My Biggest Mistakes

[FloridaPhil]

We are getting ready to leave on another VP vacation.  Denver has had
very little snow this year and all looks good.  I would like to thank
Bill Ryan and the rest of the gang for engaging me in my latest thread.  I think
we both brought up some good points and talked out this issue pretty
well.  Odds make a difference over the long haul, not so much in the
short term.  Bill will say VP is about long term and he is correct.  I
say it depends upon your definition of long term, so the debate lives
on.As long we are talking about shortcomings, I thought I would relay what I consider to be one of my biggest mistakes,,,playing above my bankroll.   This has cost me more money than I
care to count up or think about.   Whatever denomination you are going
to play, it's best to commit to it and stay there.  Know that you could very
possibly lose 3-4 royals or more before you hit one.  You could also
lose an entire royals worth of coins on a very bad day.  If you are
willing to accept these losses as part of the game, play at whatever
denomination you are comfortable with.  If losses cause you distress,
drop down to a denomination where you are less likely to panic.  In my
opinion it is much better to give up some return than suffer through a
game that makes you feel bad most of the time.Don't jump around
in games or denominations.  This creates errors and wastes money as you hardly ever get lucky enough to "pot shot" your way to anything worthwhile.  I've hit some good jackpots doing this, but I've always lost more between lucky hits.   Learn to play one or two games well and
concentrate on playing slow, steady and accurately.  Fight the idea that
a move to a higher denomination will recover your losses or make you a
big time winner.   Stop trying to invent your own strategies.  Dancer
style strategies work better than anything you will ever think up on
your own.  You may not make a profit, but you will play cheaper than you
will with anything else.I played single coin quarters for two
years and documented my play on this forum with photos.   I never made
much money, but I did turn a small profit.  The only reason this worked
was because my cost to play was so low I was able to keep my lucky pot
shot jackpots.  I did hit a number of $62.50 royals.  I now believe if I
had played max coins my profit would have been larger.   I don't think there
is anything wrong with low denomination single coin play if you are on a
budget or you want to play all day for practically nothing.   If you are
going to play single coin, start out with single coin, stay there and
accept whatever happens.  Never ever switch to single coin play
after you have played max coins all day and are running out of money.  I guarantee you will hit a "pay
nothing" royal and want to kill yourself.  I've done this many times and
never will again.  When you are running out of money, get the hell out
of there!  Better yet, leave before that happens.We will be in
Colorado next week sitting at the Monarch playing NSU deuces.  I will
have my laptop so I can check the forum from time to time.  If you want
to get the last word on me,  here's your chance. 

[FAA]

I agree with all. But in practice, I broke down regardless. Another brutal day playing above my bankroll. I was at Caesars, which only has the quarter and dollar banks in the same area. After making $25 with $25 FP on quarters, I migrated. I hit four quads but kept seeking trouble. A cold cycle machine eventually kills all.

[FloridaPhil]

I came to these conclusions after playing next to my wife for the last few years.  She plays as slow as a snail, she's very accurate, she never panics and she never plays anything but max coin quarters.  I can flush $1,000 while she sits over there and plays for hours on one $20 bill.  I hit more quad deuces and royals and she comes home with more money.  Sooner or later you get the message. 

[FAA]

Yes. I will take your advice to heart. This cannot reoccur. Just shoot me. I don't even know why I made this change for the worse. I used to love rationally grinding away at quarter JOB for hours. I must get my greed under control and come to my senses ASAP. Maybe Caesars is a poor choice for me with their set up and my lack of discipline. I need a machine that will simply switch from quarters to fifty. I guess it's back to Borgata or Bally's for easy access to those. Thanks for the thread title. It'll be nice and easy for referencing.

[FloridaPhil]

The casinos want us to believe we can all become rich from playing video poker.  Our greed is our undoing.    

[paco13]

I'm in my room at Caesars as I type. Pretty much same story as FAA. Was busted early this morning. Went to Bally's played free play and hit Aces no kicker but replenished the BR. Machines going cold returned to Caesars. Machine started luke warm but then went to ice. Couldn't get more than high pairs. Went bust again. At least the room and food is free.

[paco13]

Gonna have to hit the ATM and give one more shot before I'm out of here.

[FAA]

My quads delayed the inevitable. All ATM did was double my loss. I'm writing Q or QTR on the back of my player card in permanent marker. It is imperative that I dial back the wretched greed.

[paco13]

Beat down and broken back in the room.

[FAA]

Once again, misery loves company. We must end these tragic trips. Lucky to make it home in this morning's shirt. Sharpie is ready to scrawl a big black Q. I will be cowering in the fetal position for the remainder of the weekend.