Bonus Poker Days

[FloridaPhil]

I recently switched my VP game from Deuces Wild to Bonus Poker.  With all the recent VP odds downgrades, Bonus Poker is now the best low denomination VP game in our local casinos.  7/5 Bonus Poker is 98%.  While not 100% it's not as bad as the rest, some of which are truly terrible.  Bonus Poker is easier for me to play error free.  The low variance allows me to play max coins comfortably at higher denominations, so I don't have the urge to change my bet and I earn a lot of comp points.  It sure is nice to double your money with two pair.   Another reason I like Bonus Poker is in Deuces your day depends on quad deuces or a royal.  Both are pretty rare, so if you don't hit one or the other you get scalped.  My wife thinks Bonus Poker is boring.  After years of playing Deuces, I'm enjoying the change.Last Friday I went to Tampa with my wife.  I took $400 with me because I planned to play at the 50 cent level.  The chart shows shows this game as a $24 an hour loser, so I wasn't expecting much.   After playing our free pay in our favorite slot, we went down to the non smoking casino to play VP.   Playing max coin 50 cents, I hit my first quad in about 10 minutes.  I played for a couple of hours and hovered about even.  Quads came up just at the right time and I was happy.   Whenever a machine went cold, I picked up and left.  Sure enough, as soon as I sat down at a new machine the quads started again.  This is not a strategy I would write a book about.   I'm sure it was pure luck, but it did make me feel better and it worked that day.  Who am I to argue with these machines?  If they want me to move around, so be it.It seemed quads were everywhere.  I never got ahead until I was dealt $200 in quad aces.   Being up a little, I tried a few slots.  I walked over to an 88 Fortunes slot and hit the bowl right away.  I moved up to $5 a hand and hit a string of turtles for $300.  Every time I went back to VP, I hit a quad.  I moved up to dollar play and the same thing happened.  By this time I realized I was on a lucky streak and just let it happen.  By the end of the day, I left up $600 and had accumulated over $100 in comp points.  I still had my original $400, so I put $1,000 back into my bankroll.  We ate a nice lunch for free and the entire day was great.My wife played quarter deuces all day and she never hit a quad deuce or a royal, so she lost $250.   She's still playing on $1,700 she found in a coat pocket from one of her other days, so I don't feel sorry for her.    So far, I like Bonus Poker.  I know one day I will play all day without a quad.  That day is coming, but at least for now I'm a winner. 

[billryan]

A man jumps out of a twenty story building. As he passes the eighth floor, he texts a friend- "So far, so good."

[FloridaPhil]

Let me off on the third floor.   

[edog743]

Scalped???? A very interesting choice of words.

[olds442jetaway]

Good going Phil. Keep it up. And Edog...this is just the generation Phil and I grew up in. Using terms such as scalped is the same thing as getting burned etc. Means nothing else to guys like us. its just my opinion, but I think this world is way way over politically correct. I could go on, but no point to. I am 100 percent sure Phil's point has nothing to do with anything Native American in his mind or mine for that matter. By the way, dogs are great healers as are cats. Another subject for another time maybe in anything and everything. I have some first hand stories I could relate.

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=edog76]Scalped???? A very interesting choice of words.[/quote]The thought that using that word was making any kind of negative comment about Native Americans never crossed my mind.  If you don't get quad deuces or a royal when playing Deuces Wild, your wallet is going to get scalped no matter who owns the casino.  Funny how words in different generations mean different things.  I know lots of young people use "freaking" as an adjective.  Every time I hear it, it makes me cringe because they are paraphrasing words that should never be said openly in public.   In our society  when you talk or look a certain way, people make judgements about your character.   When you are a 70 year old grandma or grandpa, do you want your grand kids to ask you about your tramp stamp or the hole in your nose?  When you apply for a job, do you want a potential employer to think you make poor decisions?So you know, when I was a kid the older generation thought similar things about us and the world is still here.   At least for now. 

[markinca]

This is not a strategy I would write a book about.   I'm sure it was pure luck, but it did make me feel better and it worked that day. 


Oh, I'm not so sure, Phil. You might really be onto something! Switching machines after it goes cold - I mean, it's gotta run warmer at a different machine, right? But maybe, just maybe, it'll run extremely hot if I find just the right machine. Next time I'll go to the casino with a thermometer and check each one and play the warmest one.

Then again, maybe if a machine runs cold it also means it's due for a big jackpot! So many interesting theories!

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=markinca] Switching machines after it goes cold - I mean, it's gotta run warmer at a different machine, right?[/quote]That is an interesting concept that is worth talking about.  There is a book written by a professional video poker player who claims moving around, playing hot machines and quitting when ahead is a winning VP strategy.   I'm not convinced, but I do not see the point of sitting on a dead machine waiting for math to prove him wrong.  I always break my play down into $20 bills even if I am playing dollars.   I do this so I can gauge where I am financially, not because I want to jump ship after 4 hands.   Knowing where you are is helpful information to a recreational player as it helps you avoid making bad decisions.  If your strategy is based on math, you don't need to know as you can always scoop up another pile of cash and throw it into the fire.  I don't have enough faith in any strategy to do this. I like to move around when I play.  As far as I'm concerned, a casino can't have enough video poker machines.  My favorite casinos have good games wherever you sit, not just a few old machines hidden behind the craps tables.  These machines aren't programmed to do anything except pull out random numbers.  Anyone who plays them for long knows they run hot and cold.  I prefer to play hot machines and avoid cold ones.  If someone could tell me how to tell in advance which is which, I would be extremely grateful. 

[FAA]

maybe if a machine runs cold it also means it's due for a big jackpot! ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Worst theory possible. Cold is usually cold. Can't outfox the ice box.

[FAA]

a book written by a professional video poker player claims
moving around, playing hot machines and quitting when ahead is a winning
VP strategy.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------This has a lot of merit for me. Author? I'm definitely on his wavelength.