Years ago I was married to a
golfer who played on the PGA
Tour. If you wanted to
finish in the money then you
had to make the cut after
two 18-hole rounds. Your
game strategy might involve
selecting a club that would
cause your ball to land
short of the water rather
than risking the penalty of
trying and failing to go
long over it. Hedging your
chances of being there for
the last two rounds was a
good strategy, especially as
an objective for players who
were required to
pre-qualify. (Many tour
players had to play a
qualifying round for each
tournament; by making the
cut there wasn’t time to
compete in the next pre-qualifying
competition so you’d get a
bye.)
How about video poker
tournaments? Can you prepare
ahead of time to increase
your chances of finishing in
the money? Golfers walk the
course, play a practice
round and consider pin
placement and club selection
long before they tee it up
on the first hole of the
competition. During play you
may see some pull a few
blades of grass and let go
to determine the wind drift.
Well, video poker players
should also have practiced
and have a game strategy
before they hit the first
button on their tournament
device.
Those of the “wind-drift”
mind-set will pay attention
to even minor penalty card
situations during practice
sessions. One thing’s for
sure, there’ll be lots of
opportunities to participate
in a kaleidoscope of video
poker tournaments this
holiday season. So, here’s a
guide to help you select the
best competitions around and
then give you several
strokes advantage over the
rest of the field.
Tournament Meters
Although the machines may
come right off the casino
floor, rnament organizers
will have added three meters
not found on traditional
devices. It’s important to
know both the location and
purpose of each of them.
Session Timer: This
mechanism keeps track of the
minutes and seconds so that
everybody has exactly the
same amount of playing time.
Make sure you can locate
this device before play
begins so you can use it to
your advantage by speeding
things up when you’re
running out of time. Some
competitions have staggered
time, meaning players may
not begin together, but all
have the same amount of
playing time.
Credit Countdown Meter:
Usually you are given a
specific amount of credits
at the start of the
tournament. This meter lets
you know how many credits
are left at all times.
Although rules vary, most
devices deduct five credits
after each hand is played.
It’s important to know the
location on your display
screen so you can check and
adjust your speed as needed.
Every once in a while you’ll
be able to play unlimited
games in a given time frame
and then there’ll be no need
for this meter.
Credit Win Meter: Located on
the display screen, it
indicates your credits as
they increase. This device
is the all-important one,
since it determines who wins
the prizes. When your round
ends you’ll be asked to sign
off on the credits, so make
sure they’re recorded
accurately. If you’re not
required to sign off on the
score, you should still
write it down to make
checking the posted scores
faster. You won’t be
disqualified if the score
card you sign is incorrect,
like in golf, but it could
cost you prize money.
Entry Fees
Entry fees are related to
both the purpose of the
tournament and the total
prizes awarded. Those that
are meant to reward and
attract players may pay out
more than collected while
others are moneymakers for
the casino. Keep in mind
that tournaments paying
larger amounts to fewer
places are more risky than
those distributing smaller
amounts to more spots. Just
like tour golf, poker and
blackjack, you have to
finish in the money to
recover your entry fee.
Free Tournaments: There are
actually two kinds of “free”
tournaments. No cost/no
conditions compared with
free to those who qualify
through their play. Here’s a
look at each situation.
Truly Free: The marketing
department may invite people
to play in free tournaments,
either to get them into the
casino or to thank them for
their loyalty and past play.
Often these are for small
amounts of prize money and
nothing to get too excited
about. If you happen to be
there you might as well play
since it doesn’t cost
anything. I’ve played in a
few of these and won small
amounts of money. The Golden
Nugget Casino in Laughlin,
Nevada, for example, has
lots of these. In one
instance you had to be there
midweek in the wee morning
hours and in another, hang
around for several hours
before winners were posted.
If you’re a visitor, you
have to determine if the
potential win is worth a
long wait.
Free with Strings: The hook
on these tournaments is that
you are often required to
have a lot of coin-in before
you qualify to play. I
suggest that you carefully
analyze the bait before
making a decision. For
example, consider the
paytables in higher
denomination games, your
bankroll compared with the
prize money offered by the
casino before determining
whether or not you want to
make the effort to qualify.
Paying with Comp Dollars:
Free, of course, means no
charge at all and that’s the
best way to play. Sometimes,
however, there is a fee
attached, but you can use
your comp account to pay. I
consider this a good way to
convert comps to cash and
would prefer most
tournaments (any game) over
a buffet. It’s a good idea
to ask if you can use your
comps to pay tournament fees
since some casinos won’t
advertise it when it’s
allowed.
