Turning $20 into $1,000 Again...

[notes1]

alpax, you sound like a very disciplined player, who adheres to a strict budget. the mistake one could make is presuming all gamblers are as disciplined as you. sure, there are a few VP players that want to achieve a certain status and will only play machines that help them achieve that staus in the most cost effective manner. but, many VP players are simply playing because they enjoy the game and they achieve the status simply because they play a lot. some are addicted and some just have more money than they know what to do with.

[FAA]

Knowing the pain and experiencing for myself the losses of thousands of dollars on an annual basis, I no longer envy people who brag about high statuses.Discipline often follows pain. Once burned, twice shy. Trot them all out.

[VP_vp]

i will never be a 7* and i give them no more respect than anyone else, the higher your status, just means you lose more. what i do think is important is that most of their posters, just like yourself, admit that even in the 'old' days of better playing machines, most still lost.

Don't have to lose more, just have to play more. I was Platinum with craps in AC, usually lost a thousand or two each year, than I switched over to blackjack and won a couple thousand a year, reaching Diamond along the way with the win. If you play smart and bet bigger when it's to your advantage, you can come out a winner AND a higher status!

[notes1]

[QUOTE=notes1]
i will never be a 7* and i give them no more respect than anyone else, the higher your status, just means you lose more. what i do think is important is that most of their posters, just like yourself, admit that even in the 'old' days of better playing machines, most still lost.

Don't have to lose more, just have to play more. I was Platinum with craps in AC, usually lost a thousand or two each year, than I switched over to blackjack and won a couple thousand a year, reaching Diamond along the way with the win. If you play smart and bet bigger when it's to your advantage, you can come out a winner AND a higher status![/QUOTE]
 you are presuming that someone wants to play BJ. i am not trying to reach a higher status, but i would be willing to bet the majority who gamble more, bet more, end up losing more. 

[notes1]

ko king, you may be interested (have never seen it before), that someone on mendelson's site, brought up your post about 'hyper RNG', that you made on this site. i will let you read the comments. the 'casino believers' dispute that anything his different other than paytables and there were some who question the integrity of the casinos/machines. same split opinion you read here.  

[alpax]

alpax, you sound like a very disciplined player, who adheres to a strict budget. the mistake one could make is presuming all gamblers are as disciplined as you. sure, there are a few VP players that want to achieve a certain status and will only play machines that help them achieve that staus in the most cost effective manner. but, many VP players are simply playing because they enjoy the game and they achieve the status simply because they play a lot. some are addicted and some just have more money than they know what to do with.

It is unfortunate that I was forced into having such discipline and awareness after losing more than what I am comfortable with for years straight. Chasing progressive meters on slots was what I used to do, but I never got the luck to win any one of them. Thus I fall into the definition of a problem gambler. The aspect of winning money was always fueling my desire to play at the casino in the past, as well as the added treatment that comes with being a player. Learned the hard way that the more you play, the more you lose at a rate where it is not possible to overcome the loss built up over negative expectation games. Lose enough, you would need to do a strong evaluation. As stated quite often on these forums, most people cut off casino gambling completely, I do not blame them for the reasons that the casinos are getting greedier or they've become aware of the same things that I did.

Even betting the table minimum on a table game and playing that for many hours to earn comps or the next tier level on the club card is also destructive. I like how some members here on these forums have raised awareness of problem gambling being a serious issue. Those DDB, Deuces Wild, and TDB jackpot hits do normally come with serious losses in between, not many will admit to it and thats the most dangerous part.

Getting into 7* or NOIR at MGM, requires a level of play that is well beyond a recreational activity and simple hobby, it is a major life commitment/investment to get into that year after year. I believe I have the knowledge and skills to get into those statuses as cheap and efficient as possible, but I have no interest in them.

I have evaluated Video Poker more thoroughly than ever more than a year ago, and I found it to be one of the few feasible options left that I can manage to play on; as well as having more knowledge with what a casino is really about. I will not take many VP trips, my sessions at the local casinos will be for a few hours since I always want to keep the expected theoretical loss to be lower than my disposable income budget (that grows slowly).

[Tedlark]

Good post notes. One thing players should do is to learn a game completely that they want to play. This doesn't only mean various hand holding strategies but also includes the pay schedules along with comp percentages earned on the games. As other people here have pointed out; some casinos have taken to not even giving comp value on some video poker games or machines and we, as educated players, must decide if that game is then worth playing.

Obviously earning 7 Stars or NOIR is exciting but it is easier for some to earn it than others. If a player is able to achieve that level because they have the resources to do so, great for them. But for the average player ($1.00, .50, .25, .10, .05,.01) to achieve this level requires more effort and that's where being smart comes in. Those here who mine maximum benefit from the perks awarded at these levels make out the best. To me they are not worth it so I am comfortable at the levels I'm at; Diamond/Producer.

Again, good post.

[notes1]

thanks ted. alpax, it sounds like you learned a valuable lesson. for decades, i have watched as millions of folks lived their lives financially, beyond their means. wheher it was having too expensive a house, too expensive cars, sending kids to over priced colleges....we all know the stories. this is one of the main reasons the world in in the financial postion we find ourselves.  the same can be said of gambling. play within your means, do not be influenced by others, do not try to be something you cannot and by all means, remember you are most likely going to lose. the overwhelming majority are going to lose. it is entertainment not a money making proposition. have fun and try to milk every penny of benefit you can from the casino, you are paying for it. just remember, the casino is not your friend. 

[ko king]

ko king, you may be interested (have never seen it before), that someone on mendelson's site, brought up your post about 'hyper RNG', that you made on this site. i will let you read the comments. the 'casino believers' dispute that anything his different other than paytables and there were some who question the integrity of the casinos/machines. same split opinion you read here.  


I hope they don't credit me with introducing the possibility that a "hyper RNG" might exist. I've had the opportunity to get an in depth look at what makes a vp machine tick once in my lifetime. A machine tech was working or making changes on a machine and there was a gaming commission employee present while he worked, I ask about the RNG and they were glad to show it to me. Sure enough the thing was wrapped, sealed and stamped, looked pretty official to me. Now I can't say anything looked "hyper" about the thing, couldn't see inside the package, for all I know it could have contained and empty cereal box, no doubt the new "hyper RNG's" put off some type of glow and are probably wrapped with a seal that resembles racing stripes. It's possible that if we listen closely enough while we're playing one of the "hyped" up machines we might hear the RNG's engine rev up, just don't know, my hearings not what it used to be.

[FAA]

Milk every penny of benefit you can from the casino, you are paying for it. The casino is not your friend.Well stated. For my part, I am ready to bail on less than full pay machines. This wrecks my comp situation. But mgmt slashed those for a reason. The games actually pay decent.