Going For The Royal

[Vman96]

I'm sure everyone here would know what I'd do.

But if you're going to deviate from optimal strategy to increase your entertainment, this is probably one of the better changes to make.

And JoB at Beau? What about Bonus? In a lot of places with poorer paytables, I'd choose Bonus over JoB.

[billryan]

Sure, it's fun to break bones but it's the healing that sucks. Sure it's fun going for the royal when the math says not to but it's the drain on your wallet that sucks.

Break my own bones? No thanks. Thats just silly.

[pokerpokerpoker]

I've always wondered about this.

I usually only play short sessions for (often) dollars at high variance games. And, I play till either: I bust out, hit a jackpot, or make a tidy profit by a good run of quads - this is probably similar to most "recreational" players.

Anyhow, the other day I was playing $2 BDLX and was dealt Kc,Kh, Qc, Jc, 5d. The proper play is the pair of kings, which I made. The ace and 10 of clubs came on the draw. An $8000 royal shot was missed. Now I know that the RNG is always spinning and I wouldn't have likely gotten the royal by holding the 3 high clubs, but Damn, how many royals have I missed out on over the years by not "going for it"?

The few cents the error costs equals what? Maybe an extra hand or two worth of credits at the end of session? A hand or two that will likely lose as well?

I always play proper strategy, but this makes me wonder.

[case]

My opinion is if you know the right holds, you make them. Saying it is ok to go against the right hold because you are only there for 3 days makes no sense. Why not go against proper strategy when you are playing in Florida? What is the difference?

However it is your money so do what makes you happy.

[FloridaPhil]

Here's my thinking on this. If you are going to play 96% VP games you are eventually going to pay to play regardless of what you do. If you play quarter VP, at least you hold the cost to an acceptable level. I am sure there are some forum members who will say any amount is unacceptable. That's a good thought. If you truly believe it, don't play negative VP games.

This doesn't mean you throw out the software and play any way you want. It means you take on more risk in certain situations. Some people call these "special plays". If you hit one of these, it's tempting to believe you discovered a loop hole in the math. Not true, you just got lucky. I proposed this to one of our experts once on this forum. He said you can't base a winning strategy on luck. He is right. However, playing 96% VP is not a winning strategy to begin with.

I see no problem with these plays as long as you are willing to accept the cost and the risk. Some are more costly than others. My wife's intentional Deuces Wild "errors" have paid off for her. At 3-4 cents an error, I think she's safe even if it didn't. Twenty something cents a hand out of a $1.25 bet is a lot to gamble on luck over time. I'm not sure that risk is worth the cost unless the royal pays a lot more than $1,000.

These are the kinds of things I would like us to talk about on the Recreational Forum. Recreational players have questions that don't all have one word answers or need math formulas to explain them. Part of the fun of Recreational VP is discussing alternative thinking. Players are thinking these things. This Forum should help them with the process.

[FAA]

Never heard saying. Zero fun breaking bones. 20c sounds a lot like 99.54%, loooong term. In the meantime, pure losing.

[Tedlark]

All kidding aside, good luck to both you and your wife on your trip to Biloxi.

[FloridaPhil]

All kidding aside, good luck to both you and your wife on your trip to Biloxi.

Thanks. We always have a good time in Biloxi even when we don't win money. Of course it's a better trip when we do.

[Chicagoan]

I agree with the theory that over the long term it's a dumb idea, but for the occasional player -- why not? Especially with those crappy pay tables, go for the jackpot. Which raises the question: why play on such bad pay tables? I have advised you before to get out of the Beau and find a casino with, if not decent, at least better pay tables.

Also, on premium hand games, such a TDB or Max Action, I always throw all of the rules away and go for the potential high paying result. I doubt if I would do it for JOB, however.

[FAA]

Beau makes it quite worth their while. I'd be there with bells on too.