Originally posted by: Randall Ward
A better title might be How to Vulture Bonuses, because basically it just covers machines where the bonus persists from player to player. If you've played one of these machines a lot, the info isn't that surprising but might have a couple of details you missed or hadn't thought about. I was a little concerned that the info might be dated but as of my last trip in February most of the machines were still in casino, although some like Hexbreaker are fading away. This is where the website hook comes in, to actually keep up to date it would be essential. Some machines are covered in more detail than others, and there is a Reddit feel to some of the information.
For me the book is worth the $30, had some points I might use and will probably take it with me on my next trip just in case. I won't be vulturing, play for enjoyment and the idea of hunting down an improved chance for a bonus doesn't appeal to me. But I do enjoy learning things so this is good for that.
Will I do the website? still out on that, the $ isn't trivial and frankly the discount offer isn't enough to matter, and the risk that I will be disappointed and pissed off for a year is a factor. I have been an LVA subscriber for 30 years and accepted the wait for the book, but the website is something else so I'll wait on that.
Feel free to ask or question, this is just me and my opinion.
Allow me to cut the Gordian knot. If this info was even a tenth as valuable as the author claims, AND it was complex and hidden to the point that most players weren't aware of it, then why on Earth would the author ever publish it? Wouldn't he do much, much better to continue to loot, pillage, and burn? Wouldn't the publication of a how-to drastically reduce and shorten the lifespan of his opportunities?
Let's take a look at the history of other "how to beat the casinos" books. Let's set aside the snake oil nonsense that we know is mathematical folderol, like craps or keno systems. Then let's consider genuinely beatable games. Blackjack books only became prolific after the casinos learned how to detect and choke off advantage play. VP books only came out after the casinos started slashing paytables and players' club benefits. Poker books, for the most part, only came out after the casinos and cardrooms jacked up the rake so high that no one could be a winner (Doyle Brunson's iconic book aside; he regrets ever publishing it).
So I segue to only two possibilities:
1. This guy is full of shit.
2. This guy's advice is sound as far as it goes, but opportunities have dried up as the vultures flock and the casinos remove (or worse, "modify") the existing potentially +EV games. Therefore, he's telling us how to do something that is no longer viable or even possible.
And as I've said before, I wish I was wrong. And for what it's worth, I was very much inclined toward 2. But from the what I've learned so far, 1. is seeming increasingly likely.
