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Linda Boyd

Linda Boyd turned to the more profitable game of video poker, after years of playing blackjack and live poker. She has been researching/analyzing video poker games for over 19 years.

Boyd spent many years as a mathematics educator/curriculum and research specialist, a career that proved invaluable in helping her design the statistical tactics featured in her book 'The Video Poker Edge' (selected for review by Publishers Weekly) and writing her own video poker strategy cards, included free with her book. Boyd's strategy cards are accurate and her unique format make them a quick and easy tool for players during both home practice sessions and casino-play.

Linda has written articles for Midwest Gaming & Travel (Contributing Editor/Video Poker Features), Southern Gaming (Columnist/Video Poker Tips) and Arizona Player (Columnist/Boyd's Eye View of Video Poker), and several other publications, and discussed the topic on a podcast (interviewed by Steve Bourie) and as a guest on several radio shows.



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Jazbo Burns

Jazbo Burns has been well-known to poker players tuned into the rec.gambling USENET Groups since the early 1990's and started his web site  www.jazbo.com  in 1995. He is the originator of ATLARGE, the Atlantic City version of the venerable BARGE gathering of internet gamblers. He has published several articles on poker in CARD PLAYER. In 1996 Jazbo discovered that video poker could be played with a player advantage, and went on to develop special purpose software to design strategies and analyze video poker situations. His articles on Kelly betting and multiline video poker have been very well received. Jazbo offers uniquely designed strategy cards for more than a dozen video poker variations. He continues to provide useful responses to questions (especially mathematical) about video poker on several Internet interest groups.



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Jeffrey Compton

Jeffrey Compton's 1995 Slot Club book pointed out the benefits of considering promotions and comps when playing video poker. He has written hundreds of articles that have provided promotional details to the advantage video poker player. Now, more than ever, casino benefits are an extremely important ingredient of the video poker equation, and his writings and current reports are invaluable in this regard.

Jeffrey Compton asked that his name be removed from the list of nominees because he feels that his video poker contributions haven't been significant enough to merit consideration. The Administrative Committee has declined his request because a nominee's willingness to be considered, while desirable, isn't a factor in the selection process, which is based on the Committee's assessment of a nominee's contributions to the playing, understanding and popularity of video poker.



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Anthony Curtis

Anthony Curtis was a successful professional blackjack player for ten years and is the founder of Huntington Press and the publisher of the LAS VEGAS ADVISOR newsletter. He has sponsored and mentored many video poker experts, and has long been an advocate of advantage video poker.



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Liam W. Daily

[30 APR 1946 - 27 NOV 2011]

Bob Dancer Column

Bob Dancer: 'Liam W. Daily is an extremely brilliant, albeit shy, man and the video poker community owes him a huge debt of gratitude. While I get most of the credit for the Dancer / Daily strategy cards and Winner's Guides, a high percentage of the innovative features of both are from Daily. Although he might well wish to shun the spotlight of the Video Poker Hall of Fame, there is no doubt in my mind that he deserves to be here.'



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Larry DeMar

Larry DeMar spent 20 years developing smash hit Pinball machines and Video Games for Chicago based Williams Electronics before starting  Leading Edge Design ,  a company dedicated to bringing innovative new game concepts to the casino floor. When he's not developing games you'll probably find him playing Video Poker. At work his team dreams up new types of skill-based gaming. LED's skill based offerings include  Multi-Strike Poker ,  Five Play Multi-Strike Poker ,  Big Split Poker  and  Cash King Checkers .  Each of these games has been created to offer an extra edge to a skilled player that makes the effort to learn and understand the game. His company also offers free web-based practice versions of each game that are nearly identical to the casino product.



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Dunbar

Dunbar is the creator of Dunbar's Risk Analyzer for Video Poker and Dunbar's Risk Analyzer for Blackjack.

In 1999, Dunbar co-authored an   article  with MathBoy that explained how to solve video poker risk-of-ruin problems using the jazbo/Sorokin equation. This work eventually led to the development of 'Dunbar's Risk Analyzer for Video Poker' which was released in December, 2005.



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Elliot Frome

Elliot Frome is a 2nd generation gaming author and analyst. His father, Lenny Frome was considered one of the premier authors of Video Poker books. Titles include, Expert Video Poker for Las Vegas (updated in 2003) and Winning Strategies for Video Poker, which includes the strategy tables for 61 of the country's most popular versions of Video Poker. Check out Elliot's website:  http://www.gambatria.com/ .



