Reassessment

[FAA]

My fling with dollar VP is basically a fiasco without a RF. Time to return to the quarter grind. It's boring as hell and comps won't accrue. But it will cut my losses by about 75%. Fiscal austerity and restraint is badly needed. There are none so blind as those who will not see. Any other tales of denominational delusion are welcome.

[FloridaPhil]

Welcome to the fold.  I'm tired of watching my wife make money playing quarters while I struggle.  "Play within your bankroll!" is my new tattoo.  Beware the dollar Succubus...    

[FAA]

She may not be setting the casino on fire, but winning ugly means sitting pretty. The most boring trip is when a player busts in an hour flat. Staying put on that awful high traffic smoky bank will be no picnic, but it is the least risky place in the building that doesn't serve food. I've seen the grinders just keep going. Starving for a RF, but fed up with losing. The house always wins. Whittle down their profit and leave happier.

[FloridaPhil]

I'm glad you brought up this issue at this time.  After millions of hands of VP and who knows how many hundreds of thousands of dollars I have put through those machines, I have come to some personal conclusions.  I am still learning every day, but there are some things that I can't ignore.In 2018 and beyond, the casino is going to win long term.  We can argue about the past, but in today's VP games that is an undeniable fact.  The overriding factor in how much you will pay to play VP is the total amount of money you put through the machines during the time you play.  The game odds and how mathematically perfect you play determines how long you can play with the money you have, but they are lower on the scale of affecting your short term results.  I believe all human VP play is short term.The cheapest way to play today's VP is to run the least amount through the machines.  You can do this by limiting your play or the amount of your bets.  Unfortunately, playing single coin nickles or quarters is not fun for most people which defeats the purpose of playing the game.  The same with playing so slow you drift off to sleep.  The thrill of a royal flush is worth the cost.  Play max coins.The new tax laws affect your ability to offset gambling losses.  From what I have seen so far, it makes no sense for me to collect W2Gs.  Until they start collecting taxes on wins under $1,200, playing quarters lets you keep 100% of your winnings.Each player needs to find the perfect balance between their financial comfort level, entertainment gained and the comps they wish to earn.  It is helpful to spend some time contemplating the reasons why you are playing the game in the first place.  Thrill seekers like me are great customers for the casino, but we pay a price.I have made the decision to wipe the slate clean in 2018 and start over.  What happened in the past is done.   I will attempt to play max coin quarter VP exclusively.  I will stop yearning for the big hit and play straight and level.  If I play slots, I will play them as cheap as possible.  I will stop grumbling over poor odds and stop increasing my coin in just to make them better.   I will not pay attention to my short term or daily results.  I will only count what happens to my bankroll long term.  I will pick one VP game, play it as well as I can and stop switching between games. Those are my 2018 New Year's resolutions.  Only time will tell how they work out.   

[FAA]

Ironically, if I had a 2017 RF, I would have kept doing dollars, as I would be about even. But since luck didn't break my way, I will break with this very expensive habit. Look up definition of insanity. I will cut my comps by 60%. 1 TC per $50 from $20. But those are mere pennies, a pathetic inducement if there ever was one, never worth the trouble in the first place. I prefer -$30 days to -$140. Limit coin in and leave cold machines. There's your strategy. Spare me the decades of losing. I'll play max about 80% of the time and hope for the best.  

[billryan]

If I told you what it takes to reach the highest high
You'd laugh and say nothing is so simple.
You've been told many times before
Messiahs pointed to the door
But no one's had the strength to leave the temple.

[FAA]

It took 1.5 years of losing. But the big loss days are over. As your lyrics' song title states, I'm free. I'm ready to flush away my daredevil, foolhardy play with the year. I can still have a pretty good time at 70% off my current cost. And I'm all over this deal.

[FloridaPhil]

I will accept responsibility for not playing positive games and it's true I have not been the most disciplined gambler.  However, the concept that a player can only win unless they play positive VP games leads many to lose more than they should.  For most players near positive VP games are only available in higher denominations.  In 99.9% of cases, more coin in equals more money into the casino's coffers. Positive mathematical odds do not guarantee financial gain any more than negative odds guarantee losses.  Anyone who has played VP for longer than a year has had the experience of losing when playing great games and winning on lousy ones.  There is no such thing as "long term" in VP.  A hundred thousand VP machines all playing at the same time will never play all the possible outcomes.The answer for most players is to play games they enjoy, play them at a denomination they feel comfortable with, earn whatever comps are available and accept the results.  Upping your bet to gain a percent or two in the odds is a fools game.  Thinking that following some plan will turn a video poker machine into a profit center is even more foolish.  If you win, accept that you were lucky.  Odds are you won't be for long no matter how you play the game.  If you lose and it bothers you, quit and find something else to do with your leisure time.

[billryan]

If only there was a way to double or triple ones comps and free play.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=billryan]If only there was a way to double or triple ones comps and free play.[/quote]That's easy, you can lose three times as much.