vpFREE2 Forums

New website--Practicing with WinPoker

#1

"scottmcintosh1967" wrote:

As such I decided to create
a website www.videopokertools.com with some resources that might
be of interest to people here.

The best tool for home practice is WinPoker--a must have for any video poker player. I agree with this quote from his website.
"WinPoker is the leading video poker game/trainer/analyzer program on the market. No serious player should be without this software."

Here's a link to WinPoker--it can be downloaded from this site to your home computer or you can buy the disk.

http://www.videopokerpractice.com/

I used WinPoker to check the accuracy of my video poker strategy cards--included free with my new book, "The Video Poker Edge".

Linda Boyd
Author: "The Video Poker Edge"
www.squareonepublishers.com
Toll Free: 1-877-900-2665
Amazon.com/Bookstores: Stocked or By Order

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

#2

Linda Boyd said: The best tool for home practice is WinPoker--a must
have for any video poker player.

  It will surprise nobody to hear that I agree with Linda's
statement --- and I thank her for it.

  But there is news on this. Dean Zamzow and I are severing
business relations on October 1. I am moving on to another software
(Video Poker for Winners --- you'll hear a LOT about it after October 1
--- I promise) and Dean is considering his options regarding his
software. He may sell the code to someone else. He may retire it. He has
other options as well. Apparently upgrading it himself is NOT something
he's considering.

  The reason I am bringing this up is that there are strong
analytical capabilities in WinPoker that are found nowhere else. Jean is
proud of her software (with reason) and the new software coming out will
be much stronger than anything existing, but WinPoker has capabilities
that aren't found elsewhere.

  There is some possibility that WinPoker might be on its last
legs. (It may last forever --- Dean hasn't confided in me other than
that he's considering his options.) There's a possibility that the
software will be "out of print" in the relatively near future. If you
plan to get strong at video poker --- you'll want this program
eventually. For those of you who aren't Bob Dancer fans, if you purchase
it after October 1, I will receive no commission on it --- if that makes
you feel better. But whether I get a cut or not, good players should
definitely get this program while they can.

Bob Dancer

For the best in video poker information, visit www.bobdancer.com
or call 1-800-244-2224 M-F 9-5 Pacific Time.

#3
#4

Caplatinum asked about the new software compared to WinPoker.

Without going into great details, Video Poker for Winners will be a
substantial improvement over anything currently out there --- but there
are some very good analytical features on WinPoker that will NOT be on
the new program. (And, for that matter, features on FVP and every other
program that will not be on the new program. There will be considerable
overlap in the features of the new program and what currently exists,
but it isn't a clone and some features of other programs were deemed
either irrelevant or not-cost-effective to develop.) My point was that
strong players NEED the analysis provided by WinPoker --- and that
information won't be found anywhere. Not-so-strong players will find any
of the programs mentioned satisfactory, as they all do the basic stuff
pretty well.

Bob Dancer

For the best in video poker information, visit www.bobdancer.com
or call 1-800-244-2224 M-F 9-5 Pacific Time.

···

-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf
Of caplatinum
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2006 8:10 AM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: Practicing with WinPoker

#5

"Bob Dancer" wrote:

but there is news on this. Dean Zamzow and I are severing
business relations on October 1. I am moving on to another
software (Video Poker for Winners --- you'll hear a LOT
about it after October 1 --- I promise)

Action Gaming had on their vp practice website
(http://www.videopoker.com/) for quite some time that they were
developing vp practice/tutor software with Bob. I looked today and
didn't see the same message anymore, so it looks like they've
removed it as they get closer to release date.

Although Bob didn't say who was developing the software, my guess is
that it is Action Gaming and since Bob indicated that he and Dean
are parting ways at the end of September, they will probably release
it around that time.

There wasn't any description of capabilities on the Action Gaming
website, but since Winpoker and Frugal VP are more or less the
current state-of-the-art we can probably expect Action's entry will
incorporate similar capabilities and provide improvement's and
additions as well.

I'll leave it to Bob to comment as to the validity of what was on
Action's website, but he may have a gag clause until the release,
since he didn't mention the developer in his original posting.

#6

Let me try to understand this. Dean owns the software code for
Winpoker so supposedly Bob has no right to simply incorporate the
code in the his next project. Presuambly, Bob could purchase the
code from Dean, and that might happen I guess or Bob might decide
that the cost of purchase or replication of certain features not to
be worth it.

How many potential buyers of this code can their be? The number of
people making software for sophisticated gamblers is so small.

So my question for Bob is this, if Dean finds no other options, but
retiring the software and you don't like the offer price for it, why
not make a Dean a deal that you will buy it from him not for cash
but some royalty on your next software - so you have no out of
pocket expense and you only pay him if there is money coming in?

Being that most people have WinPoker, Jean Scott's Program or both
and I even have Stanford Wong's DOS program somewhere which probably
wouldn't work anymore on any computer I have - for me to buy to
another video poker program, it would have to do things the other
ones can't do. If you look at how Microsoft upgrades their programs
they rarely if ever have feauture dimunition, they usually are
adding features that will make it more robust to get people to buy
the upgrade. What Bob seems to be describing is feature
substitution, why not have everything Winpoker plus some? I
understand the cost issue, but I am presuming from your comments
that your first choice would to have been to upgrade Winpoker but
you couldn't get Dean's cooperation. So the logical extension is
that if would make the code available you could get some other
programmer to upgrade Winpoker the way you would have wanted Dean to
do.

Caplatinum asked about the new software compared to WinPoker.

