Why the RF Bonus?

[FAA]

Exactly. We sense when we're in the middle of a streak on any game. Two out of three hands seem to be winners. I'm singing to the music and snapping my fingers as my balance climbs. Time to swallow hard and take action. Opportunity is knocking. Don't be the eunuch in the bordello.

[FloridaPhil]

Playing negative VP games always comes with a long term cost. The game can be negative due to the odds or it can become negative due to errors on the player's part.   If you are going to play negative VP games, you need a bankroll big enough to cover the swings of the game, the cost of the house edge plus the cost of any errors you make.   If you are going to play often, playing a 98% quarter game with max coins could easily cost  you thousands of dollars per year.  This is within my current financial and mental budget, so I play max coins.   If you wish to play the game with a smaller bankroll, you have a number of options.  You can play less hands by going to the casino less often or limiting your playing time.  You can play slower, which is easier to say than actually do.  Or you can bet less money per hand to extend your bankroll.  One way to do that is to play single coin.  You give up the royal bonus, but the bankroll requirements are less.  Some casinos offer nickel play.  This is a good option if the odds are the same as quarters.  Unfortunately, nickel odds are often worse than you find with single coin quarter play.Whatever you do you need to keep in mind that all negative video poker games are losers.  The question is "How much are you willing to lose to play this game?"

[onemoretry]

Exactly. We sense when we're in the middle of a streak on any game. I thought FP"s post said pretty much the opposite. - you can't predict lucky streaks, you don't know you're in one til it's over, etc.

[FloridaPhil]

There was a time when I believed strongly in streaks.  I can tell you after many years of VP play that streaks are a mirage.  That doesn't mean you don't feel good when they happen or when you up your bet in the middle of one and it works out.

[billryan]

Are hot and cold machines real or a mirage?

[FloridaPhil]

Hot and cold machines are real.  The problem is predicting which machine is hot and which one is cold and for how long?  No one can do that with any accuracy.   My crystal ball is broken right now, so I can't either.     A strategy based on playing hot machines is not a strategy, it's wishful thinking.   If I play single coin quarters for an hour and out of the blue the machine takes off on a hot streak, switching to max coins will only work if the streak continues.  From my experience, it rarely does.  When it does it makes me happy, but I don't think I found the secret to getting rich. The reason I personally liked playing single coin quarters was it gave me all kinds of extra money to play around with.  I took some wild pot shots with that money and incredibly some worked out.  There was no math or strategy involved.  I put in $20, hit the button and a $1,000 quad deuce ticket came out.   This happened to me three times in one year.  Could anyone else be that lucky?  Maybe.  Maybe not.Human beings make all kinds of assumptions based on what they think they see.  If I win three big slot machine jackpots in a row from a particular machine, I think the machine is hot until I pump $1,500 into the thing and it takes all my winnings back.   This thing we do is called gambling.  If anyone could predict the future they wouldn't waste their time with video poker.  They would have bought all the Apple stock they could get their hands on.   Been there, done that.  

[onemoretry]

Are hot and cold machines real or a mirage? Well, if you're playing at the Mirage....

[FAA]

BR set you up on a tee.

[Onenickelmiracl]

The royal bonus is chased even when not correct to hold for a royal. I'm not sure if the intentional misplays totally negate the bonus. Meaning are the errors going for a royal worth more than the extra coins given for a royal?

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=onenickelmiracl]Meaning
are the errors going for a royal worth more than the extra coins given
for a royal?[/quote]In my opinion, this is one of the best questions ever asked on this forum and one of the most significant for average recreational players like myself.If you play negative video poker games there is a house edge on each hand.  If you make errors, they add to the house edge.  Both of these factors are completely independent of the number of coins you are playing.   The only difference is when you are playing single coin you are adding about 1.5% to the house edge. Hitting jackpots on time will not change these facts as the expected frequency is factored into the odds.  Missing jackpots further adds to the house edge.   Not counting comps, the only way to win long term when playing a negative video poker game is to hit more jackpots than you are due. These games are losers if you are playing single coin nickels or $100 a hand.  Granted the $100 a hand player is going to get a lot of comps.  The question is "Are the comps worth the house edge?" as the single coin nickel player is losing pennies and the $100 a hand player could be losing millions.There is a point in the odds and comps where playing max coins is counterproductive.  This point varies as casinos, odds and comps are different across the nation.  For example, at South Point in Vegas all the games including comps are near 100% or above.  No way would I ever play single coin at South Point as it would be throwing away free money.  Contrast that to playing a 96% game for a week in Biloxi.  Unless you like paying 4 times as much for a free room, I would play a cheap as it takes to earn the best odds.  If that meant playing single coin quarters, I would do it and smile as I watched everyone else emptying their wallets into the machines.Playing cheap has it's place in VP.   Know the odds on the games you are playing.  Find out what the casino offers in the way of comps and what they want you to do to earn them.  Pick one or two games and learn to play them error free and stick with your plan. Factor in how long you expect to play.   If you are only going to the casino once in a while, play max coins.   After you know all these things, you will be able to make an informed decision on how many coins to play.