Bonus Poker (Strategy Advice Needed)

[Raner]

I'm posting this trend just to see if my thinking has some
merit or I just entered the Twilight Zone...
Ok guys... Here it goes...
I know correct strategy is the best way to keep the casino's edge to a minimum.
But the thing is video poker strategy is based on long term play. Well long term covers a lot of ground.
What exactly is the amount of hands that have to be played for the
the strategy to become a positive factor, Fifty Thousand, Hundred Thousand, or Millions of
hands,Take your pick. In my case it does not matter which one you pick because in 24 hours of play I
will not come close to any of this number of hands.
Before I go to a casino I come to this site and practice to make sure I'm
playing 100% correct strategy before I leave on my three day trip.
Well based on my play will playing perfect strategy keep the casino's edge to a minimum.
I would think not, I'm going to need a lot of luck along with the strategy to keep from going
broke before my 24 hours of play is over.
Let's use video poker machine number 0001 as the machine I play all the time...
Lets say I play Bonus Poker on machine number 0001 at a certain casino.
The machine I play at this casino has a 99.17 Return... 1-2-3-4-5-8-25-40-80-50-800...
I play this machine six times a year on two day stays for 24 total play of per visit.
My bankroll is 2000 dollars per visit and machine 0001 is a dollar denomination machine.
The time I spent playing this machine would put me in the short term player category.
As soon as I hit the max play button on the first hand the casino's edge is way ahead
of me because machine 0001 is available to be played 24/7 365 days a year.
Now honestly who has got the long term advantage on machine 0001 the casino or me.
When I leave on my trip, My main goal is to try to hit a royal.
Keeping this in mind, Below are some of hands that are reducing my chances of having a shot at a royal
playing correct strategy on bonus poker...
Based on my play do you think playing this hands with correct strategy is "MORE" or
"LESS" beneficial to me...
I know this site is filled with video poker experts so I figured I'd see what advice
you all can give me for my next trip... Thanks...

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[billryan]

Software is available that would allow you to analyze these and every other hand.
The hand is worth the same, long term or short term.
Math is math. Either you believe in math or you don't.

[MT1716]

Playing the proper strategy is the thing to do, even if your goal is to hit a RF. Proper play will allow you to play longer on your bankroll. Thus, you get more hands and you will get better shots at a RF, quad aces, etc.

[Raner]

Thanks for the comebacks, Guys...
The good thing is I do know the proper strategy for bonus poker...
I completely forgot about my old version of win poker.
I'll use it to check on the hands return...

[billkuyk]

hi Raner

I have been playing VP a long time and like you have established a routine that I use in the casinos. My bank roll is around 3K and I prefer playing VP as the game seems to suit my personality and my math background. Short term vs. long term is like flipping a coin. In 10 flips I may see 7 heads and 3 tails or 2 heads and 8 tails. Neither outcome is statistically unusual but if I flip that coin hundreds of thousands of times the "long term" results will be very nearly equal number of heads and tails. My casino trips are like the 10 flip example above. Sometimes I have a winning trip other times not. I define winning as having my gambling bankroll larger when I leave than it was at the beginning.

My primary choice is your game bonus poker. I play several but that is my go to game. My method is one I picked up in MSS from a guy that was visiting from Hawaii. I put in a $100 bill either .25 or .50 denomination and if things are going well $1. The smaller denominations are less volatile. If I get down to $50 or above $125, I cash that ticket and put in another bill. When I use all 10 bills I cash them in, count my win or loss and take a break. I find that it makes me feel like I am preserving my winnings but that is not really true. After a short break or maybe a long break I repeat that sequence of play. I try and play the correct strategy at all times, but will sometimes play a "hunch" or like you do just play for an unlikely hit. I play at a enjoyable speed for me and have no idea how many hands per hour I play. I think that trying to make the correct play is more profitable than seeing how many hands you can play per hour.

Finally, I really don't pay the VP gurus and pros much attention since their VP world is much different than mine. In fact before there were so many VP books written the VP pay tables were much better than they are now. That's the way it goes. Personally, I believe that if you are playing .25 or .50 VP with $2000 and being steady and not trying to break speed records for playing hands, that you should almost always come home with more than 1/2 of your bankroll. I believe math and not luck will see to that. The hardest thing for me used to be not panicking when things go badly. Now if it is real bad I take a couple of hours break and mess around.This is what I have been doing for a number of years and it is my form of money management and it works well for me. So, maybe this will help or maybe not. Good luck with your next trip to the casinos.

[paco13]

billkuyk,

That is an interesting method. I might have to try that if I can muster the discipline.

[Raner]

Hi Billkuyk...
I really appreciate you taking the time to write a very nice
and detailed post on my trend. I found your post very interesting.
Your money bankroll management really got my attention.
I'm going to use it but with a bit of a twist.
The lower end number is going to depend on how high the upper number is.
Basically a floating lower number, Half of the highest upper number I rich with the hundred...
If I rich lets say 500 then 250 will be the cash out point.
I thick this will work great for me...

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=Billkuyk]you should almost always come home with more than 1/2 of your bankroll. [/quote]Good advice.  If you stick to this, you will do just fine. 

[case]

Raner
Video poker is one continuous game. It does not matter how long you play each visit or what machine you choose. Over your lifetime the machine odds will work them selves out provided you play many,many hands and play perfect or close to perfect.

Like Billy said the math will work out...over time.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=case]Over your lifetime the machine odds will work them selves out provided
you play many,many hands and play perfect or close to perfect.[/quote]Your overall machine odds are determined by the game you play minus your errors.  These days very few of us have positive games available to us.  In addition, very very few of us can play 100% perfect forever.  This means there will always be a long term cost to play video poker.  The better the game, the better your skill, the better your comps, the less it will cost you. A realistic goal would be to play the game nearly for free and earn comps that turn your results positive.   If you expect to win long term from white tickets alone, you are setting yourself up for disappointment.   However, miracles do happen, unicorns exist and there is a Santa Claus.