Why are we all so glum?

[DougJ]

I have read many of the different threads in this forum regarding perceived changes in VP.

Just curious . . . how do you all do when you play your favorite games here on this site? Do you consistently fare better here than in the casino?

[spxChrome]

I have read many of the different threads in this forum regarding perceived changes in VP.

Just curious . . . how do you all do when you play your favorite games here on this site? Do you consistently fare better here than in the casino?

I don't play much poker for "fun" but I did write my own VP game and can run it on auto-mode. And the outcome is exactly what I would expect to see after 1 million hands. But in the real-world its not even close when you get quad Aces once for every 6 times you get garbage quads like 8's or 10's.

[olds442jetaway]

Agreed. I play Wolf vp for fun on the computer or here a little and results are completely different than the casino. Big time difference too. Wish it was the other way around lol.

[kennybobby]

gotta be obamacare...my guess

[BobDancer]

[QUOTE=DaBurglar] 
But as I said many times before........playing video poker in Vegas from the mid 1990s thru 2005 or so, you could very well hold your own and even make a small profit, even without resorting to Bob dancer;s INTENSE ANALRETENTIVE system and strategies (as good and sound as they are/were, they require a lot of work and vigilance and take a lot of the "fun" factor out of it and turn it into work.....its his job and he's good at it but still...) Although I wouldn't describe my methods quite the same way, DB is basically correct. Success at video poker is tougher today than it was 10-20 years ago. And the tools to attack the problem are better as well. But not all people are equally good at using these tools.My father, for example, passed away a few years ago at the age of 95. He never got the hang of computers and cell phones --- among many other things. For those who grew up with these things, using them is no big deal.Video poker continues to be a survival-of-the-fittest game. There were people who could succeed 15 years ago that can't succeed today. (It's possible DB is one of those. Although I don't know him and I can't say for sure, his posts on this site seem to imply this is the case.) There are people today who can use the modern tools and succeed just fine.It never occurred to me that I was taking the fun out of the game. My goal was always to play to win --- and the fun was in the winning. If it took a little extra work to succeed, the goal was worth it and the pleasure from winning even sweeter. If others didn't want to work as hard as me and didn't enjoy the same success, that was perfectly fine with me. That was less competition to worry about.Other people see "fun" differently than I do --- and working hard for something isn't included in their definition. So be it.My prediction is that in five years it will be tougher still. There will still be some winners (I expect to be one of them but I can't know that for sure at the moment), but the methods and games used to succeed today won't be the same ones as what we will need to learn in five years. To win you're going to need to adapt.You can look at that as a fun challenge that awaits. You can look at that as a scary and unfair turn of life. It's going to happen either way. I strongly prefer to look at is as a fun challenge.Bob

[Mikeinri]

i like this post, very thought provoking and pensive.     thanks minn fatzBut as I said many times before........playing video poker in Vegas from the mid 1990s thru 2005 or so, you could very well hold your own and even make a small profit, .


Come on man there's at least a couple of dozen places in LV you can STILL play over 100%-FPDW, DB, 10-6 DDB- 24 hours a day and I believe (not a game I play) positive Jokers.Even in AC and CT you can play 99% games 24/7.  I mean it sucks the golden days are gone but it's still the cheapest recreation out there-and the booze is still FREE!.  Have you checked out prices for shows, musicals, concerts, etc?

[pokerforme]

Great post Bob

[royal flush]

good answer bob, i play more live poker mainly omaha 8 or better, video poker is a much different game then 20n years ago when i played 3%+ promotions miss a royal by 1 card get 125 credits on 9 6 job which played correctly was a 3+% game at the dollar level at 700 hands per hour was 105 per hour, no i treat the stock market like a game finding the edge and exploiting it, i write put and call options which is booking the bets and when played properly the edge is bigger than the track on the horses, one must understand the mechanics, math and have a bankroll and temperment to cover the swings

[BillyJoe]

[QUOTE=DaBurglar] 
But as I said many times before........playing video poker in Vegas from the mid 1990s thru 2005 or so, you could very well hold your own and even make a small profit, even without resorting to Bob dancer;s INTENSE ANALRETENTIVE system and strategies (as good and sound as they are/were, they require a lot of work and vigilance and take a lot of the "fun" factor out of it and turn it into work.....its his job and he's good at it but still...) Although I wouldn't describe my methods quite the same way, DB is basically correct. Success at video poker is tougher today than it was 10-20 years ago. And the tools to attack the problem are better as well. But not all people are equally good at using these tools.My father, for example, passed away a few years ago at the age of 95. He never got the hang of computers and cell phones --- among many other things. For those who grew up with these things, using them is no big deal.Video poker continues to be a survival-of-the-fittest game. There were people who could succeed 15 years ago that can't succeed today. (It's possible DB is one of those. Although I don't know him and I can't say for sure, his posts on this site seem to imply this is the case.) There are people today who can use the modern tools and succeed just fine.It never occurred to me that I was taking the fun out of the game. My goal was always to play to win --- and the fun was in the winning. If it took a little extra work to succeed, the goal was worth it and the pleasure from winning even sweeter. If others didn't want to work as hard as me and didn't enjoy the same success, that was perfectly fine with me. That was less competition to worry about.Other people see "fun" differently than I do --- and working hard for something isn't included in their definition. So be it.My prediction is that in five years it will be tougher still. There will still be some winners (I expect to be one of them but I can't know that for sure at the moment), but the methods and games used to succeed today won't be the same ones as what we will need to learn in five years. To win you're going to need to adapt.You can look at that as a fun challenge that awaits. You can look at that as a scary and unfair turn of life. It's going to happen either way. I strongly prefer to look at is as a fun challenge.Bob
So, Bob, it would appear that you continue to be successful and profitable playing VP in casinos today. What, in your mind, has changed in the VP environment, other than the obvious pay table reductions, that has made it more difficult, as everybody seems to assert? Would you be willing to share with us recreational players some of the changes in YOUR VP play that you have had to make to adjust to today's VP environment? You don't need to give away secrets, but some generalities would be helpful.

[EDC1977]

I have been playing VP 2+ decades now and still enjoy playing win or lose because you're never guaranteed a winning session. The environment, less than positive paytables and variable comps will always provide challenges yet it's still more fun than watching TV IMO. Whether in Vegas or elsewhere, it's just fun to me. Enjoy your time out I say unless it is a job to you.