This debate will never be solved

[olds442jetaway]

     Are vp machines set to pay out more premium hands with just 1 or 2 coins bet? I really don't know, but I have seen more than my fair share of big hands with almost nothing bet. I also know someone who is ahead about one percent or so for the last 5 years of playing and he always bets only 1 coin which is usually a quarter.
     My most recent example of playing today was particularly frustrating and of my own doing. I had an overnight Marathon session at Mohegan Sun with a short break this morning and and then several more hours of play. I estimate 7 or 8 thousand hands were played. Most were with 5 quarters in, some at 10,15, or even 25. I eventually busted the budget for the day, but this is how it happened. Starting with job, I played for hours at the above levels and didn't even hit a quad. Nearly broke for the day, I bet the last few coins at 1 unit, and of course hit a straight flush and a quad in 2 minutes with one coin bet on each.   
     I switched machines and games to Joker Kings and played 5 for some time. Hitting again almost nothing and just 10 coins left, I lowered the bet to 1 unit. The very next hand was a dealt 5 of a kind which I have only hit one other time lifetime.
     Now having a fresh fifty bucks to bet, I switched games and machines again to a game I rarely play, but is one of Billy Joe's favorites. Tripple double bonus. The paytable was decent at 9/6. I actually made the fifty bucks last somehow about 45 minutes betting 5 or 10 quarters. I never hit a quad, but hit quite a few full houses which kept me going. It eventually went into the dreaded down cycle for about 30 straight hands and I only had 2 coins left. I bet those and bang...4 fours with an Ace. That was good for a couple of hundred bucks which was split between Double Down Stud Deuces Wild and regular Deuces Wild draw poker. The casino eventually got it all and all of these remaining games were played at bet 5 or 10.
     I know there is a lesson to be learned here, I just find the hits of premium hands with one or two coins bet either an amazing coincidence, or something fishy in the program. I will never know for sure I am afraid, but will not make the bet change mistake again.

[FloridaPhil]

This subject is fun to talk about. As you know, I play single coin about 90% of the time.  I have never seen a positive expectation video poker machine, so this works for me.   Personally, I think current  video poker machines pay better with single coin than max coins.   I also think $5 machines pay better than $1 machines.  This is why I choose to play single coin $5 machines instead of max coin $1s.   I know this is mathematically incorrect and that someday I will hit a Royal for $1,250 instead of $4K, but I have so much confidence in single coin play that I'm not concerned.  I'll just take the cash and walk away smiling.   All of this makes no sense and can't be explained.  I'm just reporting what happens in my world.  If you are a conspiracy bug, you could assume the machines are rigged. I don't know what's going on, I just react to the conditions as I see them. 
 

[olds442jetaway]

Here Here Phil and since every action deserves an " equal and opposite reaction ", I should expect and have seen many more hits at the one coin level which gives me more chances to max bet my next play which would be the opposite reaction. I will have to start giving the Phil method at least 4 hours to work instead of the one or two I currently allow. Going home with most of my money too most of the time and even once in awhile a bankroll the money clip won't fit on wouldn't bee so bad either. . Gets kinda old having the empty money clip jingling around your pocket with other loose change. Going home even and enjoying the comps is not a bad way to look at things. Just wish the nun was there to crack my knuckles if I stray too early from the " Phil Method ". . As soon as I recover from the last few trips, I may just try it on dollars and if successful, the scary High Limit room at 5.

[DrawingDead]

I have more success playing max bet on $1's putting in a 20 dollar bill. No idea why. My thinking is different than most VP players I am sure.I just go with what works for me.

[olds442jetaway]

I have noticed that walking up to a machine more often than not produces a win on the first or second hand which makes sense with your method. Some night soon, I may try this on a couple of hundred different machines just to see what happens. I probably won't even put my card in playing like that in case there is something to it. The universe is a strange place. Something can work for years for some people and rarely if ever work for others. It is fun though to try new stuff and see how it goes.

[FloridaPhil]

I tried the walking around thing last week.   I converted all my money into 20s and walked around playing single coin progressive on every machine in the casino.  It was actually fun and I got some exercise for a change.  The results?  I hit one $200 quad deuce and cashed 3-4 other small tickets and went home about even.    It is possible to have a losing day playing the cheap strategy, but with discipline you can have fun and walk out with some money left most of the time.  Recreational players have a limited bankroll, so we often bust before we see the good hands.  The casino is counting on this happening.  They are also counting on us giving them back our winnings.   It's a trap, but it feels so good when we're doing it and so bad when they clean us out.  
 

[DrawingDead]

I put in 20 bucks one day on a $2 machine. DDB. That is only two max bets. Second hand I hit 4 deuces with a kicker for $1600.

[FloridaPhil]

How about this? In 2008 when I first started playing $5 machines, I walked into the high limit room at the Tampa Hard Rock.  I put $100 in the machine and selected DDB at max coins.  I knew I only had 4 chances for a straight, full house or anything that I could cash out.   Two hands in I hit a small 4-of-a-kind for $1,250.   The machine locked up and the girl came over to pay me and get my W2G info. I cashed out and went back to playing quarters.  The very next week I went back to the high limit room and hit another one for $1,250 within 4 hands.  The same slot girl came over and said "Haven't I seen you before"?  I smiled, said yes, took the money and walked out.  Two weeks later I had my $14,000 day at the Beau Rivage in Biloxi.  2008 was an incredible year for me and video poker.  Good thing, as the real estate business went in the dumper.  We lived off my VP winnings for quite a while that year. 

[KingofAmerica]

I know a lot of people will disagree, but I personally feel there is no difference in hit frequency based on denomination or single-coins versus full coin. People's observations to the contrary are anecdotal statistical noise. It's all random results from a 52-card deck.

[DougJ]

I don't think the VP machine "knows" if you are betting single coin or not.

I also don't think the machine knows what denomination is selected UNLESS the machine has a different chip for different denominations on the same machine. What I mean is: at a locals casino in Vegas where I often play, the deck of cards is different for 25 cents versus $1. Before I play a machine, I check the last hand played on quarters versus dollars on, for example, DW, and the cards displayed are different.

At most casinos, I noticed there is no difference in cards dealt on a particular game, regardless of whether I select quarters or dollars.