Good Morning,
I really let most things go; however, every now and then there's a mountain you'll die on. This is the one.
I spent many years writing my strategy cards; this I did solo, no collaboration.
My area of expertise is mathematics/curriculum development plus I've been playing card games since elementary school. (Gin, 5 and 7-card stud, BJ and everything in between.) I say this because all of these skills plus some are needed to write cards that meet all of my objectives. They must include all possible dealt hand combos, be quick and easy to use and give the correct hold, of 32. This means you have to be able to make hierarchy adjustments for each game and to filter out irrelevant combos; otherwise there would be too many lines and abbreviations to be useful during play. Further, if you don't play live poker, then it's difficult to know which hands can co-exist. I wrote and tested many formats--literally dozens--before selecting the format I use in my book, "The Video Poker Edge".
I told Square One, my wonderful publishing house, that the cards had to be included free with my book--I wanted to make sure years of work benefited players.
I believe that the reason my book was selected by Publishers Weekly for review--really shocking, since they have never selected a video poker book--was clearly my independent work on strategy (40 pages) and the cards. I won't go through the process used by PW, but it's arduous, and those reviewing are anonymous experts on the topic.
I spent hundreds of hours in a closed room, every time somebody opens the door you have to re-do the entire test of each possibility, quite frustrating. The exceptions and penalty card situations have been incorporated in a painless way so the player doesn't feel the need to memorize rare hands/situations.
Strategy cards must include all dealt hands, be fast and easy to use, accurate, contain no abbreviations and most of all work during play. If the cards lack any of these characteristics during home practice, then they won't work during actual casino play either. Regardless of what anybody tells you, myself included, you must use them at home first in conjunction with the software. If you're frustrated over the card's complexity, then it's not your fault--the card simply isn't working for you.
Honestly, I've been quiet because the last thing I want is to get into a war of words with another expert. If a product is all that it's supposed to be then it works for its intended purpose and there is no need to attack anybody else or their product. Players are smart and will know if the strategy card or chart is good during play/practice.Linda
Linda Boyd
Author: "The Video Poker Edge"
amazon.com/major bookstores
"Boyd's Eye View": Free Forum
http://www.midwestgamingandtravel.com
Best Software:www.videopokerpractice.com
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