I was beginning my play at the South Point for their July “Spin 2 Win” promotion, playing, for variety, the 25¢ Good Times Pay version of NSU Deuces Wild. This is a Triple Play game where you get multipliers from 1x to 7x on each of the three lines (averaging exactly 2x). This uses the same strategy and has the same EV as regular NSU. Although it is slower to play than the $2 single line version that I would play were I in more of in a hurry, in my opinion it is more enjoyable to play. At least sometimes.
Two machines over (the one between us was turned off for social distancing reasons) was an Ultimate X machine that goes up to 25¢ Triple Play. The 9/6 Double Double Bonus version of that game has basically the same return as NSU and is much more difficult to play correctly, but is far more exciting.
A player, Sam, whom I didn’t recognize, greeted me, and said he and his mother met me six years ago in Lake Tahoe. My standard response at a moment like that is “Sorry I don’t remember that, but I do believe you.”
Sam had a few questions about his game over the next hour, and on the third one I told him I would answer this last question but that I needed to concentrate on my game — so he left me alone after that.
Sam was an excitable guy. Every time he was dealt a full house (yielding 12x multipliers on all three lines for the next hand), he wanted to tell somebody that this might be good. Same with being dealt trip 2s, 3s, 4s, or aces. Fortunately, he found somebody not too far away who would come over and look at his machine every time he was called over. Whether they knew each other or not beforehand, I don’t know.
His big hand of the night was a dealt royal for $6,000. I murmured, “Nice hand,” and kept playing my game. He explained to probably ten people who walked by how many dealt royals he had received in his life and how the 4x multiplier on the middle line made it $6,000 rather than just $3,000. Had I shown the least bit of interest, he would have regaled me with any number of his past successes. But I didn’t, and I heard a few of them second hand.
Casinos are basically designed for people who get excited about jackpots. Sam was playing a much stronger game than most players who get as excited as he does. He was playing a game with a good pay schedule and was making an attempt at playing it accurately.
Sam wasn’t playing close to perfectly (he was using the Wizard of Odds Ten Play one-strategy-for-all-multiplier-levels strategy for the game, but was making several mistakes), but he wasn’t terrible. Including the slot club and the free room he was getting (he’s an out-of-towner), with possibly some meals thrown in, he was doing okay. His $6,000 jackpot probably put him ahead for the trip. Maybe. It’s a pretty volatile game.
Still, he was having a blast. And he’ll be sharing his dealt royal story for years. Meanwhile, I’m sitting two seats down, grinding away, generating my EV and then leaving. I get a small jolt of energy from jackpots (that morning I hit one for $1,500+ when I hit four deuces on a 6x line), but not a big jolt. I’ve been through so many winning streaks and losing streaks and don’t get too caught up in my daily scores.
Sam appeared a bit disappointed that I wasn’t into sharing his excitement with him, but he respected my wishes not to be included. For that I thank him.
I don’t envy his excitement, nor do I condemn it. It’s his way and I have my own way.
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This column was amusing inasmuch as it was cause for a bit of self-reflection on my own excitement during play. Playing outside of NV, single line is still my mainstay opportunity. A RF hit is satisfying because the proceeds tend to stick to my ribs for several sessions (game volatility largely capped to limited 15/9 DW and a lot of Jacks).
A single line RF brings a satisfying glow to my disposition, but I’m all too well aware how it can be washed away by a very sour streak, or that (some day), I may be hit again by the 5 cycle RF drought that shaped my generally cautious nature very early in my play history.
Multiline play really dampens the enthusiasm over any single hit, especially where you intend to play through the equivalent of multiple single-line royal cycles. At best, there’s a fleeting moment of pleasure that you’ve reduced the quota of large hits you’re looking for in order to have a decent shot of at least breaking even :). Still, a dealt hand (not to mention RF w/ a multiplier 😉 ) is good cause to celebrate briefly and pause for a couple of beverage sips.
The truth is that any real sustained excitement over play typically comes to me only at the end of a trip. Being distant from play, I typically schedule my trips over 4 to 10 days. In that period of time, much of variance plays itself out and the math of the game is largely revealed in the results. Having the perseverance to see the play through with a consistent degree of discipline becomes a winning aspect of every trip at that point.
Bob, I enjoy your weekly columns very much-well written, interesting, and informative.
I have heard and read that VP can be the crack cocaine of gambling if one is not careful.. I suppose because of its addictive nature and Ruined lives. I would love for you to address this topic in a future column.
Thx,
Burt Madden
Burt, I’m not an expert on gambling addiction and so I don’t have anything authoritatively to say. I write my blog as an expert. Since I’m not one on addiction (or taxes, for that matter), I stay away from those topics — even though both subjects would be suitable to write about if I had something knowledgeable to say.
Burt:
The book “Addiction By Design” by Natasha Dow Schull is a pretty interesting read. I think I first ran across it in one of Bob’s columns some time back, but I can’t remember for sure.
Is there anything wrong with being addicted to advantage play?
For someone who claims not to be paying attention to Sam and trying to focus on your own game, then your comments that he wasn’t a terrible player, or that he made mistakes, is contradictory. Okay, whatever you think makes for a better story to tell.
Larry,
Absolutely not but I’m reasonably sure that a significant higher percentage of VP players are rec players rather than AP players, and when these rec players become addictive bad things can happen. Of course, that’s true in any gambling endeavor, but from what I’ve read VP is the most addictive .
I wasn’t paying attention to his game. But he would ask questions such as “would you hold the flush kicker here?” before I cut off his questions. That is NOT the type of question a beginner would ask. I can get an idea by the type of questions a player asks whether they are a beginner, intermediate, or expert.
It’s a terrible book… I got it for Christmas last year my sweetie thought it was more about design and the psychology behind machines. And it is that for the first few chapters, but the rest of it reads like an AA text book. Don’t waste your time unless you want to constantly read about how bad machines are (and how adictable people are).