Interesting info on a cruise that Bob and Shirley Dancer will host.
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Whats New at bobdancer.com October 2003
<http://www.bobdancer.com/> bobdancer.com is again fully operational.
For a period of time we were experiencing problems with PayPal. It seems
as though PayPal instituted rules so it couldnt be used with on-line
casinos, and since my products have the name video poker in the title,
they bounced a lot of orders. Weve shifted shopping cart programs to
Paysystems and are again up and running. Sorry for the inconvenience.
Volume 5: PickEm Poker, the latest Bob Dancer / Liam W. Daily Winners
Guide is now available. PickEm Poker returns 99.95% on the good pay
schedule and is found OUTSIDE of Las Vegas far more than it is found
INSIDE Las Vegas. The game is found on Bally GameMaker machines.
Although there are several tricky plays in the game, many players find
the game to be the easiest video poker to learn. It is possible to learn
the strategy perfectly without resorting to penalty cards. Unlike the
4-level format in the other Winners Guides which are priced at $16.50
each, PickEm Poker presents only two strategy levels, Beginner and
Advanced, and is normally priced at $10. bobdancer.com customers get
their normal 10% discount so the price here is only $9. The expected
availability date for Volume 6: Double Double Bonus Poker is early
December.
Upcoming Bob Dancer Classes
New class series starting at FIESTA RANCHO all begin at 7:00 p.m.
Tuesday October 14 9/6 Jacks or Better
Tuesday October 21 Full Pay Deuces Wild
Tuesday October 28 10/7 Double Bonus
Bob Dancer Out of Town Seminars
November 7, 8 Bob and Shirley will be teaching Pickem Poker, NSU
Deuces Wild, and Multi Strike NSU Deuces Wild at the Turtle Creek Casino
in Traverse City, MI. Contact Trish Kilgore for details (800) 922-2WIN
November 14, 15 Bob and Shirley will be teaching 9/6 Jacks or Better
at the Borgata in Atlantic City, NJ. Contact Sally Nickel for details
(866) MYBORGATA
November 20 - 22 Bob and Shirley will be teaching Secrets of a Video
Poker Winner, 9/6 Jacks or Better, and NSU Deuces Wild at Mountain High
(formerly called Casino at Blackhawk by Hyatt) in Blackhawk, CO. Contact
Debbie Williams for details (720) 946-4148
Bob Dancer Video Poker Cruise February 22-29, 2004
Bob and Shirley host a Norwegian Cruise Line 7-day cruise from New York
City to Florida and the Bahamas and back again aboard the spectacular
Norwegian Dawn. The casino will offer 9/6 Jacks or Better and NSU Deuces
Wild games, a slot club including a cash back option and free video
poker classes.
To sign up for the February 22-29, 2004 cruise, call 1-877-PLAY-NCL
(1-877-752-9625) and ask about the Bob Dancer Video Poker Cruise. We
will also very likely be sailing May 16 23, 2004 and September 19-26,
2004. You may get on the waiting list for these later cruises now, and
actual reservations beginning March 1, 2004. See you sailing!
Below is an article giving complete details that is also a fun read! We
hope to see you all there!
Norwegian Cruise Lines offers Bob Dancer Video Poker Cruise
In May of this year, my wife Shirley was at a casino industry trade show
in Mississippi and noticed the nametag, Victor Weclew, Director of
Casino Operations, Norwegian Cruise Lines. Waving the thought of an
ocean cruise in front of Shirley is like waving a piece of chocolate two
feet in front of a Labrador retrievers nose. In both cases, it tends to
focus their attention admirably.
Thinking quickly, Shirley promptly tackled Victor so he couldnt get
away. Okay. That might be an exaggeration. Perhaps she only tripped him.
But however she got his attention, Shirley told Victor that what he
needs is a Bob Dancer Video Poker Cruise (VPC).
How would that work? asked Victor. By the luck of the draw, Victor WAS
looking for ways to attract more players to his casinos. He hadnt been
thinking specifically of video poker, but Shirleys suggestion could
possibly dovetail into his plans.
There are a lot of video poker players who would enjoy going on a
cruise if you had decent games in the casino, Shirley assured him,
trying not to pant too obviously. Bob could teach classes in these
games, and Id go along too, of course, to assist him in teaching these
classes.
Somehow, it doesnt surprise me that youd want to come too, Victor
said dryly, What games would these video poker players consider
decent?
Check with Bob on that, Shirley said. A lot of people have emailed
Bob and told him that theyd love to take one of his classes but they
havent been able to do so yet. This would be a good deal for them, and
you too. Shirley made sure that Victor had my office phone number, my
home phone number, my cell number, my fax number, two email addresses,
my website address, and the closest pony express stop.
