The Big Book of Slots and Video Poker by Marten Jensen
Review by Howard Berenbon
The Big Book of Slots and Video Poker by Marten Jensen is what it is, a big (but not enormous) book on slots and poker machines, video style. It’s actually 288 pages, which, in my book is not enormous, but big enough to get the right information to you on the strategies of playing those games. Marten Jensen has amassed a ton of information on all currently available games as of its second printing in 2010.
The book starts with slots and a thorough overview with slot elements (symbols, buttons, etc.) and then on to money, and it matters. He also goes into the details of the electronics and how they work. It’s a good idea to know a little bit about the electronics and computers that run the machines. Also, one of the most important elements of any slot machine is the pay table. Some good advice is picking the machine that pays the most for your money. Playing strategy is also important and is thoroughly covered in five chapters from simple to advanced, and includes those progressive machines.
The last half of the book is devoted to the various video poker machines first with video poker basics, then on to finding the best machine, which means payoff per dollar wagered and house percentage, and a chapter on video poker strategy. He also covers the difference between video poker and draw poker (the table game), because the playing strategy is different. Martin says you can’t apply your draw poker strategy to video poker.
Howard Berenbon