Pay to Play: If a tournament
requires cash, then you’ll
need to decide whether it’s
a good deal for players or
not before signing up. I
don’t assign a value to the
“gifts” like coffee mugs and
T-shirts or cocktail parties
and that sort of thing. I
do, however, look at the
prize money and distribution
as well as whether or not
it’s a positive play before
signing up. Make sure you
read the small print to see
if fees are refundable and
if there is a min/max number
of entrants.
Assessing the Play: To
determine whether or not the
tournament is worth the
entry fee, simply compare
the total prizes awarded
with the aggregate entry
fees paid. For example, if
they’re awarding a total of
$25,000 in prize money, but
collecting $40,000 in entry
fees, then it’s a play with
a negative expected return.
Also, money is the best
prize of all. If they’re
giving away a car, then
you’ll have to either pay
taxes on their value for the
vehicle, even though it’s
inflated, or accept a lower
amount for a cash prize
equivalent. Prize
Distribution: Often prize
distribution is top-heavy,
meaning the grand prize is
worth a large percent of the
total prize package. In this
case I would consider the
tournament volatile and
think twice about playing.
You have a better chance of
recovering your entry fee if
they’re paying more places
rather than concentrating on
fewer prizes for more money.
The Rules
If you want to maximize your
chances of winning, then you
must make sure you know all
of the rules in advance.
Just because you’re told
it’s “Jacks or Better”
doesn’t mean that the
paytable will be similar to
any game you’ve ever seen.
Remember, the casino doesn’t
have to pay any of the
amounts in cash, just in
points toward a pre-
determined prize list.
You’ll often find the pay
schedules different from
traditional ones, especially
shorting the royal, so
players feel they have a
chance to win without
getting a long-shot royal.
Be careful not to focus on
the game’s expected return
like you would for
traditional play. Instead
concentrate on correct
strategy for maximizing
credits using the
tournament’s paytable.
That’s why it’s important to
contact organizers ahead of
time and get a complete copy
of both the rules and pay
out schedule.
Home Practice: Once you have
a copy of the tournament’s
pay schedule you should
match that table with one
you create on your software.
The paytables must be
exactly the same; easy to do
with WinPoker and several
other software programs. You
then practice playing the
game, paying close attention
to deviations from the basic
strategy for traditional
play. I consider practicing
with the same pay schedule
that’s going to be used for
the tournament to be the
most important step.
Tournament Machines: Even
though the machines may be
the same ones that are
normally used in the casino,
staff may have exchanged the
EPROM (erasable programmable
read only memory) chip for a
tournament chip. Ask the
organizers if they’re using
a “special tournament chip.”
It’s not cheating, since it
will be replaced with a
regular EPROM chip when the
machine is returned to the
casino floor. Mostly this is
done in slot tournaments
because people find it more
exciting to have frequent
hits.
Sessions: You’ll want to
know how many sessions and
the length of each one. Make
sure you find out how many
credits you are given and
the number deducted for each
game. It’s easy to use this
information to determine the
speed of play needed to use
all credits. Unused credits
are worthless to you since
it’s the credit win meter
that determines the prizes.
Determining Playing Speed:
You will want to use all
credits, since final
placement for prizes is
based on total points earned
during play. Make sure you
figure out the required
speed and play fast enough
during your home practice.
The software will let you
know your speed during your
home training sessions.
Here’s how you figure out
the speed needed in advance.
Ask the tournament
organizers for the number of
hands and amount of time
you’re given. Sometimes they
won’t know. In that case,
find out how many credits it
costs per game (usually it’s
5), how many credits you
start with and the length of
each session. For example,
if you’re told 5 credits per
game, 1000 credits and 15
minutes per session then
here’s the math: Divide
total credits by credit cost
per game. In this case
1000/5 = 200. This means you
will have to play 200 hands
in 15 minutes. Convert to
speed per hour. There are
four 15 minute sessions per
hour.
200 x 4 = 800. You’ll have
to play 800 hands per hour
to use all credits, so
practice at this speed
during your home training
sessions. Requirements for
Advancement: Some
tournaments only allow a
portion of the field to
advance to the next round.
