Honesty Thread

[DaBurglar]

My last visit to AC as successful as far as Video Poker is concerned, and what it really did was hammer home just HOW bad the previous 4+ years had cumulatively been in AC for me regarding video poker.    And I am certain I mentioned that even in the midst of my "success" I had numerous familiar stretches of futility. as well as a couple hits that, normally, should have been FAR FAR larger and profitable.   In a word, if I am honest with myself,  I have NOT been LUCKY at all for a long time in Video poker.....and I mean Truly lucky.Now, mind you, in so many other areas and aspects of life I have been, and continue to be, very fortunate.    So perhaps it is simply fitting, a type of "BALANCE" (or Karma even though I hate that word) that I NOT tear it up in Video Poker, or even regular poker for that matter.    Video Poker is NOT difficult.....the "Strategy", in so much as it can truly be called STRATEGY, is mostly memorizing correct holds, and recognizing when you have a truly advantageous situation (and taking advantage of it.)   the REST is, and relies heavily upon,  LUCK.    L U C K        It is so obvious that we overlook or forget it or pretend it is something else......Video Poker is the perfect example of when we DO, and when we DO NOT, have control over outcomes.       My last trip to AC made me realize just how LACKING I have been in the BIG hits department.....the reason my Video Poker losses (or % of return) has been so horrible since 2011, even with me REDUCING or SLASHING by at least 50% my total play sometime in 2014, is I have been woefully lacking in any thing like ROyals, or premium quads in multiline games, and of course, HANDPAYS.    They just have NOT been there at all, and I did GIVE myself a shot at some with my efforts and game selection.....they just didnt materialize.Truth be told, I have always preferred games with a MINIMAL amount of luck/chance and a maximum of skill.   Chess, now there's a game I wish the casinos would somehow install on the floor!    Wager on how fast (how many moves) you can checkmate the casino executive staff, playing them all at once on 10 game boards!

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=DaBurglar]In a word, if I am honest with myself,  I have NOT been LUCKY at all for a long time in Video poker.....and I mean Truly lucky.[/quote]DaBurglar, your prophesy was self fulfilling.  You hit a really long dry spell which made you believe the VP machines in AC are rigged.   You tried to play your way out of your dry spell.  When your results did not improve, it verified in your mind that your thoughts were real.   Eventually, you cut your play level which made jackpots appear less often cementing your beliefs in stone.  I have had long dry spells myself, but they didn't cause me to blame anything but the randomness of the game.  What I did to combat the problem was switch to ultra cheap play.  This cleared my head by allowing me to play many more hands not caring about the outcome.  Doing this taught me more about the game than I ever did praying for a big hit. Promoters of professional strategy will have us believe we have control over the outcome of this game.  This is totally false. You can control the games you play, you can control the hands you choose, but you can not control the outcome.  Even when all things are equal, some will win and some will lose.  That's gambling...  

[DaBurglar]

[quote=DaBurglar]In a word, if I am honest with myself,  I have NOT been LUCKY at all for a long time in Video poker.....and I mean Truly lucky.DaBurglar, your prophesy was self fulfilling.  You hit a really long dry spell which made you believe the VP machines in AC are rigged.   You tried to play your way out of your dry spell.  When your results did not improve, it verified in your mind that your thoughts were real.   Eventually, you cut your play level which made jackpots appear less often cementing your beliefs in stone.  I have had long dry spells myself, but they didn't cause me to blame anything but the randomness of the game.  What I did to combat the problem was switch to ultra cheap play.  This cleared my head by allowing me to play many more hands not caring about the outcome.  Doing this taught me more about the game than I ever did praying for a big hit. Promoters of professional strategy will have us believe we have control over the outcome of this game.  This is totally false. You can control the games you play, you can control the hands you choose, but you can not control the outcome.  Even when all things are equal, some will win and some will lose.  That's gambling...  



[/QUOTE]nice post & response, and I am glad the strategy you chose worked out for you.....However, I need to clarify that I still am convinced the games in AC are NOT the same as Nevada.....the term "rigged" is not necessarily the correct one to use, and perhaps this is all semantics, but the way AC operates, and the results it yields, indicates that the differences I speak of are SYSTEMIC and, apparently accepted practice by both the casinos and the NJ Regulatory Authority for those casinos (or what's left of this regulatory body, wherever and whatever it is....)My own conclusions about AC were not simply based on an extended, absurdly severe "dry spell"....it was the actual RESULTS themselves, which I did indeed track and keep up with for quite a while, which screamed "Something is different here than typical Video Poker in Nevada"!    And the more I dug into the issue apart from simply playing, and the more of a run around and cryptic nonsensical answers and replies I received from people who should know, the stronger my conclusions became,When I cut back on my play, it was not just a knee jerk reaction to losing.....my gaming budget and my finances (each of us has out own personal circumstances and situation which dictates what & how much we play) allowed me to set aside X amount each month to "play";   I decided to cut my video poker play in half because that was the level I determined which still yielded the comps and casino benefits I value most and which provide the most CONVENIENCE, while still allowing me to keep my game "Sharp" and likewise, hopefully hit a winning hand once in a while because even with AC's peculiar video poker, there still were SOME winners.     But this was all my own thinking and analysis and CHOICE.....everyone is different.    The reason I did not cease and desist altogether is one I have communicated many times before:   I LIKE AC itself as a destination, the Beach & Boardwalk and the accesibility and ease of moving about and getting there & back!  That still applies......I moved that roughly 50% of my gaming allotment to live Poker with generally good results overall, and hopefully that remains the same (sadly, unless I want to commit a much LARGER amount to LIVE poker, I cannot earn anywhere near the level of comps and benefits I desire......otherwise, I would indeed stop playing ALL video Poker in AC and only play it when I make it out to Nevada.)  Perhaps I was "Spoiled" during my 15-16 years in Vegas/Reno (from 1992ish until 2007 or so) when I lived and worked out there and was in Nevada frequently......I did fairly well at video poker then and THIS is what I expected when I started frequenting AC in early 2009.......when I saw the stark difference, I was shocked.

[Carcounter]

Honestly, I have lost 4 out of the last 5 years, after a good run from 2000 to 2011. Wonder why I still play, although have cut my playing time and denomination down significantly. There are some days when I just get the itch and since I'm a little over an hour from AC, can't help myself.

[DaBurglar]

Honestly, I have lost 4 out of the last 5 years, after a good run from 2000 to 2011. Wonder why I still play, although have cut my playing time and denomination down significantly. There are some days when I just get the itch and since I'm a little over an hour from AC, can't help myself. THANKS CARS!    "Honesty" is in such short supply these days, it now seems truly exceptional and special when you actually find it......