Another Useless Effort

[jcs152112]

After posting a few months ago about the death of a Vegas casino and my futile efforts at playing the game I used to love, the inevitable happened. Some friends wanted to meet at the Black Gold in Hobbs, NM. After swearing off VP for money, we decided to meet them. The VP selection is very sad, but the penny slots are abundant. I stupidly put my Benjamin in a $ video poker machine, played 13 straight hands without a payout. With 35 credits left, I hit a pair of Kings. Now I am up to 40!! Played 6 more hands without a payout and then got a pair of Jacks. Now I have 15 left. 3 more hands without a payout and my Benjamin was gone. I told them I would meet them in the bar where at least my money spent would give me some satisfaction. 5 months since the debacle in Vegas and the same ole crap. Better leave well enough alone. [:

[FAA]

What a dreadful experience. Sorry for your loss. As one of our posters avers, never put more than $20 in a machine. Too much temptation to leave it until it fritters away in the usual VP debacle. If you can't catch a scintilla of success after $20, fleeing usually works. Were you burned for more than a Benjamin in Lost Wages?

[jcs152112]

just a little bit....about 5 grand. had 30000+ points on my card and my new host, which I am quite sure was an illegal immigrant recently promoted from house cleaning, would not even comp me a meal. Said my 3 nights during Super bowl weekend were valued at more than $1000 each so she could not comp any more. Needless to say some heated words were exchanged. Had stayed at the Venetian for over 10 years....never, ever again. In fact, unless it is free, I am not playing. I usually get beat by 20000+ each month here on the free sight!! My luck has disappeared, never to return.

[KingofAmerica]

Certainly nothing unusual or remarkable about losing $100 bucks fairly quickly sometimes playing $1 VP. Based on your overreaction, I think you are correct not to play VP anymore.

[notes1]

Certainly nothing unusual or remarkable about losing $100 bucks fairly quickly sometimes playing $1 VP. Based on your overreaction, I think you are correct not to play VP anymore.
 have to agree.  if one's luck has changed, bankroll reduced or generally costing more to play, why not change to a quarter game or less. VP has changed and not for the better. we all need to accept it, adapt to it or stop playing.

[FAA]

The minute I have hit the dollar machines, even on the seemingly innocuous min bet, I'm in loss mode. It's always in a stupefying loss cycle somehow! Yes I can play five times the hands. But the result is the same. On vanilla JOB. So, quarters it is. What gives? Certainly not the machines.

[Lucky Larry]

jcs152112,
The number of hands without a return of bet can be really long and in some sessions downright painful especially when you know your hold is correct and how the game should play. Even my favorite DW can be a patience killer. I once went 100+ hands of STP without a multiplier which should come 1:18. This increased volatility for a minor % gain is one reason I usually don't play extra coin games.

We too used to play for $1 denominations when we were both working full-time because our bankroll could be larger. Now, retired (semi-retired) we've moved to lower denominations and more hands. We may play as much or more than previously per hand but the lower denominations with more hands keeps us in the game generally longer. That is our strategy - play enough hands of low volatility games at a high effectiveness and hope the gambling spirits smile upon us with the right timing.

Even now when I practice I set a specific coin limit and see how long I can play with my potential bankroll. After 30-40 tries I have a pretty good idea my limitations - denomination and # of hands. The losing streaks can be long but they can change at any time. Some of my biggest hits have been after really long cold spells.

[jcs152112]

For many years, I had a hell of a time playing video poker. I too had a full time job, but lost it after 20 years because I was not good at kissing the butt of the President of the Board. I have never been very good kissing anybody's butt but my wife's. After losing my job, 2 weeks later after moving, I had a stroke. Then I found out I had COPD. This all after I had a reaction to Coumadin which ate all the skin off both legs leaving them scarred and painful. I am allergic to Codeine so there is no pain medicine available. Wish I still smoked dope, but I quit smoking period 20 years ago. I love DDB. I have hit 39 royal flushes, all at the $level. I even has license plates which read AAAAK. But then everything changed. The things I loved to do, (I was a golf Professional for 32 years) I cannot do anymore. I can't bird hunt, which I love, I can't fish because I have very little balance. I walk and play video poker on the computer. Now I am going to stop that too. when you can no longer function and have fun at something, it's time to call it quits....to everything. I still look forward to movies with my wife and deer hunting in the fall because I can sit in a blind. But Oxygen goes with me everywhere...so maybe I will blow up in the blind some day. Thanks for letting me vent, but I promise this will be the last you hear from me. Have a Good Day!

[misterlister]

I get the picture of why we won't hear from you anymore. Better hope no one gives the deer a gun like yours to defend themselves.

[FAA]

Notes I agree on Quarter Quest. Better to light a candle than to curse the darkness. Every time I cross the Rubicon into dollar play I get killed. Stop the insanity indeed. Won't muck my luck playing buck anytime soon. Never tried once all wkd. Didn't miss it. Had I played longer I would have tried pot shots. My day trips were just too regrettably brief.