Defensive Video Poker Tactics

[FloridaPhil]

I took me a while to learn this, so I thought I would share it.   If you are going to play defensively, make that decision from the very start of the day.  Never play max coins, lose money then use the Cheap Strategy in an attempt to conserve your daily bankroll.  The whole idea of defensive play is to keep you from digging a financial hole in the first place.  If you want to play max coins at some time during the day, better to do it when you're ahead instead of the other way around.  Using the Cheap Strategy has the effect of reducing your losses, but the chances of hitting a max coin jackpot are obviously less than 100% max coin play.   It's true that it also increases the number of hands you can play giving you additional chances at a max coin jackpot, but it's not a good strategy to recoup big loses (what is?).I always start out with the idea that I'm going to play cheap all day and wait to see how the day is going.   I hold my max coin money back for the times when I have a financial advantage.  Some days I never switch to 100% max coins and other times I switch and stay there for quite a while.  Most players only play short coin when they're losing.  I use the opposite strategy.

[KingofAmerica]

Not criticizing anyone else, I just personally prefer to gamble for the bigger win than just grind away for hours winning (or losing) little. I only get pleasure from a big win. If I just want to play the game for the sake of playing, I might as well just play on this website for no money.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=KingofAmerica]I only get pleasure from a big win.[/quote]You are not alone in this.  Casinos sell dreams and dreams are not made up of small wins.  I totally understand why most players wouldn't want to play like I do. I play a minimum of one day a week every week for at least 6 hours a day.  Many weeks I will sit in front of a video poker machine for 2-3 days at a time.  In order to sustain these losses, I would need a huge bankroll.   I don't play Cheap because I don't have the bankroll.  I play Cheap because the odds are so stacked against me that it's not worth the investment.  Personally, I play video poker for recreation and small wins with smaller losses is what makes me happy.   Others may have different opinions and I'm OK with that. 

[jlynnm5]

not sure i agree with all that... i would suggest not playing bonus games and stick to single line jacks or better for the best return if you are playing to earn comps etc...

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=jlynm5]not sure i agree with all that... i would suggest not playing bonus
games and stick to single line jacks or better for the best return if
you are playing to earn comps etc...[/quote]Good advice for anyone playing for comps.  Unfortunately, the comps offered by Florida casinos are practically worthless.   I get my share of comped rooms and free food, but it's not worth enough to offset the losses required to earn them.  There are a growing number of video poker players that are seeing the
return on these games diminish in recent years.  Some are wondering of the
games are rigged.  I believe it's mainly due to the increased
popularity of high variance games like DDB, TDB & STP
and the across the board decrease in odds.  Defensive video poker
tactics are a way to combat the negative affects of these changes on your
bankroll.Video poker players have very diverse goals and desires.  It is hard to make a global statement about video poker play that is true for all cases and scenarios.  My goal is to play for an entire day with a relatively small bankroll while retaining the chance of a max coin jackpot.  Like most players in this country, I don't have access to anything even close to a 100% game even with comps.  The Cheap Strategy outlined in my website is there for anyone who wants to read about it.  It works for me, but others may not care for it.  Some forum members think it's total garbage.  I've even been told that I should be arrested for telling people to play this way.  I'm sure this was hyperbole, but you get the idea.  I lost an average of $10-15K a year by betting max coin traditional strategy before switching to my Cheap Strategy.    In case you're wondering if I'm just a lousy player, I training extensively with VPW and can play error free for hours at the advance level.  My bankroll has grown significantly since switching and I am slightly ahead so far this year.  Even if I lose a couple of bucks this year, I will have $10-15K more money to spend than I did when I played the way most everyone else does. I think everyone should play they way they want.  I'm only posting this information for those who find it useful.

[FAA]

I always start out with the idea that I'm going to play cheap all day and
wait to see how the day is going. I hold my max coin money back for
the times when I have a financial advantage.  Some days I never switch
to 100% max coins and other times I switch and stay there for quite a
while.  Most players only play short coin when they're losing. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------100%. It's a no brainer to deescalate when you have already been taken to the cleaners. If you want to sustain your day and can tolerate an hour or two of token wins, start slow. I sure as hell don't want to be forced into tourist mode an hour after arriving in town, another glum loser aimlessly strolling the boardwalk wondering what just happened.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=FAA]I sure as hell don't want to be forced into tourist mode an hour after
arriving in town, another glum loser aimlessly strolling the boardwalk
wondering what just happened.[/quote]Very well stated.  Paints a great picture of the average casino patron.  

[FAA]

I can't even enjoy the city after a traumatic casino experience. I just shuffle around like a zombie. The only solution is to save the "free" play at killer casino until the very end of the day, when the time crunch gets me out even if I feel the urge. That free play is like the dope dealer's free sample!  

