Bob Dancer LasVegasAdvisor 10-6-2015 Article

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=mulleon]I read this article and several of his books. I don't think Bob is
trying to get anyone to become a professional gambler. His books and
articles are telling you ways to be more profitable and lose less money.[/quote]I have to agree with you.  I don't think Bob Dancer wants or needs any more competition.   I also find his information useful even if I don't subscribe to everything he says and does.  This thread is not about video poker, it relates to the question of what you would say if your daughter wanted to marry a professional video poker player.   I don't think Bob has a daughter, but if he did I'm positive he wouldn't have wrote an article approving of her choice.   To say that you would be OK with that is over the top in my opinion.  I am no saint myself, but the well being of my family is one thing that I will never compromise.  The only comment I would make to anyone who's daughter wants to do this is to make sure you have a bed in your basement because sooner or later she will be living there.

[DaBurglar]

i've been busy lately so I have fallen behind the latest topic(s) du jour here, so this is the first one I have reviewed that behooves me to post (as it applies to my own recent posts with and about Bob and Video Poker and gambling  in general...)Bob dancer is not doing anything wrong or unethical in anything he does....that said, I simultaneously enjoy and agree with MUCH (but not all) of what floridaphil posts in his criticism/indictments of Bob and what he allegedly does according to phil.....I have said some similar things (albeit in my own verbose style) in many of my own threads concerning Dancer's entire modus operandi....Bob clearly warns most people will never be able to do what he does (I believe both he and i OPTIMISTICALLY speculate perhaps 1 in 20 video poker players, who have mastered basic strategy/perfect play, could actually do what Bob does and make a living by exclusively playing video poker, but do not ask me to define whether or not that "living" would entail a middle class life style, upper middle class, lower middle class, high roller or barely-subsisting above poverty-type lifestyle.)Phil is 100% correct in that, unlike all the other people who attempt to play (and capitalize on casino players club nuances and givebacks) like BOB  are NOT able to reap all the other "EXTRA" stuff/income Bob reaps from all his other related activities outside of actually playing video poker.    I have no idea how much Bob makes a year, nor what the breakdown is percentage - wise of VP winnings, comps/perks/playersclub points etc, and what bob actually makes SELLING his various books, tutoring/consulting and all other NON video poker income, but no doubt it is significant....otherwise, the man would not bother.So let's dispense with the hypocrisy......Bob is multifaceted, multifaced, and has several agendas which may or may not overlap or even conflict (to the average observer)with each other.   I have no clue what is the reality here, nor do I care at this point.....one thing has become obvious to myself  (and perhaps others here), as a result of the small but intense "difference of opinion" he and I engaged in a while back, which culminated in me apologizing for my pointless personal jab which obscured my larger, more pertinent point-at-large, which essentially echoes Phil's point, MINUS the part where Phil thinks BOB is intentionally and irresponsibly hurting other people (I do not think that at all...but):   Bob's  "SYSTEM",  "VIDEO POKER FOR WINNERS" is  a extremely difficult , almost esoteric concept attainable by only Bob dancer himself, and perhaps a select few individuals who are either in league with Bob, under Bob's direct management, or have been given access to the subtle yet all important element that Bob himself alluded (mistakenly? perhaps), namely Bob's  Secret  "INSIDER TRICKS and KNOWLEDGE" that Bob admits he does not share with the public at large.This has been obvious to me from the very beginning, when i first encountered Bob (and a few other similar salesmen) over the pas 2-1/2 decades of playing and enjoying casino gambling.......it is no different than the REAL business world of Wall street, or any specific Industry or service sector in the economy:  the handful of people/companies that succeed perpetually are usually doing a few things that only they know about, or they are taking advantage of a few obscure-yet-vital pieces of knowledge, that the rest of the public either cannot know or cannot take advantage ......what this type of stuff might be in BOB's case, I have no idea and do not want to know (I am just not that motivated to live the type of lifestyle he does, I much prefer my own brand of success and happiness.)    I do not begrudge Bob anything, but I still do not enjoy his apparent gruff or arrogant "style"......I know there are people who do not enjoy my own personal style, and to them I reply" Sorry about that, I do not mean to offend....if you REALLY truly got to know me, you'd change your tune...."      it is possible that in Bob's case, his perceived arrogance, gruff manner and abruptness is NOT the "real" Bob....I'll never know until I meet him in person.     Having said that, I have no illusions that he gives a FIG about my opinion of his personality, just as I am "figless" in caring about his opinion of me.....Still, i respect bob's knowledge and intellect on Video poker and related topics, and have no doubt the man is a foremost authority on Casinos, VP and related minutiae.It is a fact, MOST people cannot do what Bob does, and will fail (and lose money, perhaps lots) if they attempt to follow his pattern to recklessly.   This does not mean that many of us cannot benefit in a more modest or limited fashion from the knowledge and tips Bob dispenses. but I submit MOST of us here are smart enough to figure out many of these things ourselves (in fact many of us already have done so...)   In my own case, I am 100% certain I am capable of doing what Bob does (with the exception of having a $500,000 bankroll available to dedicate to video poker......I have an amount I can allocate that is in the ballpark, but it is not just about having the actual money, it is being willing to commit it to this endeavor, which harkens back to what i said earlier....I  DO NOT WANT TO DO WHAT BOB DOES, I am not interested in that type of lifestyle, and it really is all about the "LIFESTYLE")Bob's video poker "system" is NOT about making money (that aspect of his video poker playing is incidental, it is not the primary objective, and I think this is where everyone runs afoul of Bob's system.)    There are far more easy, and relaible ways to make money (and lots more money) than playing friggin video poker, if making money truly is you primary goal.)     Nope, Bob Dancer is NOT teaching people how to build vast fortunes......what he is selling is a way to LIVE a certain lifestyle centered around Casinos, where a person spends the majority of time either playing and interacting in a casino (eating, living, commiserating etc) or planning on HOW to eat, live, commiserate etc in the casino by coordinating and scheduling where to play, what to play, when to play etc etc (based upon all the factors that go into his "VIDEO POKER FOR WINNERS SYSTEM", namely what each casino is offering in terms of points, comps perks, earning potential, slot club benefits, giveaways  etc etc etc.)   Most of us find such drudgery painfully boring and unfulfilling.....Bob simply does not see it as such.It is NOT rocket science, it is mostly diligence and endurance and patience, qualities that most people do not have........I myself  KNOW for a fact I could do what bob does, i just would much rather do other things and spend my limited time on this ball of mud hurtling through space pursuing other activities that yield more happiness and utility for  moi.

