The Video Poker Answer Book Review
The
Video Poker Answer Book is a unique book as
John Grochowski presents all of his information in a question
and answer type format. The book was published in 2000 by Bonus
Books and has over 250 pages of pure content. As you'll learn, John
isn't big on fluff as there is hardly any in The Video Poker
Answer Book.
As I mentioned, the entire book is a series of questions and answers. This may be tough on a beginner because you'll have no idea what the questions are even talking about until you read the answers, but as you get deeper into the book it becomes easier to reference back and learn important points.
The book cost me $14.95 at Amazon.com, and I'm now going to give you my thoughts so you can decide for yourself if The Video Poker Answer Book is worth the money.
Content
Grochowski begins with some quick acknowledgements and an introduction, and then gets right into the meat of the book. The answer book contains sixteen "shuffles", which are individual topics that he asks questions and provides answers for. Here is a list of the shuffles that you'll read about:
- Shuffle No. 1 - The Basics
- Shuffle No. 2 - The Match Game, Part I
- Shuffle No. 3 - The Match Game, Part II
- Shuffle No. 4 - Definitions
The first three shuffles help introduce new players to video poker. The Basics covers topics like Video Poker vs. Slots, explains Multi Hand machines, and discusses basic pay table concepts.
The first Match Game challenges you to match video poker games with their descriptions. For example, Jacks or Better matches up with "the classic video poker game from which most others are based."
The second Match Game challenges you to match five card hands with their descriptions. For example, 2d-5h-6h-7h-Td matches up with three card open ended straight flush draw. This shuffle helps players out with the lingo that John uses later in the book.
The Definitions shuffle challenges players to match up certain terms with their definitions, such as 9/6 Jacks or Better and Wild Cards.
- Shuffle No. 5 - Jacks or Better
- Shuffle No. 6 - Bonus Poker
- Shuffle No. 7 - Bonus Poker Deluxe
- Shuffle No. 8 - All-American Poker
- Shuffle No. 9 - Double Bonus Poker
- Shuffle No. 10 - Double Bonus Variations
- Shuffle No. 11 - Double Double Bonus Poker
- Shuffle No. 12 - Triple Bonus Poker
- Shuffle No. 13 - Deuces Wild
- Shuffle No. 14 - Joker's Wild
The next ten shuffles are all game specific and focus on strategies, hand analysis, and pay table analysis for each individual game. Each chapter has strategy that pertains to various pay tables for each game. For example, the Jacks or Better section has strategy for 9/6 JoB, 8/5 JoB, and 7/6 JoB. This is a nice addition that most books overlook.
There is a ton of solid info packed into these ten chapters, but I wonder if John would have been better off using a normal book setup instead of the question/answer format. I feel like a lot of new players will be overwhelmed with the questions and give up before getting to the answers and studying/learning.
- Shuffle No. 15 - A Sampler
- Shuffle No. 16 - Readers Write
- Appendix
- Other Resources
A Sampler takes a quick look at some of the other video poker games out there. Although there isn't enough room to cover every game on the market, John includes a few questions in this chapter about the more obscure games such as Pick'em Poker, Double Down Stud, and Bonus Deuces Wild.
The Readers Write section is where John answers many of the questions he has received via email. The topics covered include Royal Flush cycles, random number generators, Video Poker vs. Blackjack, and other random questions.
The Appendix actually contains some useful info as well, as it has basic strategy charts for a few of the more common games like Jacks or Better, Deuces Wild, and Double Bonus Poker. They aren't perfect, but they're simple and useful for a new player.
The book wraps up by listing some other video poker resources including books, software, and newsletters.
CD
In the back of the book you'll find a CD titled "Get the Edge at Poker". I thought this might have some video poker tips, but really it was just a promotional item that was designed to push players to the PartyPoker.com poker room.
The Verdict
The Video Poker Answer Book has a ton of great info packed into its 250+ pages, but I personally feel like it could have benefited from a different structure. It would have been a much easier to use book if the answers were provided directly after each question instead at the end of each chapter. I give the content an A+ but the structure a B-.
