I love to read your Comments and try to respond to them as soon as I can – but that doesn’t seem to be as prompt as I’d like. However, the more I try to cut back on our schedule the busier I get. Maybe I’m just not able to keep as many balls in the air as I did when I was younger! 🙂
Anyway, I want to address one question that comes up often in the Comments and in my mail: Should I keep playing at casinos where I seem to lose so often, or stick with ones where I have been having better luck?
Even if you told me what casinos you were comparing, I could not answer this question. I would need for you to tell me what paytables you are playing and at what denominations. First, let’s assume you are playing the exact same game at two casinos. Knowing that streaks will hit all VP players, you may simply be in a good streak at one place but a bad one at the other. And if you are playing quarters at one place and dollars at the other, the difference will seem more severe if you are in a good streak on quarters and a bad streak on the higher denomination.
However, the answer to this question may lie in your choice of plays. Remember I have taught for years that you have to evaluate each play you choose by adding together the EV of the base game and all the extras, i.e., slot club benefits, tournaments, drawings, bounce-back. You may find that there is an obvious answer to your question: You may be losing at some casinos because you are regularly doing low-EV plays and you are doing better where you can consistently choose higher-EV ones.
There is another consideration beside EV. You may be losing more often at one casino if you are choosing a more volatile game, one where the EV is based on getting those not-so-frequent secondary jackpots. Play games like Double Double Bonus and have a drought of kicker quads and you will suffer longer losing spells than players who stick with games like JoB or Bonus Poker.
One of the features in the Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide I haven’t talked much about is its volatility rating scale. But that is a useful feature in helping players estimate how big a bankroll they need since the more volatile the game the bigger the bankroll needed to withstand the VP roller coaster ride!
You are so right about streaks Jean. When I was a “newbie” VP player about 10 years ago I started out by reading your book “More Frugal Gambling”. This made me want to learn correct strategy to play deuces wild and find a good pay table. Well long story short I went to Binion’s, found a full pay game and proceeded to hit four deuces 4 times in less than an hour. I thought I had found my retirement plan! Fast forward 10 years and the last 4-5 trips to LV and I cannot coax 4 deuces out of any machine anywhere! The lesson learned is VP is very streaky and what everyone needs to understand first is long term EV is the key and having fun along the way is what VP is all about. Best Regards, Terry Haile, Post Falls, Id
I am more of a recreational player, playing for the comps and enjoyment, but if I was in the situation mentioned above, I would stay at the casino where I was getting the better comp deals. If you are playing the games with good EV and playing optimal strategy then your “luck” will eventually turn your way, as you play. I hate to lose as much, if not more than the next person, but I play to my bankroll. Just because I am having more luck at another casino, doesn’t mean it will always be like that. Play at the casino that will give you the most bang for your buck. The next Royal is just one spin away.