CS Basics

[FloridaPhil]

Short term...long term.  What does that mean?   How long does it take before math overcomes chance?  One royal cycle of 40,000 hands?  Two cyles, five ten,100,1000?  Assuming your bet is the same, better odds let you play more hands for your money    Of that there is no doubt.  If you earn 125 coins for a wild royal on one game and 100 coins on another, every wild royal on the better game gives you 5 more hands for the same price.  This is the advantage of playing better games.  More chances should equal more jackpots.  The fly in the ointment is there no counter in the machine that says it must produce a jackpot for you.    The machine doesn't say "Here comes Fred, he's played 39,000 hands so far.  Time to give him a Royal!"When the royal jackpot is worth 1-2% of your entire return, hitting them on time is essential to making a profit.  How many slot machine players have camped in front of a machine believing the game was going to pay off if they just kept playing?   Will it?  What math can force a completely random RNG chip to perfectly align?   Can you ever play long enough for math to take over your results?To a Intelligent Player, VP math is useful.   Playing better games produces better results.  Working comp programs to the max is free money for the taking.  All of these things can make you a profit.   None of them guarantee it. An AP or "Advantage Player" is still a gambler.   Their knowledge and skill is superior to ours.  They know where the opportunities are and they play when they have an advantage.  They are still in the risk business with NO guarantees.  My advice is to use VP math to your advantage, but don't count on it.  Play short term.  Consider walking out when you are ahead.  Play big enough to make the game enjoyable, but not so big you regret your decisions.  The casino will be there tomorrow.

[FAA]

Or in my case, running out. I'd love a marathon session, but it will likely cost me dearly. CET strongly incentivized one this month by doubling TCs. So I'll clear my schedule one day. It seems that switching games continues the groove after a premium hand, so I'm anxious to experiment there. I'm running hot lately. Just waiting on the big one. Too cold for an ocean dip afterwards. I'll just fling my card into the it. It should be a healthy catharsis.

[Tedlark]

Phil in your first sentence I think you may have it reversed. You wrote: How long does it take before math overcomes chance?

In video poker shouldn't it be: How long does it take before chance overcomes math?

[Jstark]

...When I play VP my goal each and every day is to walk out with at least as much as I came in with...
The ONLY way that will happen is to never enter the casino in the first place.

P.S. There are plenty of +EV situations in your beloved HR Tampa.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=Jstark]There are plenty of +EV situations in your beloved HR Tampa.[/quote]You're joking.  What are they?

[FAA]

Stop the presses! Any +EV in AC? Asking for a friend.

[FloridaPhil]

I am certain positive EV video poker games exist somewhere.   The only mathematically positive EV Video Poker game I have personally ever seen was a quarter full pay deuces wild game at the Red Rock in Las Vegas.  The best game I have ever seen in Florida was triple play 9/6 Jacks in dollars (99.554%).  That game was recently downgraded to 8/5.  If there are any positive EV video poker games at the Tampa Hard Rock, I would play them.   Florida casinos do not offer cash back.  Their comps can only be used for in house credit.  There are only so many T-shirts you can buy and so many lunches and dinners you can eat.   I suppose I could sell the T-shirts on EBay, but I would need to sell a ton of them to turn the game positive.  Anyone want to buy a Hard Rock T-Shirt?  They're on sale today for $5,000.   

[onemoretry]

Consider walking out when you are ahead. 
This approach always mystifies me. You walk out - and then what?   Never play again?

[FAA]

Not exactly. But you avoid a give back day. If we always leave ahead, that W/L statement will be clean. Year of decent jackpot chasing in the bargain. Pretty good deal.

[onemoretry]

But you avoid a give back day Another oft- used expression (not just here) that I don't understand. We don't "give back" anything.

When we walk into a casino and play, we are not "giving" them our money, we are playing for entertainment. If we are fortunate enough to be ahead at some point in the day and continue to play, we are not "giving" it back - we are simply playing some more - for entertainment, and the hope for more positive results.