Sure enough, Victor called me not too long afterwards and asked me to
recommend games he could offer that would attract players without
bankrupting the casino. I suggested 9/6 Jacks or Better (99.54% when
played perfectly) and 16/10 NSU Deuces Wild (99.73%). Victor asked the
obligatory question, and so I told him that 'NSU' stands for 'Not So
Ugly.' These are games that are found all over the country, and yet are
as loose or looser than the games found in probably 90% of American
casinos, I told him. Since you have a slot club to boot, this would be
a good deal for the players that Id be happy to recommend
enthusiastically. Youd need a number of these machines to make this
work.
Victor told me, On the Norwegian Dawn, my biggest ship, we have brand
new IGT machines all with ticket in ticket out technology. We have
fourteen multi-game, multi-denomination machines that I could set them
so players could play any denomination between 5¢ and $25. Although I
wouldn't be able to offer the excellent pay schedules for denominations
under $1, I could give you ten machines at the bar with the games you
want for $1, $2, $5, $10, $20, and $25. Does that sound like it would do
the trick?
Yes, I told him. Lets find a way to make this happen.
The Norwegian Dawn goes on Sunday to Sunday, 7-day cruises from New York
City with stops at Orlando, FL (Port Canaveral), Miami, Nassau, and a
private island in the Bahamas called Great Stirrup Cay that is owned by
the cruise line.
Victor suggested that Shirley and I take a "test cruise" to check out
the ship before endorsing it. I had too many commitments to take an
entire weeklong cruise, but they allowed Shirley and me to join the
cruise on Wednesday in Miami, and sail with the ship to the two Bahamas
destinations and back to New York. (If YOU wish to take the cruise,
you'll need to take it for the entire week. Boarding in Canaveral,
Miami, or Nassau is simply not an option for regular passengers.)
Although we missed stopping in Port Canaveral totally, and slept while
in Miami because we'd flown on the red-eye from Vegas, we saw enough of
the ship, the casino, and the Bahamas to recommend the trip
wholeheartedly.
In many ways, most cruises and cruise ships are alike. You have food all
day long, non-stop activities of some sort planned (from exercise
classes to bingo to movies to dancing to special lectures to
almost-Broadway-quality shows), more food, interesting destinations and
shore excursions, more food, relaxation by the pool, art and jewelry
sales, and much more. And in case you're hungry . . .
This cruise on the Norwegian Dawn has all of these things too. There are
some major things that set the Dawn apart from other ships, and some
major things that make this cruise a far better-than-usual cruise on the
Dawn at least if you're a video poker player.
The Dawn is very large and brand new, first being launched in December
2002. It is so stable that it's almost impossible to get seasick, even
if you try. In addition to being very modern, the biggest feature that
sets the Dawn experience apart from other cruise ships is "Freestyle"
cruising. The basic nature of "Freestyle" is that, within a few
parameters, you may do WHATVER you like WHENEVER you like. There are ten
different restaurants, for example, and you may choose which ones to
visit. If you wish to eat alone, fine. If you wish to eat with nine
other people, fine. (At least one of the nights on the cruise, all 60 or
so participants in the Bob Dancer VPC will be invited to eat at the same
time in the same restaurant. You do not have to join us, of course, but
a cruise is more fun if you know somebody. On this cruise you'll meet
people with whom you have at least something in common i.e. you like
to play video poker.)
Although the food standard at all of the restaurants is very good, three
of them offer premium dining experiences where a cover charge applies.
Cagney's Steak House (where the walls are plastered with memorabilia
from the gangster era of Chicago in the 1930s, Le Bistro French
restaurant (where you dine among artwork by Van Gogh, Matisse, Monet,
and Renoir), and Bamboo (where one of the specials is $10
all-you-can-eat sushi).
The dress code on the ship is resort casual. After 5:30 p.m. most of the
restaurants have a modest dress code (basically no jeans, shorts, tee
shirts or flip flops), but you may eat at the buffet without these
restrictions. Monday night is optional formal night. People who enjoy
dressing up in tuxedos will do it that night. People who don't, won't.
(Shirley says that she and I DO enjoy dressing up, and I'm smart enough
not to argue with her on this one.)
One of the features of Freestyle Cruising is fixed tips. Each person is
charged $10 per day for tips. If you do not feel this is an appropriate
amount to tip (either too high or too low), you may make an adjustment
at the pursers office..
Although well over 2,000 passengers on the cruise will not care one way
or the other about video poker, those of you who sign up at the 800
number listed below will likely find this your best video poker cruise
experience ever. Cruise ships normally have very tight pay schedules on
their machines. After all, once at sea, the casino has no competition
from other casinos! The Norwegian normally has looser than average
machines, and on this cruise, they will set the pay schedules on ten
machines to be VERY loose. Plus theyll have a slot club.
