Video Poker New Year's Resolutions
My guess is that most visitors on the Las Vegas Strip at this time of the year are those we'll see just once in a few years, rather than the weekend drive-ups from California. While our climate seems almost balmy to a snowbird from Minnesota, it can seem terrifyingly chilly to those from El Cajon.

So, this column is slanted toward that occasional player who is markedly different from the regular, serious, or addicted Video Poker fans we usually address. The year-end visitor is usually a relatively weak or totally novice player who wants to be constantly in play. Their expendable bankroll is usually far bigger. What we are aiming for here is a simple set of directions to make the visitor's try at Video Poker as pleasant and profitable as we can under these adverse circumstances.

Lets call it the A-B-C's of Video Poker

A

Always admit your limited knowledge to yourself and others who can help you. Once you concede to yourself that you don't really know what and how to play, you can correct that problem rather quickly by getting hold of some reading material on the subject. There are many excellent stores in Las Vegas which carry excellent books on Video Poker. Call them or ride over to the stores and don't be afraid to ask questions.

B

Budget your bankroll by realistically figuring what you can afford to lose painlessly and allocating a daily budget from that figure. You must figure on being a loser since you won't be able to attain the skill level to get those high paybacks from Video Poker machines. At least, not until you know everything in the above-mentioned book(s).

C

Carry cash for your daily play budget so you won't resort to plastic money. Avoid Video Pokers which accept bills, because it's too easy to be carried away with the game. Join a slot club if you plan to play at one place for most of your stay.

D

Determine the denomination of machine to play. Figure that you'll need an 80-bet bankroll to ride out streaks. With a daily budget of $100 you should be on quarter machines which take $1.25 per play. Round off downward since it is better to play 5 nickels than one quarter, 5 quarters rather than one dollar.

E

Ease into the game by learning one version exclusively until you excel at it. The easiest to begin with is Jacks or Better. A lot of nickel machines are available and the hands will be more recognizable to you.

F

Find the Full-pay machines. You can spot them because they pay as follows: Royal 4,000 or more; Straight Flush 250; Four-of-a-Kind 125; Full House 45; Flush 30; Straight 20; Three-of-a-Kind 15; Two Pairs 10 and a pair of Jacks or Better 5. All of the above payouts are for 5 coins in. Watch out for those paying less and avoid them. There is no truth to the tale that high-paying machines make less winners and vice-versa.

G

Go or the Gold by playing limit 5-coins at all times. One can make a good case for playing below limit until you improve your skill evel, but you could just as easily go bonkers if you hit the Royal bu don't have the 5 coins in to earn the bonus jackpot.

H

Here's what the stats have to say. Playing four hours per day, you will play about 1,000 hands daily. With reasonable playing skill and just average luck, you will have about 70% of your daily bankroll left each day. You will have one chance in 40 of hitting a Royal each day, plus one chance in 10 of hitting a Straight Flush, either of which would virtually insure a winning trip to Las Vegas. With the complimentary drinks, and possibly a buffet (dollars players) you will have a lot of fun for very little dough. A gift from your slo club can also offset a bit of the loss. That's the way it should be because we want to see you back again real soon--and if you study that book we'll be talking next time about how you won at the world's most liberal slot machines--our beloved Las Vegas Video Pokers.

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