| |
Timing not everything in video poker
Published: 2005-03-01
 Timing not everything in video poker
Chicago Sun-Times, March, 2005 by Mark Pilarski
Q. My husband thinks that if he "times" when he hits the draw button, it will improve his winnings. So instead of playing at the same speed, he will slow down or go faster, depending on how he feels that the machine is doing. Is there any logic to certain machines paying better if you play faster or slower?
Vickie C.
A. Synchronicity may or may not have its time and place, but with video poker machines, it's doubtful. But your question did incite me into thought. In part because claims of paranormal powers have never survived under scientific scrutiny, the James Randi Educational Foundation has offered $1,000,000 to anyone who can demonstrate anything supernatural. Maybe if your husband's theories can withstand systematic examination, the payday might be better than if he had that elusive royal flush. No one has yet claimed the million, but we can hold a good thought for him.
Star-charmed players (like your husband?) who trust their inner selves will win from time to time; but over the long haul, the player who plays on a higher-paying machine, rejects whims, hunches and timing, and demonstrates playing skill by optimum choice of discards will always do a great deal better.
Q. In some of your columns, you mention the word "grind." What do you mean by that?
Steve R.
A. In the language of casino gambling, grind can be used in a variety of ways. A "grind player" is generally a term associated with a low roller. A "grind joint" is a casino that caters to these low rollers. Then there is the "grind down." This is where the casino eventually wins all the player's money due to the built-in advantage it has on all wagers. Finally, the "grind system" is any system used by a player that attempts to win small amounts frequently against the casino. Unfortunately, that is highly unlikely.
Q. How do you know that using your slot card does not affect your chances of winning? There are times when I am playing with a slot card and cannot get a darned thing. Then I take it out, try without the card and win. I sometimes wonder.
Dixie K.
A. The main reason casinos offer slot clubs is to promote loyalty to their joint. Be assured that the magnetic reader on the back of slot club cards is not in any way linked to the random number generator. The "RNG" chip has no way of knowing whether you are using a slot club card or not. If you think your one-armed bandit is ice-cold, regard it as a bit of bad luck and move to another machine.
Mark Pilarski writes a nationally syndicated gambling column. E- mail him at pilarski@markpilarski.com.
Copyright The Chicago Sun-Times, Inc.
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
| |
A RECORD number of players turned out for the ninth European World Series of Poker Trial in Vienna last week
Published: 2005-03-01
 POKER
Independent, The (London), March, 2005 by Nic Szeremeta
A RECORD number of players turned out for the ninth European World Series of Poker Trial in Vienna last week. The three-day, no- limit hold'em event pulled a total of 297 hopefuls - more than double the previous high of 136.
The Concord Card Casino in the Austrian capital is by far the biggest poker room in Europe, but even it ran out of space. A marquee had to be erected in the car park just to provide catering facilities.
The two reasons for the increase were, first, that the trial was part of the televised European Poker Tour, and, second, that online poker rooms had run qualifying satellites. The EUR2,000 (pounds 1,400) buy-in generated a pool of EUR600,000 (pounds 417,000).
Two English players made it through to the final table. Coincidentally, the pair both learnt to play in the Grosvenor Casino, Blackpool. David Clayton, 32, is in the middle of a six- month sabbatical from his job as a software developer. He managed to finish sixth, collecting EUR28,800 (pounds 20,000). Simon Nowab, 36, has swapped a job as an advertising executive to focus on poker, and earnt EUR17,300 (pounds 12,000) for his eighth-place finish.
The winner has not given up his day job, though. Pascal Perrault, 45, still runs his Parisian pharmacy businesses despite his success on the poker scene. He and the runner-up, the 31-year-old Swede Andreas Harnemo, did a deal over the prize money of EUR280,000 (pounds 195,000) for first and second place, but played on for the title. Harnemo had witnessed the Frenchman's amazing run of luck, and probably did not want to be a victim himself.
Perrault had routinely eliminated players with hands such as K- 10 against Q-Q, and 9-9 against an opponent's 10-10. His most spectacular outdraw - again versus an all-in player in a massive pot - was with a K-Q of the same suit. All the chips went in before the flop and Pascal found himself up against K-K. This is the worst hold'em match up - the biggest odds possible against winning. His opponent was 88 per cent favourite to win the coup, almost 8 to 1 on. Unfortunately, the poker fairy had decided it was to be Perrault's day and the board (the common cards used by both players) contained a pair of queens, which gave him the winning hand.
Whenever tournament players gather together they all agree on one thing: you need a lot of luck to win a big tournament. Perrault will not argue against such a premise - and he has an extra EUR160,000 (pounds 110,000) in his bank account as a reminder.
Copyright 2005 Independent Newspapers UK Limited
Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights Reserved.
| | |
English
Deutsch
Español
Français
Italiano
Nederlands
Pусский
Svenska