We posed this question to Jean Scott, who answers:
There are two categories of VP players, those who play when the casino has the advantage and those who play only when they have an advantage over the casino.
If you're in the first group, it's wise to set stop-loss points for each session in advance. These depend on your bankroll, which is the amount you can lose (because you WILL lose in the long term) without impacting your lifestyle (or your family's)negatively. You're playing for entertainment -- and most people have to budget carefully to know how much of their discretionary income they can allocate for casino entertainment.
If you're in the second group, playing VP only when the theoretical return of the game, plus any extras like slot club benefits, promotions, or coupons, make it an over-100% play, you may still need to set loss limits IF you have a limited bankroll, both a financial one ("I can't afford to lose any more") and a psychological one ("I can afford to lose more, but it would no longer be any fun").
However, if you're properly bankrolled for the game and denomination you're playing, you can play as long as you wish. We only stop playing (or take a break) when we're tired or hungry, when a promotion ends and it's no longer a positive play, when the environment is not comfortable, when we're starting to lose concentration and are making strategy errors, or when we're getting bored.
I suggest that everyone should quit, at least for a little while, after winning a big jackpot. Take time to celebrate!
