Recreational Forum Reset

The lighter side... playing for entertainment, less concerned about "the math."
FloridaPhil
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Recreational Forum Reset

Post by FloridaPhil »

I think this is a good time to reset this forum. Personally, I would like to wake up in the morning and check this forum with a smile instead of responding to the next loaded question.

This website is about video poker in all it's permutations. We have members who believe the only reason to go into a casino is to profit. We have members who would enjoy playing video poker for free. Most members are somewhere in between. The Strategy Forum is the place to discuss applying math to the game. The Recreational Forum is the place where a player's entertainment may become more significant than math. It doesn't override math, it's different because the player's goal is different.

It's clear when you play smaller, you win smaller. Video poker is a game where you lose many more hands than you win. Playing smaller makes this more tolerable. For some people, playing small is the only way they can enjoy the game. For others, playing small removes the incentive and much of the excitement.

I don't believe we need two forums dedicated to teaching players to profit from playing video poker. The Recreational Forum is not exclusively about math or who has the advantage. It's about playing the game with whatever goal the player desires. It is entire possible members may choose to participate in both forums. I think this would be great as long as comments are constructive instead of destructive. This forum should not be a battleground for the forces of profit vs. the forces of entertainment. When that happens, both sides lose.

onemoretry
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Post by onemoretry »

This is all fine and good. But, to me, the "problem" is that, eventually, someone will post something in the recreational, aka entertainment, forum that is absolutely preposterous. If something like that is left alone, some relatively new players may actually believe it's true.

FloridaPhil
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Post by FloridaPhil »

onemoretry wrote:
Wed Apr 22, 2020 7:11 am
This is all fine and good. But, to me, the "problem" is that, eventually, someone will post something in the recreational, aka entertainment, forum that is absolutely preposterous. If something like that is left alone, some relatively new players may actually believe it's true.
"Preposterous" is in the eyes of the beholder. Watch Fox News for an hour. Then watch CNN for an hour. I am sure you will discover something preposterous in your eyes.

One subject we should talk more about is comps. We can't change the odds at our local casino. I would bet very few small time players have an account on their local casino's website. Even fewer check their offers regularly. I was among those players until I was able to sit down with a knowledgeable casino manager that took the time to help me. Those girls sitting behind the counter at the Player's Club don't have time for that.

There are so many truly helpful things we could talk about instead of fighting over the definition of long term or if one of us is more intelligent than the other.

tech58
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Post by tech58 »

FP,regarding your point about comps, i have tried more than once to stir up some interest in this very important subject, most recently in the Something To Think About thread.
Generated very minimal interest. No idea why.

FloridaPhil
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Post by FloridaPhil »

tech58 wrote:
Wed Apr 22, 2020 10:46 am
FP,regarding your point about comps, i have tried more than once to stir up some interest in this very important subject, most recently in the Something To Think About thread. Generated very minimal interest. No idea why.
I have no clue. With most video poker games the way they are these days, you would think comps would be of great interest?

In our case, comps are the major deciding factor in how we play the games we have. Of great value to us are room comps, which are the easiest comps to earn. If your casino is part of a group, you can often get a comped room at any of their other facilities. It's also valuable to know how your casino treats husband and wife accounts. If you want to score some points with your wife, take her on an over nighter at a romantic casino resort. Buy her dinner at a nice restaurant. Play a little VP together and go back to the room early.

We use casino points for food and drinks. The Florida Hard Rock's video poker points are better than most, but they expire quickly, so you have to keep track of where you are. Video poker is not eligible for credit on multi point days, so that's out. Cash back is non existent. That leaves drawings. I had my name called for the first time this year and won an extra $800. Our casino's website lists all their drawings and your offers on a personalized web page. They have a calendar feature where you can see your hotel room offers in advance. We often must book a month or two in advance to get a comped room. We book our Thanksgiving and Christmas rooms as soon as they show on the website. If we wait too long, the comped rooms are all gone.

We don't invest a lot of energy and brain power fretting over .01% hands or long term results. In the scheme of things, a free room is worth more to us than a few pennies of ER.
Last edited by FloridaPhil on Wed Apr 22, 2020 11:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

OTABILL
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Post by OTABILL »

tech58 wrote:
Wed Apr 22, 2020 10:46 am
FP,regarding your point about comps, i have tried more than once to stir up some interest in this very important subject, most recently in the Something To Think About thread.
Generated very minimal interest. No idea why.
Tech, the reason was that it was buried in another long winded thread. The answer is to start a new topic with that as the subject. I may start a new topic myself related to the value for a recreational player of time spent learning the intricacies of VP based on my post under Casinos and Inflation. That post got buried as well. :)

FloridaPhil
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Post by FloridaPhil »

OTABILL wrote:
Wed Apr 22, 2020 11:23 am
Tech, the reason was that it was buried in another long winded thread. The answer is to start a new topic with that as the subject. I may start a new topic myself related to the value for a recreational player of time spent learning the intricacies of VP based on my post under Casinos and Inflation. That post got buried as well. :)
What causes this is we have a few members who believe it is more important to attack another member's post rather than contribute something worthwhile to the forum. The thread goes off the rails and we take off on another word craft pissing match. I will respond if I am asked a question. It may not be the answer you want to hear.

You are not going to convince me today's video poker can support anyone's great lifestyle. I don't believe there is any such thing as "long term" gambling profit, so stop trying to convert me. If that's the Litmus test to be a contributor to this forum, there will never be anything but arguing. Lets talk about the things we can all agree on.

Eduardo
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Post by Eduardo »

Someone keeps urging people to stop bringing up long term profits.

Then they keep bringing up long term profits.

Someone once wished there was no talk of experts or advantage play in this forum.

Then they keep bringing up experts and advantage play in this forum.

FloridaPhil
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Post by FloridaPhil »

Eduardo. Does it matter what someone believes? I believe winners are lucky. Others believe they are skilled. A win is a win. I can be just as happy for them either way.

What I think we should do is quit discussing short term vs. long term and stick to the present. At the present time, no one is playing video poker in a casino. It's most likely going to be a struggle to get most players to go back. Let's talk about why we enjoy playing the game. I can give you a dozen reasons why my wife and I do and non of them has anything to do with making a profit. If making a profit is the only goal in video poker, few future players will be left to play.

onemoretry
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Post by onemoretry »

FloridaPhil wrote:
Wed Apr 22, 2020 7:51 am
One subject we should talk more about is comps.
I tend to agree that this is a subject of interest to all of us. It is, however, a difficult one to discuss since casinos do not very often willingly share information with us.

For example, both my wife and I get 2 comped rooms per week at Seneca Niagara, but her offer usually includes one additional night for which she is eligible. If my offer is Sunday through Friday, hers is Sunday through Saturday. I have no idea as to why hers is different. I am unaware of any significant difference in our play to account for it, despite attempts to find out. And, as far as trying to find out how much play is needed to even get a room comp - good luck!

And, players are not always going to share what they do find out through there own efforts. For example, in your April 16 post in the casinos and inflation thread, you stated, regarding comped rooms at the Beau RIvage: "All they ask is that we play max quarters long enough to give them a chance to recoup their investment. Through experience, we have learned what that number is". But when you were asked to share that number, you wouldn't. Why is that?

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