[FAA]

Third rock from the sun, DB! Speaking of more happiness and utility, I plan to hit as many of the fifty restaurants listed in AC's latest promo as I can in six weeks. More exercise roaming the mean streets, less casino time. The more I stay, the more I lose. So I should be a net winner for the near future.

[FAA]

His books and
articles are telling you ways to be more profitable and lose less money.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I suppose you can always- hold on to your seat- wager less! For most of your session!  Common Sense 101. Maybe avoid the high variance games too!

[alpax]

You can play high variance games as long as you have a significantly large bankroll or a reliable continuous income to survive the big losing sessions. Plus it will need much time and patience that not many might have for the efforts to pan out.

I would say 20 hours a week playing fast and without losing accuracy is needed for those that want to retain their occupation playing high variance games. Remember there are 168 hours in a week, so that is about one-eighth of your life dedicated to it.

My motive of bringing up this topic last week was to discuss the ethics of having your child marrying to a gambler. The article suggests having a knowledgeable one in the family can validate and provide blessing to the decision, but problem is that not every family has a knowledgeable gambler. On other forums, people questioned the odd work hours these professionals have which may concern families.

[olds442jetaway]

My feeling on the entire subject of professional gambling is that you can probably count on one hand all of the gamblers that have the discipline to quit when they have earned an average day's pay let us say between 200-400 which would put one somewhere in the middle class. I am by no means a professional and never will even attempt to be one. That said, more trips than not by a long shot, I have been up that above number at some point in the session. The days when I am not up that amount or are complete losers from the get go are offset by the days that you get up by let's say 500-1000. The problem with vp players for the most part is the enjoyment of playing that never leaves. Therefore, those windfall days seem to mostly vanish by the end of the session. One would almost need a sidekick to hold the money ( a wife or gf for instance ) and not give it back to play with.
     Finally, I have read many posts over the years on this site where patrons talk about hitting something like a Royal and even giving that all back by the end of the day. Even a 1k Royal would represent several day's pay had it been kept. Bob I'm sure knows himself more than a handful of players who can pull off what others dream of. I have just never seen it myself.

[onemoretry]

My feeling on the entire subject of professional gambling is that you can probably count on one hand all of the gamblers that have the discipline to quit when they have earned an average day's pay let us say between 200-400 which would put one somewhere in the middle class.
Bob Dancer has made it quite clear many, many times, that daily results are irrelevant to him.

Assuming other players who are trying to make a living playing video poker feel the same way, quitting for the day just because some artificial target has been reached is not going to happen.

