Comments on: Last-Minute Flash – Gold Coast Bonus Point Sundays

By: BILL

BILL — Sun, 16 Sep 2012 10:07:45 +0000

Does anyone know about the following:
If I’m playing a vpoker machine with say 12 vpoker games on it, is the machine memory for the whole machine or for each game on it?

By: queen of comps

queen of comps — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 19:08:18 +0000

Kevin, it is one thing to be realistic, but I don’t want your comments to completely discourage my readers. I want them to look at the facts and then study and practice hard so they have the tools for success. One of the hints that will help players use vpFREE2 to find good “hidden” plays. Look for games in Multi-Strike (MS) and Super Times Pay (STP) format. A knowledgeable player will know that they have a higher EV than the game in a regular format. Of course they are more volatile – and the knowledgeable player will know whether their bankroll and/or their personality can take the roller coaster. But the more options one has the better off he will be.

By: Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis — Sat, 15 Sep 2012 17:06:30 +0000

There aren’t any games there better than DBDW–as anyone checking VPFree2 can easily find out. As for “other good” games, yes, there’s JOB. But that’s hardly worth bothering with, as adding .7% to 99.54% gives you a 101.24% return, or $24 on your 10K coin-in: not worth the bother IMHO. At the .25 denomination this would be well below minimum wage, and at higher denominations, you run the risk of dropping several hundred even at a low-volatility game like JOB. If you have a huge bankroll, that might not be a major issue, but then you have the question of whether a $24 play is worth your time and effort, since all actions have an opportunity cost.
As far as the point multipliers, I’ve had it work both ways at Coasts. I ran $1000 through an NSUD machine at Suncoast and got 8000 points on a 7X day (I’m sapphire). I also ran the same $1000 through at Gold Coast on two separate 7X days several weeks apart and got 7,000 and 8,000 points, respectively. They might have tightened this up recently, though. It does seem unfair (and kind of stupid) to negate the perks of the higher tiers–the 7X point days effectively obliterate the benefit of being sapphire or emerald. I’m sure there are people out there who don’t bother to play any higher than the lowest tier precisely for that reason.

By: queen of comps

queen of comps — Thu, 13 Sep 2012 22:11:03 +0000

Sorry, Kevin, you don’t get to double-dip on the bonus points. Everyone gets 7x, no matter your tier level – and no more than that. And there are more good games than you mentioned. Anyone can research the inventory on vpFREE2.

By: Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis — Wed, 12 Sep 2012 17:28:14 +0000

It’s interesting to examine just what this promo is worth. The multiplier only applies to the base amount of points earned, so red card holders get 7X, sapphire get 8X, and emerald get 9x. Since you have to maintain a pretty large amount of coin-in to reach emerald, let’s look at this from the viewpoint of a sapphire player (anybody playing fairly often at the .25 or higher level should be able to reach this tier).

The best games are Double Bonus Deuces Wild and Not So Ugly Ducks. The former is the slightly better game at 99.81%, while NSUD is 99.73%. However, the volatility at DBDW is huge compared to NSUD, and the strategy for the former can be downright bizarre. So let’s assume we play NSUD.

It doesn’t matter what denomination we play, as the point limit for the multiplier is $10,000. The higher denomination we play for that $10K, though, the greater the variance.

A return of 0.8% added to the base return of 99.73% gives us 100.53%. This equates to a return of $53 if we use the points for free play, and a bit less than $89 if we use them for food comps.

So we risk $10,000 to gain a theoretical return of $53-$89. However, we will usually lose–if we don’t hit a royal during our short period of play (and we usually won’t), we’ll be playing at almost -2.5%, before the points are calculated. So the most likely result is that we LOSE $250 to gain our $53 cashback or $89 comps.

Now, of course, this is still a very good play (especially considering what’s left out there), but it’s important to realize that the theoretical return won’t be realized for quite a while. At the .25 denomination, you would have to play that $10K five or six times before you hit a royal–and at that point, you would be down $700-$800 on average. If your “due” royal stays away for longer, then you’re going to be down over $1000 when it finally hits.

The important thing, then, is to be HEAVILY bankrolled. The problem with most promotions like this is that you’re risking a lot to win a little. Even a mild swing to the wrong side of the bell curve can cost hundreds or even thousands. Being down $500 for the day can take the taste right out of that “free” steak dinner.