More short coin feedback...

[FloridaPhil]

Another profitable trip this week... I took $120 into the casino at 11:00 AM and played until almost 4:00 PM. I played about 4,000 hands of 8/5 DDB and left up $100 with no Royals.  I realize this is peanuts to many of the players on this forum, but I play once a week so you have to multiply my wins and losses by 52.  Believe me, you can lose $10K playing max coin quarters badly in a year.
 
As most recreational players, I have a limited financial and mental budget.  I also enjoy playing the game itself and want to play as long as possible.  Playing max coins all the time, I usually run out of money before I see enough good hands to end with a profit.   Playing single coin and occasionally moving to max coins, I do hit some great single coin hands which gets me thinking that I'm missing something.  I've played long enough to realize that's not the case.  If you're considering giving single coin a try, think about these statements.
 
Which would you choose? "Being depressed because you hit a single coin Royal and left the casino even or with a small profit or loss?" or "Being depressed because you lost a ton of money?" 
 
Never let yourself get too far behind the game.  Once you're behind you'll throw more money after bad and probably lose even more.  It's the long dry spells that are killing our profits, not the lack of big hands!
 
You can always increase your bet on the next hand.  When you're busted, you're done for the day. (Unless you hit the ATM... hopefully not!)
 
I realize pros that only play 100%+ games will think these statements don't apply to them, that's why I posted this in the recreational forum.  If you're somone who's tired of losing your shirt and get something out of this post, that's a good thing.
 
 
 

[onemoretry]

Which would you choose? "Being depressed because you hit a single coin Royal and left the casino even or with a small profit or loss?" or "Being depressed because you lost a ton of money?"]
While I never like to lose (who does?), I can stomach the higher variance of full coin play.

The idea of playing short coin and increasing the casino's advantage by about a percent and a quarter would depress me.

[FloridaPhil]

"You pays your money and you picks your depression!" 
We all know playing negative expectation games is a loser.  The only way to reduce your losses is to play slower or play less money.  The problem with playing short coin all the time is while it does reduce your loses, it also reduces your winnings.  I counteract this by playing max coins only when I'm ahead for the day.  For example, suppose I have a bankroll of $125.  That means the worse thing that could happen is that I lose $125....  I start by playing single coin quarters which means I am playing 4 times more hands and am almost guaranteed to be able to play at least 3-4 hours.  I cash out every 4-of-a-kind or better and when I have $125 in white tickets in my pocket, I can do whatever I want with the rest.   Often, I go directly to max coin .50 or dollars and play until I lose the remainder and go home even.   More times than you would think, I hit a good bunch of hands at max coins and go home a winner.  A month ago, I took $200 to the Hard Rock in Tampa, I started with single coin quarters and went home with $5,000 in my pocket.  I was very lucky since I was delt a $4,000 Royal, but it happened.  I'm not saying you can make a living doing this.  I'm saying that it works a lot better than banging max coin money into a machine with odds that you know are going to clean out your wallet.  Think about it....

[Vman96]

While I never like to lose (who does?), I can stomach the higher variance of full coin play.

The idea of playing short coin and increasing the casino's advantage by about a percent and a quarter would depress me.

I'm generally like this too, unless I'm in Vegas and I know average loss of betting one quarter + value of my beer is positive.    Because you usually have to play real, real slow on the Vegas strip to keep the sum of those two things positive when max betting quarters. If I get a royal though, I'll feel like I got kicked in the nuts.   

[FloridaPhil]

The first time I got a $62.50 Royal I felt the same way. I've had so many Royals now that I quit counting them, so it doesn't bother me any more. I consider it just another straight flush and that's $62 I can use to get even so I can play max coins. The real question is this "At the end of the year, did your great wins overcome your losses?"  If everyone was honest about it, I'll bet the answer would be Hell No.   There are very very few long term winners in video poker and I'm not so sure about them either. 

[royal flush]

if one plays 100% + games only and playing them correctly one can beat the game as many of us on this site

[FloridaPhil]

No question about it.  Unfortunately, the vast majority of players don't have access to 100%+ games and/or can't play computer perfect 100% of the time.  I certainly can't... 

[Tedlark]

  Phil you know the saying about playing at a level that you're comfortable with, so don't fret about playing single coin whenever the heck you want to.    I was playing next to a guy a few years ago and he watched me hit a $1,000.00 royal. Low and behold about 20 minutes later he hit on himself but he got $62.50. He asked me why I got what I got and why he got what he got so I showed him the difference between playing max coin and single coin. He left the machine a little while later and I wanted a change so I jumped onto his now vacated machine. I was playing for about 30 minutes and I hit a royal on that machine too but I failed to see that he was standing behind me watching me play. When he saw me hit the second royal he got cranky and I said that if he didn't want to see me hit the royal on the machine he left, then; he should not have been standing behind me watching me play that machine.    My point here is that: if making the small hits and leaving with your head up feels better than losing larger sums of hard earned cash and leaving with your tail between your legs that's your choice to make.

[BillyJoe]

 The real question is this "At the end of the year, did your great wins overcome your losses?"  If everyone was honest about it, I'll bet the answer would be Hell No.    
Just finishing up my 2013 tax return.... HELL NO !!!  (not without figuring in the comps for the year)

[Vman96]

if one plays 100% + games only and playing them correctly one can beat the game as many of us on this site

Some of the "regular posters" here are, but I wouldn't say it's many. I'm definitely not, even though I try to be cognizant of good paytables/strategy.