Bob Dancer

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• Bob Dancer Video Poker

Robert Banas, Actor: West Side Story. Robert Banas was born on September 22, 1933 in New York City, New York, USA. He is known for his work on West Side Story (1961), Always (1989) and Tuff Turf (1985). Bob Dancer is a video poker expert and gambling author best known for his book Million Dollar Video Poker, which recounts six years of video poker experiences. He is the prime video poker expert behind the Video Poker for Winners software. View phone numbers, addresses, public records, background check reports and possible arrest records for Bob Dancer. Whitepages people search is the most trusted directory. View the profiles of people named Bob Dancer. Join Facebook to connect with Bob Dancer and others you may know. Facebook gives people the power to share.

» Bob Dancer Video Poker Column

Bob Dancer is a prolific video poker expert that has over 15 years of experience in the video poker and writing world. He started out in 1994 with a meager $6,000 bankroll and decided to make video poker his specialty. With casino bonuses and expert strategy at the video poker machines, Bob and his wife were able to accumulate a massive amount of money over the ensuing years, including a six month stretch where they took home $1,000,000.

Early Beginnings

He got his start in gaming in the early 1970s as a professional backgammon player. The strategic game provided enough money to keep him afloat but there wasn't enough money in the sport to keep him satisfied forever. It did, however, shape the mind the mind of the young man who would one day become one of gambling's most trusted writers.

Eventually Bob took on a job as a data administrator to achieve a steadier, more dependable income than what the backgammon games could provide. During his time at this new job, he continued his studies of backgammon theory and blackjack card counting but he didn't get to put in a lot of time at the tables.

Taking a Shot

Nine years later, the company Bob worked for merged with another company and he was out of a job just like that. He didn't have any other careers lined up at the moment so he decided it was as good a time as ever to give professional gambling an honest shot.

He started out playing his long time favorite backgammon and made a brief foray into the blackjack card counting world. The blackjack games weren't as good to him but his time at the casinos exposed him to the game of video poker. That was when everything changed.

During the early nineties, Bob devoted more and more time to video poker and eventually learned how to beat the games at a decent clip. He learned that with perfect strategy, certain video poker machines in Las Vegas could be beaten over the long run. Before long, Bob had built himself a formidable bankroll by modifying Stanford Wong's early strategies to be more accurate and profitable.

He soon met and married a Taiwanese-American woman named Ginnie Shen who also went by the name Virginia Woo. The two of them moved to Las Vegas together and became gambling partners for the next several years. The times were great while they lasted but Bob and Ginnie split ways in 1994.

Making a Run

Two years later, at a country western dance, Bob met the woman who would one day become his next wife. Her name was Shirley Smith and he soon got her involved in card counting and video poker strategy. They became a team and together they managed to make a living at various Las Vegas casinos, culminating in a six month run where they won over $1,000,000.

Believe it or not, 'Dancer' is not Bob's real last name. He changed his name to a pseudonym years ago for both privacy and protection from certain casinos banning him from the property. Even though professional video poker players are generally received with much more warmth than professional blackjack players, there are still a few live casinos out there that don't appreciate Bob's skills.

The name was picked, he says, on the spot at a casino one time and he stuck with it. Without having much of a chance to think up a name, he simply named himself after his favorite hobby: dancing. Interestingly, it was through a mutual dance partner that Bob became acquainted with Chris 'Jesus' Ferguson before either one of them was very well known.

Present Day

He continues to scout out and play at video poker games to this day but he also does quite a bit more writing. Bob has written an impressive list of books that tackle video poker and general casino gambling from just about every angle imaginable. There's even a fiction book to his name (and yes, this fiction book includes a healthy dose of video poker).

Dancer's Books:

If you ever get a chance to check out some of Bob's written works, you should definitely do so. His video poker articles are incredibly in-depth and he analyzes not only game-specific strategies but also casino comp programs and tax issues to help you gain the greatest advantage possible in video poker.

Free Bob Dancer Classes and Resources

In addition to all his writing, Bob Dancer also teaches video poker seminars in Vegas-area casinos. These seminars are completely free to attend and they cover both beginner and advanced video poker strategy. All you have to do is show up and pay attention.

In fact, a part of the reason Bob has been so successful is because he offers so many free resources. This guy has been writing for a long time and you can find dozens of his articles for free right on his website (BobDancer.com). He's not one of those fly-by-night get rich quick casino authors you see all the time. He provides a valuable resource and makes his money when people decide to purchase his books and DVDs.

His most popular work is 'Million Dollar Video Poker,' in which he recounts the seven years it took him to become a successful video poker player. The book also explains his six month, $1,000,000 video poker run with his wife.

