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[FloridaPhil]

I am convinced you can't beat video poker long term unless you have the skill, bankroll and opportunities of a Bob Dancer and I'm not sure that still exists today. I realized that playing single coin was one way short of quitting that allowed me to reduce my cost to play.   Playing one quarter at a time didn't excite me because I knew the most I could win was $50 bucks for a quad deuce and $62.60 for a Royal, so I came up with the progressive part of the strategy.  To my surprise, it worked much better than I thought. 
I started playing single coin quarters around the first of the year and the immediate effect on my hourly cost of play was dramatic.  At first I tried it with DDB and hit a $62.50 Royal right away and worried that I would never hit a good jackpot again.  DDB doesn't have the consistant up and down runs of Deuces and it just didn't feel right.  I switched to Deuces Wild and hit a $1,000 Royal about three weeks later.  I was delt the $4,000 Royal in dollars about six weeks ago.  Last week in Colorado, I was delt three to a royal after switching to max coin quarters and I'll be damned if I didn't hit another one for $1,000.  I also hit a second $62.50 royal, but who's counting?
I play about 800 hands an hour.  Using this strategy I can play 7-8 hours with my small $250 daily budget and still walk away with at least one white ticket to cash.  I play so many more hands now that Royals and quad deuces are more common and some of them just happen at max coins.  I realize I have been very lucky and that this strategy may seem foolish to some players.  Personally, I hate losing money so much that it is the only way I can play and enjoy myself.  

[wildman49]

I am gonna give this a try on the 20 coin .05 machines I play. I had a great (lucky) April while May I gave a lot back and can see the rest going the same way in June. I just hate to give up $137.50 for the same royal on 5 nickles.

[FloridaPhil]

I don't know what the nickel odds are where you play, but you may not last as long as I am able to playing quarters.  In Colorado, they had NSU Deuces and the Tampa Hard Rock has Airport Deuces. Both of these games are near 99%.  You should be able to get a feel for how it works.  Good luck!

[olds442jetaway]

I'm going to give it a try Phil tonight late PM and AM tomorrow Phil. I will start with the 95% nickel game and if it at least seems feasable and the losses aren't too high after 3 or 4 hours I will switch to quarters. The best I can get at Mohegan for quarters is 15/9/4/4/ which is nearly 99% long term so I figue if it is going to work, it should work pretty well on that pay schedule. The other option I have, although I'm not sure if I will do it yet because it is cumbersone is switch back and forth on a nickel and quarter machine. In the middle of the night, I have no trouble doing this and the machines are right next to each other. That way I can start the nickel game with 5 nickels in and if I hit the Royal, I will at least get 200- instead of 62.50. The nickel game has no option to change denomination like the quarter game does. If I decide to do this that way, I will have to cash out every time I hit 4 or better, put the ticket into the quarter machine and if no hit, cash out again and back to the nickel machine. Lots of ups and downs and may not be that enjoyable. Probably best not to worry about the Royal and with my track record of 1 every 175,000 hands since Jan 1 2013, it shouldn't matter. At any rate, I am looking forward to giving a try and will report back. Win or lose, drinks and food on me Phil when you get up this way. A room comp too if I can arrange it. Take care. Hope I will have some decent results to report back.

[BobDancer]

Playing one coin at a time makes sense (assuming that losing $20 is better than losing $100) if you MUST play and the return of the game is bad. Keep in mind that when that royal comes when you're betting single coin EVERYBODY will come by and tell you what an idiot you are. Second-guessers (the woulda-coulda-shoulda folks) can let the pain from a 1-coin royal haunt them for years. But if you always play single coins, your losses will be less. If you watch other people play, or perhaps do 10 jumping jacks after each hand, your losses will be less still.If the return is bad, there is no justification to EVER playing 5 coins. Switching back and forth gives you the worst of both worlds. Hoping that somehow your royals will be 5-coiners and your losses will be 1-coiners is living in a fantasy world. Also, the strategy for 1-coin games is considerably different from 5-coin games --- although anybody who feels compelled to play 95% games probably doesn't care about such niceties. Going up (or down) in stakes after certain hands is nonsense. The last 10 minutes on a machine is a very poor predictor of the next 10 minutes. Trying to catch the wave and be betting more when the machine is "giving" is the strategy of someone who doesn't have a clue about the winning process.Money management schemes in general, including this one in specific, are useless. But people want them --- like they want a pill-a-day solution to lose a lot of weight without diet or exercise. The real world doesn't work that way.Bob

[daily_double]

I have to hand it to you , Florida Phil, you must really have a passion for the game to complete such a project. Although your method is not for me, you did a great job with the writing and the site.

