Musings of a casual recreational VP player.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=Jstark]I don't think many casual players even read gambling books[/quote]I don't know about that.  I think most video poker players gravitate to VP because they like to be involved in the process.  If you go to YouTube.com you can find hours worth of expert VP commentary.  The majority of those experts are selling something.  Why someone intelligent enough to beat the casinos feels the need to sell books is beyond my comprehension.   If it was me, I would be too busy standing in line at the cashier's window.It always surprises me when a player I meet quotes something from a VP book.  Even if they don't read the entire book, they are influenced by the parts they do read.   Just the other day a player next to me was talking about the definition of "long term play".   I agreed with her, but I try not to get involved in lengthy strategy discussions while I'm playing as it's distracting and I came to relax. I have read 2-3 books on Blackjack.  Table games are not my style.  I have worked with people all my life, but I prefer the company of machines.   They go about their business without comment.  I find that refreshing.

[FAA]

Case, you would have loved Prohibition. $900 coin in a day is hardly a "gambling problem." This is approximately two hours of quarter play. I'm usually through by then. I played dollar and got away with it on two cooperating machines. GA meetings would be SRO and bursting at the seams. Have another seltzer. Rabble rousing is clearly your favorite game.

[FAA]

Another day on the forum. Phil, never fight with a pig. You both get dirty and the pig likes it.

[case]

FAA

You should do what Phil tells you and that is quit while you are ahead.


A blind person who sees is better than a seeing person who is blind.

[FAA]

I was ahead when I quit. With 19% less funds, granted. But yes, I agree. I was on tilt and cruising for a bruising. Bailed out by reasonably good fortune. Maybe slots with my winnings next time. I saw someone sit down and win thousands yet again while nursing a drink. Phil works the slots like a violin. BTW, $900 coin in is his warm up.

[FloridaPhil]

Recreational Video Poker is a balance between the thrill of hitting jackpots and the cost.  Everyone feels great when they walk in the casino.  I want to feel good when I walk out.I want to walk out of the casino with a smile all the time, not one out of 10 times.  What puts a smile on my face is playing VP for a few hours and leaving with some money left in my pockets.  If you make that your goal and work toward it, you will reach it the majority of the time.The easiest way for most players to accomplish this is to play small and accurately.  Your opponent the casino never runs out of money.   Their biggest weapon is to convince you that playing bigger is better.  If they can bust you, they win.  By playing smaller, you will be able to play more hands without busting.   It's a lot easier to catch 4 aces for $200 and recover all your money than to hit a royal flush for $4,000 when you are down $2,500.   Don't dig yourself in a hole to begin with and you won't have to climb yourself out.  Learn to enjoy the game as a game.  If you enjoy taking big financial risks, do it with something where you can control the outcome.Learn to be happy with small wins.  Set low cash out limits.  Stop upping your bet dreaming of a big score.  Video poker is a marathon not a 50 yard dash.  Embrace the idea that there will always be a cost to play video poker.  I want that cost to be as small as possible.  Long term video poker winners are one in a million.  Do you want to fight those odds?  No thanks.

[FAA]

Glad there was no cost yesterday. But only because I hustled up to the non smoking floor to hit my min quad. Breaking even after the RT is infuriating. What would you estimate is your daily coin in? I can set a fraction of it for myself and be satisfied.

[FloridaPhil]

I play max coin quarters at $1.25 a hand.   I play about 700 hands an hour.  I get to the casino around 10:30 AM.  I take 30 minutes for lunch and play until 3:00 PM.  All total, my daily coin in on an average weekly casino trip is about $4,000 a day.   I play Bonus Poker and Double Double Bonus.   I play $20 at a time.  I cash out immediately every time the counter reach $50 or more.  If I hit a royal for $1,000, I keep the $1,000 ticket and play dollars with what's left.  I still cash out any win over $50.

[FAA]

Thanks. I generally feel okay with $1,000 coin in. If I can achieve $2,000 coin in and leave about -$50, it's a decent trade off. That's a lot of chair warming. Must grasp 75% quarter play to maximize machine time. The Progressive bank is overly retentive when I play. And when I return, no machines are available. I must lurk, which ruins my day.

[FloridaPhil]

What turned the corner for me was staying with quarter play.   Each time you bet a hand at max coin dollars, that's 5 hands you could have bet at quarters.  More hands equals more jackpots.   Playing dollars with $300 in daily bankroll, you can't play enough hands to hit anything good and you are constantly busting.  When that happens, the casino rings the cash register.  If I was going to play dollars all the time, I would need to bring at least $1,500 dollars a day with me and be prepared to lose it.   I consider that a ridiculous fee for an afternoon's entertainment.Moving up in denomination to gain better odds is not worth it if you aren't willing to put up the money to play at that level.   When a quarter player starts dreaming of W2G jackpots, that's when the trouble starts.   Learn to live with quarter play and like it or get used to losing most of the time.  I don't want anyone to think I am against anyone playing bigger than quarters.  I am against playing above your bankroll no matter what the odds are.