Playing DDB for Free?

[FloridaPhil]

I just returned from a three day trip to Biloxi and while I was there I came upon a strategy that seems to give me everything I have been looking for in a video poker game.  I’m a frequent recreational player.  I like to keep my session budgets (3-4 hours) within $300.  When I first started playing VP about 8 years ago, I would play $1 DDB and go for the big score.   Sometimes I would win big.  Most times I lost my $300 in a short time and was always tempted to go over my budget, which I did frequently.  I eventually switched to .25 games, which extended my bankroll but I missed the big jackpots so I was always taking pot shots at DDB during the day which costs me even more money.  To me, a big part of the fun is putting a $200+ ticket in the back of your wallet once in a while.  
I love to play deuces because it’s exciting and it has the 4 deuce jackpot.  The problem with deuces is that unless you get 4 deuces or a royal it’s a slow ride down with nothing much happening.  My new strategy is to start with a $20 bill and play .25 deuces.   Deuces is so streaky that you can double the $20 to $40 at least 3-4 times and hour.  When the counter reaches $40 or more, I switch to .50 DDB.  I pay DDB until I hit a 4-of-a-kind or the counter returns to $20.  At that point I start the whole process over again.  This strategy works well for me.  While I’m playing Deuces, I am in the running for a $250 jackpot or a royal.  While I’m playing DDB I could hit anything from a $125 4-of-a-kind to a $1,000 4-AceKicker or even a $2,000 royal.  My only rule is, no DDB unless I earn it from playing Deuces.  If I’m not winning, my $300 bankroll lasts a very long time and in many sessions I get tired and quit before I go bust.   I don’t expect the pros to think much of this strategy.  It’s not aimed at ringing out every last bit of profit.  It’s designed to let me have a chance at bigger jackpots while playing on a .25 budget.  I would be interested in feedback and/or suggestions on how I can improve this strategy further.

[Eduardo]

I favor Deuces for the same reason. As long as you know the strategy for both games, there's nothing wrong with switching it up to make it more fun.
 
I've done similar things in the past... if I get ahead on my deuces play I'll try something else. Sometimes a game like DDB, a progressive,  or something different like super times pay. Then if I get back to my starting bankroll I'll go back to deuces.

[shadowman]

If I played this strategy I'd hit the deuces playing DDB and aces/kicker playing deuces. I couldn't stand the frustration.

[FloridaPhil]

Because the strategy is so much different between deuces and DDB, I don't seem to have any problem keeping them straight.  I tried using JB to build up to DDB and they were too similar.  Kept going for inside straights in JB and holding Ace plus facecards in DDB.

[Eduardo]

Just get a dealt royal flush. That works the same in most games.

[FloridaPhil]

Only had a deal royal once so far.  The machine locked up and I didn't notice it until I looked at the top.   Sweet!

[FloridaPhil]

Here's an update on my game switching strategy.  Went to the Ft. Lauderdale Hard Rock on Friday and played .25 Deuces for about 4 hours.   Each time my $20 went to $40, I switched to .50 DDB and played back to $20.  Seemed to me like I was able to switch about 4-5 times and hour. Hit 2 small 4-of-a-kinds, one SF and one set of 4-4s on the .50 DDB side.   No 4-A playing DDB and no 4-2s on the DW side.  Left up about $300 feeling like a genius.  I had lots of fun and didn’t lose a bundle for a change.  Even if I hadn’t seen a quad, I would have played for hours with only a small loss.  Eventually, I’m going to hit 4 As with a kicker for $1,000 doing this and that will be a great day!

[sthec]

Very interesting game plan Phil, I may give it a try next trip.  I've tried similar play using BP and then going to DDB but BP can have it's dry spells too.  I've just started playing DW on my WinPoker software recently and it does seem to keep you in the game much longer than BP.
 
 

[FloridaPhil]

I am going to be testing a small modification on my next trip.  With the counter sitting at $40+ and I move to DDB .50,  I have a minimum of 8 tries before the counter returns to $20.  I going to move to DDB $1s and play until the counter goes to zero.  With this strategy I could lose my money faster because I will have to put $20 in the machine to start a new DW session. I will still have the same minimum number of tries (8) but the payoff would be double.  How would you like to be playing .25 DW and hit a $800 4 aces when switching to DDB for a few minutes? I don't even want to think about 4 aces w. a kicker or even a Royal for $4,000...  I'll try it and see how long it takes to lose my $250 session bankroll.  I don't mind losing the $250 on a bad day, but I still want to be able to play for at least 2 hours before driving back home.

[FloridaPhil]

Here’s the latest update on my free DDB strategy.  Went to the Tampa Hard Rock this morning and got there about 9:30 AM.  I started with a bankroll of $250 and played DW .25 for about 2 hours switching to DDB .50 about 2-3 times an hour.  Nothing much happened and I was down to $100 in my pocket.  I moved over to the east casino and started playing .25 Deuces.   My $20 went to $42 right away; I switched to DDB .50 and drew 3 Aces.  I hit the button and the other Ace came up for a $400 jackpot.  Never saw another DDB 4-of-a-kind and went home up about $200 for the day.  I know I won’t keep winning, but I love this strategy.  Even if I lose my bankroll , it only costs me about $80 an hour to play.  I’m OK with that and it’s a far cry from dumping $5 a throw into DDB at 800 hands an hour hoping for a jackpot.  I haven't had the guts to try $1 DDB yet.  I think I need to be way up for the day before I move that far.