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Bob Dancer writes a video poker column for beginners to experts. He also writes a column with Jeffrey Compton, "Player's Edge", featuring information on promotions at various Las Vegas casinos. Player's Edge is published each Friday in the Neon section of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Click here to send Bob Dancer an e-mail.

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Nov. 25, 2008

Destructive Competitions

Last year a friend and I would regularly meet at Ellis Island slightly after Tuesday midnight (i.e. early Wednesday morning). We'd compete with each on NSU Deuces Wild machines that are no longer there. I'd play the $5 machines and he'd play the $1 machines.

We picked Wednesdays to do this because the casino had a long-running Card of the Day promotion that was worth about 0.3 percent on this game. Along with the casinos everyday multipliers and monthly mailers, this was a decent-enough game. Sometimes there was a better promotion somewhere else, but often this was the best play we knew about at this hour.

Whenever one of us would connect on a royal flush or a set of deuces, the other would fork over $5. We'd keep playing until either one of us got the COD and quit playing (because it was a once-a-week-only promotion) or one or both of us got too tired to play.

Over the course of a year or so that "Mark" and I did this at Ellis Island and other places, he ended up perhaps $100 ahead of me. There were two reasons for this. First of all, he plays a little faster than I do. Second, he takes short cuts to the strategy.

As is usual for me, I use a "W" to signify a wild card -- specifically a deuce in this game. From W 5h 6d 7s Jh, for example, I'd hold W567 and Mark would just hold the deuce. From W 5h 6d 7s Kh, on the other hand, both of us would just hold the deuce. Mark would NEVER hold 4-card straights containing a deuce. While you only connect on four deuces about 1-time-in-4,053 when you are holding a single deuce, we played enough times that this added three or four sets of deuces in his direction.

The $100 loss to Mark didn't bother me very much. He has done me enough favors over the years that I believe I still owe him. It's possible he disagrees because neither of us keeps score on the favors. Playing a game where he has a small edge is well within the bounds of our friendship.

I decided I didn't want to compete with Mark anymore at this kind of game because I actually need to concentrate on the game. As well as I know this game, including that I go for the royal Kh Qh Jc 8c 3h but not from Kh Qh Jc 8d 3h (you can bet Mark happily goes for 'KQ' on both hands), I need to concentrate to play it well. I cannot play this game in my sleep. My accuracy suffers when I'm distracted by things such as how fast I'm going. Also making or responding to smart-aleck comments while I play disrupts my concentration. I believe the competition probably cost me closer to $400 than $100 because of various misplays along the way. Losing a little to Mark doesn't bother me at all. Losing an unnecessary $300 to the casino really ticks me off.

Mark doesn't see it this way. He gambles primarily for entertainment. He has enough outside wealth that gambling for these stakes can't hurt him and it's more fun for him to have these little side bets. He approached me recently and told me that his gambling revenue is down $100 this year and it's all my fault because I won't bet with him any more.

Assuming Mark plays a little slower and more carefully when he's not in a speed competition, I suspect my refusal to bet with him is actually making him money rather than costing him. I also suspect he and I will never agree on that.