Why does the Recreational Forum exist?

[DougJ]

So, I'm busy with that concept called "LIFE", which exists outside of this little forum. I return to see FloridaPhil is back posting, hurray for that, welcome back Phil.

Then, I notice two more things . . . one, Webdude starts (and ends) a thread which specifically addresses a couple items, one of which is the propensity of billy to seek out Phil's threads, ON THE RECREATIONAL FORUM, merely to poke fun at Phil. Of course, webdude cautions that he/she will do better to enforce and stop the antagonizing from which poor billy can't help herself.

Onwards, there's a thread started by Phil, and once again, there's that pesky little bully at it AGAIN, and the result: thread is locked. If I wanted to reply to Phil in that thread, whoops, too late, it got locked as seemingly the only way to shut down the bully. Oh my oh my.

Apparently, we are ALL living rent-free in billy's head. Sigh. It's getting crowded.
Suffice to say, having watched this person, you'd understand the problem is bigger than too many free meatloaf plates.

[FloridaPhil]

Why does the Recreational Forum exist? When I came to this forum nine years ago, all I read about was Advantage Play. The promise of making a profit playing a game I enjoyed was attractive. I bought and read all the books on the subject I could find. I bought training software and practiced until I could play near perfect. I took what I had learned with me to my local casino. I found I could play much longer with my money. I discovered comps and free play. I still lost money long term.

The problem was the games I had to play were not profitable. The house edge was too large and the comps too small. There were other problems. I wasn't able to play 100% perfect long enough. Worse yet, I tended to do things that hurt my results. When I would get behind, I would up my bet or change games in an attempt to recover. This made things worse.

Over the years, I learned applying Advantage Play concepts to my local games helped my results. No matter what scheme I tried on my own, I could never turn a negative game positive. Eventually, I found a balance between the entertainment I receive from video poker and the cost I am willing to pay.

What we need on this forum is the acceptance of the fact that most players will never make a long term profit playing video poker. This does not mean we should throw out or ignore the methodologies that can. We should not put the blame on the players themselves. I have been told many times that I could make a profit at my local casino and it's my fault if I don't. This does not make me a better player. It makes me angry.

The Recreational Forum should be a place where we can discuss any video poker related issue without being ridiculed or censored. It should not be a place where members take shots at experts or other members. I will do my best to make this happen. My hope is others will follow.

[Webman]

DougJ,
If you've been away, you missed some things.

I suggest reading the following topic to get up to speed.
https://www.videopoker.com/forum/viewto ... =5&t=10438