A big thanks to Phil

[FloridaPhil]

As far as I can tell, you have run out of things to say.

I'm waiting to hear the details of the long term positive video poker opportunities at the Tampa Hard Rock. If anyone can produce even one, I won't need to repeat myself. The last time I challenged anyone to produce one was months ago. What we got was circling Ultimate X multipliers. That strategy lasts one hand. What do you do for the rest of the day?

[FloridaPhil]

How about this for a compromise? Let's say positive video poker opportunities are a thing of the past. Let's stop talking about beating the casino or moving up in denomination to find an opportunity full of risk. Let's say video poker is an enjoyable game where you get to choose how much you pay to play. Let's say comps are part of your winnings and discuss ways to earn more of them. Let's stop turning professional gamblers into heroes.

Let's keep the parts of the books that talk about math, computer perfect play, money management and discipline. Let's talk about variance and how it dictates the size of your bankroll. Above all, lets stop demeaning members for doing what they enjoy with their own money. Do you think anyone would be interested in a forum like that or do you think removing the dream kills the game? Think it over.

[billryan]

A wise man speaks because he has something to say. The fool speaks because he has to say something.
If one hasn't gotten his point across after some hundred threads on a particular subject, perhaps it because he has no point.

[billryan]

I can't speak for anyone else but Phil's endless blathering about non existent threats to non existent news almost makes me want to tell him to shut the hell up. Sadly, I was raised too well to follow through on my impulses.

[Tedlark]

How about this for a compromise? Let's say positive video poker opportunities are a thing of the past. Let's stop talking about beating the casino or moving up in denomination to find an opportunity full of risk.

Phil, how many times have you mentioned that you will move up from .25 play to $1.00 play? I know, I know, you only move up taking "pot shots" but that is you trying to find an opportunity full of risk.

If you TRULY were playing video poker for entertainment then you would stick to the lower denominations. Once you move up you have lost the playing for entertainment value.

[Waiting4RF]

Phil, you said the experts tell you to not to play 97% games. That is correct because you won't have an advantage. If you add all the expected free play and comps to the expected game return, it needs to be above 100% before you should consider playing. This information is provided for FREE to anyone by the expert. This information is said often for FREE in on-line articles, in podcasts/radio shows, and on this web page.

You also say the experts make their money by selling products. If the expert is telling you for FREE the negative games should not be played, how will the expert make any money selling products? If the game should not be played, then no one needs strategy cards, books, or software. The person selling the products is telling everyone if you don't have an advantage, then do not buy my products. It sounds like only a small percentage of players should be buying the products. Just a thought.

[case]

Often you can find an advantage in a casino in other games BESIDES video poker. You just have to have some smarts and pay attention.

Mickey Crim is a good example. He has made a life of beating the casinos and rarely plays video poker or table games. Also he does not go to Las Vegas.

[FloridaPhil]

Often you can find an advantage in a casino in other games BESIDES video poker. You just have to have some smarts and pay attention.

This forum is supposed to be about video poker. It shouldn't be about beating the casino. The only table games I have ever played in a casino were blackjack and roulette. It was about 30 years ago. I found blackjack boring to the extreme. It's all about moving money back and forth between myself and the dealer, mostly to the dealer. I made $6,000 on one afternoon once playing roulette. I gave double that amount back the next day.

I never thought about returning to a casino until I discovered video poker. I bought a bunch of books on the subject, they weren't free. I bought multiple copies of strategy software, they weren't free either. I practiced for hours and I still do. The books told me I needed a bankroll sizeable enough to play forever, so I withdrew money out of my accounts and put it in my safe. I headed over to the casino to play the positive games the books told me to play. Where were they? I couldn't find those games, so I played like the pros told me to. After losing about $20K, I decided either I wasn't cut out for the game or someone was leading me astray.

I turned to this forum. I was told I didn't have enough discipline. For what? To watch my money go away? I then read that Advantage Players are more intelligent than average. OK, maybe I didn't have what it takes to win?

The experts doubled down on this theme. They stated they would be OK if their daughter married a professional gambler. As a father, this sickened me. Whoever wrote that has never had a child that they loved. I watched marriages break up allegedly over casino smoke. I met with a widow who lost all her husband's life insurance money at the Tampa Hard Rock trying to beat the casino. All I saw from big time gambling was heartbreak.

I switched to playing quarters and started getting my money's worth. I was surprised to discover the casino would let me stay free at the same hotel I was before. They still gave me free food and drinks. I even get free show tickets on occasion. They don't make much money off me.

Enough of my personal story. I want this forum to be about playing video poker. We don't need to discuss beating the casino to teach players to get more out of the game. Those players who must have this dream to enjoy the game should know they are losing this battle. Positive casino opportunities are going away and will continue to do so. That won't change the game of video poker. It will still have five card buttons and perfect play will still let you play longer with your money. Hopefully, I'll still be sitting at the Hard Rock when I'm ninety and I won't be losing my life savings.

[FloridaPhil]

There is a good chance this thread will be shut down or parts of it deleted. I hope that doesn't happen. Gambling is not something to take lightly. It is a financial loser and participants should be aware of this fact. It cost me a lot of money to discover this. I was lucky. I had the resources to recover, so all I lost was some sleep.

If you are going to follow the path I took, you will learn as I did. Hopefully, you won't be left with any long term damage. Casino gambling as entertainment works. Attempting to beat the casino is financial suicide. It will extract a toll on you both financial and mental. You will attempt to control your investment, but the dream will override your control.

If you are going to play video poker in a casino, my advice is to play it as small as you can stand. Better yet, play it on this website for free.

[case]

Phil this thread would not get shut down if you would quit slamming Bob Dancer. Your thread 2 above this you again referenced Dancer a few times (of course without mentioning his name). You are indeed a jealous man.

My post about advantages in a casino other than video poker was in reference to JStarks post about finding an advantage in Florida. I am sure he can find some positive plays besides video poker. I spent part of my winter down there and really did not play much and only went to two casinos on two different days and did find an advantage play and it was in Brighton Seminole casino of all places. A small place with hardly any machines. Oh they did have video poker there but I would not play those odds.

It is possible.