Crappy Pay Table Strategy Refined

[FloridaPhil]

Warning!  If you are a professional video poker player this tread could cause your head to explode. 
 
We'll be spending three days at the Beau Rivage next week.  Everything's free.  All we have to do is play their terrible pay tables.  We'll be playing 7/5 & 8/5 .25 Jacks most of the time to keep our loses to a minium.   Jacks is soooo boring, but we can usually play even bad pay tables for quite a while with minimal losses.  I've been working on a game switching stategy for a while now.  I used to play deuces then switch to DDB and it worked OK, but not as good as my latest plan.  I'm now playing .25 Jacks $20 at a time and switching to DDB .50 when I double my $20 to $40, then playing back to $20.  I tested this out for the first time last week at the Coconut Creek Hard Rock and hit two $400 quads.  I totally realize this was all luck, but at least I'm putting myself in a good position when luck happens.  We'll see... 

[Eduardo]

Is there a certain amount of coin-in you need?

[FloridaPhil]

I limit my sessions to $250 for a 3 hour session.   I can usually play .25 Jacks for that long without running out of money.   My wife can normally play straight Jacks for 2-3 days and keep her loses to less than $500 for the whole time.   I figure if I hit a couple of .50 DDB quads, I may be able to keep even.  Of course if I get any Royals I should be ahead of the game.  It's the only way I've come up with to play 7/5 and 8/5 Jacks without being bored to death or having a long death spiral to empty pockets.    I just started doing this about a month ago and I'm up $800, which gave me some extra money to play with.  I like playing this way.  It's the best of both worlds, minimum variance when you're playing Jacks and a shot at a good win about 3-4 times an hour.  I only switch to .50 DDB when my $20 turns into $40 and I return to .25 Jacks when I'm back to $20.  I immediately cash out and keep any DDB quad wins.

[BobDancer]

  Jacks is soooo boring, but we can usually play even bad pay tables for quite a while with minimal losses. 
 That's a nice skill to have. I've frequently had sessions where I've lost 10% of my coin-in while playing 9/6 Jacks --- which is 3% looser than what you are playing. You being able to play terrible games with minimal losses is amazing.  Or perhaps your results are benefiting from either exceptional luck or a poor memory. Bob

[FloridaPhil]

Well, it all depends upon what you consider "minimal losses".  To us, playing for 3 days in a nice resort like the Beau Rivage for a gambling loss of $500 is an excellent result.   If we lose $2,000, not so good.  We are used to paying to play.  What we want is the most gambling fun for the least amount of cash outlay.  It's a mindset totally different from a professional gambler's perspective and it works for us.  It's kind of like going to Disney World for 3 days and at the end the hotel manager comes up to you and says "Your bill is $1,000, want to flip for it?". 

[kjohn]

Amen Florida Phil...100% in your camp...Retirement at it's best. If it becomes Work then it's not fun..I did that for 40 years. Time for some "free" play even if it costs a bit. Better than paying taxes..At least I know where my money is going...Help the Vegas economy...

[royal flush]

go gold paying annually on this site playing all games while site keeps track of your score and you will have money left

[FloridaPhil]

I'm at the Beau Rivage right now.  Played yesterday afternoon and all day today with a little time out for lunch.  I'm dead tired, but caught 4 Aces and a straight flush for $525 this morning and I'm up $200 for the trip so far.  Love this new strategy.  Beats coming home with empty pockets...   I must have hit 4 to a Royal two dozen times without a win so far.  There's still time, we'll be here until Wednesday morning.

[Lucky Larry]

Phil, good luck at BR. We're headed for 3 at IOC and hope to watch Sweet C continue her G streak. Hopefully we'll get a Thanksgiving feast and not just a turkey.

BTW: We concur with you and kjohn.   Retirement is for fun.

Wishing everyone a great Thanksgiving.

[FloridaPhil]

The video poker Gods finally gave in and gave me a Royal today.  Haven't had one since May, so I was due.  Went over to the new Jimmy Buffet Margaritaville casino and picked up the other two after a 3-to-Royal draw.  The video poker odds at this new casino are great for this part of the county, 9/6 Jacks quarters and 9/6 DDB quarters.  What a difference in the full house payout for a full house over 7/5 JB...    The new money management system is plugging away.  My wife got 2 DDB quads today after changing games at $40 and I was up $500 before the Royal.  Makes playing JB all day a lot more fun.   I'll play for a few hours in the morning before driving back.  Maybe I'll get another one!