2018 Royal #6

[onemoretry]

Does this answer your question?

Not that I'm a gambling person, but I'd bet that his answer will be "no". Your earlier post stating that you usually come home with money in your pocket did not indicate how often the money in your pocket was less than what you went with, i.e., it was a losing visit. A minor loss is still a loss.

[FAA]

$100 is acceptable to me. This year substantially ahead due to 6 RFs. Most years I lose a little.
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We're of similar minds. $100 is acceptable to me as well. I sometimes go in over my head and triple that sum. I seek to break even on the year. So I am mindful to play max more than previously. Congratulations on the bimonthly event.

[mightwin]

Congratulations on the royal.

I was wondering if those still looked the same - it's been too long since my last one.

Thanks for the picture. Good luck on getting number 7.

[FloridaPhil]

Your earlier post stating that you usually come home with money in your pocket did not indicate how often the money in your pocket was less than what you went with, i.e., it was a losing visit. A minor loss is still a loss.

$100 a day seems like a reasonable price to pay for an entire day of VP, especially if you count comps that offset the cost. I doubt a weekly country club golfer could get away that cheap. I play one full day each week plus numerous vacation days. $100 a day times 52 would be $5,200 a year. My wife and I combined don't lose that much and we enjoy a lot of free play, comped hotel stays and food. This year I will make money, but that doesn't happen often.

Through experience, I have learned that the majority of my VP losses are self inflicted. This comes from playing above my bankroll, making poor decisions and attempting to turn a losing game positive. Once I settled down to a workable plan and stuck with it, things got better. If you walk into a casino and let your dreams override your brain, you will pay everyone's bills. I don't mind paying for the use of the facilities. I don't want to be the casino's cash cow.

[FAA]

Entirely too much dreaming creates nightmares. I hit three quads between two casinos today ($31, $25, $25) and still figure to leave -$40. Where were they when I briefly played $10 per hand. Way over my head at Ocean.

[Tedlark]

Be careful in the deep end of the Ocean FAA.

[FAA]

ROTF, Ted! Split with jitney. Tide would have gotten me. Now sitting pretty with my fourth quad in three casinos. After Caesars death worthy of its namesake last week, I ventured back and promptly lost $90. I had switched to Bonus Poker. The bonus actually appeared. Dealt two Aces and drew two for $240 on my $3.

[onemoretry]

]$100 a day seems like a reasonable price to pay for an entire day of VP, especially if you count comps that offset the cost.

Am I correct in interpreting that statement as indicating you lose at the machines themselves, on average, $100 per day?

[FloridaPhil]

Am I correct in interpreting that statement as indicating you lose at the machines themselves, on average, $100 per day?

My personal goal is to at least break even on as many days as possible. Some days quads do not appear and reaching my goal becomes impossible. I play a lot of hands in a day. No quads in a day's play is very rare for me. There have been days when I was pulled out by a rare dollar jackpot. Recently, I hit a $250 straight flush right after switching to dollars on a run up. Back in March, I hit a $400 quad ace the same way. Most days something good happens along the way. I don't get upset if I lose $100 in a day. What really hurts me is when I walk out with empty pockets. Most of the time it's my own fault.

When good things happen, I cash out. Jackpots are a rare occurrence and as such rarely repeat in succession. Years ago I would keep playing until I gave back my winnings. These days I use a $100 cash out limit and pocket my winnings. Using this technique, I break even the majority of days. There is no way to totally eliminate losing days. They are part of the game.

I do not claim to be able to beat the casino with this methodology. I know the games I play are unbeatable long term. What I want to do is play as long as possible as cheap as possible and get everything the casino is willing to give me.

[FloridaPhil]

I personally think the biggest obstacle a video poker player faces is his/her own mind. The casinos know this and use it against us. This may be true of all gambling. The worst video poker games have a 3% house edge. When playing small like I do, this shouldn't cause much damage. What happens is you grow bored with winning quarters and you start thinking about bigger jackpots. You may take a pot shot that works out. That causes trouble. From then on, you are playing in a pool over your head and you can't swim.

In my opinion the best way to play Recreational VP is to accept that the game is a loser and embrace the fact. Play conservatively. Play slow and accurately. Have a workable plan and stick with it. Play like your money is real, not a white ticket to be fed back into the game. This is the discipline the experts are talking about.