Casino Done Right

[FloridaPhil]

This is not a commercial for the Hard Rock Hollywood.  I'm pointing it out as they do some good things that make us want play there and return often.  If you play VP in the East or you operate a casino in these parts, listen up.As you would expect, VP machines are scattered around the casino floor.  A quick walk through and you will think the odds stink as is the norm in the East.   However, one small island of machines has much better odds.  Six of these machines have our favorite 98.9% deuces wild game starting in quarters.  This island also has 9/6 triple play jacks in dollars which I believe may be very close to a positive game for some players.  There are other games with good odds in this island and it's always popular.  This is a great marketing tactic that more casinos should adopt.  Most players don't bother to check the odds and will play any game you put in front of them.  These six machines are for those who do care.  It doesn't make sense to drive away players by having stinky odds everywhere, just throw a few machines around for those who won't play them.   Six machines with 1.5% better odds is not going to do much to hurt the casino's bottom line.  Why other casinos don't do this is beyond me.If you happen to hit a W2G jackpot in Florida you keep all of it.  If the State wants to be partners in my loses as well, fine with me.  Some State tax collector waiting around to collect 3% of my winnings is insane.  No way would I play anything higher than quarters in a State that did that.VP deal buttons take a lot of abuse, especially from button whackers.  In almost every casino we visit you end up moving around looking for a machine that works.  In Hollywood, all you have to do is turn on your service light and an engineer shows up right away and fixes the button.  Not only that, but they smile and ask if any of the other buttons need help.  This shocked me the first time I called an engineer.  In most casinos you need a shave by the time someone shows up and the buttons stay broken for months at a time.  Ridiculous!!There are other things this casino does right.  Their website has a calendar that clearly shows your comped or discounted room rate by day well into the future.  By booking in advance my wife and I can stay for free two nights during the week practically anytime we wish.  Many times we are upgraded to a suite at no extra charge. Keep in mind my wife is a 100% quarter VP player and she only plays 98.9% DW.  I play quarters, 50 cents and a little dollar play once in a while.  We both play accurately and counting $250 a night plus other comps come very close to breaking even.  The points for both of us playing all day easily covers two meals a day in the Hard Rock Cafe or the Coffee shop plus all the wine my wife wants to drink.  If we didn't have value to this casino, they wouldn't invite us back.If you don't charge anything to your room, you owe zilch when you check out.  No sales taxes, no resort fee, no nothing.  In this casino a comped room is actually 100% comped.Casino done right?  You bet... 

[Chicagoan]

A point about buttons. If the button is sticky, that's one thing. But if it simply does not work at all and you have to tap the screen itself, all it is (usually) is a loose or disconnected connector. You don't need a maint guy or an engineer for this. Just ask any attendant to open the machine and check the connector. It can be reconnected by anyone. The player cannot touch the inside of the machine, of course, but there is no reg against you pointing to the connector and instructing the attendant to simply re-connect it tightly. It is a 10 second job at max. I do this all the time when I encounter a totally non-working button. If the button sticks or is inconsistent, then it is another matter and the attendant probably cannot help you.

[FloridaPhil]

I've seen both scenarios.  Unfortunately, most time the button sticks from wear or abuse.  I wish players weren't so intent on killing the deal button.  I've seen it so bad the whole row quakes when they play. 

[alpax]

The points for both of us playing all day easily covers two meals a day in the Hard Rock Cafe or the Coffee shop plus all the wine my wife wants to drink.  If we didn't have value to this casino, they wouldn't invite us back.If you don't charge anything to your room, you owe zilch when you check out.  No sales taxes, no resort fee, no nothing.  In this casino a comped room is actually 100% comped.Casino done right?  You bet... 



Good report.

I had a quick question about the WildCard club points and alcoholic drinks in tribal Florida casinos. Are players allowed to use the points they earned from their play towards paying for alcoholic beverages.

Most states outside of Nevada force you to purchase it with actual cash (or credit card).

I know in Nevada if I really wanted an alcoholic drink the cocktail waitress will be more than happy to give me one (except when the player looks buzzed, they have to consult with their manager) provided I leave tip.

[FloridaPhil]

Yes, you can use points to buy liquor at the Florida Hard Rocks.  You can use them to purchase anything in the casino except the food court.  A long time ago they had days where you could convert your points to free play.  I haven't seen that in a few years.  My wife tells me it takes double points to buy items in the gift shop. The points program in these casinos is generous, but they expire quickly.  This benefits frequent visitors.The big draw for us in Hollywood is the six machines with the better quarter odds.   It's similar to the IP in Biloxi where they have good quarter DW odds at the Insomnia Bar.  In Tampa the good DW odds start at 50 cents.  I was squeamish at first about moving up in denomination.  Now that I've been playing 50 cents for a while, it's no big deal.  On a day trip I take 1,000 coins ($500) and play max coins.  It's worked out well for me so far.  According to the math you actually lose less per hour playing 98.9% max coin 50 cents than the lousy quarter schedule at max coins.

[rapidbison]

WTG, Phil! Nice and clean redirect away from the useless drivel by resident auto-responders that polluted your 'Thoughts for Beginners" thread.

On re-trying to educate/warn serious beginner hobbyists:

Deep-pocketed gurus are usually not helpful in warning of very real bankroll pitfalls....
Find decent paytables, decent club incentives, and also important ambience.....and strive at best to merely break-even for long-run.....and not worry whether or not you make a tale of profit. Unless you quit playing completely, or drop to an extremely lower denomination-any profit is usally shortlived [in videopoker years,lol]
And, always be mindful of states with auto-skim 'taxes' for wins over $1200---even if your from a no-income-tax state.

A good mix of machines in a casino should be heavy in classic games....Too many extra-coin multi-line games per classic-games machine [in a relatively small section] is usually a red flag....
Also read the fine print for multiplier days--
such as "Excludes video poker".......or 10xslots/5xvp....and know if tier point accumulation is penalized for vp, as well.   Even if everything else seems favorable, multiplier/tier penalties can be early warning signs that the house is especially hostile toward vp players....

Play video-poker seriously with money you can seriously afford to lose........

[rapidbison]

[Please read updated/edited previous post]

Psycho-Semantic Timeline of the 'Devilution' of VideoPoker [since 1990's]:

Fair Gambling--Play to win more than you risk.......

Fair Gaming--Play to win more play............

Fair[?] Entertainment--Play to lose........


A casino 'done right' should still be stuck in 'Fair Gambling' mode...........

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=rapidbison]Deep-pocketed gurus are usually not helpful in warning of very real bankroll pitfalls....
Find decent paytables, decent club incentives, and also important
ambience.....and strive at best to merely break-even for
long-run.....and not worry whether or not you make a tale of profit.[/quote]I have been a proponent of playing VP for the pure enjoyment of the game on this forum for many years.  I also believe professional VP advice focuses too much emphasis on profit and not enough on entertainment.  In my view video poker is an entertaining game and was never intended to be anything else.  Like all entertainment, there is a cost to play.  Just because someone turned it into a profit center doesn't mean everyone else can.   I have nothing whatsoever against professional video poker players or those who wish to emulate them , but I do think too many players incorrectly use them as a standard of comparison.   There are a few forum members who honestly believe they can make a profit long term playing VP.  I am not one of them, so I enjoy the game as recreation.  I take what I can from professional strategy and use it to cut my cost to play.   Mathematical formulas and calculations are fun to play with and some forum members love showing off their math skills.  I see this as a kind of sub hobby to the game itself.  Unfortunately, what math says will happen doesn't always happen when you play.  I think it's best to play like you are going to lose and be surprised when you don't.  Makes you smile a little more often.