2014 Approach

[BillyJoe]

I have had some time to reflect, now, on my results from 2013 in VP, and it was not pretty. Granted, I do play a lot of high volitility games, like TDB, so you can expect some really poor performances. But even though I may not have received a lot of premium hands this year, I also did not seem to get as many good paying sessions as in the past, supported by regular quads and straight flushes. I found myself bouncing off my set Loss Limit in a session far more frequently than ever. I do not feel that I had played 'dumber' this year, trying always to use the optimum strategy for the game.



 
I do not accurately track slots for myself, since my play there is mostly just a change of pace.


 
At table games, I did quite well, relative to the betting. I do not bet as large, however, at table games as I do at VP.
 
The result was a losing year gaming for me.  
 
So in 2014, I am going to try something different at least to start out. I am going to play tables at larger denoms, and drop back the denoms on VP. I will still use a Money Management approach for my gaming sessions. If nothing else, I will have less W2Gs to deal with at tax time.  
 
It will be interesting to see how that goes.  

[Tedlark]

  Its good that you are plotting a different course for your 2014 gaming billyjoe but I have one question for you and its a simple one; could some of your losses this year in vp be attributed to you not abiding by you session loss limits? If the answer is yes then some of your losses could be more attributed to behavior instead of machine performance?

[Vman96]

From what they offer at the Beau, this is probably a good idea. Not positive on how well they rate table games. But I have heard MGM is a lot better for table game players that CET though.

[DaBurglar]

From what they offer at the Beau, this is probably a good idea. Not positive on how well they rate table games. But I have heard MGM is a lot better for table game players that CET though.
  This is a solid piece of advice, one on which I will build.....Billyjoe, talk to your host(s) at the various places you play and just flatout ask them, what do they base their rating on when it comes to table games  vs  slots   vs  video poker, or ask them some form of the question "How do you guys calculate the casinos return on play", or some variation of these themes....you are smart figure out which approach and wording will yield you the most info. One reason I choose not to play table games in AC is due to the fact I found out early on that at my level of play (25 bucks MAX bet at BJ, not counting doubles and splits) it was not going to get me the stuff I find valuable, namely free rooms and an occassional meal, unless i was to bet 25 bucks a hand for MANY more hours than I was willing to play or risk. Obviously Billyjoe plays way beyond that, but the approach is still valid, and in his case since he is a coveted player, by asking up front he might "spook" a casino or two into giving him far more than he might otherwise get, for fear he doesnt like their answer and goes somewhere else!    It is still a player's market out there IF you know how to work the system, but admittedly its much harder to do at some places than it is at others. And you are correct Billyjoe, CET is not as generous with tablegames (or even slots for that matter) as other companies, due to what we already covered in other threads about cost cutting and their debt, etc.     In AC, Borgata is probably the best place for a high level table player to sit, followed by Trump Taj and perhaps Resorts (now that Mohegan runs the show there.....) 

[DaBurglar]

on a different note, Billyjoe reporting crappy results in his VP play this past year pretty much echoes EVERYONE I personally know (family, friends and associates) who play VP anywhere, not just AC, but EVERYWHERE.   Since I only live an hour from Foxwoods and Mohegan I clearly get a crapload of info and updates on those two places from a whole bunch of different people......I also have a lot of friends out west from when I used to live and work there and we communicate regularly about what is happening in each of our necks of the woods....so Vegas, Reno, the california casinos, all that, I hear from people..... When all taken into account, it definitely seems much more difficult to not just make a profit, but simply to just hold your own (whether break even, or finishing just a few bucks down, etc.) no one is doing very well these days...... Lower paytables and games with more casino-friendly features and variance obviously contribute to this result, but its also being driven by something unseen we players are not privy to or can account for.......in AC's case, the fact they set their VP machines like slots to return within a whole range of percentages is such an example, but does not count for other places like Vegas who play their VP in the manner we all expect or assumed.    Could it be something like the whole "seeding/reseeding" issue we discussed before?    I dunno, but this is why I am back to playing real live poker tournaments as part of my trips to casinos. January 5 thru 12 I am planning on several different tourney events at Borgata and Harrahs (and possibly the Trop too) so if I am lucky and good at the same time in one event I will have a good start to 2014, and beginning in 2014, I will only be playing VP in AC at Borgata and Harrah's.....

[BillyJoe]

  Its good that you are plotting a different course for your 2014 gaming billyjoe but I have one question for you and its a simple one; could some of your losses this year in vp be attributed to you not abiding by you session loss limits? If the answer is yes then some of your losses could be more attributed to behavior instead of machine performance?
I would never say 'never', Ted, since a year is a long time, but I believe in a Money Management approach to gaming, and have worked to always adhere to it.

Now if those darn, pretty cocktail waitresses would just stop bringing me another Makers Mark...

[Tedlark]

  Be careful billyjoe, that Maker's Mark will cause you to lose more of your roll to the waitresses than to the tables.

[spxChrome]

Same here it just didn't seem there were enough middle tier hands this year. I track all quads+ and have not done a finally tally but I know its way down from years past. For me it was either hand pays or nothing. Unless they came out dealt. The only thing I came out ahead on was the 25$ and 100$ slots. I don't play them much unless VP is dead and slots pulled me out of the hole on several occasions. All in all 2013 was the worst year I have ever had at VP. I had more loosing sessions this year than the past 3 put together I would figure.

[BobDancer]

It is normal to want to "change something" to counteract bad results. But just changing things may not improve things unless there's a good reason to do it. Just because something didn't work last year doesn't mean the opposite will work this year. "The opposite" may well yield worse results yet.The formula of only playing when you have an advantage, know the games extremely well, and only playing when you are at your best still works. Using this approach you will still have negative years sometimes, but your positive years will outnumber your negative ones.Things like "lowering your stakes" may well help you to lose less --- assuming you are playing a losing game. But it doesn't change whether or not you're playing a winning game. If the change you're making entails choosing higher-return games, practicing on computer software, playing with more accuracy (which likely means leaving Maker's Mark completely alone while you're in a casino), then your 2014 results may well be better than your 2013 results.Lowering your stakes on one type of game while raising your stakes on another type of game may work --- depending on the house advantage of the games you are playing. For the most part, though, the comps you get on video poker FAR exceed the comps you get at table games. This could affect the level of amenities you get when you go to casinos. Your posts, BJ, have shown you enjoy yourself in casinos --- including a lot of the non-gambling "extras." Your new philosophy may yield fewer extras. That may well affect your enjoyment of the process. It's easy to say "that doesn't matter," but for a lot of folks that's just not true. People can say a bed is a bed, but when you're used to suites, a standard room is a noticeable step down and it affects how much you enjoy the experience.I wish you well.