Thank you for voting me into the vpFREE Video Poker Hall of
Fame. I've received several congratulatory emails in the past 24 hours
telling me I've been inducted, and two telling me I've been indicted. I
regularly cite vpFREE as a source of good video poker information. I
figure that for anyone who can remember
http://www.west-point.org/users/usma1955/20228/VP/index.htm, penalty
cards are a piece of cake.
Even though the honor goes specifically to me, in a very
real sense it's an honor for the people who've helped me. I'd like to
thank,
Shirley --- In our marriage, I take care of the video poker
and Shirley takes care of everything else. Two years before I met
Shirley I was a 47-year-old with a $6,000 bankroll scrounging around
cashing as many $5 match play coupons as I could get my hands on. Ten
years later I've managed to accumulate considerable wealth and fame.
It's not a coincidence that my life blossomed right after she came
along. She is an incredible one-woman support system.
Jeffrey Compton --- It amazes me that when I first met
Jeffrey and he told me he was interested in writing about slot clubs, I
didn't believe that the subject was involved enough to be worthy of
study. Nine years later, I believe that understanding the nuts and bolts
of slot clubs is as important to successful players as is the
understanding of how to play the hands. As a business partner, Jeffrey
brings a lot of business expertise and people skills that I would
otherwise lack.
Liam W. Daily --- Liam is an extremely brilliant, albeit
shy, man and the video poker community owes him a huge debt of
gratitude. While I get most of the credit for the Dancer / Daily
strategy cards and Winner's Guides, a high percentage of the innovative
features of both are from Daily. Although he might well wish to shun to
spotlight of this Video Poker Hall of Fame, there is no doubt in my mind
that he deserves to be here.
Dean Zamzow --- As you know, Dean preceded me into this Hall
of Fame, and he's a worthy member. Dean and Sara's decision to allow
their "WinPokerU" to become "Bob Dancer Presents WinPoker", in order to
take advantage of ad space I was earning in Casino Player, was a major
turning point in my career, as well as a profitable decision for them.
Anthony Curtis --- (Las Vegas Advisor, Huntington Press) ---
Anthony's expanding publishing empire has created an association of an
impressive group of gambling authors. The reason that I get to be the
video poker guy on the Travel Channel is due to my relationship with
Huntington Press.
Adam and Glenn Fine --- (Casino Player, Strictly Slots) ---
Continuing to have monthly columns in the player magazines with the
biggest circulations is a blessing. Although I also write for other
publications as well, a major reason why I'm better known than someone
like John Robison (who deserves to be inducted into this Hall in the
near future) is that the list of magazines I write for are read by more
people than the ones he writes for.
Jeff Payne --- Many of you have never heard of Jeff, but he
was the first slot director of the Fiesta Casino Hotel and he was the
one who talked his boss, George Maloof, into the idea that teaching
video poker to players was an idea that made sense for the casino. Since
then I've been able to teach in numerous casinos have obtained a sort of
celebrity status as a teacher, but Jeff took the chance on me when I was
just starting.
Danny Kleinman --- When I was learning and playing
backgammon in the 1970s and 1980s, Danny Kleinman "hung out" at the
Cavendish West in Los Angeles. He was very observant about the games
played there and the people who played them. Danny became a backgammon
(and bridge) theoretician and wrote about his findings. As much as I was
inspired by his writing, I was more inspired by the fact that the more
he examined the games, the more he discovered.
Stanford Wong is arguably the most respected gambling
writer, and way before I ever wrote anything and was a struggling
low-level card counter, he befriended me and gave me some pointers.
Mike Fields, Ed Rogich, Larry DeMar, Ernie Moody --- Without
going into details about "who's who" on this list, each of these men
(and others) play a role in allowing me to write about new IGT games in
Strictly Slots as they come out. Whether we're talking about Chase the
Royal, Super Times Pay, Multi Strike, Hold'em Challenge or a number of
others, I'm very fortunate that I'm the guy they give the information to
so I can write about it first. Much of the information I'm allowed to
publish (such as the return for 9/6 Jacks Multi Strike or 8/5 Super Aces
Bonus Super Times Pay) is information that players cannot figure out by
themselves because it involves a not-otherwise-disclosed random bonus
somewhere along the way.
The player community, including the vpFREE membership. I get
many ideas of what to write about from player emails, even though some
of the questions are more than I can handle at the moment ("I'm going to
be playing in a video poker tournament next week. Please tell me
everything I need to know so I can win it. I need the prize money.")
Without players thirsting for knowledge about the games, there's no
market for what I do. Thank you very much.
Now go out and hit a royal flush!
Bob Dancer
For a 3,000-word preview of Bob's juicy new novel, Sex, Lies, and Video
Poker, see <http://www.bobdancer.com/> www.bobdancer.com
For more details and a schedule of Bob's free classes, visit
<http://www.bobdancer.com/> www.bobdancer.com
···
To: vpFREE membership