Professional Video Poker

Rating:
Summary: One of the Standard References *****
Review: "Professional Video Poker" by Stanford Wong along with "Video Poker-Optimum Play" by Dan Paymar and the venerable "Winning Strategies for Video Poker" by Lenny Frome are the standard references on how to play video poker. If you can, you should buy and read all three of them.

If you can only afford the time and money for one book, you might want consider "How to Gamble at The Casinos Without Getting Plucked Like a Chicken" by James Harrison Ford. In addition to telling you which video poker games to play and how to play them, it covers a variety of other casino games. Another possibility is to get one of the better video poker computer programs.

The interesting thing about video poker games is that you really can make money playing them... IF you know what you are doing and have a big enough bankroll to do it. Any of these standard video poker books can show you how.

Video poker has been called the crack cocaine of gambling simply because it is almost mesmerizing - fortune seems to be just one click away. The combination of frequent small payoffs, occasional medium size payoffs and the possibility of a big win - a Royal Flush - keeps most players riveted to the machines, feeding them more and more money in the hope of hitting that big one.

Just make sure that you do your homework before you start stuffing money into the video poker machines. It will save you money in the long run and make playing a lot more fun.


Rating:
Summary: Not a '9-6 Jacks or Better' Book
Review: For strategies for 9-6 Jacks or better, Duces Wild and Joker Wild machines, try another book.

Stanford Wong is the master of casino gambling. I respect his writings on all aspects of the casino. I just want to let people know that this book goes into great detail about the 8-5 Progressive Jacks or better machines. He gives a two page review of most other video poker machines and covers basic strategy for the 6-5 Progressive and 10's or better progressive machines.

(Since this book is titled 'Professional Video Poker', I feel these comments and rating are appropriate.)

Rating:
Summary: An excellent book if one *studies* it.
Review: I've found Wong's books to be among the best in their field and have more confidence with what he presents than most other authors (many of whom print information which is mathematically wrong). Like "profession blackjack," this book's weakness is not the author's fault but the system's "fault." Few progressive jackpots I've seen in Vegas reach the required $2,122 breakeven level much less a profitable one.