Video Poker: Optimum Play [Paperback]

Dan Paymar (Author), Jazbo Bums (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 2004

This book will show you:

Why certain video poker machines offer the highest potential payback of any games in the casinos

How to recognize games that offer over 100% payback

How to avoid the deceptive short-pay machines

How big a bankroll you will need in order to have any desired chance of hitting a jackpot

How to evaluate the contribution comps and promotions to a game

and most importantly . . .

Precision Play – how to quickly and easily make the optimum draw to maximize your win rate — without having to memorize long tables.

This new second edition introduces Dan's Attractiveness Index and contains information on games that were introduced since the first edition was published.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

In the late 1980's Dan Paymar moved to Las Vegas where his interest in video poker began. His first endeavor was to survey the casinos and publish a directory of favorable video poker opportunities. Not satisfied with the strategies then available, he put his computer experience to use. He analyzed the games and published his results in the predecessor to this book, Video Poker – Precision Play. The book evolved and expanded, going through many revisions as new games began to appear and questions about how to play them arose. Now out of print, the tenth edition was the last version before this book.

Dan currently works part time as a poker dealer instructor and still plays video poker, but his primary interest is sharing his knowledge and information with others through his various publications.

Product Details

• Paperback: 204 pages
• Publisher: Conjelco; 2 edition (August 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1886070202
• ISBN-13: 978-1886070202
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (16 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #211,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

43 of 44 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent resource for the beginner!, November 18, 1999

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Video Poker-Optimum Play (Paperback)

Paymar's book outlines an excellent approach to learning VP for the beginner. The optimum play strategies he uses yield close to perfect results with relatively little effort. The book is straightforward, yet also includes enough tables to serve as a useful resource once you learn the rudiments. I agree with the reader who stated that lack of a double bonus strategy is a weakness, but one can learn that fairly easily after the Jacks or Better strategy is mastered. Overall, the finest VP book for the beginner ever written.

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Video Poker Guide for Beginners and Serious Players, December 28, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Video Poker-Optimum Play (Paperback)

Video Poker - Optimum Play covers everything you need to know about the best game to play in a casino. Dan Paymar covers basic strategy for Jacks-or-Better, Deuces Wild and Joker Poker, and includes quizes for each of these games that will test your knowledge. If you think that you know Video Poker (VP), try taking these quizes before reading the book. You may be very surprised by your score!

The book also contains several tables which give the expected value (EV) for each pre-draw hand for the three games listed above, as well other tables that provide the probability of hitting a royal flush in the different games (or the four deuce mini-jackpot in Deuces Wild) before your bankroll runs out. If you want to count on luck alone, don't look at these tables. However, if you want to use all the knoweldge available to the pros in your recreational play then this book is for you.

The only shortcoming of this book is that it does not cover optimal play rules for Double Bonus Poker, even though this is one of the games the book recommends because of the over 100% possible payback. Given that full-pay Joker Poker machines are becoming scarce, it would be better to spend more of the book on this widely available alternative.

If you are going to use the strategy outlined in the book, it would be worthwhile to invest in the pocket sized strategy cards that Dan Paymar has developed.

Good luck, and draw a Royal for me!

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Useful if you want to play video poker., March 9, 2002

By 

Carl F. Mclaren Jr. (Haines City, Florida USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Video Poker-Optimum Play (Paperback)

I purchased this book because I saw a TV show that said "Video poker can be beat". I found this hard to believe but it is apparently true on some machines with perfect play. Ah, there is the rub. Along with the book I bought a computer program that teaches you how to play and shows you each error you make. It isn't real hard to learn how to play perfectly but requires a person that can really keep focused for hours on end. Most folks with the intellect to learn this could make much more money doing something (anything ?) else but if you have to gamble this is your best shot. This book with Frugal Gambler and some real effort will make your Vegas trips more fun. I don't think Vegas casinos enjoy losing so I wonder how long this will last ?