When it Sucks.....It Really Sucks

[jcs152112]

The futile belief that things will somehow get better, that some sort of luck will again pass my way, have led me on a rough road of reckless travel, sleepless nights, irritable bowels, and the realization that it will NOT get better, that all luck has somehow been removed from my video poker  pastime.  Ever since the last debacle at the Venetian Super Bowl weekend, I have suffered through many losing sessions, and  have only played on this website.  I was fortunate enough to finish in the top 100 of last months monthly contest, thanks to MY FIRST ROYAL ON SINGLE LINE IN  THE HISTORY OF MY PLAY ON VIDEO POKER .COM.  But the futility also continued with my new record of 1930 consecutive hands without a 4ok.  I had one AWAK, 1 4 4's with a kicker, and a few 4 of a kinds.  No straight flushes.   The fun is gone.  What used to be 3-4 trips to Vegas a year and trips to the Indians 4-5 times a year has ended up with the futility of playing 500 hands of single line VP per day.  It was a blast while it lasted, but like all good things, they sooner or later come to an end.  I have read, studied, and done everything I know to be a proficient vp player, to no avail.  I can't afford any more to play the way Iike to, and I have way more important things to do than play a nickel a hand.  So goodbye games, goodbye Double Double Bonus, so long TDB...It was great knowing you, but there has to be something else.  We will see.

[TIMSPEED]

500 hands of single line per day???
That's an hour's worth of play?

[notes1]

welcome to the new realiy of VP. you need much more luck than skill, the cost of gambling, for most folks, has increased. you either adjust your play, accept the reduced paytables/whatever else they are doing, accept it is a form of entertainment or go crazy or lose all your money. if you check out other posts, you will find you are not alone. many have quit, reduced their play or made other adjutments. 

[FloridaPhil]

I feel your pain. I was in that place a couple of years ago and seriously considered giving up video poker forever.  I turned it around with a couple of changes and have been pretty pleased with the outcome.  The first thing I did was stop playing high volatility games. I also quit playing above my bankroll by playing multiple line and multiplier games. The long losing streaks were so depressing that I couldn't take it anymore. An added benefit was that I was able to control my tendency to "go on tilt" and jump on a high denomination game in an attempt to recover my losses, which normally made things a lot worse.  The game that pulled me out was single line old school deuces wild. It's so exciting that I was able to play the game at low denominations and still be satisfied. Once I got into that, I concentrated on being the best deuces player I could be.  I also developed a better money management strategy to go along with my new game.  All this together totally changed my attitude and I never looked back. Most players don't seriously evaluate why they are playing in the first place.  They keep plugging away like I did and blame bad luck for their misfortunes. There is a way to enjoy video poker without getting depressed 90% of the time just to be elated 10%. Think about this and you may restore your fortunes.

[DaBurglar]

Have you tried positive thinking yet?    I feel your pain sir, and your post was if nothing else, heartfelt and honest....it's not easy to admit you are not doing well (trust me I know)....it is far more easy to create make believe results and pretend you are "killing" the games as you attempt to delude mostly yourself.....Here's what you need to do.......take a break, take a LONG break and save up a nice chunk of money that you formerly were using on a regular basis for gambling (in other words take your gambling "budget" and just sock it away for 4-5 months in a row, and then see what you have...)   At that time, depending on the amount you have saved, begin planning a nice extended trip to your favorite gambling destination and start over......for good measure (and karma) PAY off one important bill first with a portion of your accumulated bankroll, this will enhance your enjoyment and lessen any possible regret or guilt over gambling the saved bankroll.And then just see what happens and accept it.....then do it again in 3-4 months or so......Since I reduced my VP play by over 50% and have focused on live poker, I have found A lot of extra money for various things......I was not a High roller to begin with, but my typical monthly budget was around 1,200 bucks, give or take......The casinos are desperate, they are all corporate zombies and only concerned with next quarter's numbers....they will never ever give us players anything good again without demanding more in return.   the games reflect this mentality.

[JIMDUECE`SWILD]

Try changing games I. I played AC joker poker for years. Now I played a variety of deuces wild games. Good Luck 

[djc32]

welcome to the new realiy of VP. you need much more luck than skill,

IMO you need equal amounts of both.

If your someone that doesn't know how to read a pay table, doesn't realize what the reduction of full houses and flushes will do to you over time , and if all you play is TDB and DDB , then luck is your only hope, and your going to need all you can get!

But if you know how to read pay tables, and you do understand what the reductions of these pay tables will do to you over time, and you do know the proper stragies it certainly doesn't mean you will always win, but knowing these things and having some skill will definitely helps you lose less while your waiting for lady luck to show up.

[jcs152112]

I look (or at least I used to) for the best paytables on any game I am going to play.  That is why I reported the death of video poker at the Venetian where I spent several hours just walking around visiting with people and asking them if they knew the difference between an 8/5 machine and a 7/5 machines.  yes, there are many and also some 6/5!!  It is not the knowledge, it is just the luck.  I had a boss once who told me, "If you've got luck, s**t will do for brains."  I now know what he was talking about.  I once saw a man at Treasure Island stick $100 in a $5 machine, hit the draw button and was awarded a dealt Royal on the first hand.

[MPD001]

[QUOTE=notes1]

welcome to the new realiy of VP. you need much more luck than skill,

IMO you need equal amounts of both.

If your someone that doesn't know how to read a pay table, doesn't realize what the reduction of full houses and flushes will do to you over time , and if all you play is TDB and DDB , then luck is your only hope, and your going to need all you can get!

[/QUOTE]
Well, the truth is, DDB and TDB are very high volatility games. You need to have the bankroll to hang in there for a large hand, or the luck to get that large hand early in a playing session.

[Lucky Larry]

Like several others have said get away from the high volatility games like DDB and TDB. Go to the Deuces variations and reduce your denominations. Staying in the games until the big hits come is the key if your timing is off. A Royal Flush pays the same whether its on DW Bonus or DDB.

IMO: A positive attitude about life makes a huge difference in life and in gambling.

Lucky Larry