Multi hand strategy

[jim18]

I have a question for the multi hand players to respond to.  If I am playing a game like Super Times Pay, what would be wrong with selecting the 10 hand version of this game but playing less hands than maximum?For example  I could start out playing one hand, for several deals, then increase the number of hands to two hands for several draws, and continue increasing hands played until I receive a deal or a draw of a certain value or until I hit 10 hands played, in which case I would then start the process over.Does anyone have a suggestion for a strategy that deals with changing the denomination of the bet while playing video poker?For example, I might play five hands at the lowest denomination, then the next five hands at the next higher level, and continue increasing the denomination every five hands, until I received a hit of a certain value, in which case I would start the process over.Thanks for any suggestions you can give me.

[shadowman]

There is no way to improve your odds by changing the amount of the bet or the number of hands played. Do it if you enjoy it.

[jim18]

ShadowmanThank you for responding to my posting.However, from your answer, I feel that my question is misunderstood or poorly worded.Using Super Times Poker as an example, all that I am asking is this: If a player plays less than all of the hands available, is that player being punished due to the possibility that they played four hands for example, but the eighth hand contained the big hit.I think I agree with you that playing more hands does not increase the likelihood of having a winning session.  However, when the player hits the deal button, the RNG may assign a large payout to hand number eight, if the game is on the ten hand setting.  After all, the RNG does not know that I am only playing four hands out of the ten hands available.Part of the reason that I am concerned over how my results may be affected comes from me never seeing anyone playing less than all of the hands available, either three, five or ten.  I thought that these people knew that to play less than all of the hands was somehow risky.  Yet, I have never read any comments at this site, or elsewhere that states this fact.I agree also with you that changing denomination does not improve the odds of winning.  But what I had in mind was kind of like the betting that occurs in Roulette in which a player might play red, with one unit.  If that player losses that wager, he doubles the bet, and if he losses, he doubles the bet again.So, in combining both of my questions, the number of hands played would increase from one to ten, at which time, I would then increase the denomination level until  a certain size win occurred, then I would start the process all over.A case in point.  If a player were to play the same way over and over at the five cent denomination, then find himself down $200 would it not make sense to increase the number of hands played or the value of each credit, so that when a good hit comes along that it has a reasonable chance to bring the player back to even, if not into the black.I guess what all of the above boils down to is this............what does a good betting strategy look like?  The greater the amount of my current loss, it seems the greater the amount of risk I need to take to get back to even.Does anyone have a plan for getting back to even that makes more sense or takes less risk than my plan has to it?Thanks for answering my post.

[shadowman]

Each hand in multi-play is an independent random event. So, over time it matters not how you play those independent hands. You can what-if yourself to death but it is truly not important. If you are playing 4 hands nothing is going on in a VP machine that considers if you played more hands. It's like driving around a block ... if you do it 4 times there's nothing going on related to what would happen if you chose to do it 8 times. No betting strategy can change the return of game (as long as the hands are independent). In addition, as long as there is a maximum bet (or bankroll limitation), no progression in denomination can help either. Raising the bet is known as a Martingale system and has been debunked by mathematicians for years and years.

[jim18]

ShadowmanThank you for your comments in response to my posting.  I also read some comments by you and others made today on a different topic, but dealing with betting strategies.Any betting strategy can be taken to an extreme, which of course is dangerous.  And I appreciate your concerns over hitting a large win at a lower denomination.  That certainly happens to me.When making posts and writing emails, what I mean to say usually is different from what I write.  Only after getting feedback do I see that my wording was less that well crafted.What I have been doing is betting all hands, but raising the denomination of my bet after 3-5 hands at the same level.  I have a modest goal of winning three times my bet size.  When that occurs, I start the process over.  Perhaps this kind of betting does not do anything to improve my outcome, but it does make me feel more in control, even if that feeling is only in my mind.Moving away from that idea, what I am looking for is a way to play at the same denomination, but increase my risk/reward by playing more hands in a gradually increasing way, just until I hit a payout which is some multiple of my last bet.Unlike the person that wrote in the other topic that he wants to win back all of his losses in one spin, I am just trying to add some additional layer of interaction to the game.  If it is true that a certain game pays back 99+% based on its payback schedule, I can not help to wonder if there is any betting strategy that ignores long term play, and looks at short term play, such as 30 hands, and so forth.If no betting system is worthwhile, for the sake of increasing credits won, then is there a betting system that is harmless, and at the same time adds flavor to the game?

[shadowman]

As long as a betting strategy does not change the return of various payouts (like betting less than maximum credits does for the RF in most games), you can use any system you want. It won't increase or decrease your expected return. That's not to say a person can ignore their bankroll.