I am new to town and VP. I went to a VP class given by Bob Dancer a few
months ago at Fiesta Rancho. Can someone explain to me, if I truly can
have an advantage over the casinos playing optimum strategy, why would
the casinos let him teach that. To me it would be like a casino
allowing someone to teach you how to count cards in BJ.
Thanks for your insight,
Jerry
I think Bob Dancer has replied to this question before. From what I
recall, his answer was something like: The casino believes that the
classes will generate increased interest and play on their VP
machines. The casino also believes (correctly in my opinion) that
very, very few people who attend the classes will actually make the
necessary effort to become winning players. (A one hour lesson does
not make a winning VP player.) Therefore, the overall net result is
an increase in VP profit for the casino, even after accounting for
the "education" of the players.
EE
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "truthseekr99" <ydoc21@...> wrote:
I am new to town and VP. I went to a VP class given by Bob Dancer a
few months ago at Fiesta Rancho. Can someone explain to me, if I
truly can have an advantage over the casinos playing optimum
strategy, why would the casinos let him teach that. To me it would be
like a casino allowing someone to teach you how to count cards in
BJ.>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
EE wrote: I think Bob Dancer has replied to this question before. From
what I
recall, his answer was something like: The casino believes that the
classes will generate increased interest and play on their VP
machines. The casino also believes (correctly in my opinion) that
very, very few people who attend the classes will actually make the
necessary effort to become winning players. (A one hour lesson does
not make a winning VP player.) Therefore, the overall net result is
an increase in VP profit for the casino, even after accounting for
the "education" of the players.
Excellent summary by EE. Thank you. But there is a lot more.
When the Fiesta hired me two and a half years ago to resume classes,
they were at a low point. They had recently purchased the old Fiesta and
Reserve from the Maloof family and Ameristar respectively, and had taken
a lot of steps that backfired --- like firing most of the Fiesta staff
(who the customers knew and liked). I was brought in (along with certain
Maloof-era management like GM John James and host Barry) in order to
rejuvenate the Fiesta image. They were willing to have me there teaching
classes in order to boost their profile as a good place for playing
low-level video poker. They won Best of Vegas video poker awards a few
times after I started teaching there, and I believe my classes helped
them win those awards.
After 2 years of these classes, I assume they came to the conclusion
that whatever benefits they were getting from a Bob Dancer relationship
they have already gotten, so they decided they didn't need continued
classes. They removed the Bob Dancer machines (where were the only
places you found 9/6 Jacks, 9/7 Triple Double Bonus, and 9/5 Super
Double Bonus). Although I was disappointed in this decision (as were
many people who hoped to catch the classes one of these days as well as
those who liked the better games and cash-back formula that was
available on these machine), I can understand their business decision.
After a few years of not winning these awards, they might decide to
bring me back again. Who knows?
The part of the picture that EE didn't address is the rehabilitation of
image of the casino. The casino receives certain benefits from having a
prominent video poker teacher being associated with the property. If a
casino already has the reputation for excellent video poker, then they
don't need to educate their player base. If their reputation is NOT what
they want it to be, then having me there to suggest what games could
help them with that image, and bringing in players who would not
otherwise visit the casino if it weren't for the free classes, is worth
it to them. When in front of a classroom, I tell the truth about the
games, but I also emphasize positive things about the host casino.
I am currently negotiating with another casino whose video poker image
could use some help. If those negotiations aren't fruitful, I have a
list of three other casinos to approach. If and when I get such a
teaching gig, you can bet it will be loudly announced here and other
places.
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.
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