I'm relatively new to the whole experience of casinos and gambling,
having only begun in 2005 on a visit to friends who had moved to the
Vegas area. I, like many, started on slots - became fascinated by
them and began to read as much as I could - quickly becoming
familiar with good writers such as John Grochowski, John G. Brokopp;
Jean Scott; Frank Scoblete; and Linda Boyd (just to name a few). I
quickly went through the "slots" phase but felt intimidated by what
I viewed as the "complexity" of Video Poker. So, I read-up on and
began playing craps (basically Pass Line and 6 & 8 place bets,
avoiding the middle of the table). But - I also kept on reading
about V.P. and finally decided to take the plunge. (You see, I
don't have a home computer and have had to rely on my computer at
work and limit my practice to free sites).
This past Friday evening (actually Saturday morning - 12:30 A.M.) I
took a Greyhound from Port Authority in NYC to A.C. Thanks to all
of you and the wonderful resources of VPFree and acvpp I knew where
to look for the "better pay tables" and ended up at a bank of Game
King machines at the Showboat's H.O.B. I settled in at a machine,
pulled my strategy cards from Ms. Boyd's "The Video Poker Edge," fed
in $40 and began to play, at the 25-cent level, the 9/6 JOB. It
was, of course, slow going and I was taking my time comparing my
dealt hands to the strategy card; making my choices and hitting the
draw button. Just over an hour later I was still playing on that
original $40. I hit the deal button and the five cards appeared. I
don't even remember what the end position cards were, but the three
center cards were (from left to right) the A, K, & 10 of Spades. I
checked Ms. Boyd's card, knew to hold 3 to a Royal, held them and
hit the draw. Up popped the Q & J of Spades on the left and right
ends. I did a doubletake as I watched the credit meter began to
tally up the 4,000 units. I looked at my watch and it 5:05 A.M. My
first thought was, "I want to tell someone!" I looked around and
realized that I was essentially alone at that end of the casino. My
next thought was "Cash out and take a break," which I did. But, I
also spent a goodly amount of time feeling very fortunate to have
discovered the wonderful writers and Group members who so willingly
share their expertise and information. Thank you all!!