A fork in the road

[stevel96a1]

i like aces and faces at ballys atlantic city and wife loves triple double bonusone game is 99.25 and the other is 97 (well 98.15 if she plays dollars but i truly don't believe in fiushes helping me that much even tho the math/sims  to disagree)one game is very gentle on your bankroll but odds going home a winner is extremely lowthe other game is very violent on your bankroll but odds going home a winner is medium to highplaying simulations on both games yield warped results seeing no sim of 10k hands or 100k hands are ever the same sequence using best strategies ofcourse with real life results and kitchen table results i am starting to think but not believe a 97% game is better than a 99.25 game with a 4,000 credit roll play down each machine more times than not the more violent game gives better opportunity to return oppose to playing down on aces and faces and losing all 4,000 credits just to see 30k or 40k hands and no sight of the motherload royal flush if anyone has thoughts , opinions and most importantly experiences with a these types of games id appreciate the replies the one thing i always liked about VP it has things on other games such as blackjack,baccarat , craps and roulette, there is no royal flush in those table gamesand i never had any success playing themand yes i know what 97 and 99.25 means to my bankroll but that is not to say you can not work up 30kcredits in the process of gambling...

[DAAnMAAn]

The difference between 99.25% ER games and for the example you gave a 97% ER game becomes more pronounced the longer one plays...
For example, a single line dollar game of 9/6 jacks or better game (99.5%) or 8/5 Jacks or better (97.3%ER), every time a full house or flush is hit, you have to accept that it costs you $5 per hit. Since a full house is hit about 1 in 86 hands and a flush 1 in 90 hands, if you play say 600 hands an hour, your tipping out about $70 an hour to the casino. So it makes a difference. Obviously a royal is a royal regardless.
   On another note, higher variance is a more extreme roller coaster ride, with big ups...and big downs. I have found high variance games to be games generally to be avoided, but not always. Reason being, what benefits one to hit big jackpots on say, triple double bonus, when sooner or later, one gives it back and then some due to the high variance. But to each their own. Some people just love the gamble and will not play lower than triple double bonus or aces/faces or what have you.

[FloridaPhil]

Personally, I think there are more negative issues with high variance VP roller coaster rides than math.  These games cause most humans to do things that aren't productive.  I can't think of anything more mind bending than playing dollar TDB unless it would be playing at a higher denomination.  Swings like that would cause me to have a heart attack.  I would be all over the casino doing things that I would regret later.  Still, everyone has there own tolerance level.   If my wife wanted to play dollar TDB, I would be fine with it as long as she used her own money.   If she hit a royal or 4AwK it would be a great night.  Most of the time living with her would be pure hell.  

[FAA]

When you get to a fork in the road, take it.
-Lawrence Peter Berra

[pokerpokerpoker]

TDB is a harsh mistress indeed. Not only are you needing quads to stay alive, but a good share of quads with kicker too. Giving up 5 credits on every 3 of a kind adds up to hundreds of credits an hour. I played TDB for about 1500 hands the other day and hit 2 quads for 250 and two for 400 - yet only broke even (exactly). That was for 9/7. Lesser paytables - I shudder to think. In fact, my last eight premium quads (over a number of sessions) were without a kicker. I am pretty deep in the hole. Getting dealt quad 4s, but missing the kicker really stung.

But on the flip side, you could sit down and hit AWAK and quad 2-4 w/kicker and be up $6000 in a quickie session.

[billryan]

I shall be telling this with a sigh
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I—
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.