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[case]

Perhaps people write books

NOT
to teach you how to win a million dollars

BUT
to teach you how to play the games correctly. How to make the correct holds, no matter what the paytable is.

I think this helps ALL video poker players. That is what I take away from thses books.

[FloridaPhil]

I believe the authors should talk just as much about the math of a negative game as a positive game. Instead of saying "never play negative games", tell them choosing the better of their negative games costs less. Tell them playing accurately does the same. And, tell them playing negative VP smaller instead of bigger is what the math says saves money.

All players are not equal. There are those who will always pay for the thrill of a big jackpot. Some may be impressionable or impulsive. It's very easy for someone to read about making a million dollars playing VP and think they can do the same thing at the casino down the street. When it doesn't work, they may think they need to play like the guy in the book. Off they go to the high limit room without the games, skills and bankroll that he has. The math predicted the outcome, but they chose to ignore it.

When you are writing a book that anyone can buy, you should be aware that not all readers have your intelligence or understand the risks involved. If I was one of the authors, I would devote a whole chapter in my book dedicated to playing negative games and spell out the facts as clear as I could. If the reader decides to go against my advice, I would have done my best to warn them. "Don't play those games" is not a proper answer.

[billryan]

If only Alcoholic Anonymous would teach people how to drink responsibly.

[FloridaPhil]

Holy cow! You're up early. I'm heading over to the casino this morning for a "fix" on my addiction. I have been winning for the last month. I know a losing day is coming, do you? Just joking...

[FAA]

I only cashed in on 40% of BP quad potential yesterday. May have been better off with max .50 play!

[OTABILL]

Scarne has long since been exposed as a fraud. He literally just made stuff up. Once computer simulations became common, many of his plays were shown to be way off. He advocates sticking on all 16s vs 10s. It's a very common hand and playing it his way will cost serious money. He actually accused Ed Thorpe of wearing xray glasses and insisted card counting doesn't work.
He was a charlatan, a self promoter who wrote books littered with horrible advice which is also forty years out of date. It's a fun read, especially if one understands math and how he misapplied it.

This is the Recreational Forum. You are an individual whose life revolves around gambling. I brought up Scarne because of his advice to recreational gamblers who go to a casino for a night of entertainment. He explained the rules, etc. about various casino games at the time of publication. He discussed how to budget spending money for someone in that category. I am not talking about AP strategy related to a particular gaming activity. Math has nothing to do with my post. I repeat this regarding recreational, not AP, subject matter.

Yes, Scarne was wrong about Thorpe and counting cards. But to call him a discredited Charlatan because of that is way over the top. He, like many of us made a mistake. However, the man educated hundreds if not thousands of servicemen and others about cheaters saving many from financial ruin. If someone wants a short read about Scarne and the work I cited, read the following review of his accomplishments (BTW I read the original complete guide when it came out in the early 1960s).

https://wizardofvegas.com/articles/peop ... bling-two/

My life revolves around gambling, does it? Why would you possibly say something so ignorant?
Scarne died long before player loyalty clubs were common so what could he possibly tell us about how to best play in todays casinos. You recommended an outdated book by a huckster. Would you recommend someone pick stocks from a book written fifty years ago? After years of knocking Thorpe and card counting, in his later days Scarne actually tried to claim he published a brochure that was distributed to GIs in WW2 that featured card counting. Thirty years later, not a single copy has ever surfaced.
In the 1960s, he was regarded as a leading expert. Then computers proved he was way off base on many of his strategies. Even his claims to educating hundreds of thousands of GIs is highly exaggerated.
Charlatan is the perfect word for him- a self proclaimed expert on all things gambling. He did have incredible hand skills and amazing dexterity but being able to make cards jump out of a deck doesn't make you an expert on gambling. Would you take gambling advice from Chris Angel?
There are hundreds of outstanding books on todays games and conditions. Why send someone to a fifty year old book written by a pretty sketchy character?

BR, with all due respect you asked why I thought your life revolves around gambling. It was the impression I got from the totality of your posts over the last few years. I apology for that mistaken assumption.

Regarding Scarne, he was wrong regarding card counting. I never disputed that nor commented on either his character or his gambling advice. Why bring that up. The only reason I mentioned him was discussing his advice regarding viewing a night at the casino as a form of entertainment for which you should budget a certain amount of money to spend and if you come out ahead, look at it as a bonus. The advice is for a casual, recreational player and I still the right way to view a trip to a casino for someone in that category. Obviously other content in the book is outdated. I have no problem with your disagreement with my viewpoint as long as it is not accompanied by personally disparaging language.

Finally, you ask if I would I “recommend someone pick stocks from a book written fifty years ago?” No, but I certainly would take investing advice from such a book. A good example is “The Intelligent Investor” by Benjamin Graham first written in 1948 and last revised in the 1970s. If it good enough for Warren Buffet, its good enough for me.

I have nothing more to say on this, so have the last word if you wish.

[FloridaPhil]

If it's good enough for Warren Buffet, its good enough for me.

Amen brother.

Last year Mr. Buffet said Bitcoin was "probably rat poison squared". One of the young Bitcoin investors asked "Who is that old guy anyway?" That would be funny if it wasn't so revealing.

[FAA]

Does this buffet have crab legs?

[DougJ]

Last time I flew cross country, my companion and I split three extra legroom seats on Jet Blue.

Sorry to hear that. I would think an Advantage Player could afford better seats?
. . . . .
You might sit next to a 400 pound person that overflows the seat. . . . .

Shut the Front Door!!!

Or you might sit next to a 6 foot 3 "advantage player" who weighs 350 pounds and needs 3 seats.

[FAA]

Doug, res ipsa. Talk about the 800 pound elephant in the thread!