[DAAnMAAn]

Just my two cents for what it's worth. Getting back on topic. I thought Bob's article was well written, well thought out, and explained. It was not a hell no never will I let my daughter/son marry a pro gambler, and it wasn't a welcome with open arms to all pro gamblers of the world either. It was an answer as good as one gets from the eyes of a pro gambler (the assumption being, yes it's possible to be a pro gambler, but not easy). I would feel similiar...what games to you play? What are your records, may I see them? How long have you been gambling, have you done anything else, what is your monthly/yearly average? All those questions leads to a decision. But more than likely, son/daughter will probably get married with or without the blessing, but at least one can get a good idea and try to give influence to our children.
In sum, I'd say the general public at large view gambling in the negative and pro gamblers as a code for delusional gambling addicts who waste away college funds, savings, and the like. And unfortunately there is a percentage who do just that. But...
There is a small percentage who are smart gamblers, learn the edges, play when an advantage is revealed, and they do alright. Some more
All right than others. Bob knows this small percentage and knows it's possible to make a living playing advantage games...but not easy!
So...that's my thoughts on the article.
Cheers

[DaBurglar]

we have several points being made in this thread and it is starting to get muddled, so let me attempt a modest correction:If indeed someone TRULY is a bonafide "professional gambler" (i.e.  whereby they make a consistent LIVING playing specific games of chance that most everyone else typically lose at, and whereby they never TRULY experience the crash & burn broke/bankrupt experience that many faux "Pro gamblers" REGULARLY experience), then IN FACT, that person is NOT  "G A M B L I N G" at all......!!!!!     THink about it.......a more appropriate term would be  "PROFESSIONAL Casino GAME PLAYER",  or even "Professional  GRINDER", because that is what most (successful)  POKER players and Casino Game Players do, they  GRIND IT OUT.....Bob Dancer is NOT.....repeat, NOT  "gambling"......he has said so, more or less, many times and in many different ways.My own personal reference in this area is of course, related to POKER (real live poker with cards and people  lol).......I have played long enough and had enough experience, and met enough people, to know just who is truly a "pro" and who is not, or who are really the Poker Players who make a living and who are just "Gamblers" or "players".....I found Bob Dancers' dissertation on comparing  Video Poker to actual Live Poker very interesting, and I simultaneously think Bob hit many points right on the head but was also WRONG about a few significant issues in his comparison, and they generally have to do with this point I am now making, that a true bonafide "PRO" in either arena (or game)  is really not  "GAMBLING" at all......they have arranged and accounted for all the factors in their game of choice to achieve the degree of "ADVANTAGE" needed to be able to GRIND out (or simply  attain)  a reasonable LIVING.     This is indeed what Bob Dancer does with Video Poker......when Bob executes his whole  "ADVANTAGE PLAY" plan, where he is not simply playing the best VP game based on return% or payback but he is also including all the extraneous stuff from the actual game (players club benefits, comps, perks, cashback etc etc etc) to the extent that Bob is no longer held hostage to the elements of VaRIANCE, CHANCE AND JUST PLAIN  "LUCK"  that the rest of us casual players lament and bemoan (or celebrate.)Do y'all get what I am saying????The vast majority of POKER Professionals (people like Daniel Negraneau, Phil Ivey, Tom Dwan, Lederer, Hellmuth, and that circle of people)  are NOT gambling  IF......IF they adhere to certain principles and practices, namely STRICT (draconian even)  Bankroll management, and only playing when they are physically, emotionally and tactically at their best.......and even then, BANKROLL MANAGEMENT is by far the single most important element for a professional poker player/grinder to monitor if he/she/it  wants to succeed and remain in the game.      The simple fact is though, the reason why most Porfessional Poker Players do indeed go bust at various times in their career is quite simply, failure to employ bankroll management, which usually entails the erstwhile POKER PROFESSIONAL actually playing other casino games which do indeed involve  G A M B L I N G !!!   It is accurate to say, when a Poker Pro is NOT employing proper bankroll management he/she/it  has now ventured into the realm of G A M B L I N G   instead of merely grinding and earning a living.     It is a known fact also, many Poker Pros  have their own personal specific casino game of chance that they blow all their POKER funds on and often wind up in deep crap at some point......this is all about Human weakness and arrogance and stupidity, not chance or strategy or advantage play etc etc etc.The so called  GREATEST GAMBLER of all time,   "Lefty Rosenthal"  (the guy the Movie  CASINO is based upon)  was not in fact a  "GAMBLER".......you could apply terms like "Handicapper" to Lefty, but what he truly was can be summed up by a term or phrase like  "Professional Game of Chance Player".......He always made Money because he never played anything where he did not have essentially a "Sure thing" angle or aspect to the transaction (meaning he was guaranteed to make money, sometimes a small amount, sometimes a large amount, but hardly ever a NEGATIVE amount, or LOSS).....Is this all becoming more clear friends???

[Tedlark]

No.