If this is the case then
you’ll need to know if the
scores are erased from
previous rounds or not. Just
like with golf tournaments,
this information has a
definite impact on your
strategy. If you’re just
trying to make the cut, then
you’d play more
conservatively. You’d play
for more frequent hands like
a full house rather than
going for harder to achieve
hands like four aces in
Double Double Bonus (DDB).
Normally you’d just hold the
three aces portion of a
dealt full house in DDB, but
if you just want to make the
cut, then hold all cards.
Ballpark Figures: Ask
organizers how many points
it usually takes to make the
next round, finish in the
money or win. They are
usually very accurate and
have no problem giving you
this kind of information;
you can use it just like the
golfers to know whether to
take a long shot or not
during play. If time’s
running out and you know
you’re way off a score that
usually figures in the
money, then start taking
long shots, even with a
narrow fairway. During the
final round if you’re way
over par, then you’re better
off in the water, sand dunes
or ice plant (Spyglass Hill)
than playing conservatively.
Prize Distribution: Two
tournaments may seem alike
if they both have the same
prize totals, but in reality
be very different. That’s
why you’ll want to get the
prize distribution in
advance. You’ll have to
decide whether you want a
more or less volatile
competition. If there are
large prizes but only a few
places, the contest is more
risky than the same total
amounts distributed to more
people. This is a topic of
ongoing debate for
blackjack, Hold’em, golf,
racing and other tournaments
as well.
Number of Participants: Most
tournaments will stipulate
that prizes are based on a
certain number of players.
Once the sign-up date has
passed, call organizers to
find out the number of
players as well as the final
prize breakdown. Sometimes
you can withdraw with a
refund if this information
changes your mind about
playing.
Tournament Strategy
Program the paytable on your
home tutorial software to
match the paytable that will
be used in the tournament.
This alone will give you a
big advantage over other
players. You can even use
the information from the
organizers to make sure you
are playing fast enough to
use up all the credits in
the allotted time. Keep in
mind that the prize
distribution will impact
your home practice. If it
only pays a few top places,
for example, then you’ll
have to go for higher paying
hands when the choice is
close. True, there’s always
luck involved, but you can
improve your odds by using
the information from
tournament organizers during
home practice sessions.
Tournament Day
You will have an advantage
just by arriving ahead of
your playing time and
checking things out before
your session. Also, some
tournament slots are all
full so if you arrive late
you’ll be disqualified from
playing.
Observing: As I said before,
casinos tend to take the
oldest machines off the
casino floor to use for
tournaments. Also, pressing
buttons on a casino’s device
is slightly different than
using the mouse on your home
computer, since you don’t
have to contend with sticky
buttons, poor graphics or
marred glass during home
practice. (If the machine
was ever used for keno, then
you’ll see scratched glass
because many players tap the
screen with “lucky” charms
or coins.) Ask Questions:
Even though you arrived
early to observe play, you
may not know where the three
important meters are
located. Make sure you ask
before play starts so you’re
not wasting time trying to
find them as you play.
Report Faulty Machine: If
you can select your own
machine your observations
will ensure you get one
that’s functioning properly.
If another system is used
and you get a device that
handicaps you in any way,
then ask an organizer for a
different machine. If you’re
playing in a free
tournament, then you’ll have
to suffer. However, if you
paid an entry fee I would
insist on a machine that’s
working with clear graphics
and so on. If there’s none
available then request a
refund.
Final Thoughts. I never was
a good golfer, even with
lessons, practice and
left-handed clubs. I mean
how many hits should it take
to get out of a sand trap or
the rough? Similarly, some
may not be fast enough to
play in video poker
tournaments or may find the
stress of playing quickly
while remembering game
strategy like hacking their
way out of trouble with a
sand wedge, not the least
bit fun. If you do enjoy the
challenge of competition and
do well under pressure, then
you’re sure to find lots of
tournament opportunities
during this holiday season.
It’s always more fun to win
than to lose and you’ll
increase your odds by
playing smart.
Here’s a quick final check
list to make you a scratch
video poker tournament
player. Call organizers for
rules/prize list. Practice
on tutorial software. Arrive
early. Make sure graphics
are clear and your machine’s
buttons work properly.
Locate the three important
meters. Play quickly and
according to practice
sessions.
— Linda Boyd turned to the
more profitable game of
video poker after years of
playing blackjack and live
poker. Boyd spent many years
as a mathematics educator, a
career that proved
invaluable in helping her
design the statistical
tactics featured in her
book, “The Video Poker
Edge.” Free strategy cards
are included with her book.
Purchase at
www.squareonepublishers.com
