CS 2.0
Posted: Sat Oct 20, 2018 5:14 am
CS 2.0
Let's talk about playing VP for fun. When I walk into a new casino, the first thing I do is walk over to the single line video poker games. I like to play Deuces Wild, so I check the quarter odds first. Normally, I find the common 100/60 game. This game is a 97.579% game playing max coin quarters. Then I check the 50 cent and dollar odds for the same game. It is common to find the dollar game is 98.9% at max coins. This is true in Tampa, Biloxi and Cherokee. Hollywood is different because there are a few 98.9% quarter games if you can find them and Tampa offers 98.9% deuces games starting at 50 cents.
The single coin dollar Deuces Wild game is slightly better than the max coin quarter game. Both are negative. Unless there are comps involved and there sometimes are, I like the single coin dollar games better. Why?
It's cheaper to play because the hourly coin-in is 20% less. In return for this saving, you give up $50 on each quad deuce ($200 vs. $250). The big difference is the royal flush. If you hit one, you are penalized $750 playing single coin dollars. But, you earned 5 more coins for each wild royal and 3 more coins for each 5-of-a-kind by playing dollars. As the odds show, both games have about the same return.
The big difference for me is the excitement level. It's hard to put a value on this as it varies with the player. I like playing cheap and being only button away from a really big jackpot. I can't tell you what a thrill it is to reach down, hit the max coin button and hit a quad deuce for $1,000. I have done this many times and it's one of the most entertaining things you can do playing small. Multiply this by four and you have the thrill of being handed a stack of forty $100 dollar bills. Getting a hand pay is something a single line VP quarter player never sees. I average one of two of these a year.
The problem with this style of play is it's based purely on luck. Anyone who is concerned with that is not going to play a negative game in the first place. If I am given the choice of not playing at all or playing these games, I play them for the entertainment value and I play them small.
Over the last month, I have been testing a new strategy at the Tampa Hard Rock. For the above reasons, I switched to single coin fifty cent and dollar deuces wild at this casino. I play $20 at a time and switch to max coins whenever the counter reaches $30 at 50 cents or $40 at dollars. In both cases I return back to single coin play at $20. I also set a $50 cash out limit for 50 cents play and $100 for dollar play. This is my going home money.
Playing this way allows me to play all day with $300. So far, I have broken even or made money on every trip. If I play VP all day and go home with the same money I went with, I consider this a win. I hit a $500 quad deuce two weeks ago, so I am ahead so far.
THIS IS NOT A WAY TO BEAT THE CASINO! This is a way to use the casino's odds structure to your advantage. The advantage is in the extra entertainment value of playing this way, not the long term result.
Many players would hate this style for play, so it's not for everyone. Whenever I suggest it, players tell me they would be afraid to hit a single coin royal. I tell them a quad deuce happens nine times more often and hitting one at max coins pays the same as a max coin quarter royal. I also tell them they can gain better odds in the short term. This gets them thinking, but it doesn't normally change their mind. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. I'm relaying how I like to play. If you understand why I like to play this way, you will understand me.
I will be playing this way for the rest of the year and reporting what happens both good and bad. With a little luck, I may hit a big royal. I'm not counting on it, but it's happened before. In any case, I'll be having fun.
Let's talk about playing VP for fun. When I walk into a new casino, the first thing I do is walk over to the single line video poker games. I like to play Deuces Wild, so I check the quarter odds first. Normally, I find the common 100/60 game. This game is a 97.579% game playing max coin quarters. Then I check the 50 cent and dollar odds for the same game. It is common to find the dollar game is 98.9% at max coins. This is true in Tampa, Biloxi and Cherokee. Hollywood is different because there are a few 98.9% quarter games if you can find them and Tampa offers 98.9% deuces games starting at 50 cents.
The single coin dollar Deuces Wild game is slightly better than the max coin quarter game. Both are negative. Unless there are comps involved and there sometimes are, I like the single coin dollar games better. Why?
It's cheaper to play because the hourly coin-in is 20% less. In return for this saving, you give up $50 on each quad deuce ($200 vs. $250). The big difference is the royal flush. If you hit one, you are penalized $750 playing single coin dollars. But, you earned 5 more coins for each wild royal and 3 more coins for each 5-of-a-kind by playing dollars. As the odds show, both games have about the same return.
The big difference for me is the excitement level. It's hard to put a value on this as it varies with the player. I like playing cheap and being only button away from a really big jackpot. I can't tell you what a thrill it is to reach down, hit the max coin button and hit a quad deuce for $1,000. I have done this many times and it's one of the most entertaining things you can do playing small. Multiply this by four and you have the thrill of being handed a stack of forty $100 dollar bills. Getting a hand pay is something a single line VP quarter player never sees. I average one of two of these a year.
The problem with this style of play is it's based purely on luck. Anyone who is concerned with that is not going to play a negative game in the first place. If I am given the choice of not playing at all or playing these games, I play them for the entertainment value and I play them small.
Over the last month, I have been testing a new strategy at the Tampa Hard Rock. For the above reasons, I switched to single coin fifty cent and dollar deuces wild at this casino. I play $20 at a time and switch to max coins whenever the counter reaches $30 at 50 cents or $40 at dollars. In both cases I return back to single coin play at $20. I also set a $50 cash out limit for 50 cents play and $100 for dollar play. This is my going home money.
Playing this way allows me to play all day with $300. So far, I have broken even or made money on every trip. If I play VP all day and go home with the same money I went with, I consider this a win. I hit a $500 quad deuce two weeks ago, so I am ahead so far.
THIS IS NOT A WAY TO BEAT THE CASINO! This is a way to use the casino's odds structure to your advantage. The advantage is in the extra entertainment value of playing this way, not the long term result.
Many players would hate this style for play, so it's not for everyone. Whenever I suggest it, players tell me they would be afraid to hit a single coin royal. I tell them a quad deuce happens nine times more often and hitting one at max coins pays the same as a max coin quarter royal. I also tell them they can gain better odds in the short term. This gets them thinking, but it doesn't normally change their mind. I'm not trying to change anyone's mind. I'm relaying how I like to play. If you understand why I like to play this way, you will understand me.
I will be playing this way for the rest of the year and reporting what happens both good and bad. With a little luck, I may hit a big royal. I'm not counting on it, but it's happened before. In any case, I'll be having fun.