Major mistake?

[OTABILL]

[QUOTE=OTABILL] I haven't played TDB often at a casino. When I do so, I don't hold the kicker. Usually I stick with single line DDB. To me the DDB equivalents are holding three aces rather than a full house and a high pair rather than three to a royal. In the 10 years I have played DDB prior to our sabbatical earlier this year, playing the correct mathematical hand killed me. For example, never got 4 aces after breaking up Aces full. Missed three RF holding a K,Q,J high pair rather than three to a royal. Dealt 4 to a royal in 10 years, only 1 time 6 or 7 years ago did I get a RF. While I never counted the number of hands played, understand that for many years we would play at least once a week for 6-8 hours at a time. Years ago, despite the above, we did well playing inferior paytables locally than when we went to Vegas/Laughlin with its much better paytables. To reiterate, after 10 years luck has outweighed math big time for me. I am convinced, if Dancer had my luck playing VP he would never have survived regardless of perfect play.

     OTB you just may be my 2nd customer after Fla Phil for my new book which will if written be titled " Video Poker. Its all about luck. And how to make your own luck"
[/QUOTE]

Thanks. Good title. Let us know when it is in print.

[onemoretry]

What I fail to understand in all this is the willingness of folks to play this extremely volatile game, but the unwillingness to go for the major jackpot when presented the opportunity.

About 14.5% of the game return is tied up in three categories of hands - royal flush, quad aces with kicker, and quad 2s,3s,4s with kicker.

To not go for the big hand when presented with the best opportunity, 1 in 47, (other than having it dealt), and settle for a play that will produce a hit twice as often, but for significantly less return seems absolutely counterproductive to me. Granted, a two card draw will produce a quad with kicker sometimes, but not nearly often enough to make it even close to a reasonable play (in my opinion).

[Tedlark]

OMT I've tried it both ways over the years and even though I haven't journaled my results it just seems to me that I personally have done better by not holding the kicker. But, who knows what my next 50 years of video poker play will bring me...

[FAA]

Even in JOB I tend to pursue the safer hand if I am getting killed. A thorough beating usually puts me in quite a daze. 

[Onenickelmiracl]

"Math guys" should be a banned term here, for several reasons. Everyone is interested in playing the best strategy which the math determines. You hold your low pairs, hold four to a flush over low pairs, hold aces over two pairs, etc., only because you know the math simulations show these are the favored holds. Then when you get greedy wanting a royal, you blame the math for not letting you, and when you don't want to pull the trigger, you blame the math.

Holding A-10 is one of the worst plays you can see and I'm surprised people here do this as someone mentioned. We can be positive and at least commend them for not playing slots. As far as the fact we are playing video poker, I'm going to do the right thing and let all errors be unintentional and/or unknown until I know better.

My biggest mistake is usually playing more than my bankroll can handle sometimes and I'm fine with it and accept it. When I do, it is usually minimal and I play the best I know not making any excuses to have my cake and eat it too.

[Galeygoo]

I enjoy reading the different perspectives all posters share.  All in all; speaking in the recreational gamer perspective; I believe in one theory-luck, luck and more luck...while still being logical with decisions. and ....there ya go....opened another can of worms   .Good luck to you all!!

[Vman96]

Holding A-10 is one of the worst plays you can see and I'm surprised people here do this as someone mentioned.

AT suited isn't a big mistake in some games. What surprises me is I have seen like 8 different pictures of royal flushes from that hold from various forums, and none of them were mathematically correct.

Not holding 2 pair with KK-JJ at DDB is a worse error than AT suited at 7/5 DDB and higher. And people just hold the face cards a LOT... Probably the most common error I see from my neighbors. I would say almost 50% of players don't hold the 2 pair.

[alpax]

"Math guys" should be a banned term here, for several reasons. Everyone is interested in playing the best strategy which the math determines. You hold your low pairs, hold four to a flush over low pairs, hold aces over two pairs, etc., only because you know the math simulations show these are the favored holds. Then when you get greedy wanting a royal, you blame the math for not letting you, and when you don't want to pull the trigger, you blame the math.


Thank you for expressing your opinion and supporting what I firmly believe in, video poker can be evaluated mathematically just like other games in the casino. Because I expressed so much mathematical concepts in most of my posts and I have advocated Dancer's play to be completely legitimate I am the brunt of the "Math Guys". Does it help? Absolutely. I assure you I will live by the math until the very end and I will not complain like a crybaby here that it is not working out.

onemoretry, case, Vman96 are very wise, they have their way to persuade what the best plays are.

I do not blame people lacking the math knowledge because in order to earn a college degree, most university only hold their students to pass trigonometry, pre-calculus, single-variable calculus, and multi variable Calculus for the general education requirement for non majors in mathematics.

I have been so admired by M. Shackleford works at the WizardOfOdds.com that I have taken courses in Statistics & Probability online in the past. The exams cover plenty of 52 card deck scenarios, so poker is flat out math. Shackleford and his webmaster JB uses extensive math to evaluate video poker and its specialty games such as Ultimate X, Quick Quads, and Super Times Pay. If it had no credibility, he would not have been able to sell his site for the amount he has sold it for since he was on financial life support, and he would not have been inducted to the Video Poker Hall of Fame as well.

[onemoretry]

   OMT I've tried it both ways over the years and even though I haven't journaled my results it just seems to me that I personally have done better by not holding the kicker. But, who knows what my next 50 years of video poker play will bring me... Or, for that matter, your very next hand. I do understand the frustration that accompanies multiple whiffs on one card draws, but, to me, the wait is worth it - or, it would be if I actually played TDB at a casino.    

[Lionqueen]

Galeygoo I'm with you 100%.