All Systems GO

[Burtwithau]

I am a recreational DDB player who has been playing video poker since the late 80's. I started with 5 cent 6/5 progressive at the California hotel and casino in
downtown Las Vegas. I play .50 to 5$ now so my journey can be expressed more in years than monetarily.

My system (if you can call it a system) has been honed through many years of playing and it goes like this. I play $20-$25 of .50 cent VP (DDB) to start as I rarely hit anything big when I start on a
machine. Next comes $50-$100 of $1 play followed by $100-$200 of $2 play. If and when I hit something (quads or better) I then continue on that level until I lose 3 times in a row. At that point I close that session (a win hopefully) and start a new one usually on a different machine at the next higher denomination. I will play at that level until I lose 20% of the net winnings or until I hit another quad or better.

I play mainly on the highest tier point multiplier days (Wednesdays at my local favorite casino) so I get the maximum rewards (meals/rooms/cruises/airfare/free play/cash back etc.). The rewards push me into a positive position most times (yes, I have had good and bad swings of luck).

Feel free to post your systems or poke fun at mine (it's okay I have big shoulders). I used to post more often but I left and then came back hoping to find more
positive spirited folks. Good luck to all in VP and, more importantly, life.

[FloridaPhil]

Welcome to the Recreational Forum.  I have not seen your posts before, so I assume you are new.   I am happy your current strategy is working for you.  Part of the fun of Recreational video poker is trying out different strategies, it's a major part of the game for many of us.   You will find many opinions as to which strategy works best.   Professional players use math to make their decisions and never waver.  Many other players do as well.  Your strategy is not a play strategy, it's a betting scheme.  I assume you are using computer perfect play and changing up your bet depending upon how things are going?  I understand why you enjoy playing this way as you are hoping for a big hit.What you are actually doing is playing at a higher average denomination.  I have used this strategy for years myself.  When it works, it can be terrific.  When it doesn't, you shrug it off and try something else.  The problem comes when your best hands come at the lower bets.  You paid for a certain return and didn't get it.What I would like to suggest is you pick a denomination you are comfortable with and stick with it.  Playing level and grinding it out is much better financially than jumping around.   You lose the excitement of going for the big score, but I believe you will do much better in the long run.I do not criticize other players because their play strategy does not agree with my own.  I think an open discussion of any and all VP strategies is beneficial.  Recreational video poker is about being entertained and having the most fun for your money.   As long as whatever you do makes that happen, it's all good.  

[Webman]

Long timer, but absent for quite a while. Welcome back, Burtwithau!

[DaBurglar]

. Good luck to all in VP and, more importantly, life.
well said, Burt-with-a-"you"      and welcome back to the forumI like the fact you state in your post above that you favor DOWNTOWN Vegas.....is that still the case TODAY or do you/have you branched out to other parts of Vegas, or Nevada in general.....or even other parts of the country?I have been, and always will be partial to the Downtown scene in Vegas.....for myself it goes back to 1992.   For the first two years, until 1994, Fremont Street was still an actual "Street" with traffic....then in 1994 it became the Fremont street Experience.   I miss the old scene, the old Horseshoe with shady Benny Binion and his dysfunctional family, the old Fitzgeralds......but I still like the modern day Downtown scene, far more than the overwhelming Strip and other outlying properties.WHat is your current, primary (or favorite) casino?  Is it still California?

[FloridaPhil]

Burt, sorry I didn't recognize you.  I've only been on the forum myself for 8 years or so.  I'm just wondering, do you only play positive VP games?

[Burtwithau]

Thanks for the positive responses. I still live in St. Louis so the Hollywood Casino (city of Maryland Heights, actually) is my favorite. I also go to the Ameristar casino in St. Charles (just outside of St. Louis) some too.

My play in Vegas is limited to the downtown casinos as I get a limo to and from the airport, a deluxe suite, meals and drinks free, and $200-$300 of free play, all at the California Hotel and Casino. They are a Boyd property and I play there mostly to keep me at Emerald level status. They offer nickel to $5 video poker progressives and the people there are simply wonderful (both the workers/hostesses and customers).

FloridaPhil is spot on with his comment about going for the higher hits. I know that you are supposed to hit a quad every 400 or so hands and I play near perfect DDB rather quickly (or so I'm told). I play for a minimum of a $100 profit with my system by increasing my denom level as I exit the prior losing denom mini-session.

My bankroll is about 10k but I usually never go below 9k before I hit something big/semi-big. When I am ahead I use 20% of my net winnings at the next highest denom level as I tend to be streaky.

I had a very good week recently where I hit 3 royals in 10 days (one $2k, and 2x $8k). I grossed 30k in the 10 days with at least 8 hand pays. I netted about $20k and my play pushed me up to a level where I get a 7 day free cruise on NCL for 2 people and many other perks.

I am happy with my play and can almost break even on my worst days as I tend to get full houses on $2 VP which is $90/hit. I play cautiously with my bankroll and try not to let a small loss turn into a large one via chasing quads or better at the higher denom levels.

I am not a professional but I finish ahead or near even for the year, not counting my free perks which push me into positive territory.

In conclusion, I will never be a pro or a Bob Dancer but I know how my luck runs and my limitations/limits and play accordingly. I don't log my play so I don't have statistical numbers to use except for the afore mentioned end-of-year win/loss statements.   

[FloridaPhil]

I like your money management strategy.  Where we play you either play
negative games or you don't play VP.   To hold my loses to minimum I
always start out with quarters.  I play $20 at a time and cash out every
time the counter reaches $50 or more.  I will move up in denomination
as long as the total of my pocketed white tickets is equal to the money I
brought with me. Breaking even is always my goal. I don't always make it.   If you count comps, mostly free rooms, my wife and I play a lot of VP for very little money.  We enjoy the game as a hobby.

[Burtwithau]

Phil, I can't find anything better than 9/6 DDB, in St. Louis which is %98.98. In Vegas with the California hotel progressives I have won royals on quarter machines of $2750 and $1800+ for example, so those would be positive machines at those times. Conversely, the progressives in St. Louis don't go very high and with the 9/5 DDB pay tables they are considerably worse than playing straight-up 9/6 machines (non-progressives).

Can't say enough about the California Hotel progressives as I usually walk through the casino noting their levels and play accordingly. I have hit on the .25, .50, $1 and $2 progressives especially when they are at positive expectation levels. For DDB they have 2x .25 banks, one .50 bank, 2x $1 banks and a $2 and $5 bank of progressives. BTW they pay 239 coins on a non-special quad on the $5 bank so you don't get stopped for a hand-pay on simple quads (5-K).

[FloridaPhil]

Understood.  The best DDB game in Florida is 8/5, a horrible 96.7% game.  I play 7/5 Bonus Poker Instead.  The only way to survive our games is to play them small and even then you are going to pay to play.   We also try to avoid W2Gs.   Our tax returns are complicated and we don't want any red flags. Video Poker is a different game across the country.  It wasn't always so, but the odds have dropped severely since 2008.   It's sometimes a battle trying to explain the differences to players who have better games and comps.  We wish we had better games to play, but that's not going to happen.  We're OK with what we have and the way we play, so I guess that's all that matters.