Early in this book, I introduced you to the idea that correct strategy was an important factor in losing less and winning more when you play video poker. I gave you only the basics at that time, because I knew they were complex enough to keep you busy while you were just beginning your study.

However, strategy accuracy should be a continuous concern as long as you play. You might think that experience alone makes you more accurate - and it does in one way: the more you play one particular game schedule, the more that strategy is set in your mind and you can remember it without checking a chart frequently to refresh your memory. You will also be able to see specific hold patterns more quickly, because you have seen a lot of them. On the other hand, there are danger areas that both the veteran player and the novice need to work to avoid.

A casino is one of the most distracting places on earth: flashing lights to produce migraines, heavy smoke to swell sinuses, a roaring background so you can’t hear yourself think. Then, to top it all off, half-naked beauties continually tempt you with mind-altering liquids.

Playing accurate VP strategy in such an atmosphere is a real challenge. It takes extreme and continuous concentration. Drop it for a minute when a friend stops by to say hi, or your neighbor makes a friendly comment, or your gambling partner asks you a question, or the cocktail waitress brings you your drink – and you enter the Danger Zone of Errors.

The most common one of these is dealing a hand, turning away to get your drink or chat with a friend, and then going back to the game and hitting the Deal/Draw without holding any cards. Try to make it a habit never to stop your play in the middle of a hand. I remember stressing this concept to my daughter, Angela, the Frugal Princess, when I was teaching her how to play Deuces Wild. I told her always to hold all deuces in the hand immediately after the deal, even if she needed to think a little bit about what else to hold. That way, if you’re interrupted in the middle of a hand—by the cocktail waitress or a friend’s arrival - and push the deal button prematurely, at least you’ve kept those all-important wild cards.

Everyone has his own way to cope with distractions. Some players keep their focus and drown out the incessant noise by wearing earphones. Others just ignore talkative neighbors. Brad and I love to talk with the many friends and fans that come up to speak with us in a casino, and we consider it a nice break rather than an interruption. However, we've agreed that we must stop playing when we're talking. We found that we could not do both and remain accurate in our play.

Distraction errors aren't a problem only for newbie VP students. Actually, they may stay focused more easily, because they're concentrating so hard to play each hand correctly. Many experienced players have agreed that there's the danger of "zoning out" when you're on a game that you’ve played for years and you know the strategy backwards and forward. I call them mindless errors, when you obviously know the right hold, but your mind is on vacation.

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