Yes, now that you mention it, profit does
play a part
May 15, 2009
Dear Mark: Is
there any value to playing poker online for
free? Doesn’t it improve your Texas Hold’em
skills with an outlay of real money? Nate J.
I can’t let it pass without mention, Nate, that
I don’t play poker online, for cash or
otherwise. I do shadow some of the online
gambling sites to see what’s offered, but I
stick with what I know, and worked in for 18
years, and that’s land-based casinos.
That said, as for FREE internet play, I’m not
the biggest fan, and here’s why. When playing
online where chips are entirely free, far too
many players go “all in” on their first two
cards on a game like Texas Hold’em. Yet, if you
were go to a micro-stakes table where players
are betting as low as 2-5 cents, you would see a
lot more players wait until they have somewhat
decent cards before making such aggressive
plays.
For my part, I believe the best way to polish
your poker skills without the expense of a live
money game are with a computer. Poker software
can be far superior to a human instructor for
both training and drilling. The benefit of
computer training is the facility to test
strategies and examine mistakes made at no
financial risk.
By accumulating data for later review, you can
spot costly trends that you would want to avoid
on a live game. Information like this would take
you years to accumulate, let alone dollars lost
in a poker room – or online, for that matter.
Any knowledge obtained without a cash outlay
will make you more money down the road, and I
think, Nate, you’ll do it easier with poker
software than with FREE internet play.
Dear Mark: You seem to always recommend
playing video poker over slots. Any particular
reason why? Ginny L.
The main reason, Ginny, is that by choosing
video poker, you greatly reduce the house’s edge
on your play. Compare, for example, the
less-than-one-percent house advantage in finely
honed video poker play with the double-digit
house advantage when you yank a handle. Which
leads me to reason number two; player
interaction. Playing slots takes very little use
of your noggin. Insert coins, pull handle, and
reach into other pocket for more money. Whereas,
with video poker, you can give up five or more
percentage points in long-term payback if you’re
just winging it instead of using a
mathematically derived strategy. But even with
extemporization play, video poker returns are
higher than reel slots returns.
So, Ginny, if you were interested in letting
your brain share in the fun, along with far
superior paybacks, I would always recommend
playing video poker.
Dear Mark: I was introduced to Switch
Blackjack on a recent trip to Las Vegas. I
enjoyed the game and am curious if the odds are
much different than traditional Blackjack, and
if traditional rules of doubling and splitting
are the same? Dennis M.
Yes, Dennis, there is such a game where this
cheating maneuver, swapping cards between two
hands, is allowed.
Actually called Blackjack Switch, and not Switch
Blackjack, it is a mutant form of blackjack
where a player is dealt two hands and is allowed
to trade cards between hands. Outwardly, Dennis,
this seems like a great rule that favors the
player, but unfortunately any gain is offset by
the other rules that favor the house. Natural
blackjacks are paid 1:1 instead of the standard
3:2, and a dealer 22 is a push.
Yet, even with rules that counter any advantage
gained by being allowed to interchange your
cards between hands, the house edge with perfect
basic strategy, which is difficult and specific
only to this game, along with the different rule
variations from casino to casino, is relatively
small, anywhere from 0.16% - 0.58%.
As for doubling and splitting, you may double on
any 2 cards, double after a split and re-split
up to four hands.
Gambling Wisdom of the Week: "Caught
between the player's hope and the house's
advantage is the dealer." --H. Lee Barnes, Dummy
Up and Deal
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