Bestest strategy ever from a secret pro.

[billryan]

Had the good fortune to sit next to one of the best video poker players in the world today at the Emerald Island. Man claimed he has been playing video poker since his days in Vietnam and has never had a losing year. In fact, he can't recall a losing session. He was kind enough to share some of his strategy but understandably he didn't share everything.
So first off you have to find a machine where you can alter your bets from 1-100, although 1-10 can work.
It's really simple. He likes to play NSUD so this is how he explained it. I'm sure you can adjust the betting to your game.
He bets minimum bet until he has had four non-paying hands. Then he raises his bet- but this is the kicker. If no wild card has come out during any of these losing hands, he goes to max bet and does that until a win. Then he drops down to minimum. Rinse and repeat. If you lose four hands including any with a wild card, you bet half max until you win.
I was skeptical at first, but then he told me about the beautiful house he owns in Mesquite and said he vacations in Hawaii at least five, sometimes six times a year.

[FloridaPhil]

While we are repeating ourselves, we might as well talk about discipline as well. Discipline as it relates to VP does not mean walking out of the casino at the right time. Some people claim to be long term winners by leaving the casino when they are ahead. When you stop or start playing VP has no effect on your results. Leaving when you are ahead makes you feel better, that's all. I like feeling good on my drive home. When I return, the game continues right where I left off. The game does not know if I play one hand or thousands in a day's time.

Positive computer simulations only work because all the factors are constant. If you change them as you play, the math changes as well. If you are serious about beating the casino, do everything you can to mimic the simulations that produce positive results. Everything else is based on luck. You won't be lucky all the time.

[Tedlark]

I think how individual players choose to play video poker is their business. Who are we to say how they spend their own money? I am comfortable playing quarter VP. I play 98% games because those are the only quarter games I have to play. I am satisfied with the cost to play these games.

Talking about beating the casino is a different discussion entirely. I believe there is only one way to beat the casino playing VP. If that's your goal, do what the expert says. Find a net positive VP game. Secure a bankroll equal to 5-6 times the royal. Play the game perfectly at whatever denomination makes the game positive and have the discipline to stick with that plan. If you do, in time math will make you a winner.

There is no room for errors in this strategy. No going on tilt. No pot shots. No lack of discipline. You must become a computer and play like one. Few players can do all that. That's why few players beat the casino.

Nothing will make a net negative VP game a winner. There are things you can do to reduce the cost, but you will not make a long term profit if you play those games.

Phil you are so full of crap. If you do in fact think how individual players choose to play video poker is their own business then why have you routinely pushed single coin play? Why have you pushed your CS? Why do you continue to speak of the negative aspects of even walking into a casino as if you were telling this to a bunch of newbie grade schoolers? Why do you now talk of "The One video poker expert?" Are you phrasing it this way so as not to bring BD's name into your post? Geez, give your spheel a break.

[FloridaPhil]

Ted, I don't care how you or anyone else spends their money. If someone wants to throw away $50-100K or more a year in a casino, it's none of my business. However, this forum is suppose to be a place where players can learn from the experiences of others.When we post on this forum, people who are new to the game read what we say. One of us is a proven expert. The rest of us are a bunch of old guys who like to banter about VP.

Lots of players think bet increment strategies can beat the casino. Even more believe walking out a winner is how you secure a win. If you are among those players and you have faith in what you do, I don't want to change that. You pay your money and you play the way you want.

The longer I play this game the more I realize the expert has been right all along. I want new players to know there is a cost to play today's VP games. If 2-3 people out of a million prove me wrong, I'm OK with that. If the expert would talk more about the games most people have to play, I wouldn't have to.

Before I came to this forum all that was ever talked about was advantage play. For most players, those games are gone forever. This leaves the majority of today's players guessing. Guessing costs people money. I can't make anyone a winner if they play negative video poker games. I can tell people how to reduce their cost to play them. If you already know, why don't you help someone by starting a thread of your own?

When I go to the casino I see lots of seniors. I smile because most seem to be having a good time. I also see them playing VP with no strategy, no clue and a limited bankroll. This bothers me because you don't have to be an AP to get the most out of this game. Where can someone like that go to get help when the expert tells them to play $5 games because the odds are positive?

All I have ever done on this forum is encourage people to consider VP as entertainment and gamble small. I want to help small time players like me play more hands of VP for less. If you want me to stop, you will have to get someone else to pick up the banner.

[onemoretry]

Where can someone like that go to get help when the expert tells them to play $5 games because the odds are positive?

Once again, you appear to have gone a bit off the rails. No one has told people to play $5 games.

[FAA]

I'm all for reminders to lose way less. I left one casino because their best machines are inflexible and user unfriendly. Back to nominal losses and peace of mind.

[FloridaPhil]

Once again, you appear to have gone a bit off the rails. No one has told people to play $5 games.

If 99% of today's VP is negative, we should spend 99% of our time discussing these games. Negative VP games do not have to cost a lot of money to play. My wife and I play 300,000 hands of VP a year for about $50 a week including comps. We do this by playing small, playing like the expert says and sticking to the plan. Compare that to someone who pays $50,000 or more a year to play VP? That person may think they are getting a bargain. That's not the issue. The issue is someone should give small time players the respect they deserve by providing them with space on this forum. There are a lot more of us than high rollers.

[onemoretry]

I haven't noticed any attempts to limit the space available to anyone on this site on the basis of how big or small they play.

[FloridaPhil]

The only VP I wish to discuss are the games I have access to. These are the same games all my friends play. These games are all severely negative. The experts don't talk about these games. They spend their time discussing ways to beat the casino. This is useless information to 99% of the VP players in America. Why do you think they continually do this? Because the dream of beating the casino sells books and software.

Unfortunately, it also causes players to think odds are the only thing that matters in VP. I fell into this trap for years. We played bigger to earn better odds and we lost more money. We finally realized that "coin in" is the determining factor in the cost of playing these games. Is this a huge secret? Gosh no. It's also no secret that hardly anyone beats the casino.

There is much useful information to the average small time player in advantage play strategy. If we remove the profit motive and apply it to negative games, we can help those players keep more of their money. What's wrong with that concept?

The Recreational VP forum should be more about limiting losses when playing negative games and less about making a profit. Those that wish to comment on this forum should limit themselves to constructive helpful thoughts about playing the VP games most people can play. I challenge the experts to do the same.

[billryan]

Had the good fortune to sit next to one of the best video poker players in the world today at the Emerald Island. Man claimed he has been playing video poker since his days in Vietnam and has never had a losing year. In fact, he can't recall a losing session. He was kind enough to share some of his strategy but understandably he didn't share everything.
So first off you have to find a machine where you can alter your bets from 1-100, although 1-10 can work.
It's really simple. He likes to play NSUD so this is how he explained it. I'm sure you can adjust the betting to your game.
He bets minimum bet until he has had four non-paying hands. Then he raises his bet- but this is the kicker. If no wild card has come out during any of these losing hands, he goes to max bet and does that until a win. Then he drops down to minimum. Rinse and repeat. If you lose four hands including any with a wild card, you bet half max until you win.
I was skeptical at first, but then he told me about the beautiful house he owns in Mesquite and said he vacations in Hawaii at least five, sometimes six times a year.