Speed of play

Discuss proper hold strategies and "advantage play" and ask questions about how to improve your play.
BobDancer
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Re: Speed of play

Post by BobDancer »

onemoretry wrote:
Mon Aug 26, 2019 7:34 am
There are other things you can do to try and change your luck. You could play left handed for a while.
This was meant as light-hearted sarcasm, but it's actually a savvy idea.

The biggest two reasons slowing down helps you, as has been stated previously, are:
1. Going slower gives you an extra second or two to see the right play and make sure all of the buttons you want held are actually held. This gives you your best chance to make the best plays your knowledge level allows you to make and reduces your chances for silly errors made when going fast.
2. When the house has the advantage, playing slowly causes you to lose less. Losing $20 less on some days counts just as much in your wallet as winning $20 more on others.

Assuming you play slower and more deliberately when you use your left hand rather than your right, you get both of these benefits. There is also a subtle benefit that hasn't been discussed yet.

The people who do the best in video poker tournaments use both hands when they play! If you use your left hand on occasion to play regular video poker, you'll be developing digital agility that will be useful in tournament play. It usually doesn't affect your tournament one way or the other (e.g. the difference between 531st place and 532nd place is exactly zero), but occasionally playing one more hand can be the difference between being in 11th place and being in 10th. (or even 11th and first place, if that extra hand you squeeze out is a premium one). And that DOES make a difference.

olds442jetaway
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Post by olds442jetaway »

I’m left handed and switch to right and slow down too quite often. Besides what Bob mentioned, switching hands helps prevent damage to nerves and muscle from repetitive motions. Especially on marathon sessions. Using the glass too to hold the cards also helps especially with defective or sticky buttons. Just make sure the cards are really held after you touch the glass. Many times they are not.

FAA
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Post by FAA »

:? Marathon session means marathon loss. I’m looking at -$100/hour. On rare occasion, the quad or straight flush mercifully bails me out.

olds442jetaway
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Post by olds442jetaway »

Yes usually true. Unfortunately, those rare sessions where no matter what game you play or how long you play, you just keep hitting or at the end of the day you score a huge jackpot The memory of those rare sessions sucks us in for the rest of the hapless sessions.

FAA
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Post by FAA »

My March $1,000 RF was preceded by -$120! I was damn near broke. I try to do an hour session at the casino without moving if <-$100 off that memory.

Lucky Larry
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Post by Lucky Larry »

;) Heck, I'm already giving the casino too much of an edge and I'm too old and mentally challenged to drink anything but water or an occasional carbonated beverage when I play. In spite of the multiple stories from 100+ year olds who daily consume hard liquor, the hard stuff and my meds don't mix. ;)

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