Despite all his successes, Bob remains a busy man to this day. He writes regularly for multiple video poker publications (including our site), operates a newsletter tailored to casino executives, and he runs a twelve person casino consulting firm.

Bob Dancer Poker

Bob is also a member of the video poker hall of fame. His works have set the standard for video poker writing and Bob's understanding of the game is surpassed only in his ability to put it all in writing. His clear, simple writing style makes it so that even the most novice of video poker enthusiasts can understand and implement the winning video poker tactics that have made Bob Dancer a millionaire.

Your monthly serving of tips from the video poker expert, Bob Dancer

Each month, VideoPoker.com brings you exclusive tips and inside scoop from Bob Dancer, one of the best known video poker authors and writers.

August 2010

Q1: (This originally appeared in July 2001 Strictly Slots) How fast should one play video poker?

A1: Speed should not be a major concern. Accuracy is much more important, and for most people, the faster they play, the more mistakes they make. Your speed will increase over time as you learn to recognize patterns, but unless you are practicing on a computer your increased speed will likely amount to 'making mistakes faster.'

Q2: (This originally appeared in July 2001 Strictly Slots) I want to turn pro, but I have a job that currently pays $50,000 a year. Can I make that playing video poker?

A2: The most successful players make quite a bit more than that, but the vast majority of players do not. In fact, the majority of players do not win at all! Before you decide to do it full time, I assume you have taken dozens of trips to Vegas (or other gambling venues), including several for a week at a time, and your results are encouraging. Because the 'minimum acceptable requirement' for this profession is to be able to do it year after year! Most people can't.

But even if you can 'beat the game', are you sure this is what you want to do? Playing video poker is VERY repetitious. What is fun and exciting for three weeks a year can be a real grind for fifty weeks a year. Summers in Vegas are uncomfortably hot. The games are getting tighter as the players are getting smarter. There are no guarantees that games returning over $10 an hour will exist in a few years, or that even if they do, that you will be good enough to beat them.

Bob Dancer Real Name

Another problem is that if you do move to Vegas and then change your mind after a few years, it might well be a problem getting a good job again. Prospective employers may well figure that you are just going to be working long enough to get a gambling bankroll again and then you will leave. And those employers may well decide to give the good job to somebody 'more stable.'

Bob Dancer Video Poker For Winners

And how about the problem of 'what will you tell your friends and family?' Many people think gambling is a sin---equivalent I suppose to being a thief, murderer or lawyer. Are you sure you want to be classified as such?

And even if you can average $50,000 a year gambling (and there are probably less than 20 pros who do that year in and year out), it is not going to happen right away and there will be some huge swings along the way. And huge swings mean that if you have miscalculated, or even calculated well but happen to be on the wrong slope of the Bell curve, you may well end up bankrupt! $50,000 a year gambling is not at all the same as having a $1000-per-week paycheck. There will be months where you lose $25,000 or more! If you cannot stand this heat, stay out of the kitchen!

Many of the people current working in casinos came to town expecting to be able to make a living gambling. And now they are dealing cards to make ends meet. Do not be so naïve to believe that this could not happen to you.

Q3: What can be done about rude smokers in a casino?

A3: (This originally appeared in July 2001 Strictly Slots) Casinos are smokier than average places. I believe that this is because smoking, drugs, drinking and gambling are all destructive habits for most people, and people who have one of these habits frequently have more than one. Asking people to quit smoking sometimes works, but not often. Some smokers feel, with justification, that it is perfectly legal to smoke in a casino and if you don't like it, stay out of the casino. Some non-smokers feel, with justification, that somebody having the right to smoke in crowded public places is very much analogous to somebody being allowed to urinate in the public water supply! When both sides get very self-righteous about what their rights are, there is little room for compromise.

California has successfully legislated away smoking in public. There are strong opinions on both sides whether this is a good thing or bad. I see it as very unlikely that Nevada will follow suit with similar laws. The casino industry in Nevada feels that eliminating smoking would be bad for business. And the casino industry has a strong voice in the state legislature.

Bob Dancer Book

So, assuming you are a non-smoker who is annoyed at smoke in casinos, what can you do about it? First, you can ASK that somebody not smoke near you. Just remember, that there is a difference between ASKING somebody something and DEMANDING it. When you ask, they have the right to say no, without you getting unpleasant about it. You can carry a small portable fan and if a smoker sits near you, point the fan in that direction. You can wear a surgical-type facemask. It's not a positive fashion statement, but it does help somewhat. It works especially well if you tell smokers that the reason you are wearing the mask is because you have the bubonic plague. You are too sick to go to work, and your enjoyment in life is at casinos and that's what you want to do as long as you live (cough, cough). The smoker will quickly vacate the area, taking the offending cigarettes with them. End of problem!

Bob Dancer Video Poker