Without going into great details, Video Poker for Winners will be a
substantial improvement over anything currently out there --- but

there

are some very good analytical features on WinPoker that will NOT

be on

the new program. (And, for that matter, features on FVP and every

other

program that will not be on the new program. There will be

considerable

overlap in the features of the new program and what currently

exists,

but it isn't a clone and some features of other programs were

deemed

either irrelevant or not-cost-effective to develop.) My point was

that

strong players NEED the analysis provided by WinPoker --- and that
information won't be found anywhere. Not-so-strong players will

find any

of the programs mentioned satisfactory, as they all do the basic

stuff

pretty well.

Bob Dancer

For the best in video poker information, visit www.bobdancer.com
or call 1-800-244-2224 M-F 9-5 Pacific Time.

From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On

Behalf

···

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Bob Dancer" <bob.dancer@...> wrote:

-----Original Message-----
Of caplatinum
Sent: Friday, August 25, 2006 8:10 AM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: Practicing with WinPoker

#7

"Being that most people have WinPoker, Jean Scott's Program or both
and I even have Stanford Wong's DOS program somewhere which probably
wouldn't work anymore on any computer I have - for me to buy to
another video poker program, it would have to do things the other
ones can't do. If you look at how Microsoft upgrades their programs
they rarely if ever have feauture dimunition, they usually are
adding features that will make it more robust to get people to buy
the upgrade. "

I too have (pretty much) all of the VP software available. Each of the
programs have their strengths and weaknesses but none of them are kept up to
date through upgrades. The main problem that I see is that game
manufacturers don't stand still and every year there are new games and
twists in the VP world. As this happens, the current crop of VP software
becomes more and more out of date. The VP programs will always do what they
were deisgned to but that's it.

In my mind there are some serious shortcomings in all of the current VP
programs. In this category I think the main deficiency is the inability to
set payoffs by suit for the RF, SF and FL. There are games that pay more for
hands in certain suits and promotions that reward Heart suit hands on
Valentines day (for example). To my knowledge, there is no software on the
market that can do this in its native state. Sure, you can use the analysis
features to figure this out; but what a pain. You probably won't complete
the analysis if the promotion is short lived.

Many software providers have a regular upgrade cycle that keeps their
software current. Some that probably everyone on this board are familiar
with are Anti-Virus and Spyware protection. If you own a commercial product
you most likely are paying an annual fee (mine are sround $20 each) to keep
the software current. As long as I pay my fee, I get upgrades that address
new viruses and spyware.

It seems that the VP programmers should be doing the same thing. This would
provide a steady stream of income even after the initial purchase is made. I
know that not everyone will pay an annual fee, but many would IF there are
regular upgrades and enhancements.

···

-----Original Message-----
From: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com [mailto:vpF…@…com] On Behalf Of
caplatinum
Sent: Saturday, August 26, 2006 10:26 AM
To: vpFREE@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [vpFREE] Re: Practicing with WinPoker

#8

weharter wrote:

There wasn't any description of capabilities on the Action Gaming
website, but since Winpoker and Frugal VP are more or less the
current state-of-the-art we can probably expect Action's entry will
incorporate similar capabilities and provide improvement's and
additions as well.

I'll offer up what's been previously posted here (allow for the age of
the post):

···

------

Bob Dancer wrote on 11/3/05: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/vpFREE/message/50810

"There will be a strategy-creation component --- more on the level of
FVP than VPSM. It will be a penalty-free strategy. It is not the same
as FVP. Some areas will be slight better in FVP. Other areas will be
slightly better in VPW (Video Poker for Winners). I've been promised
that we can add an advanced strategy component in version 2.

Multi Strike will be covered --- including strategies. One-eyed jacks
isn't."

-------

Video Poker for Winners is being developed and released by Action
Gaming. I presume that Bob is a consultant/contributor to the design
and has a marketing interest.

There's a beta of the Multi-Strike component of VPW, that Larry DeMar
(Pres. LED Gaming) has discussed here. It can be found on the Action
Gaming videopoker.com website, and is accessed under "Video Poker -
Inside Scoop"/"Test Your Skills" on the left side of the home page.

A direct short cut to is:
http://www.videopoker.com/insideScoop/testYourSkills/

(Joining and logging into the videopoker.com website is required.)

------

This demo offers up a pretty good peek at the VPW's look and feel. A
keen beauty of VPW is that Action Gaming, in conjunction with its
relationship with IGT, is able to duplicate the true machine
experience that players enjoy in the casino. All that's missing are
the cocktail waitresses (I've been shopping for an outfit for Bev ...)

- Harry

#9

I have been playing the 100-play games at WinPoker for a while, and
when I noticed some changes there about two months ago, I sent them
an e-mail, with my comments on the user interface aspects of it. I
aven't received any reply from them; not even a simple
acknowledgement. I guess they are holding their cards very close to
the chest.

One of the big changes (strictly from a User Interface pov) is
switching the Deal/Draw key from "Enter" to the Space Bar, and card
holding keys from 1-2-3-4-5 to c-v-b-n-m (right above the Space Bar).
I think I commented on that here, a while ago. The changes are
logical. They make the entire operation possible by one hand, and
remove left/right-handed issues.

A few people questioned the departure from "tradition". I don't see
it that way. Illogical clinging to tradition is why we still use the
QWERTY keyboard (designed at the time to slow down typists), and the
British system of Weights and Measures.

Yes, they had a version of JoB game with AutoHold, which they don't
show any more. It had the beginnigs of usable training software.

I am looking forward to their releasing of this software. I like
their graphics design. Comparatively, WinPoker and FVP have a old
DOSsy look.

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Harry Porter" <harry.porter@...>
wrote:

Video Poker for Winners is being developed and released by Action

Gaming. I presume that Bob is a consultant/contributor to the design
and has a marketing interest.