Quick For Mr. Dancer Advanced strategy

Discuss proper hold strategies and "advantage play" and ask questions about how to improve your play.
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Hotshooter
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Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2020 7:25 pm

Quick For Mr. Dancer Advanced strategy

Post by Hotshooter »

Mr. Dancer,
I just purchased your winners guide to Jack's or better. Do any of your other books, such as Million Dollar Video Poker, discuss advanced strategy?

Jstark
Video Poker Master
Posts: 1306
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 10:16 pm

Post by Jstark »

I don't have his book but here is the optimal strategy.

https://wizardofodds.com/games/video-po ... 6/optimal/

You can also use the wizard's strategy maker tool like I did here.


https://wizardofodds.com/games/video-po ... -50-d-800/

BobDancer
Video Poker Master
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Joined: Wed Mar 04, 2009 2:07 am

Post by BobDancer »

The Winner's Guide is the only place where Advanced Strategy is systematically discussed --- giving you numerous examples and explanations for how this particular hand differs from a very similar hand.

The wizardofodds.com video poker strategy maker will provide you with a completely accurate strategy for free. (It's very hard to compete with completely accurate and free.) His strategies list combinations that fit certain categories --- but do not tell you why this particular hand is part of this category and this other one isn't.

Some players are capable of looking at a group of exceptions and figuring out why they don't play like 'normal.' Most players can't do this. For these players, the Winner's Guides are the best choice.

BobDancer
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Post by BobDancer »

JStark did indeed print out what the WOO strategy maker published, but it's not a usable strategy as is. To the right of several of the rows you'll see "(more)". If you click on those (on the website), you'll see LOTS of hands that fit a particular category. Without being able to click on those, you won't.

What the Winner's Guides do is put combinations into groups --- perhaps 3-card straight flushes with so many high cards and so many insides (gaps). Or a suited QT with a flush penalty. Or certain other combinations with a flush penalty and a straight penalty. Or . . .

The WOO strategies offer no such description. No such simplification. If you click on all of the 'mores' you'll see many hundred individual combinations, and it's up to you to make sense of them and figure out why a combination is in this particular category and not in that particular category. To my mind, a strategy with hundreds of entries in it is not particular usable. The information is all there, but it requires considerable work to create a usable strategy out of that information.

Jstark
Video Poker Master
Posts: 1306
Joined: Thu Jul 04, 2013 10:16 pm

Post by Jstark »

Yeah it's tough to use, but it IS another tool. As for descriptions, just looking at the examples makes it pretty simple to figure out. JoB optimal strategy is very easy to learn. This doesn't mean that the OP shouldn't use your great products. And as always, he/she should scrutinize any of them by doing research.

olds442jetaway
Video Poker Master
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Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:08 pm

Post by olds442jetaway »

I always like to see the whys and not just what to do. That said, both are great tools for vp players. The cost is insignificant and could certainly be recovered in just a few sessions of play if not just one.

Hotshooter
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Joined: Tue Sep 15, 2020 7:25 pm

Post by Hotshooter »

Thank you all for your reply and explanations. I personally prefer to know the why not just the how. I also like to categorize things thematically or in groups. So I will be waiting patiently for my Winners Guide to arrive. Sounds like the Winners Guide might help solve the learning curve that I hit. I am relatively new to Video Poker. I am now playing at 97% to 98% accuracy on 9/6 Jacks or Better and 8/5 Bonus Poker, which is not great and don't seem to be able to break that threshold yet. I did notice that when I play less hands and shorter sessions I can play at 100% accuracy. Any thought on breaking that threshold from any of you veterans or Mr. Dancer would be welcomed and appreciated.

billryan
Video Poker Master
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Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 1:20 pm

Post by billryan »

How does one get to Carnegie Hall? You practice.
It differs for everyone, but I found keeping my sessions relatively short worked best for me. A half-hour before lunch, and a slightly longer one after lunch worked well. I rarely played more than two hours a day.

Waiting4RF
VP Veteran
Posts: 537
Joined: Thu Aug 13, 2015 7:01 pm

Post by Waiting4RF »

Keep practicing with trainer software and the strategy chart in hand. Your average will improve over time. If using the Video Poker for Winners software, make sure it is on strategy mode for correct plays. Also the test mode is good because you will only advance to harder hands after completing easier hands.

olds442jetaway
Video Poker Master
Posts: 9262
Joined: Tue Aug 21, 2007 9:08 pm

Post by olds442jetaway »

I play very long sessions, but without breaks, your eyes may miss a hold, you might start playing too fast, or you might even get partially brain dead if your thoughts drift off to other things. The old saying practice makes perfect never goes out of style. Always have water on hand and do take breaks. I know sometimes that is hard to do if you don’t want to lose your machine, but in the long run, taking breaks is the way to go. Not long ago, after playing too long very late at night, I fell asleep for a moment at the wheel while playing Joker Kings. When I woke up, I instantly hit deal by mistake not looking at the cards. The machine was actually in draw mode and by hitting the button, all of the cards were thrown away including the dealt joker. I was mad at myself the rest of the session not knowing which cards would have come up uf I had held the Joker. The rest if the hand was garbage. I immediately took a break after that.

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