[FloridaPhil]

I like the Jumping Jacks idea, but it's kind of hard to do with a drink in your hand....   I don't care if someone thinks I'm an idiot because I got $62.50 for a Royal.  What kind of idiot would lose 3-4 Royals just to win one?  I just smile knowing that I go home with more money than they do most of the time and Yes, I do change my play strategy when switching from one coin to five.  Finally, the timing of the switch to max coins has nothing to do with the fact that you just won 4 coins, it's just easier to remember that way.
 

All kidding aside, I expected Bob to disapprove of my progressive strategy because professional players don't understand the motivations and bankroll limitations of a recreational player.  The reason I created this website is to discuss recreational play with recreational players.  I clearly state that you will lose money "long term" when playing a negative expectation game. 
 
Think about this. If Bob plays a 98% game with single coin quarters and I use my progressive strategy on the same game with the same bankroll, who do you think will come out ahead?  How many $62.50 Royals will Bob need to hit to catch up to one lucky $1,000 Royal or $1,000 quad deuce? I'm not sure he would win even if he played max coin quarters because he would probably bust before he caught up with me.
 
The way I look at it, as long as I'm in the game I have a chance of hitting a max coin Royal or quad deuce.  If I bust and go home, I will never win one. Bob offers two choices; not playing at all or cutting your losses to a bare minimum.  This takes all the fun out of the game and gives recreational players the idea that they can never win unless they live in Vegas, have giant bankrolls and play computer perfectly.  I have never met Bob, but I like his attitude and confidence.  I also respect his accomplishments.  I also like video poker and think little guys should have a chance to win a nice jackpot once in a while without cleaning out their savings accounts.

[BobDancer]

On the Thursday June 19 Gambling with an Edge radio show, we will have a guest who lives in Michigan, plays quarters (single line up to five play) comes to Vegas 4-6 times a year and manages to be a small winner --- after paying for airfare, hotel room, food, and car rental expenses. On his current trip (he's here now) he also got tickets to LOVE for free. (For BJ this is no big deal, but remember this guy is a quarter player.) It's a grind, to be sure, and he plays 5-8 hours a day when he's here and he definitely doesn't do all his play in one place. But he can exercise his hobby and make a small amount of money to boot (not much --- he only averages about $25-$50 a day profit apiece for him and his wife when they're here.)Those of you who think you HAVE to play bad games and it's too expensive to get to Vegas might want to listen to the show. If you can't listen to it live (www.klav1230am.com 7-9 p.m. PDT) it will be archived the following day on www.bobdancer.com

[BillyJoe]

On the Thursday June 19 Gambling with an Edge radio show, we will have a guest who lives in Michigan, plays quarters (single line up to five play) comes to Vegas 4-6 times a year and manages to be a small winner --- after paying for airfare, hotel room, food, and car rental expenses. On his current trip (he's here now) he also got tickets to LOVE for free. (For BJ this is no big deal, but remember this guy is a quarter player.)
I am sure that he and his wife will enjoy LOVE. It would seem, then, that at least some of his play is at MGM properties.

I 'cherish' all comps that I receive from the casinos, Bob. I would encourage players at any denomination level, especially if they have played at a property group for a fairly long time, to ask for his/her play to be evaluated, and see if there is some form of comp available during their stay.

[FloridaPhil]

Thanks for the info.  I enjoy the radio show and listen on-line whenever I have the opportunity.  If I had access to Vegas video poker odds all the time, I wouldn't need any other strategy than the one we all know about.  I really enjoyed playing NSU Deuces in Colorado recently.  You get spoiled, then you come home and see those stinky pay schdeules at the Hard Rock.  It's probably a good thing that I don't live in Vegas.  I would live in a casino and be found dead still trying to hit the deal button.