[ko king]

[quote=jlynm5]not sure i agree with all that... i would suggest not playing bonus games and stick to single line jacks or better for the best return if you are playing to earn comps etc...Good advice for anyone playing for comps.  Unfortunately, the comps offered by Florida casinos are practically worthless.   I get my share of comped rooms and free food, but it's not worth enough to offset the losses required to earn them. 

There are a growing number of video poker players that are seeing the return on these games diminish in recent years.  Some are wondering of the games are rigged.  I believe it's mainly due to the increased popularity of high variance games like DDB, TDB & STP and the across the board decrease in odds.  Defensive video poker tactics are a way to combat the negative affects of these changes on your bankroll.

Video poker players have very diverse goals and desires.  It is hard to make a global statement about video poker play that is true for all cases and scenarios.  My goal is to play for an entire day with a relatively small bankroll while retaining the chance of a max coin jackpot.  Like most players in this country, I don't have access to anything even close to a 100% game even with comps.  The Cheap Strategy outlined in my website is there for anyone who wants to read about it.  It works for me, but others may not care for it.  Some forum members think it's total garbage.  I've even been told that I should be arrested for telling people to play this way.  I'm sure this was hyperbole, but you get the idea. 

I lost an average of $10-15K a year by betting max coin traditional strategy before switching to my Cheap Strategy.    In case you're wondering if I'm just a lousy player, I training extensively with VPW and can play error free for hours at the advance level.  My bankroll has grown significantly since switching and I am slightly ahead so far this year.  Even if I lose a couple of bucks this year, I will have $10-15K more money to spend than I did when I played the way most everyone else does. I think everyone should play they way they want.  I'm only posting this information for those who find it useful.


[/QUOTE]

 
I played $2 denomination 9/6 DDB and 9/6 TDB for 15-16 years running at one casino, my losses stayed in the comfort zone for me. I only finished ahead for 1 of those 15 years and it was just over $6K profit for the year. December was almost always a killer month for me because I had so much free time on my hands, no work going on and it was too cold to play golf. During those 15 years there was 3 years I was slightly ahead at the end of November and December cost me a bunch so I ended up losing between $4-6K for those years. During those 15 years nothing really drastic happened, there was some wild swings at times but the good and bad pretty much balanced itself out, I really didn't think too much about it either way. I was very comfortable playing and thought I had a pretty good understanding of the game. No question I lost plenty of money overall during those 15 years of play but it was right in line with the advertised pay tables 9/6 with a payback percentage of 98.98%, nothing I had right or reason to complain about because I knew that before I ever started playing the game. Back then I could justify that type of loss because the casino gave me so much in the form of comps, free room anytime I wanted one, I could get free tickets to any show I wanted, all the free meals, free gifts and plenty of trips. They treated me very well and I got the opportunity to take some very nice vacations(airfare included) with my wife. I know and understand that I was really paying for all the free stuff but it actually balanced out when I put it to a pen, the numbers were very respectable. The wheels didn't really fall off the bus until 4-5 years ago and pay tables weren't an issue, they were still 9/6 or 98.98% payback percentage. I said this before and I'll say it again, the first thing players began to notice was the slots, they turned nasty, the music stopped playing and players started to mumble and grumble, I was one of them because I used to play slots myself. The casino was still packed but you could walk the floor and not see a single jackpot, the high roller room soon became empty, only the brave would occasionally wander in to the empty room to test their luck. People talk and the complaints grew louder, the casino even put in a system that would flash lights and play loud jackpot music all over the casino floor so people could see that someone somwhere had actually hit a jackpot. The crowds thinned and the parking lot of the casino was a little emptier every time I went., The casino began to cut back on comps, they laid off employees and the overall mood was pretty foul, what was once fun and exciting got ugly. I quit playing slots, wouldn't touch the one arm bandits, stuck to playing only vp and thought I was safe. It didn't take long for me start noticing the quad aces weren't popping like they used too, what happened to the quad 2's,3's and 4's that kept me going all those years. Video poker players began to communicate with others, they were taking a licking just like me, it wasn't just me, the cost of playing had increased and my losses became almost steady and predictable. I didn't just dream all this up, it actaully happened to me. Now did something really change, you better believe it did in my case and I don't have the money to prove it, judging from the fact that the vp machines were empty most of the time I'm guessing other players were in the same boat as me. DDB and TDB wasn't just invented a few years back, it's been there as long as I have played and the pay tables weren't an issue. I don't have a real clue as to what the case really is but it has sure sent me to jumping around trying to make sense of it all, I quit playing $2 and $5 denomination completely, only play $1 denomination now, the hits still aren't coming. I'm at the point where I'm going to switch to .25 denom or start playing like you, if that doesn't work I guess I'll end up like so many others in this area and just walk away.

[FAA]

Go quarters and cut your losses 75% immediately over the same time span! Definition of insanity is repeating actions expecting a different result. We do enough of that playing VP as it is.