Should Everyone Always Play Max Coins?
Posted: Fri May 10, 2019 8:11 am
I am often criticized for repeating myself on this forum. Those comments are often warranted. However, when comments are made that need clarification, I feel we should clarify them. The biggest issue we have in this regard is applying the same strategy a professional player uses to profit from video poker to everyone who plays the game. I don't believe "Everyone" should play video poker like a professional.
For the majority of Recreational video poker players, the answer to the question above is YES. No one wants to be the beneficiary of a royal flush and be paid $62.50 instead of $1,000. This will seriously depress you and ruin your day if not your week. Your friends will call you an idiot and you will feel like one.
From a purely mathematical standpoint, the answer is MAYBE. Most of today's small denomination video poker games are seriously negative. This means the house takes 3-4% or more as their fee for allowing you to play their games. If you make errors, this adds to their fee. You may not always feel the effect of this fee in your results. On occasion you may have a great day and walk away with a big profit. This could happen in succession, making you feel like a long term winner. In time, this fee will take away more money than the game gives you back. There is no escaping the math of a negative video poker game.
You may earn comps that offset all or part of this fee. These are only valuable if they have value to you. My wife and I use comped rooms to take frequent mini vacations. If you are never going to stay overnight at a casino, this comp is worthless.
If you do the math on a typical 96-97% video poker game plus any errors, you will discover the long term accumulated fee is often greater than the value of the royal flush bonus. If you hit a royal more frequently than is normal, this may not be the case in the short term. Sooner or later, you will be paying to experience royals. Professionals and those that play video poker for profit never play negative games, so they don't see the logic in playing single coin and they are right for the games they play.
If you are going to a typical casino today with a limited budget and you wish to stretch your playing time, playing single coin video poker is most likely the cheapest game in the casino. If you do, play as small as the game allows. Be aware that the strategy of single coin play is different. You will not get rich playing this way. You will suffer through short coin royals. However, you will enjoy your visits to the casino at a much lower long term cost than most of the player's around you.
A few years ago, I was sitting in a casino in Colorado. I believe it was in Cripple Creek. An older gentlemen was sitting across from me playing video poker. He looked to be in his eighties. I noticed he was playing single coin nickels. I casually asked him if he played often? "Every day", he said. I asked him how he felt about playing single coin? He smiled and said "It's all the same game". I smiled back knowing he was having a great time with what time he had left. We should all feel that way.
For the majority of Recreational video poker players, the answer to the question above is YES. No one wants to be the beneficiary of a royal flush and be paid $62.50 instead of $1,000. This will seriously depress you and ruin your day if not your week. Your friends will call you an idiot and you will feel like one.
From a purely mathematical standpoint, the answer is MAYBE. Most of today's small denomination video poker games are seriously negative. This means the house takes 3-4% or more as their fee for allowing you to play their games. If you make errors, this adds to their fee. You may not always feel the effect of this fee in your results. On occasion you may have a great day and walk away with a big profit. This could happen in succession, making you feel like a long term winner. In time, this fee will take away more money than the game gives you back. There is no escaping the math of a negative video poker game.
You may earn comps that offset all or part of this fee. These are only valuable if they have value to you. My wife and I use comped rooms to take frequent mini vacations. If you are never going to stay overnight at a casino, this comp is worthless.
If you do the math on a typical 96-97% video poker game plus any errors, you will discover the long term accumulated fee is often greater than the value of the royal flush bonus. If you hit a royal more frequently than is normal, this may not be the case in the short term. Sooner or later, you will be paying to experience royals. Professionals and those that play video poker for profit never play negative games, so they don't see the logic in playing single coin and they are right for the games they play.
If you are going to a typical casino today with a limited budget and you wish to stretch your playing time, playing single coin video poker is most likely the cheapest game in the casino. If you do, play as small as the game allows. Be aware that the strategy of single coin play is different. You will not get rich playing this way. You will suffer through short coin royals. However, you will enjoy your visits to the casino at a much lower long term cost than most of the player's around you.
A few years ago, I was sitting in a casino in Colorado. I believe it was in Cripple Creek. An older gentlemen was sitting across from me playing video poker. He looked to be in his eighties. I noticed he was playing single coin nickels. I casually asked him if he played often? "Every day", he said. I asked him how he felt about playing single coin? He smiled and said "It's all the same game". I smiled back knowing he was having a great time with what time he had left. We should all feel that way.
