The Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide Review
The
Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide is a tiny spiral bound packet
that is meant to be used for on the fly advice at the casinos.
Although it is only 25 or so pages long, the packet manages to
condense a lot of valuable information into a small amount of space.
The book was published in 2007, making it more recent than many of our other book reviews. Also, as you'll learn it is more of a video poker tool than a "book." The packet was written by Jean Scott and Victor Nacht.
Content
The Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide starts off with a simple introduction that explains how the book will be set up, and defines the common terminology that is used. From there, the book is broken up into basically six sections:
- Draw Poker Games
- Double Bonus Games
- Double Double Bonus Games
- Joker Wild Games
- Deuces Wild Games
- Miscellaneous Games
We'll go over each section now.
Draw Poker Games
The Draw Poker Games section lists the most common pay tables for Jacks or Better, Bonus Poker, Aces & Faces, Royal Court, ACE$ Bonus Poker, and Aces & Eights. Each chart shows two or more different pay table variations, and lists the maximum return as well as the size of the progressive jackpot that makes them profitable. Plus, each table offers a volatility rating from $-$$$$ so you know how streaky the game is.
Double Bonus Games
The Double Bonus section is set up exactly the same as the Draw Poker section. The games listed here include Double Bonus Poker, Triple Bonus Poker, Triple Bonus Poker Plus, Triple Poker, Bonus Poker Deluxe, Super Double Bonus, All American/USA Poker, Power House/Full House Bonus Poker, Super Aces Bonus Poker, Double Aces & Faces, White Hot Aces, and Royal Aces Bonus Poker.
Like before, each chart offers a handful of different pay tables, their expected return, their progressive jackpot info, and the volatility rating.
Double Double Bonus Games
The Double Double Bonus section is set up just like the chapters before. The games listed include Double Double Bonus Poker, Double Double Bonus Poker Plus, Triple Double Bonus Poker, Super Double Double Bonus Poker (Plus), and Double Double Aces & Faces. Like before, each chart offers a handful of different pay tables, their expected return, their progressive jackpot info, and the volatility rating.
Joker Wild Games
The Joker Wild section covers Joker Poker (Kings or Better as well as Two Pair), Double Joker Poker, and Deuces and Joker Wild. Like before, each chart offers a handful of different pay tables, their expected return, their progressive jackpot info, and the volatility rating.
Deuces Wild Games
The Deuces Wild section covers Deuces Wild, Double Deuces, Triple Pay Deuces, Loose Deuces, Deuces Wild Bonus Poker, Double Bonus Deuces Wild, and Super Bonus Deuces Wild. Like before, each chart offers a handful of different pay tables, their expected return, their progressive jackpot info, and the volatility rating.
Miscellaneous Games
The last section includes Pick'em Poker, Shockwave, and One-Eyed Jacks. Like before, each chart offers a handful of different pay tables, their expected return, their progressive jackpot info, and the volatility rating.
The Verdict
Overall, The Video Poker Scouting Guide is an excellent little companion to have at the casino. If you come across a promotion and need to quickly evaluate a pay table, this is the best tool out there short of having your laptop on hand. The quality is excellent, but I give it a B+ because of the $19.99 price tag.
