something worthwhile are slim, to say the least. Take that twenty and go play a quarter at a time at the 25-cent machines where you stand a prayerof a chance. If you get something going, play 2 coins at a time, then 3, etc. It takes a $30,000 bankroll to have a fighting chance at a dollar game (playing 5 coins at a time.) Give yourself a chance and stay away from them unless you can afford to risk $1000 or more per session. That's what I carry and I lose more sessions than I win, though over time I show a nice profit.

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