Pay Tables

[spxChrome]

Does not matter, we are all short-term players every time we start a new session. That's why pb% is not important imo. You could win $20,000 on a 7/5 machine and loose $20,000 on a 10/7 machine.

[FloridaPhil]

How true...  I only wish I had known that when I started playing video poker years ago.   That's the problem with video poker books and experts, they don't tell the whole story and people get the idea you are guaranteed to be a winner if you play 100% plus machines.  Skill and odds are important, but LUCK is always a factor. 

[EDC1977]

Very true Phil. even if you make few mistakes playing on a 99% or better paytable, one has to have luck to help them connect on the bigger hits.

[FloridaPhil]

I'm sure that over a hundred million lifetimes of play the numbers would show themselves.  Some people win playing goofy systems (like me) and some people lose playing nearly perfectly.  Dancer type strategies are the best we have, but even he would admit they don't always work if you have stinky luck.  Just read some of the posts on this forum and you will see good players without a Royal in hundreds of thousands of hands. 

[chattycattty]

If you have stinky luck you are not going to win regardless of the system that you use.

[FloridaPhil]

"If you have stinky luck you are not going to win regardless of the system that you use!"
This should be written on the wall of every casino in the world! 

[BobDancer]

If you have stinky luck you are not going to win regardless of the system that you use.You are mixing apples and oranges here. "Stinky luck" is determined AFTER the fact, as in, "I didn't win today because I couldn't buy a hand. I had really stinky luck." That is a description of what already happened and says nothing about what will happen tomorrow or over the next hundred hours of play. If you use stinky luck as a term that describes what already happened, then it's tautologically correct that you can't win if you have stinky luck. But it's also a worthless observation. Proper strategy is determined BEFORE you play --- and this includes pay schedules, slot club benefits, promotions, etc. You CAN be in control of what are your minimum playable standards. If you play appropriately, you will win over the course of a year or more. There will be winning sessions along the way and losing sessions along the way, but if you refuse to play when you don't have the advantage, eventually you will prosper.You CANNOT be in control of what's going to happen over the next hour of play. A lot of the people on this forum dwell on daily scores --- or how long it's been since they blah blah blah. The better players know that daily scores don't matter very much and don't worry about them.Bob

[chattycattty]

Bob, for the most part I agree with you. I was responding to Florida Phil's post above mine. I think you have to admit that even you have had days were you play a machine with optimum pay tables and make all the right moves but the premium hands just to not occur often enough that day for whatever reason.

If you read through the context of the thread, Phil has his own system that he enjoys playing. I have never read one of your books but I have read Linda Boyd's book and Jean Scott's book. So my system that I play with is based more on what I learned from reading their books, countless hours of practice and many years of play at the casino.

The point that I was making expanding on Phil's expression of "stinky luck" was that if you are having one of those days or sessions, no matter what you do it ain't going to happen for you. So my comments were not made in regards to the long run.

[FloridaPhil]

I believe the numbers are close but aren't 100% infallible.   There are some people who win at video Poker with nothing more than good luck and some people who lose with everything perfect.  It may be a very small percentage, but it does happen.  I agree that finding good games, playing perfectly and having an unlimited budget is the best strategy.  My problem is it gives players the idea that anyone can beat this game, when this just isn't true.  Hitting Royals is the key to long term profits and that's mostly luck.  If it doesn't happen enough for you, you will lose...   

[joechgo]

I think many of the posters are arguing just to argue.I believe that Bob's point is to avoid the bad paytables, and play the good ones.  Who can argue with that?