I need a cash out warden.

[tech58]

Very interesting thread. The common problem has a common answer as Billy stated DISCIPLINE!!!!

My trick is related to a quote i read 40 years ago(i think i may have posted this quote before) "Gambling is not a game between you and the casino. It is a game between you and that little man inside of you that wants it ALL! Not just all the money but the drapes and chandeliers to!!"

My trick is to talk to him about who is boss!! Does it work? Sometimes.

FP's question about craps reminds me of another ancient quote from Casino Player mag.
A man said he had a friend who was an "expert crap shooter". To this comment the author responded with a question. What is it exactly that makes one an expert at a game that consists of a series of bets all of which have a house advantage,some of them horrendously so?
I might add a point that the behind-the-line bets are true odds but you have to make a pass line bet to get there and that has a 1.414% house advantage.

[billryan]

Just another sucker
Playing their game
They think I don't know how
Oh , what a shame.

Their chandeliers sparkle
motivating my play
Don't let the glitter
get in the way

Slowly, in secret,
one piece at a time
All of their glitter
Will soon be mine.

With apologies to Angie Marshall, the best female blackjack player I know.

[olds442jetaway]

Craps is a fascinating game with minimal advantage for the casino in some casinos. Some casinos allow a 5 dollar pass line bet and free odds behind your bet up to ten times the pass line bet amount. Taking full advantage of this reduces the casino edge from nearly 1.5 percent to close to zero. There are many downsides to craps for older players like myself. You have to stand sometimes for 8 to 12 hours until a decent roll comes along. You have to put up with drunks and other undesirable patrons that come and go and blow smoke in your face. I used to play craps twice a week when I was much younger. You can do really well with it on a hot roll, but get cleaned out in a hurry in a cold cycle. There are many types of bets you can make, but other than don't pass line bets, and come bets with odds, the house advantage goes up dramaticly

[FloridaPhil]

"Gambling is not a game between you and the casino. It is a game between you and that little man inside of you that wants it ALL!

So true. If we could all play like computers, we wouldn't need to play at all. We could get out our calculators and know the results in advance. The players who play for profit would know when to walk away and the rest of us would know we are losers before we start. That is exactly what the experts are saying.

In the early days when I first started playing VP, I fought with myself regularly. Is it better to play games with better odds if it costs me more money to play? What does a positive game look like? How much is the casino going to give me if I play a certain way or not. Why can't I win long term and someone else always does? I'm successful in business and in life, why can't I play VP like the man in the book?

I have come to grips with these issues and it's been liberating. I have concluded that I will never be an Advantage Player and I'm OK with that. I don't have the skills, games or anything else it takes. The games I have to play are terrible. My eye sight is not that good anymore and my stamina is not what it used to be. I was like an amateur golfer who becomes depressed because he can't play like Tiger Woods. At least Tiger Woods isn't thanking me for paying his bills and calling me an idiot.

Discipline is the one thing I have been able to improve. I have balanced the cost of playing VP and the enjoyment I get out of it. I don't fear losing because my losses are insignificant. I don't dwell on big jackpots, because I know I will eventually give them back. I enjoy my day at the casino without the anxiety and the drama. I have fun at the casino, but it doesn't consume my life.

Everyone has to make these decisions on their own. This what I want video poker to be and I'm happy with it just like it is.

[FloridaPhil]

Just another sucker
Playing their game
They think I don't know how
Oh , what a shame.

Let me ask a serious question please. If you absolutely 100% positively knew you were going to lose long term playing VP, would you play the game? If you said Yes, how would you play it? Would you play it bigger so you could lose more but experience the thrill of a bigger jackpot? Or, would you play it as small as possible so you could limit your cost to play the game? 99% of video poker players are faced with this choice every time they walk into the casino.

Players don't want to face the reality of today's VP games. They want to believe they can beat the game regardless of what the math says or their abilities are. Bob Dancer has stated many times on this forum that only a handful of people can do what he does. I am sure he is absolutely 100% correct. I can't understand how he explains that in a VP class, but from all accounts his classes are full. Do people attend these classes to meet a celebrity or learn to beat a game that he says they can't beat?

I know I can't. Not in this life, the next or ever. For this reason, I do not concern myself with trying to duplicate his results. I do not consider myself a failure because I realize my limitations. I am sure there are things I can do better than he can. We are all experts at something. Video poker is not one of them.

[FAA]

I do dwell on jackpots, as I've never experienced W2. I pack scissors for the cathartic card cutting ceremony. Even when I win I lose. Three quads today, well ahead of schedule. Net -$73.