Defensive Video Poker Tactics

[FloridaPhil]

I recently stated that I believe players should counter today's reduced video poker odds by playing more defensively than offensively.  I came to this conclusion when I began to take a serious look at my own loses. I avoided doing this for a long time as I really didn't want to know the real numbers.  I was shocked at the size of the number and what I could have done with that money.   For a while I considered quitting the game that I enjoyed so much.  Finally, I asked myself a serious question "Why are you playing this game?"  "Is it for the money or the entertainment?"  If I was playing for the money, I was failing miserably.   Once I realized I was playing for entertainment the adjustments came easily. What is defensive video poker play?  Defensive video poker is making adjustments to your play with the aim of reducing your loses instead of maximizing your winnings. This could mean playing less money per hand, playing less volatile games, playing slower or any number of well know tactics.  Another way I have found to reduce losses is to set your cash out limit lower.  It's not clear to me why this works, but it definitely does.  At this time I think it has more to do with money management than actually affecting the game itself.The problem with reducing the amount of your bet is problematic.  This is because reducing your bet has the negative result of reducing the amount of your jackpots.  The Cheap Strategy is not the only way to counter this problem, but it works.  It has the affect of significantly reducing your actual coin in while retaining the possibility of a max coin jackpot.  The fact is this strategy took an annual loss of $10-15K a year and turned it into a small profit in less than a year.  The fact that I have made a small profit over the last two years is not the point and certainly not guaranteed to continue.  What is important is that I am playing more video poker than ever for less money than ever and I am avoiding the dreaded "empty pocket blues".  My video poker play is in a great place right now and the only thing that can derail it is if I get sucked back into chasing royals.   Players are right when they say things have changed, but it's not due to rigged machines.  It's due to reduced odds and comps and you can do something about it.  If you're happy with your loses and feel you are getting your money's worth, keep doing what you're doing.  If not, try something else.  it's your choice. 

[faygo]

Every outcome begins with a choice.

[case]

Phil, your last paragraph says it all. It is indeed reduced pay tables and comps that are sucking the life out of most players. The casino does not need to change or rig the machines. Why would they risk getting caught?The reduced coins makes sense to me. Playing max coins on low pay tables is a recipe for disaster. Playing short coin lets you play for entertainment and even have a chance at some profit. Plus you still get to play the games you enjoy, get some free rooms and food. Treat it like a day out and have fun.

[KingofAmerica]

Personally, I would rather play to win than play "not to lose too much".

[case]

Personally, I would rather play to win than play "not to lose too much".On full pay games I would and do agree. But most of the country play poor pay tables so limiting your losses is a good approach.

[FAA]

Not to lose too much camp here. Unfortunately that produced a $62 Royal Flush two weeks ago. Maybe I'll two coin it on min bets and deal accept the additional loss!

[olds442jetaway]

I agree with Phil. By the way, speaking of short coin, if anyone is interested, there is still one bank of machines at Mohegan Sun that pays the 800 for 1 for the Royal on the spin poker game for just one nickel bet. If anyone is interested where they are, let me know. It is only on the spin poker option, but there is nothing saying that you can't just play the center line. The machine also allows bets of up to 10 units, so there are options on amounts bet, how many lines etc. Paytables are as expected in the 96-97 % range, but for ultra low budget days, you can't beat it. I know of no other casino in the country that will pay 800 for 1 on the Royal for a nickel bet. There probably are some, I just have never heard of any.

[case]

Full pay royal on just one coin is a dream for those playing short coin. Also with 10 units allowed this would be a good machine to play a progressive type of bet.  But Olds of course you already know this.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=KingofAmerica]Personally, I would rather play to win than play "not to lose too much".[/quote]Depends upon what you consider winning.  Does playing max coins just to guarantee you will never hit a short coin royal worth spending four times that much to do it?  Royals are no big deal unless you are waaaay behind because you spent a year chasing one.   The trick is not get that far behind in the first place.

[alpax]

I agree with everything that Phil stated. You will get yourself into serious financial trouble if you keep chasing and believing you can overcome losses on a negative expectation game. By focusing on minimizing losses, you can still have similar amount of fun but be in much better financial shape.

To get at least a 50% chance at a Royal Flush (lets say 1 in 40,390), it is not playing 50% of the cycles since each round is an independent event (1 in 20,195), it requires at least 69.31% of the Royal Flush cycles (1 in 27994).

(40389/40390)^27994 ~= 0.5

The only way to play to win is to be lucky enough to win that jackpot before the 69.31% of the cycles, and then never play again. But if you are looking to play over the long haul, emphasizing mitigating losses is the key.