VideoPoker.com May Contest

[JDanknich]

I'd be happy to get 1 RF.  Heck, I'd be happy to get the occasional 4 of a kind.  These score of just over 2K I keep getting are really disheartening.

[bigsteve5273@yahoo.c]

I'd be happy to get 1 RF.  Heck, I'd be happy to get the occasional 4 of a kind.  These score of just over 2K I keep getting are really disheartening.   A score of 2k is probably at least average or above.  What we've seen in these contests is that incredible luck will always prevail.   A score of 20k could be accomplished by being dealt a hand paying 4000 x 3 held + 2 random 4000 pay hands in a 200 hand session.  An incredibly lucky event but within the realm of possibility as witness the current high scores.   In a winner take all match with no actual cost to the loser,  the strategy becomes far more aggressive and the variability on the rate of return increases.  Players using the most aggressive strategy to create the largest scores also generate the most scores far below 2000.  Even so,  those players are up against the luck of their opponents.     To paraphrase the sage OEJ, "  I rather have infinite monkeys playing infinite video poker machines working for me than to sit down and do the math."

[oej719]

It is not that he will not sit down and do the math. It is that he is math and menatally challenged. Kind of short changed in several departments except lying and boozing

[oej719]

Is this contest where you play 200 hands like the guarantee poker machines where you pay so much for a certain number of hands? If so is the 200 hands here equal to like a 1000 credits?

[Webman]

A score of 2k is probably at least average or above.  What we've seen in these contests is that incredible luck will always prevail.   A score of 20k could be accomplished by being dealt a hand paying 4000 x 3 held + 2 random 4000 pay hands in a 200 hand session.  An incredibly lucky event but within the realm of possibility as witness the current high scores.   In a winner take all match with no actual cost to the loser,  the strategy becomes far more aggressive and the variability on the rate of return increases.  Players using the most aggressive strategy to create the largest scores also generate the most scores far below 2000.  Even so,  those players are up against the luck of their opponents.    I think this is a fairly good analysis of contest play. For the record, however, the average score in the contest is currently sitting at 3369.48 Some people are probably not playing as aggressively as others. Those high scores you see in the top 10 certainly bring up the average, but risky strategy is also pulling the average below the expected returns using optimal strategy.If you look at the totals from the last contest, it is easier to understand how such amazing scores are possible given how many sessions are being attempted. The question is... will the next big hand belong to you or someone else?

[shadowman]

The great thing about the contests is you can win something AND they are fun all by themselves. I personally only play when I have the time. My top score is under 5K (in 4 sessions) and I know it would take a great deal of luck to win. Recently, my best luck has been in casinos and, nothing against the prizes here, but I prefer hitting those RFs for real cash.   
 
PS. 200 hands of triple play is really 600 hands total, and therefore equivalent to 3000 credits of Guaranteed play (or 3600 if you factor in the extra credit each hand).

[Eduardo]

It would be nice if we could choose which sessions to apply to the contest and which ones to apply to a real casino, after the session has been completed.

[MikeA]

It would be nice if we could choose which sessions to apply to the contest and which ones to apply to a real casino, after the session has been completed.
 
Amen and AMEN!!!!

[faygo]

Tangueray was playing this AM. Dealt 3 to a Royal and a pair of Jacks. Pitched the Jacks and got the Royal on both the 2nd and 3rd line. Go Figure!
I've had 7, 4 to a Royal and haven't connected on the first one. Go Figure!
 
 
Update: I got a Royal. held just the King of Hearts.  Go Figure! 

[bigsteve5273@yahoo.c]

Thank you, Webman and Shadowman  again for the info.   In the fullness of time the math MAY prevail.     Short term it would only take 2 hands to make a very high score.  2 dealt royals or 4/Aw2etc. ?, holding all 6 hands, in a row.  Is it in fact possible to win this contest by playing as few as 3 hands?  I have a quibble.  Technically in triple play or any such multi format game, once the cards are held,  we are not  playing multiple hands but one hand multiple times with the resulting exclusionary probabilities.    Once again, OEJ stuns me with his insight as boozing and lying  are worthwhile pursuits of the highest order.  Anyway, I'd rather discuss the math  and leave the actual doing of it to those most qualified as there are lies, damn lies and math.   Of course,  no one can argue that it would be best to have infinite monkeys ..................