If there’s another video poker player anywhere who talks to as many other video poker players as I do, I haven't heard of or met him or her yet. Very simply, what I've done equates to a whole lot of experience in what goes through people’s heads as they set out to go up against the machines. I’ve also been able to speak to tens of thousands of player’s minds thru having written Gaming Today’s (GT) most popular column ever for 7-1/2 straight years up until mid-2008 (for which I always refused to be paid); I’ve been on various television and radio programs about gaming; thousands of interested players receive my FREE e-newsletter several times each month; and it’s all summarized and put forth in writing and on videos on my one-of-a-kind site – available again, FOR FREE, whenever anyone wants to be truthfully updated on all the issues.

For additional insight, I’ve written two books that were purposely kept on the short side and without one mathematical calculation necessary, because I know as well as anyone that gamblers do not appreciate books that are too long and/or that ramble on with the math. Add to that my “strictly advantage play years” from 1990-1996 and my most recent 13 years of play based on an intelligent understanding on how to REALLY beat the game consistently, and I know of no other person who can even come close to claiming they can match my level of understanding just what constitutes reasonable play. And if you keep up with the writings of the game’s other gurus, you’ll discover a sales pitch within every paragraph and a desperate plea to buy from them in every byline -- something purposely lacking in everything I do. In short, other reasonable/knowledgeable experts simply do not exist.

How do I go about telling others how to play video poker within reason? Well, the first thing I usually mention is what the theme of my first book “The Undeniable Truth About Video Poker” is all about, which is How NOT to play the game. That basically means if you get caught up in the fallacies and misleading temptations of so-called “optimal-play/expert-play/advantage-play/or long-term strategy” you can not only expect to lose on a very consistent basis - you’ll have turned yourself into a self-destructive compulsive gambler along the way. Why? Because this at first seemingly harmless textbook method that’s unable to ever be matched by any human being, puts the player at the machines for many long hours as often as possible, and as we all know, video poker machines are both addictive and mind-altering at the same time. They can and will completely change the lives of those whom, out of stubbornness, nerdiness, perfectionism or a total lack of discipline, eventually are more comfortable facing near-catastrophic events over the more normal life they previously had prior to being introduced to their first video poker machine.

You’ve all seen how I now approach the game many times in the past, and the much more comfortable, enjoyable, and profitable casino experiences I’ve had in my turnaround past 13 years playing as a professional. But still, the best way to depict how to play within reason is shown by some of the stories of those that I’ve talked to over the years and those who’ve blabbed about their play on every corner of the Internet. In each case you’ll immediately recognize that I’m really telling you how not to go after the game -- unless, of course, you prefer torture.

Chase is a local in Las Vegas who liked to play table games, but because all he did was contribute to the casinos (Ha! And I say Hooray for him being able to admit that) and because he came across my GT column one day in between losing at different Blackjack tables, he thought he’d contact me and give video poker a try. Naturally he was sick of losing, and naturally he wanted to win at SOMETHING for a change.

But all did not go so well, as I quickly discovered that he was quite the compulsive gambler. When I sat with him at the machines all he wanted to do was play and not listen. When I tried to show him the difference between expert play and one of my plays that deviate from optimal strategy, all he could do was pretend to learn. And when I told him not to have more than one drink while playing the game, all he could do is complain. There is just no way to teach reasonable play to someone such as this who is so hell-bent on self-destruction.

Then there’s Derrick, an insatiable video poker-only player from the northern US who, by all accounts, has made one mistake after another while the game of video poker continues to swallow he and his poor wife up. First, he retired early from his Corporate America job when he got bitten by the video poker bug. Then, in making one of the worst mistakes that I warn so many players about all the time, he decided to move to Las Vegas just to be closer to the machines so they both could get their gambling fix every day...day after day...but only for a 6-month period. The other 6 months? They make believe they’re on vacation as they drive back home while stopping at every casino they go by – even if it’s one of those questionable Indian casinos. Their M.O. when home? To go to the closest Indian casinos to sit endlessly at the video poker machines each and every week.

His response to all this? Mostly denial after denial, but when he does get rattled enough he comes out and says “I am not a gambler!” “I am an advantage player who only plays when I have the edge over the casino!” Now I wonder where I’ve heard THAT type of baloney before...The funniest part of all this is reading his denials and watching him trap himself in so many of his obvious problem gambling-induced “rationales”: “I moved to Las Vegas to watch my condo value increase!” Haha! Like THAT’S really been a wise investment the past few years. And he even chastises his wife for making HIM the addict that he is today! My God Derrick, have you no shame?

Finally, let’s talk about Jan from Alabama. Coming from a well-to-do family out there, she makes at least one trip a month to Las Vegas to play high limit video poker at Bellagio and Mandalay Bay, and I usually meet with her once a year if I can. I say “well-to-do” because whenever she hits a jackpot on ANY denomination, instead of doing what I teach and GO LOWER if she must keep playing, she automatically makes a bee-line to the next higher denomination and has at it. Never an exception. And she rarely hits anything else while ending up at the ATM’s with her colorful array of bank cards….like most players do. Certainly I’ve tried to instill in her the discipline to not do what the casinos want her to do, ESPECIALLY AFTER HITTING A BIG JACKPOT! But in true compulsive form, it always seems to go right through that hole in her head.

Reasonable video poker play means reasonable play folks, and that has nothing to do with believing one lucky hit will lead to another when overwhelmingly it will not. To this day, in my opinion the two most single misleading horn-tooting of all time that has led to the downfall of many a gambler, has come from two of the most famous names in video poker. Remember when Bob Dancer hit a $25 Royal a number of years ago and then took what he calls a “pot shot” at the $100 machine and hit another? Remember how he always taught never to play above one’s head or outside of one’s bankroll, yet he just couldn’t help himself and probably would have easily lost it all and more had he not been lucky a second time? Ever wonder just how many OTHER times that scenario played out to the tune of empty pockets?

And remember how Jean Scott labeled (and still does label) herself “frugal” yet consistently writes about playing what to most regular players, i.e. -- the ones she purportedly is trying to get through to – is high limit play? How does she think this contradiction and double-talk is affecting those whom she says she is “helping”?

None of this stuff constitutes reasonable video poker play people, and I hope you’re all able to see through the smokescreen both the other players as well as a few of the famous names are putting out there to confuse you. If you’re not having fun playing, if you’re not winning consistently, and if you find yourself a shameless pawn of the slot clubs around town or anywhere that has casinos, it’s time to stop, take a big step back, and look at what you’re doing before it gets to be too late. I was able to do that, and it’s been one of the most important steps I’ve taken in my life.