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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.

For more details and a schedule of Bob's free classes, visit www.bobdancer.com.

June 30, 2009

Different Parameters for Different Players

In January of this year I was teaching at Barona Valley Ranch Casino, near San Diego, California. I've been hired to certify that the video poker games there are the best in the area, and they are. Although the classes themselves were for Jacks or Better only, the questions were wide-ranging.

I was asked what game I played at Barona and I responded that I didn't play there at all! This seemed to surprise and disappoint the players. There was a follow-up question inquiring how I could justify saying it has the best video poker in San Diego but not good enough for me to play? Is that hypocrisy or what?

I responded that the reason I don't play there is because of the slot club, which is geared towards rewarding local players, not tourists. Barona offers 0.10% in free play to all video poker players (which is virtually equivalent to same day cash back) but most of their player rewards come in the form of monthly mailers. It doesn't do me any good to play enough to earn $200 in free play every two weeks when the casino is a five-hour drive away. That much play would qualify me for free rooms, meals, and other goodies as well, but when I go down there to teach, they give me these things anyway.

I told the class that if I lived nearby and was close enough to pick up the free play and take advantage of the free food and rooms, I'd probably play $5 Two Pair Joker Wild or 8/5 Super Aces Bonus. But how close I am to the casino is a factor I choose not to ignore --- especially when I live in the Las Vegas area and am within a half-hour drive of thirty or more casinos.

People are naturally skeptical of "experts" who instruct them to "do as I say, not as I do." But this is a case where such a double standard is appropriate. None of us is a "local" everywhere. In the Vegas market, I'll get more if I play at casinos that market to locals. In Southern California, I'm definitely a tourist. Since I was addressing players who lived near Barona, there are many plays in Vegas that are good for me but not for them, and playing at Barona is good for them but not for me.

We only have so many hours to play and dollars to spend. Allocating them wisely gives us more bang for our bucks. This is true for smart shoppers, and it is also true for smart gamblers.

And insisting that "one size fits all" when it comes to casinos is naïve. It is very possible for a casino to be an excellent place to play for some groups of players by nowhere good enough for others. Players live in different places, know different games, play for different stakes, and have different preferences. No casino could possibly be the best for everybody and still be profitable. And if somehow it became this good, it would be WAY too crowded to get a seat to play.