Video Poker Forum

Yesterday was bonus free play day at the Tampa Hard Rock.  When I got there I was please to find I had $150 in free play which was a lot more than normal.  I always play my free play in the slots as the points are so much higher.  Least someone scold me for not saying so, this was a tip from Bob Dancer and it's works.  We are taking a three day casino vacation to Hollywood over Thanksgiving and I am building up our comps before the trip.  I have been experimenting with Bonus Poker lately.  I like to move up to dollar play when I'm ahead and Bonus Poker seems to work well that way.After a while, I found myself playing VP in the new non smoking casino.   The lady next to me was playing my wife's favorite machine.   She was from New Jersey and was telling me about Joker Poker in Atlantic City.  As we played and talked, she hit a royal flush.  She was so excited I asked her if it was the first one she ever hit.  She said no, but she told me she had thrown away 2 aces for three to the royal.  I looked over and she was playing 8/5 DDB.  I commented that she was gutsy for doing that as I congratulated her on her win.  She told me she "came to gamble" and that's what she was doing.   I liked her answer and smiled as she left with her husband.Soon there after, I had a run up and switched to dollar play.  I hit quad 4s for $200, then quad 2s for another $200.   I cashed out and on the way out the casino took a hundred of my winnings and hit my favorite slot.   Ten minutes later, I hit the bonus spins at max coins.  While I sat there I watched as the counter climbed up to $800.   I left with a $1,000 profit, met a nice lady and enjoyed the entire day.  Can't wait to go back next week.

Well, I wouldn't recommend it, but she gave a reasonable answer for a play like that. And that AC Joker game may suit her. Very swingy and a "gambler's game". Much more than DDB. Optimal strategy is really difficult though.

Congrats on your hits too!

I would have kept the aces myself.   I remember years ago someone on this forum did a simulation of throwing away a paying pair to keeping three to a royal.  It wasn't enough to overcome long term losses, but the increase in royals was substantial.   

Holding a suited Ace, ten will result in more Royals, but cost you serious coin in the long run.

[quote=billryan]Holding a suited Ace, ten will result in more Royals, but cost you serious coin in the long run.[/quote]Yes, you are mathematically correct.  However, hitting a royal by holding an ace/10 is going to put you 4,000 coins ahead of what the math predicts your results should be if you play computer perfect.  After all, you can't hit a royal without the Ace/10.  You will lose more long term doing this, but a nickel or quarter player may not care.  It all depends upon what the words "serious coin" means to you.According to Dancer's VPW software, when playing deuces wild quarters holding a two to a royal Ace when the computer says not to costs about 4 cents a hand.  If you hit a royal flush you now have an extra $1,000 divided by 4 cents to try to hit another one.  I'm not arguing with you because you are right.  What I am pointing out is the penalty is actually pretty low to most recreational players.Here's a royal I hit holding an Ace/King.  Another 4 cent error.  You will also notice this was a 95% game.  I hit this in Tahoe on our 50th wedding anniversary.

At deuces, the penalty is small. On non-wild games, the penalty is much more significant.

I think I did the math of the increasing your royal chances on here by holding pairs of face cards. If you're playing 6 for 1 flush games, it doesn't cost a lot.

Great job Phil keep it going

Holding a suited Ace, ten will result in more Royals, but cost you serious coin in the long run.Don't be too tough on FP. Yes it was a mistake, but, depending on the other three cards, could have cost him as little as 2 cents EV simply because drawing five new cards on a 97% game has a pretty low EV. He's a player who ignores small mistakes.Of course if there was a flush penalty and a straight penalty it would have cost a lot more. But we can't expect FP to be cognizant of such things.At least he was smart enough to be playing 5 coins rather than 10. Playing 0 coins would be worth a lot more, but he's incorrigible --- and proud of it!

[quote=BobDancer]Don't be too tough on FP. Yes it was a mistake, but, depending on the
other three cards, could have cost him as little as 2 cents EV simply
because drawing five new cards on a 97% game has a pretty low EV. He's a
player who ignores small mistakes.  Of course if there was a
flush penalty and a straight penalty it would have cost a lot more. But
we can't expect FP to be cognizant of such things.At least he was smart enough to be playing 5 coins rather than 10.
Playing 0 coins would be worth a lot more, but he's incorrigible --- and
proud of it![/quote]Not really.  I'm not playing for the highest EV, I'm playing for the most entertaining experience and I think I've made that pretty clear.  I also don't believe a video poker machine is a calculator where the odds tell you how much goes in and how much comes out.I'm not on this forum to dispute math or contradict experts.  I believe it's important to point out the differences in player motivations as it affects strategy.  I also believe EV motivated players and experience motivated players should be able to coexist on this forum without constant bickering.   Here's an example.[quote=BobDancer]But
we can't expect FP to be cognizant of such things.At least he was smart enough to be playing 5 coins rather than 10.[/quote]What was gained by making this derogatory comment?  Was it to make me look stupid or make the person posting look smarter?Players that are playing for the best EV should play by the math.  Players that play VP for the experience should play the way that gives them the most of the experience they are looking for.

Players that are playing for the best EV should play by the math.  Players that play VP for the experience should play the way that gives them the most of the experience they are looking for.




















Now THAT'S one heck of a strategy.It tells you NOTHING about how to play a hand.However you play a hand, you just say "That's the experience I was going for!" and that makes it a perfect strategy for your desires. It's also an excuse that is easier to say than, "I'm so busy posting I don't have time to learn how to play."