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J.B.

J.B. was first known to the video poker community through his former site vpGenius.com . He sold that site and now works for Michael 'Wizard of Odds' Shackleford. Between his old site and the Wizard of Odds, James has created numerous strategies, calculators, and video poker games, which have broken new ground in video poker and helped thousands of players to play correctly. James lives in Vermont and prefers to keep a low profile.



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John Grochowski

John Grochowski is the best-selling author of The Craps Answer Book, The Slot Machine Answer Book and The Video Poker Answer Book. His weekly column is syndicated to newspapers and Web sites, and he contributes to many of the major magazines and newspapers in the gaming field, including Midwest Gaming and Travel, Slot Manager, Casino Journal, Strictly Slots and Casino Player. Listen to John Grochowski's 'Casino Answer Man' tips Tuesday through Friday at 5:18 p.m. on WLS-AM (890) in Chicago.



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Art '5-card' Harris

5-card's Video Poker Web Site has extensive information on video poker pay schedules, video poker odds, cost per hour data and results from using different strategies on different games. His site has been a very valuable video poker resource for many years.



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Steve Jacobs

Steve Jacobs was a pioneer in computer based studies of video poker strategies, expected values and variance. His 1997 VP FREEBIE software was a link between VP Tutor and WinPoker, and he had plans for a 'WinPoker' type release in 1998, but got too busy and shelved the project. Steve has always been the keeper of the FAQ's for all of the USENET rec.gambling groups and is also an authority on blackjack and live poker.

Here's an early example (written pre 1991) of Steve's pioneering video poker work:

USENET rec.gambling.misc FAQ


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John 'Lodestone' Kelly

John 'Lodestone' Kelly is an expert video poker player and was a pioneer in the realm of internet information on Las Vegas video poker plays and comps. His 'Lodestone's Las Vegas' website was essentially the predecessor of vpFREE. He also created the 'Coupon Clearinghouse' coupon-trading website and was the original 'Video Poker Lost and Found' columnist for the Las Vegas Advisor. John got tired of writing about video poker and moved to Las Vegas, where he now plays a lot of it.



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Frank Kneeland

Frank Kneeland is an expert video poker player, was the manager of the largest Las Vegas progressive slot team back in the early 90's, and is the author of The Secret World Of Video Poker Progressives .



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H. Scot Krause

H. Scot Krause is a gaming industry analyst, researcher and journalist. He is a former entertainment director and an 18-year resident of Las Vegas. His work is regularly featured in Casino Player, Strictly Slots and Gaming Today as well as other gaming publications, including the annual American Casino Guide Book. Questions or comments for Scot may be addressed to: krauseinvegas@cox.net



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Hans 'Tuna' Lund

Mickey Crimm posted on vpFREE: The 'King of the Machine Pros' does not live in Las Vegas. He lives in Sparks, Nevada. His name is Hans 'Tuna' Lund. I know several people who have worked for him. He has a 2nd place finish and a third place finish in the final event of the WSOP. 25 years ago he was a poker dealer at the Cal Neva/Reno. Most people think he made his money playing poker. Some, but not close to all of it. His machine team was nationwide. If you ever had to stand on the rail while a big fat play was going down because Tuna had all the machines monopolized you would remember him. He's the main reason 8/5 jacks progressives in this state no longer have 2% meters. He's killed more plays than Carter has pills. If you know any Reno/Tahoe machine pros, ask them about him. If they were to take a poll on who is the greatest machine pro of all time amongst all of us Nevada machine pros who know of Tuna, he would win because no one else would even get one vote.

Paladin posted on vpFREE: Tuna is a great all around gambler ... world class talent.

Tuna Lund died 6 November 2009.



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Harry Porter

Expert video poker player and theoretician who has been very generous in sharing his insights with other vpFREE members for many years.



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vpFREE2 Administrator

Expert advantage video poker player and creator/administrator of the vpFREE2 Web Site .



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Jim Wolf

Jim Wolf is the developer of Frugal Video Poker and  Wolf Video Poker . He was the first to wrap into one software program both the tutoring feature and also the essential capability of generating strategy charts, ones that a player not only can consult while he is practicing but also print out to take to the casino to refer to while risking real money.