A Good Strategy Does Not Fail

[babybubba]

Video Poker Happens One Session At A Time
 
How often have we heard or read the video poker guru-saying that playing video poker is simply one lifelong event that will never cease unless we completely quit or until we die? And how often have we had to endure a menagerie of textbook answers trying to explain why that seems to come right out of the classroom? In the world of optimal-play video poker folks, nothing is straightforward, nothing is completely reliable, and most of all as everyone eventually finds out one way or the other – nothing is really doable at all.
 
Simple common sense should explain to every player that the math that is taught in a classroom assumes tens or even hundreds of millions of hands of absolutely flawless play on machines that theoretically pay out over 100%. Yet playing that quantity of hands means an enormous amount of play over enormous amounts of time….distraction-free and error-free, by those who really need to take a good long look in the mirror instead to try to get back the life they used to have.
 
In other words, you need to be a robot to even approach the possibility of coming out on top of the machines in such a theoretical scenario. Everyone knows it and the math models support it. It doesn’t take much to realize that after just an hour of sitting at a machine fatigue causes errors, and it rises exponentially the longer one plays. Add in the many available distractions in casinos and you can easily see why long-term strategy is an impossible laboratory-only scenario to duplicate.
 
One of the most difficult-to-comprehend points I make to the math people against expert-play is about a player’s inability to ward off fatigue. They like to claim their errors are virtually meaningless in the overall scheme of things because they are at such a small rate.
 
Yet after years of training people at machines, it is a clear fact that there are far more errors being made than anyone would ever like to admit. I get in little arguments all the time with those I’m working with that they missed a card and held the wrong ones before hitting “draw”. Most of the time they do not believe me and claim there’s no way they could not have seen what I saw. Add in the ego of the players who believe they’re robotic in their play and you’ll get nothing but denial all day long.
 
The truth is, claims made that we are all only playing in one lifelong session is totally unsupportable, completely irresponsible to say the least when attached to a sales pitch, and is frequently used by those who have a dire need for self-confidence building when all does not go so well. After all, what else can someone say who just had a miserable time of it as they fed countless bills into their favorite “positive expectation” machine?
 
As you may know, I spent 6 years learning my lesson about this the hard way. And instead of turning to making money by selling players such a fruitless hope and dream, I chose the route of becoming an intelligent video poker player who had the confidence that I could win nearly every time out. And that’s exactly what has happened.
 
Unlike others who mostly talk about theories and probabilities of occurrences, I occasionally like to report the results of my play in this column that only comes in short-term bursts, on the individual trips that I take to Nevada. It gives people a real-life scenario to relate to as well as a good idea on how to consistently beat a game that few can.
 
It also eliminates all the fluff associated with how others report their play. My reported results are strictly those obtained directly from the machines and NEVER are convoluted with distorted comps, gifts, cash back or any of the other nonsense that goes along with the gathering of video poker phantom bucks. And imagine anyone saying “I had a .6% advantage because of the value of the car giveaway that I unfortunately did not win!” Have you stopped laughing yet?
 
I’m writing this as I just returned from an overnight drive back to the Phoenix area after playing four Romp-Thru-Town (RTT) sessions at four popular casinos in Las Vegas. To reduce any confusion some seem to have about my use of slot cards, I always use one when playing RTT.
 
The advantage I have over “advantage players” is that I’m never roped in to play for promotions, and I play when, where and why I want only. If they’re giving away something extra while I’m beating them up then I’ll take it. It’s as real and as simple as that.
 
I hadn’t had a royal flush since last August, and I certainly never expect them and absolutely do not require them to win. But after losing a quick 100 credits on $1 Bonus Poker at the Winchester Bar in Sam’s Town, seven hands into DDB (yes, a NEGATIVE EXPECTATION game) I hit my first one of 2007. Session #1 was history at +$3900.
 
I went to Bellagio for my second session. Again, I started my play at dollar BP, and after a fairly long 2 hours of play through dollars, $2 & $5, my play there ended with four 10’s on $10 Triple Bonus Poker Plus – another NEGATIVE EXPECTATION game – and an overall session profit of $1500.
 
After some rest I chose to go over to the Hard Rock for session #3. It took about 30 minutes to get ahead by $200 but I left because I was having a hard time concentrating. If you know the Hard Rock then you understand that statement.
 
Then I went out to Red Rock Station to continue my session, and I reached my overall $500 win goal in about an hour. The beauty of this wasn’t the win really, but the location of where I played. Red Rock and Green Valley Ranch are to me, the two most beautiful and exciting resorts off the Strip as well as two of my favorite places to play.
 