The exact nature of the slot club is being redesigned as I write this. I
do know, however, that you'll be able to earn points that will be
redeemable at different rates. They will be redeemable at full rate for
Norwegian Cruise Line company charges such as alcoholic beverages,
restaurant cover charges, future cruises, and the like. They may be
redeemed at a lesser rate for "outside contractor" charges on the ship,
such as spa charges, expenditures in certain of the gift shops, shore
excursions and the like. They may be redeemed at a lesser rate yet for
cash which is awarded in the form of must be played at least once
vouchers. The exact percentages for these rates is still under
discussion and I cannot give you exact details here. What I can tell
you, though, is that the rates being discussed are sufficient to make
this an excellent value.
They have asked me not to gamble on this cruise, and so of course I'll
honor that request. If I were allowed to play video poker on this
cruise, I'd likely play 10-20 hours over the week. This is a gambling
opportunity that I judge as being very worth my while.
In addition to the games themselves, I'll be teaching three classes
during the cruise. One on Jacks or Better, one on NSU Deuces Wild, and
one on "Getting the Most out of WinPoker", which is the most
award-winning video poker software. The first two classes will be taught
at the "Basic" level, where "Basic" is the term Liam W. Daily and I use
in our strategy cards and Winner's Guides to indicate "as close to
perfect as you can get without using penalty cards." I teach classes
regularly on these games and others at the Fiesta Hotels in Las Vegas
and elsewhere. I usually teach a beginner class in each game and a more
advanced class. The classes I teach on the ship will be at the more
advanced level simply because most of the participants in the Video
Poker Cruise will be more knowledgeable about video poker than is the
general public.
The classes are a good refresher, and most players who take my classes
find they learn quite a few new things, but to learn a game well you
have to immerse yourself in it. Those not playing either or both of
these games already at the close-to-perfect level might want to obtain
and study the Winner's Guides for these games beforehand. You don't have
to do this, of course, but the good gambling opportunity on the cruise
will only last a week. If you spend some or all of that time learning
how to play the games, then you'll have relatively little time on the
cruise to take advantage of the good gambling itself.
In addition to the classes, I'll be "hanging out" in the casino for
probably eight to ten hours during the cruise offering private tutoring
on a limited basis to those players trying to learn these games. I'll be
announcing my casino hours to all participants so they can be there at
those times should they wish.
Three casinos will be sponsoring the classes on each of the cruises. On
the first cruise, the classes will be sponsored by the Borgata casino in
Atlantic City, the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, and the Atlantis Casino in
Reno. What sponsorship means to the VPC participants is they will be
receiving a free logo Polo Shirt (or something similar) from the
sponsoring casino, a special offer from these sponsors for VPC
participants the next time they visit these particular casinos, and a
5-minute "commercial" from me telling you why I believe that these
casinos offer some of the best video poker in their particular venues.
Shirley and I have participated in four separate cruises, including the
"half cruise" we took to prepare for this article. On two of these
cruises, we arranged with friends to cruise at the same time. These two
cruises were the most fun for us, which is why we are looking forward to
the VPC cruise where we'll be accompanied by sixty friends many of
whom we haven't met yet!
The reason we like cruising with friends is that Shirley and I have
different reasons we like to cruise. While we both like dancing, dining
together, and taking the shore excursions together, I like to read,
write, and kick back. On this cruise, I'll be spending a lot of hours in
the casino. Shirley, on the other hand, likes to attend the exercise
classes, the lectures about various things, and the shows at night. She
WILL go by herself if she has to, but she has more fun if there's
somebody else she knows to go with. Although the exact mix of what you
like to do will be different in your family than in mine, several of you
will have situations where one of you like to do something more than the
other. On the VPC, Shirley will hook up with other "video poker widows"
and all of us will have a more enjoyable cruise that way.
On the shore excursions, Shirley and I'll announce where we are going.
On the first cruise, for example, we know we're going to visit the
Kennedy Space Center during our stop at Port Canaveral, and in Miami
we're going to take an airboat cruise of the Everglades. At Great
Stirrup Cay we'll probably just hang out on the beach without any
special excursion, and at Nassau we'll probably sign up for a city tour
and a look at old pirate ships. (If you've never seen the Atlantis
Casino, which is within easy view from where the ship docks, it's a must
see. The aquarium is world class, with millions of fish over acres of
pools, although the casino itself is not a good gamble).
There are a variety of price structures for the cabins to sleep in. The
cheapest are very small and "inside", while some of the larger ones have
portholes, balconies, and other nice things. Shirley and I like the ones
with balconies, as reading while watching the ocean pass by is a very
pleasant experience. Whatever cabin level you choose, you are still
eligible for all of the VPC programs.
VPC participants will also receive a number of other amenities
including fruit baskets, a cocktail party with other VPC members, and a
free photograph with Bob and Shirley. To sign up for the February 22-29,
2004 cruise, call 1-877-PLAY-NCL and ask about the Bob Dancer Video
Poker Cruise. We will also very likely be sailing May 16 23, 2004 and
September 19-26, 2004. You may get on the waiting list for these later
cruises now, and actual reservations beginning March 1, 2004. See you
sailing!