CS Revisited

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=case]I have heard you say this more than once but I don't agree. I have found
(in Vegas) many of the full pay machines are at the quarter level. AT
some casinos like Bolder Station they even have full pay at nickle,
dime, quarter and fifty cent.[/quote]I am aware that positive low denomination games exist in Vegas.  I have never seen one, but I haven't looked that hard.  My wife and I are planning a trip there this fall.  Positive games on the east coast are extremely rare and if they exist at all they do at higher denominations and need to be combined with usable comps to make the grade.  I think this whole video poker strategy discussion is really about personal tolerance.   When you play this game, loses on a daily basis are inevitable.  If you are like me and a big loss throws you into a dizzy spell, you want to do something to stop the pain and CS does this. There was a good reason I did well with CS over that period of time.  I was totally committed to it and rarely wavered from it.   I played a huge number of hands, often 5,000 hands a day or more and many times I would keep at it for days at a time.  My biggest problem was my hands would cramp up.  I limited my loses by playing super cheap.  Because I played so much, I would occasionally hit a good max coin jackpot and recover my loses.  This took a lot of patience, but after two years I was slightly ahead.  Considering the odds were in the 95-96% range, I think I did pretty well.  Even if I had lost money, I'm fairly certain I would have lost a lot less with CS than playing max coins the whole time. I have a week long video poker vacation coming up next week.  I had a really bad day this week so I'm torn between playing max coins and going for it or sitting back and playing CS.  If I chose the first option and double down on my loss, I will be very unhappy.  If I hit a royal or a bunch of quad deuces, It will bring me out of my current slump.  If I chose CS, I know I'll cap my loses, but I'll probably hit two natural royals and be mad at myself for the next six months.  It never ends...

[FAA]

Absolutely fantastic past CS results on the dreck games available to you. I came out ahead $49 in 2015 and I mostly had the cushy benefit of 99.54% games. Why come home a loser when you can ride it out with CS for most hands?

[FloridaPhil]

I am not saying CS is a guarantee you can beat a 96% or any video poker game long term. What CS does is limit your loses so you can keep more of your max coin wins if and when they occur.   If you're always in a deep hole, it is very hard to dig yourself out.  Jumping out of a puddle is much easier.  Even if you don't win long term your loses will be less overall with CS.   Playing negative games costs money and the bigger you bet the more you lose.

[wildman49]

I played CS for 15 months and loved it. Late last year went back to max betting and am holding my own. I do not do well with the bad days going home bust. It's hard to get used to going home up $1200 then losing $700  the next trip. Some people might handle it well I am not one of them. With the CS play you never get them swings and its much more fun playing. I would play 8 to 10 hours on CS. Now its 3 to 4 hours at max betting. At some point in my lifetime I will be back playing CS for sure. For now while my bankroll is holding up well max betting is in for me.

[FloridaPhil]

Thanks for the comment.  CS is not about winning more or less long term, It's about extending play, limiting losses and cutting bankroll fluctuations.   If you think these things add to the enjoyment of the game, you should feel OK with using it.CS is not a threat to anyone.  How can providing players with a way to lose less money playing negative games be dangerous?   I have never understood why some people get so worked up about something so harmless.  I do believe if every video poker player in America suddenly switched to quarter CS, the casinos would pull video poker off the casino floor or lock the bet button on max coins.  This may be coming, but for now you are welcomed to play just like everyone else.

[olds442jetaway]

     Just an idea Phil. I have had a really bad run too the last several sessions. Why not try CS, but start with 5 quarters in case you hit the Royal. On my next outing in an attempt to recoup somewhat, I am going to try the same thing, but on a hit of 4 or more, I am going to bet 10 quarters twice instead of 25 once. I am finding that I am missing a lot of good hands because they come in every other hand. Just a thought. It won't cost any more than betting 25 once. I hope you can find a 98.91 machine to try this on. I am still saving that Double Bonus Deuces Wild Multi Strike machine for you. I recently hit a low number 5 or a kind on it on the top line for nickels and quad deuces on the third line. The Mrs. hit a Royal on it last year on the top line. All of our good hits have been on nickels, but it does have a quarter and dollar option. Of course, you can in the interim play it on the site here for free. The paytable is the same here as up at Mohegan. Not bad at I think the 98% range if I remember. I don't play CS on this machine, but guess you could. I prefer CS on single line games.