My final session was played back at Sam’s Town, where I played until I won another $2000 and quit. The ride home was of course enjoyable, as I just went 4-0 with a profit of $7800 – and my first royal of the year. It was, again, the epitome of short-term play, and the reason why my play strategies work so well within it.
 
So at the end of the day should I comply with the math experts and add all my sessions up as if I were on one long-term journey? Not at all, and to do so would be one huge mistake. They say I cannot win playing both the games I play and with the strategy I use. They say I will eventually be a loser. Well, after over $750,000 profit since changing strategies and not a single benefit added in for the usual extra fluff, I’d say they might want to take MY class. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

[bigboy]

I played just under 20 hours this year, won more than my 2007 pre-set goal, and won't play again until 2008. There ARE better ways than by-the-book....IF you know how to think and can get by the compulsion to play that the game is famous for.

[bigboy]

Just wanted to add that an excuse like:"My publisher would not allow me to quit playing for the year", does not cut it.

[babybubba]

bigboy:  As is usual with my critics, they don't ask for the facts until after they say something stupid. This is an article being published today. It was from a trip 2 weeks before the Laughlin River Run occured - which is the trip where I hit the winner that surpassed my win goal for 2008. The article detailing that experience was submitted yesterday and will be out in 2-3 weeks.

[bigboy]

bigboy:  As is usual with my critics, they don't ask for the facts until after they say something stupid. This is an article being published today. It was from a trip 2 weeks before the Laughlin River Run occured - which is the trip where I hit the winner that surpassed my win goal for 2008. The article detailing that experience was submitted yesterday and will be out in 2-3 weeks.
 
 
So to clarify, you are saying that you have posted your Gaming Today column on this site without having identified that fact in the posting.

[oej719]

Addict. Get some help man.
Jives is now going to draw my bath.

[babybubba]

[QUOTE=babybubba]bigboy:  As is usual with my critics, they don't ask for the facts until after they say something stupid. This is an article being published today. It was from a trip 2 weeks before the Laughlin River Run occured - which is the trip where I hit the winner that surpassed my win goal for 2008. The article detailing that experience was submitted yesterday and will be out in 2-3 weeks.
 
 
So to clarify, you are saying that you have posted your Gaming Today column on this site without having identified that fact in the posting.[/QUOTE]
 
Each week that my GT article comes out it is also posted on my site. I originally identified the article in a thread here but the info was declined by Webman. So I posted it here without the info to see if that would fly. Maybe it will and maybe it won't, but in the future I won't be posting them so please join the 7000 others who go to my site to read a new column each Tuesday or Wednesday.

[oej719]

 
 but in the future I won't be posting them so please join the 7000 others who go to my site to read a new column each Tuesday or Wednesday.
 
 
There is a God.  Bye Bye. Here let me get the door for you.
Jives wants to say thanks you too!!!!!LOL
 
 
Do you think he is realy gone. Or  will he come back as an alias.
Let's take a poll.
 
Time for me to hit some more Aces with the kicker.
I think I will just do the $10 machine for now.
Let me know if you need to get rid if that truck of yours. I think I would like to buy it for Jives son. He graduates this month. The Vette would be a liitle much for 17 year old.
 
 
 
 

[bigboy]

[QUOTE=bigboy][QUOTE=babybubba]bigboy:  As is usual with my critics, they don't ask for the facts until after they say something stupid. This is an article being published today. It was from a trip 2 weeks before the Laughlin River Run occured - which is the trip where I hit the winner that surpassed my win goal for 2008. The article detailing that experience was submitted yesterday and will be out in 2-3 weeks.
 
 
So to clarify, you are saying that you have posted your Gaming Today column on this site without having identified that fact in the posting.[/QUOTE]
 
Each week that my GT article comes out it is also posted on my site. I originally identified the article in a thread here but the info was declined by Webman. So I posted it here without the info to see if that would fly. Maybe it will and maybe it won't, but in the future I won't be posting them so please join the 7000 others who go to my site to read a new column each Tuesday or Wednesday.[/QUOTE]
 
So could you be man enough to admit/apologize that you were mistaken in your reference to my "stupidity"?

[oej719]

Not him. He tells so many stories he can't keep them all straight.
Stop patronizing this guy. If he had any secret knowledge he would be selling it or in a casino exploiting it. Wouldn't you. If you had something special that netted you $2500 for a few hours of Vp play would you write columns and books and spend hours on a forum telling people how great you were. NO. You would be hitting the casinos for $2500 and moving on to the next one. That is just human nature.