Random? I don't think so.

[Tedlark]

The smartest person I will ever know had a couple maxims that he lived by and one was: "Always be in control of your own transportation."

[FloridaPhil]

Good idea.  Some of us don't ride around in casino limousines.Here's another example.  Four years ago my wife and I took an extended land and sea trip to Alaska.  The land part was great.  I found the cruise boring.  If you've seen one glacier, you've seen them all.   Anyway, I found myself in the ship's casino for three days.  The VP odds were the worst I had ever seen then or since.  Truly horrible....I opted to play single coin quarters to save money.  I played those machines for three solid days and lost a grand total of $50 bucks.  Others around me were pumping money in those machines like they had a printing press in their room.    They weren't real happy when they got their $1,000 drink bill either.  I don't drink, so it was another win for me.   

[Jstark]

I would've never played them and lost $0.00.

[FloridaPhil]

That's true.    I guess I could have hung out at the endless buffet instead.  Here's the difference between us.  I actually like playing single coin quarter video poker.  I could care less if I make money, I just want to lose as little as possible.   I play VP on this website every day of my life.  It costs me $8 a month.  I don't have to hit the ATM and I don't get depressed when I lose.   It's gambling purely for entertainment and it's the best deal anywhere.   You don't need money involved to enjoy playing video games and that's all VP is to me.You guys who believe you aren't addicted to video poker, try playing VP without money and see how you like it.

[FAA]

Gratis VP is neat too. The site smartly changes the games and Prize incentive targets. Casino VP is kind of cool to recoup. Of course better to quit while ahead than chase losses and stay further entangled. But we cannot all have hour of power Ted Luck. I'd say $500 coin in is a nice round amount to justify the trip. I prefer 80% less.

[OTABILL]

Good idea.  Some of us don't ride around in casino limousines.Here's another example.  Four years ago my wife and I took an extended land and sea trip to Alaska.  The land part was great.  I found the cruise boring.  If you've seen one glacier, you've seen them all.   Anyway, I found myself in the ship's casino for three days.  The VP odds were the worst I had ever seen then or since.  Truly horrible....I opted to play single coin quarters to save money.  I played those machines for three solid days and lost a grand total of $50 bucks.  Others around me were pumping money in those machines like they had a printing press in their room.    They weren't real happy when they got their $1,000 drink bill either.  I don't drink, so it was another win for me.    






We love cruises and find sea days the best. We may go into the casino for maybe an hour or 2 on a non-smoking day, usually late at night when we are not ready to go to sleep. Ironically, given the VP paytables, we have cumulatively done better over the years than in Vegas. Granted we have played a limited number of hands combined. Over all we are even or slightly ahead. That doesn't include getting a special offer for a significantly discounted cruise.

[FloridaPhil]

Conflicts on this forum are understandable.   Some members play VP for profit.  Other members play for entertainment.  Most walk a line somewhere in the middle.   In addition, everyone's definition of "entertainment" and "fun" is different.  If everyone who didn't make a profit playing VP quit the game, the machines would be empty and they are not.  This means there must be something about the game they like other than profiting from it.   I think both groups of players should be able to coexist on this forum without calling for the ouster of the other.  We should respect each other's views and try to understand VP from their prospective.If profit is your total motive, Great.  Do what you have to do.  If entertainment is your motive, do likewise.  We are all in this game together.

[FAA]

Profit is like the Vegas casino, a Mirage. I somehow turned a profit yesterday due to an ATM trip and finally finding a warm machine. Up a whole twenty dollars when the smoke cleared.

[FloridaPhil]

Making a profit from VP is not an easy or simple task.  Ask "Bob Dancer" himself and he will tell you that.  So far, VP has not been profitable for me.   If you ask most members of this forum if they profit from VP, I would guess at least 20% would say yes.  This forum does seem to have more than it's share of winners?Personally, I don't think many players actually do because of the effort and time required.  Who wants to spend their free time "working" tediously trying to beat a game for a few percent of EV, suffering through devastating downturns or hanging out waiting for your name to be called out of a ticket barrel?   If your whole life revolves around VP, I get it.  For most people, that's far too much work for too little gain.I enjoy VP as an escape.    I spent my life working like a dog and I'm tired of working.   I want to spend my retirement doing things I enjoy, not fighting a casino.   If I make a profit playing VP before I die, it's not going to change my life.  Soon I will get in my car, drive over to Tampa and I will play some VP.  I know the odds are against me, so I don't expect to gain anything long term but a good time.   I'll play a little 7/5 Bonus Poker, maybe some 8/5 Double Double Bonus, perhaps a slot or two.   I'll play small, so I don't have regrets on my way home.  In general, I will enjoy the day.   That's the only advantage I care about.

[FAA]

It's become emotionally draining once I exceed $100 coin in. Suddenly I have lost myself in another Casino Warfare Weekend. I squeezed just enough profit to replenish my account. But in the summer, the equation changes. I can have more fun at home, so I prefer more than my meager 4% return on the weekend.