[FloridaPhil]

I've tried a bunch of similar tactics.  As you know, it's impossible to predict just when a jackpot will occur.  I honestly don't think you can use past results to predict future hands.  One of the most misunderstood things about CS is the idea that the four coin win to max coin switch is an attempt to capitalize on this prediction.  This is totally false.  The timing of the switch is only a convenient way to play max coins randomly along with the game.  If you play max coins 8-10% of the time, eventually you will hit a max coin jackpot.  Because you have limited your losses along the way, these max coin  jackpots have significant value.   CS is a low cost high variance video poker game that can be enjoyed with a very low budget.    Hardly anyone has the skill, opportunities and bankroll that it takes to be a long term video poker winner.   We consistently ignore that fact and pay the price for believing we can overcome it with strategy alone.  In my view it's better to face up to the facts and adjust your play accordingly.

[Lionqueen]

If I still have money I put $100 in my favorite Triple Play dollar machine on my way out of the casino. On Friday I did the same and played $30 each on TDB, DDB and Deuces. I was down to $10 so was not playing max bet and hit 4 aces for $320. I went back to max bet and immediately hit a Royal Flush for $4,000. If I had cashed out that $10 because I couldn't play max.......   The only time I play less than max is in cases like this but I have been saved more than once this way. If you have the bankroll you certainly choose Mr. Dancers way however he should understand not everyone has that but still want to play a game they love or not miss a fun night out with friends (quarters is the lowest denomination our casino offers).   If hitting a good hand on a lower bet enables you to increase your bet then I totally understand your logic however I would never use the CS unless it was my last hand. If your money is almost gone and your gambling buddies aren't ready to leave you don't have much of a choice - it's better than switching to nickel Keno.

This forum is about discussion and I enjoy hearing everyone's views even if I don't agree. I consider Bob Dancer the expert and I learned how to play from his software and articles but being human there are some hands I play differently and if it costs me in the end I hear him saying 'I told you so dummy'.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=Lionqueen] If your money is almost gone and your gambling buddies aren't ready to
leave you don't have much of a choice - it's better than switching to
nickel Keno.[/quote]Personally, I like to start with CS and move to max coins when I'm having a good day rather than wait until I've run out of money.   If you play CS only when you're almost broke, you're practically guaranteed to hit a $62.50 royal flush.  I think everyone's opinion is valuable even if I don't agree with them.  You can learn a lot from the experts, but you shouldn't be intimidated just because you don't subscribe to everything they say and do.   If someone decides to gamble $50,000 a week hoping for a royal flush, are you wrong because you don't agree with their decision?   I try to keep everything in it's right perspective and do what's right for me and my family.  I seem to be a lot happier that way...I don't think there is a right or wrong way to play video poker.  In my world, video poker is only a game.  My wife only plays max coins.  She limits her loses by playing only on vacation.  If she's losing, she heads for the mall.   If you add up everything I spend on video poker and compare it with my wife's shopping bills, I'm probably ahead.   The difference is she has something tangible to show for her money and I only have memories.

[billryan]

So you think casinos would pull vp off the floor if everyone played it at well below the optimum strategy.
Seriously? What's next, telling us casinos fear martingale players? You take a game where you are already at a disadvantage, add to the disadvantage and think you've found a game killing strategy.





Thanks for the comment.  CS is not about winning more or less long term, It's about extending play, limiting losses and cutting bankroll fluctuations.   If you think these things add to the enjoyment of the game, you should feel OK with using it.CS is not a threat to anyone.  How can providing players with a way to lose less money playing negative games be dangerous?   I have never understood why some people get so worked up about something so harmless.  I do believe if every video poker player in America suddenly switched to quarter CS, the casinos would pull video poker off the casino floor or lock the bet button on max coins.  This may be coming, but for now you are welcomed to play just like everyone else.