Losing trips and Discipline

[Tedlark]

This post started out talking about discipline. Since we have now moved to TV characters, I wonder who remembers the Seinfeld show called "The Challenge"? I won't discuss it in detail due to it's adult nature, but you can Google it yourself.

I have a challenge for the members of this forum. I'm betting you can't stay out of a casino for longer than a month. Since there is no way to verify our results, I won't offer a cash prize this time.

The casinos are not the problem. When video poker is promoted as a profit maker, it encourages addictive behavior through a cycle of never ending punishment and reward. It's a drug as potent as anything created by the pharmaceutical industry. Depression and stress create serious medical issues. To add fuel to the fire, we allow ourselves to be poisoned by tobacco smoke, exposed to alcohol abuse and assaulted by immoral characters.

To keep myself from being negatively affected, I don't buy into the casino's marketing. I know the casino will eventually take all the money I can put into their machines, so I play small 99% of the time. To reward myself for having the discipline to do that, I save $50 to play the big machines at the end of the day and walk out with whatever I win. When one of my end-of-day potshots pays off, it offsets the tiny losses I endure during the day. It's not a big profit maker, but it has worked better than anything else I have ever tried.

It's been ten days since I went to a casino. I miss it already. Let's find out who the real addicts are.

Phil, you say that video poker is promoted as a profit maker and you equate as addictive and a drug as potent as anything created by the pharmaceutical industry.

Let me ask you this: How many years did you play max. coin, dollar denomination, before you curbed your addiction?

GET OFF YOUR PREACHER'S SOAPBOX. We get it: you are now on a crusade here to tell people all about how addictive video poker is. You also say that you play here regularly so just exactly how much have you curbed YOUR video poker addiction?

[Tedlark]

If you haven't been banned, you aren't that good of a player. If you are getting a lot of offers and comps, you stink.

Phil, how many times have you wrote in these forums about you and your wife CONSTANTLY receiving offers in the mail from casinos "all over the country?" So, does this mean that you stink all over the country?

I just call them as I see them.....

[FloridaPhil]

Phil, how many times have you wrote in these forums about you and your wife CONSTANTLY receiving offers in the mail from casinos "all over the country?" So, does this mean that you stink all over the country?

YES!! That's why I play as small as possible. What's worse is believing you are a profitable player when you aren't.

[FloridaPhil]

No problem. Are you ready to take the challenge?

Let's go for it. I'll start the thread and see if anyone joins us.

[FAA]

Marketing is pretty effective. It must be like shooting fish in a barrel for the marketing department. I constantly see mailers around me. Definition of insanity sweetener.

[FloridaPhil]

Phil, you say that video poker is promoted as a profit maker and you equate as addictive and a drug as potent as anything created by the pharmaceutical industry.

Let me ask you this: How many years did you play max. coin, dollar denomination, before you curbed your addiction?

GET OFF YOUR PREACHER'S SOAPBOX. We get it: you are now on a crusade here to tell people all about how addictive video poker is. You also say that you play here regularly so just exactly how much have you curbed YOUR video poker addiction?

I started playing video poker around 2000. I had never been in a casino before that. My wife and I went on vacation in Las Vegas. Before we left, a friend told us video poker was the best game to play. We stayed at MGM on the strip. I knew nothing about odds or strategy. The night before we left to go home, I hit a royal flush. When we got back, I started buying up all the books I could find on video poker. I read them all many times. In those days, 9/6 jacks was common. With comps, this was a very near if not net positive game.

Like on this forum, my books didn't tell me about the frightening losses I would have to endure. They only told me about winning. In 2008, I had the best day I have ever had up until then or since. I hit four royals in one day, three of them were for $4,000 each. I came home with $14,000 in my pocket. My wife found $700 more in a coat pocket a few months later.

My bankroll grew substantially during this time, so I moved to playing dollar VP all the time. Over the next 6 months playing the same games, I gave every dime of my winnings back. This caused me to reevaluate what I had been told. I discovered that I enjoyed the casino much more when I was in control. I threw out what the experts told me and played my own way. I still use computer play strategy, but I play as small as possible. I also implemented a small pot shot strategy that works to this day. CS came out of that experience.

I am not a preacher. I am a player who thinks for himself. I do not find experts who are paid by casinos credible. I consider this a conflict of interest. I do not profit from my visits to the casino. I don't lose a lot of money either. I am happy as long as I don't let the casino's marketing influence my decisions. That's not easy.

[FAA]

Yep. Don’t let any marketing influence that day’s BR decision. Small and steady. Dollar play is deadly. Maybe entertain a three minute window.