I’ll bet all of you out there never really knew what a hold the game of video poker would have on your lives. And I’ll bet the first time you ever “bet one credit” or plunked a coin into a video poker machine, you had no idea how it would - or THAT it would - affect your bank account and finances for years to come. Yes, the game is that powerful, and it is so much more compelling.

Before I continue, don’t be too embarrassed. I’ve been telling the undeniable truth about the game for nearly ten years now, and if you’re a responsible & decent person the most much of what I say will do is give you some goose bumps. Certainly, no other writer has EVER had the courage and dedication to talk about every aspect of the game, and that’s simply because they either don’t want the truth to be known, they have a personal ongoing struggle with the truth, they enjoy making money off of the commercialization of the game that does not deal with the truth...or all of the above.

But none of that stops me and none of those people matter much to me on the positive side as I continue to expose their lies, their scams, and their disregard for how their irresponsibility affects so many players everywhere. These people – including their math groupies who worship at every guru’s feet – like to spin the truth about the game, but I am the master of spinning it right back at them. When I first came on the scene you could tell they wanted me gone, but look at where I am years later. The truth bothers them, and it just never stops.

Ask yourself how you feel about the game right now. If you live away from Nevada in an area that only has Indian casinos, are you looking forward to your next visit to Las Vegas with great anticipation? Typically that’s the case, and it’s mostly because you have visions of video poker machines and endless comps dancing in your heads, right?

If you’re a local it’s a far different story though. To them it’s video poker here and video poker there. After all, who DOESN’T play video poker that lives in a place like Las Vegas? But while the out-of-towners await their next visit with sweaty palms, the locals are involved in a far greater anxiety. They’re trying to figure out how to pay the bills, because the past few nights were not so kind at the casinos.

Of course, all players have their ups and downs but by far, most players experience downs. And while some of you might take exception to that, I’ll bring you back to earth with just one suggestion: Drive around town and check out just how big and beautiful all those casinos are. No folks, the hotels and resorts were not built by winners, and although some people win, the majority does not. The odds are simply just not with you if you gamble.

So back to the question of how much is too much video poker? Do people learn anything if they lose thousands that they really cannot afford each year? From my own experience from 1990-1996, that answer’s a resounding NO. Although I was your typical big-headed advantage player, who was misled into believing I was always “playing with an edge” that would make me some type of long-term winner, I still lost every single year.

Yes I received a whole lot of cash back, comps and freebies, and while the phonies of today use that stuff to create winning years and even winning casino visits out of thin air, I did the same and STILL couldn’t pretend I won. My mistake was in not applying my own value system to all the goodies and as such, I never overinflated any of it as they do without shame today. But when your sales depend on your public perception, you really have no choice.

But what happens when people are consistent winners? Will they ever stop? Well, being that it’s nearly impossible to find someone who actually does win every year - and how in the world can anyone be absolutely sure of that anyway – that’s a tough question. But it’s not one without an answer as you’ll soon see. But by and large, when people win they just want to win more – much in the same way that when people lose they want to keep trying to make it up.

The key phrase here is “when people win they want to win more”….don’t you think? Since it’s impossible to get a straight-faced answer from anyone who plays the game at a higher level, I’ll comfortably & truthfully use myself as an example. Now some people will choose not to believe it, that’s true. But that’s OK, because as much as I’ve done to propel the undeniable truth about video poker out to the playing public, I understand that nearly every player loses so being able to stomach the words of a winner does take some moxie.

First, I’ll satisfy those who love to hate to love me. I lost a quarter million dollars from 1990-1996 as I’ve admitted many times before, and I was a true gambling addict while doing it. My goal was simple: To outsmart the casinos by beating them at their own game – the math. I only played whenever I had “an edge” and I played long and hard because the more I played the more I won….theoretically, that is.

So theory’s a great tool in the math books, but it fails miserably while gambling. That’s what I learned, and although every AP may not experience that distress, more than 98% of them do. But those who sell the strategy don’t care about that. They only want as much of our money in their pockets as humanly possible, and for the sole purpose of having that money to gamble with. They crave the action and will cross any and all lines to get as much as they can.

But if you know the rest of the story about me, you know that I developed my own Singer Play Strategy in 1997 and have been using that and other self-developed playing strategies ever since – and nothing else. Because of that, I am just over $974,000 ahead to date since 1997, and I feel redeemed a thousand times over. When I started doing this I said I would quit playing video poker forever in every form when and if I reached a million dollars profit, and I’m not that far away.

Part II of this article will appear next week.