Video Poker Forum

I have been playing Video Poker for about 5 years and enjoy the game very much.   I've tried all the versions and seem to enjoy DDB the most.  I have WinPoker on my PC and can play most of the games with only a few errors per hour.  My budget is flexible, so I played $1s for a couple of years and had some really nice jackpots, including 4 Royal Flushes in two days for about $13,000.  Like everyone I love to win, but a loss of $1,000 in an afternoon bums me out so bad it kills all of the fun of playing.  Also there’s the W-2G problem.  On the other hand playing quarters takes away a lot of the excitment of a good hand.   What to do?  Lately, I have been setting my session budget at $300 total.  I have been playing quarters and move up in denomination only when I hit a quad or a good run.   This seems to be working much better, because at $1s the machine would often bust me before I hit anything good.  I think I’m maturing as a player and have learned that playing out of your budget and chasing your losses is not a good thing.  I'm having a lot more fun, playing more often and I think my net is better.  Any feedback?

I think your resolve is good. Chasing losses seldom works.
Life is good. Enjoy life.

I play very similar to this. I set my loss budget at $500. I usually start on 3-play DDB quarters and will move up to 5-play quarters if I get up $300. Then I'll move to 3-play dollars if I get up $500. I'll stop if I get up $1000. If I come back down to even, I'll go back to quarters and start the cycle all over again until I'm either down $500 or up $1000. This money management strategy has been extremely effective...when I've stuck to it .

This money management strategy has been extremely effective...when I've stuck to it .
 
I'll tell you what I've personally found to be the most effective money management strategy - shorter sessions.  Keeps the mental fatigue factor down that can affect judgement (when to leave).  Works for me. 

There's no right or wrong way as long as you understand bankroll. For DDB the rule of thumb is usually 5-7 royals worth of bankroll to see you through the bad spells. If you just played dollar you would need to understand you could lose almost $30K during a bad spell. If this is not in you psychological make-up then either smaller denoms or moving up and down will reduce the potential losses.


 
Also, since even a small number of errors will reduce 10/6 DDB to <100%, you need some kind of CB or BB to make this game a long term winner.

All of the VP machines I have seen in Florida and Mississippi are less than 100%.  I write down all of machine numbers and run them through WinPoker when I get home. The best odds I have seen has been 9/6 Jacks.  In Florida DDB runs around 95%-96%.  In Biloxi the odds are worse, but I get a lot of comps so it's worth it for me.  The way I figure it if you're going to loose 4-6% an hour you might as well go for DDB.  My records show that over the past two years I'm about even, so I guess I'm really ahead of the game.   This going up and down is the main reason I switched to quarters.  These days I'm playing for the fun of it.   If you win $10,000 and give it back it's the same as winning $500 and giving it back, only you don't feel so bad when you loose.