Dan Paymar (1936 or 1937 - July 17, 2020) was a video poker expert with a background in computer programming and engineering. He worked for such companies as Encyclopædia Britannica, Bendix Computer, and Control Data in a career spanning 30 years. He also helped start Educational Data Systems (later renamed Point 4 Data Corp.), which developed products for the Data General Nova computer. He left Point 4 in 1982 to market his own products for the Apple II computer.[citation needed]

Dan Paymar
Born1936 or 1937
Died(2020-07-17)July 17, 2020 (aged 83)
OccupationComputer scientist/engineer
WebsiteOfficial website

Biography

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Paymar moved to Las Vegas in 1988 and began working as a poker dealer in a casino. He started playing video poker on a regular basis and soon developed a directory of the best video poker games. This directory lead to the 1992 book Video Poker - Precision Play which went through 10 editions. This began his career as a video poker author and expert, leading to his well-known 1998 book Video Poker - Optimum Play.[citation needed]

For 14 years, he edited and published his own newsletter, the Video Poker Times. He also had a long-standing relationship with the Casino Gaming School of Nevada.[citation needed]

The primary difference between Paymar and other video poker experts was that he was not a professional gambler, considering himself a skilled recreational player. He devoted his efforts to productive endeavors, including putting his long training and experience in mathematics and programming to work in analyzing video poker games. His product "Optimum Video Poker" is an analysis and trainer program for Macintosh, Windows and Linux platforms. This is the only such program being marketed by its primary developer, who is also an active player, and it includes more features for bankroll requirements than any other such program, and features a training mode that teaches correct play according to a strategy chart of the player's choice that is displayed alongside the game window.[citation needed]

Paymar died on July 17, 2020 at the age of 83.[1]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Bourie, Steve (July 28, 2020). "Video Poker Expert, Dan Paymar, Passes Away in Las Vegas at Age 83". American Casino Guide Book. Retrieved August 16, 2024.
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