Why Do People Play Negative Video Poker Games?

[Carcounter]

Caesars AC once had a $1.00 All American that was connected to a post near the bottom of an escalator. No seat, so had to stand. I could do it for an hour or two, but that was it. Usually the only All American you could get on Friday afternoons.

[FloridaPhil]

Phil, if you are going to discuss how to make your money last longer sitting all day in a casino then you should also be discussing the medical pitfalls associated with sitting for long periods of time.

You are right on target with this post. Sitting in a casino for long lengths of time comes with all kinds of dangers. I'm more concerned with second hand smoke than I am blood clotting in my legs. I take too many bathroom breaks to worry about that. I am more concerned with something called "wallet emptying disease". This comes from reading to many VP strategy books (joke). Sorry, I couldn't help it.

[OTABILL]

If you ask any VP expert how best to play a negative video poker game, he will say you should have the discipline not to play them. With so much information in books and on the Internet, why do players play a game guaranteed to cost them the money?

If you ask a player who plays these games why they do, you will get a number of answers. He/she may say "I don't know if the game is positive or negative" or "I won big last Tuesday", or "I use my own strategy that can beat the odds" or even "I don't care".

I can't speak for everyone who goes to a casino, but I can speak for players my age. I am a 71 year old retiree. I have enough money to last me through my lifetime.... Maybe. I don't know what's ahead of me. I would like to leave some money to my son, my grand kids and a few charities. Taking financial risks with my money for the sake of entertainment is not a prudent thing for me to do . For these reasons, I handle my finances as if I was living on one social security check.

Most retirees go to a casino to enjoy social interaction. Isolation and the depression it causes are a big problem with older people. I am not suggesting casino gambling is a cure for this, but it does get you out of the house and around people for a few hours. Most retirees can't fly to Vegas every time they want to visit the casino. They go to their local casino and play the games they can afford to play. Those games are almost always negative. Most retirees can't play $5 games even if there is an advantage. To people living on a fixed income, $100 is a lot of money to throw away playing a game. Some people like me have money in retirement, but still think like a person who doesn't.

This puts me in a unique position as far as VP is concerned. I think like the older people you see at the casino, but I can afford to test the expert's advice. After years of this, I have determined the experts are correct. There is no way to beat a negative video poker game. However, there are ways to reduce the cost to play them.

The posts I make on this forum are not for everyone. Playing negative VP games is the norm in most of today's casinos. Yes, there are a few positive opportunities. They are most likely not available to your grandfather or grandmother when they go to the casino. The world is full of advice on how to beat a game where you have an advantage. If you have those opportunities don't listen to me, listen to the experts. If you don't have positive VP opportunities and you care about the cost of spending a day at the casino, you may be interested in what I have to say.

Phil, while I don't agree totally, there are lots of good points particularly relating to seniors.

[FloridaPhil]

What I want members of this forum to do when they read my posts is put them in my context. I am a senior who likes to play a lot of VP. When I walk into a casino today, I may not see the same thing you see. You may see opportunity. I see having a good time without spending a lot of money. I always try to play the best games I can find. I stick mostly with VP because it lets me enjoy the casino experience longer and for less than playing slots. I don't have to make money to be happy. Every now and then I go home happy. I never go home sad because I play small and quit before I get that way.

I am not trying to out expert the experts. They never talk about playing VP on a budget or how to lose less when playing negative games. When I came to this forum there was only one discussion, how to profit by playing advantage games. I have tried to offer an alternative way of thinking about VP and the players who play the game.

If you want to read about playing VP with an edge or how to live a nice lifestyle gambling in a casino, I am not your guy. I am not against any of that, it's just not the VP I know.

[olds442jetaway]

Many people who read your posts Phil, don't realize that there are tongue and cheek comments throughout many of them and they take them all literally. They also like politicians take things out of context. I get all of it myself and agree with much of what you post. I call some of the rebuttals to your posts Millenium Generation Disease or in some cases, Senioritis. Either way, some here should lighten up.

[olds442jetaway]

PS....FAA missed his calling. He could have been and maybe is for all I know a stand up comic based on real life experiences with lots of humor thrown in.

[FAA]

What triggered that, Olds? I simply related my superb physical condition in reaching 15,000 steps, a far cry from DVT danger. Too stubborn to spring for a jitney. Never again. Who could have possibly seen that at the end of all that exercise a RF awaited back at Caesars?! It is funny to reflect upon now. It was hardly enough to spur a cab to the crappy airport and fly home. But the walk eerily gave the fickle RNG time to work its magic. It sure made my AM bust a trifling footnote. Jeter was right about witching hour and huge wins.

[FloridaPhil]

PS....FAA missed his calling. He could have been and maybe is for all I know a stand up comic based on real life experiences with lots of humor thrown in.

I think FAA is a riot. His posts brighten my day. Let's face it, Video Poker is a pretty boring subject to talk about, especially from a math based standpoint. Find a positive opportunity, play it like a computer, blah blah blah. The Strategy Forum is so boring hardly anyone posts there anymore.

I enjoy talking about all things video poker, not just computer simulations. A little humor here and there doesn't hurt. We need to open up the forum to topics other than .04% plays and royal flush cycles. There is so much more to the casino experience that geek out sessions.

[onemoretry]

I think FAA is a riot. His posts brighten my day.

I tend to agree with that, with the exception of his referring to the absolute best possible result on a hand, considering the game and wager, as a fiasco.

The balance of your post? I'm not sure if I should call it irritating or illuminating. It's irritating because what's said is so much at variance with my own feelings. On the other hand, it's illuminating because it reveals so much about yours, and explains why you continue to post the stuff that you do.

[FAA]

OMT, you lose 94% of a hand's potential windfall and report back. I had made a significant number of max bets that day. Bad timing.