My Journey on Video Poker

[FloridaPhil]

[quote=Tedlark]But remember Dan that "big negative days" can be controlled and that's where discipline and loss limiters come into play.[/quote]Couldn't agree more.  

[DAAnMAAn]

I have a style of play that can maximize losses and wins. In other words, always betting max coins, playing as fast (and accurately) as possible, playing a long time in a single machine (camping) instead of hopping from one machine to the next.
Other people may play a style that minimizes the losses but also minimizes the wins (doing the opposite mentioned above; or CS strategy for example).
Anyway you slice it, whether one says the glass is half empty or half full, they are both right and wrong!
Bottom line is, we play accurately, each spin is same odds and independent, and we hope the RNG chip in the machine lines up the suited 10-A cards.
I have no magic formula of limit losses or max the gains, we all do the best we can and go forward. I've gone against my rules many times in the past, usually with bad consequences, but sometimes good.
Take each day and each spin as it comes.
Cheers

[Tedlark]

Dan you and I have almost the exact playing style. When I mentioned minimizing losses I was thinking of a situation when, for instance, if I hit a royal for a grand I'll keep playing but if nothing hits then I will play it down to a profit that I feel comfortable with.

I ALWAYS play max coin and even though I am not a fan of the CS if someone else wants to utilize it then they take that risk. I say risk because I would not be a happy camper if I hit one, two, or more premium hands and losing out because I didn't have max coin in.

Another example is FAA: he has mentioned that he leaves a machine after hitting a royal. I have had many many times where I've hit follow up royals or AWAK's after hitting a royal or AWAK on the same machine. I too, camp on a machine and I don't jump. I will occasionally toss out the rule book when it comes to playing and if I do something that is against the rules and I luck out then good for me. A-10 suited calls to hold just the A but I've held both and was rewarded with a royal.

To me video poker is a long term proposition. To me (and Phil shares this outlook) video poker is nothing more than entertainment and if I happen to win on any given day I know that the next outing may be a loser. I play with money that I can well afford to lose and I do something good with the money that I win.

I continue to wish everyone here much success with whatever gaming decisions they may make.

[FAA]

But consider our games. As primarily a Jobber, there is no exciting sub Royal hand to pursue. I fulfilled the quest for the best and let it rest. That 40,000 to one won't be back soon, especially on off season progressives. The Style File is also diametrically different between us. My wacky scattershot strategy of 2-5 coins per spin depending on a hunch makes even the most boring game exciting. I'm not a Cheap Strategist, but I am cheap. A casino really has to be tight as a drum to nail me for a triple digit loss. I detest the Semper Max style, but envy the hefty results.

[DAAnMAAn]

Case in point, bad session of .25c 10/6 DDB, -$415. One time flopped quad queens, the rest was a steady downward to zero. I guarantee playing a cs style or jumper style this kind of loss would almost never happen. But camping, max bet, play fast, it can happen now and again.
On the other hand, my style will go thru much more hands and have a much higher chance of hitting premium hands. Just didn't happen this go around.
Anyway, not the start I was looking for in December. We will see how it develops...
Cheers

[paco13]

I pretty much am a "camper", Max only player who plays fast. If I want or need to stretch my BR I change denomination. I don't even pause or blink when I get a non premium Quad.

[FAA]

I don't even pause or blink when I get a non premium Quad.-------------------------------------------------------------------------------You can't. You're still net negative!

[Tedlark]

FAA that 40,000 hands between royals is not written in stone. I've had multiple royals come well within 40,000 hands.

[FloridaPhil]

There are a lot of misconceptions about CS.  CS was never an option if you wanted to obtain the maximum ER of any video poker game.   CS was created for only one purpose, to allow a player to play longer with the same money while retaining the possibility of a max coin jackpot.  It also minimized your loses when playing seriously negative video poker games.  I don't play bad games any more and my bankroll is currently big enough to allow me to play max coins all the time, so CS is a thing of the past as far as I am concerned.  I am a big believer in cash out limits for recreational players.  I only play single line deuces wild and I never put any more than one $20 in the machine at a time even if I am playing quarters, 50 cents or $1s.  I cash out every time the counter reaches $50 and I stop when I have used up my $500 session bankroll. Sometimes $500 lasts me 3-4 hours and sometimes only 1 1/2 hours.   Usually, the better the day, the shorter the session.  Most sessions I have a big stack of white tickets and I either make money or come  within a hundred or so of breaking even.    I do this to manage my money, not because I believe it affects my long term results.  If you always play until all your money is gone, you will usually bust before you win enough to satisfy you.  The casino is counting on it... 

[FAA]

CS' detriments should be self evident to anyone with a lick of common sense. Every non max coin hand or session is non lethal Russian Roulette. Will this hand be the RF to make me scream MF? The things I do to string out my meager bankroll. I'm gone baby gone post quad. 99% of the time I've given it back in an hour. Let's recall the definition of insanity.