2014 Changes in Play

[FloridaPhil]

Sounds interesting. I have questions about your strategy.  Do you start out playing single coin quarters and up the coin bet?  What do you mean by units?   Thanks!

[olds442jetaway]

Hi Phil. Yes I start with single coin quarters and stay there until I have 6 consecutive dud hands. That usually doesn't take too long. I don't count even money hands as duds. I just ignore them and resume the count. Anytime I get more than my money back on a bet, I start the count over. Lets's say I am now at 8 units which means I have 6 straight dud hands 7 times to get to this level. Even if I get something small like a straight after a few more dud hands,I still start my count over like this...bet 8,hit dud...bet 8 hit dud..bet 8 hit dud...bet 8 hit dud...bet 8 hit dud...bet 8 hit dud...My next bet is then 9 units or quarters. Also any time I hit enough small hands to make my total credits more than what I started with, I go back to one unit. What you are hoping for of course is to hit some 5 of a kinds, straight flushes, wild royals, and the ultimate deuces quads. I don't even think about the real Royal because I almost never get one on a single line game. On my game the other day, when I hit the quads at 24, that means I had 6 straight duds at least 23 times. It was really more that that because a few times, I hit small stuff which brought my total back to my 1200 credit starting point or 300-. If I make 40 bucks or so on a machine without getting the quads, I usually cash out and take a break then start over with 1 unit on another machine. This is the opposite of how most people play, but I know in the long run I can win with fewer big hits than other methods. Once in a while, I lose the entire 300-, them I cut my losses for the day. I haven't been playing this exact way long enough to see if it will work ok in the long run, but so far for 2014, I haven't been wiped out yet. Good luck on future trips.

[FloridaPhil]

Wow.  Seems pretty complex...

[BillyJoe]

Wow.  Seems pretty complex...
Yeah. Easier to just hit Max Bet, and hope for quads..

[FloridaPhil]

Well, everyone likes the game for a different reason.  I want to extend my play as long as possible and still have a chance at a $1 jackpot once in a while.  I think throwing in $20 at max coin dollars once an hour would do just as well as my strategy, but it's not as much fun if it works.  Part of the fun is thinking up some way to beat the machine and as humans we think the more complex the better. I like the old lady's system on holding threes only my favorite number is an "ace". 

[olds442jetaway]

Just back from another trip and I was lucky enough to catch the Deuces with 22 quarters in this time and a hundred under a hand pay. This one was a real marathon. Only one wild royal in 10 hours of play. Caught only a few sf and 5of a kind, but lots of other quads kept me hanging in there. I was getting low on my original stake though when they hit. This time I was dealt 3. I was only dealt 3 deuces twice in about 6,000 hands today. No Royal of course nor did I expect one. Now up to 306,000 hands without one. The mistake I made near the end of my play was trying a dollar machine on the same game. Gave back the profit in short order. We all know how that goes. I also kept track of quads without deuces. There were only 3 in all those hands!!!!! and one sf without deuces. Glad this was not a job game!!!

[olds442jetaway]

Wow.  Seems pretty complex...

    Hi gang. I gave you the short version too. I left out other calculations I do in the sequences involving Fibonacci numbers, reductions in how many units I am betting based on the size of the hit etc. Didn't want to bore anybody too much or more than usual lol...I do all of this stuff in my head as I am playing. The only downside is it limits chit chat with other players next to me, but that is when I make mistakes anyway if I am not careful. Hey...I have to do something to keep Alzheimer's away. That is how I justify playing vp... and research shows this kind of stuff, playing cards, etc. can help.

[FloridaPhil]

It looks like the new strategy paid off for me.  No more short coin when one hit can make your whole year.  Lesson learned.... 

[BillyJoe]

It looks like the new strategy paid off for me.  No more short coin when one hit can make your whole year.  Lesson learned.... 
Best to have Max Bet in when that elusive premium hand comes along, regardless of what denom you choose to play. Let's face it - they just don't come around that often.

[olds442jetaway]

Speaking of a change in strategy, I am seriously considering a switch back to craps and vp maybe only 10% of my play. Just can't seem to stay anywhere near even on vp. Craps offers 10x or more free odds and your return in the long run can be nearly 100% if played correctly. I really hate to switch, so maybe I will just split my time evenly for now and see what happens. I played craps regularly many years ago and never suffered losses like the last 5 years of vp. I don't have to worry about rng programs etc. like we have all been discussing. As long as the dice are not fixed, the long term loss should be very minimal. What I may do is on an up day on craps, pocket 1/2 and play vp for enjoyment with the other 1/2 and hope for a premium hand. There is no question that vp is more enjoyable and you don't have to interact with gross and loser patrons if you don't want to. Anyway, we'll see what happens and best of luck to all for 2014.