Question of the Day - 22 July 2019

In this vein I once heard of a Nun that was psychic, play certain machines, win jackpots so far beyond statistic standards that anyone else would be permanently banned, but let go as her winning was for charity and rarely appeared.  I thought BS but a good way for bosses to rob their own casino via pre-rigged machines that paid off with a coin combination inserted.  Wait, wasn't their a person now in prison for rigging machines that way?  Although changing your "Spin" button timing will change random number generator hits, however that doesn't mean a win.

You r correct— making a max bet will not make a machine pay off more frequently.  BUT making max bets just might get a little more comps—like a free or discounted buffet.  

There are quite a few machines where the overall payout percentage is better with max bets---usually, it's the top jackpot that is increased, but sometimes the top two. Then there are the machines where you have to play max coins to trigger a feature, without which the payout percentage would be dismal, as anybody who walks up to a Wheel of Fortune machine and puts in one coin will eventually find out. And of course, we all know that playing video poker at anything other than max bet is both -EV and a serious suicide risk, if you hit the royal and win $62.50.

All this can be avoided by pausing for a few seconds before you play to determine the payouts and rules of the machine. But 99.9999% of slot players just stride up to a machine and dump their money in; checking the machine out first would involve THINKING. LVA is all about the novel approach of bringing your brain to Vegas.

The comment --  "a Nun [won ]far beyond statistic standards that anyone else would be permanently banned, but [she was] let go as her winning was for charity." ---  made me wonder if the lunatics, like Bob Dancer,  who squander their energies, intelligence and entire lives grinding away at video poker or BJ "advantage play" rather than getting a real job that adds value to the common good ever used the subterfuge of impersonating a cleric as a means of avoiding the inevitable indignities of being walked, banned, or beaten-up in the back room that accompany their chosen vocation.

Jeff, I've lived the life of an AP, at VP, BJ, and live poker, and I wouldn't consider it a "lunatic" choice. For one thing, it may be the only viable option for a given person at a given time, or the only other choice might be a low-paying drudge job. You're absolutely correct that an AP does not improve himself and contributes little or nothing society. It's also true that being an AP is stressful and VERY hard on the body--that's why I quit doing it. But many folks like the freedom of the AP lifestyle and the fact that you're your own boss. Plus, your first obligation is to keep yourself alive and fed. I wouldn't stand in judgment of someone, or call them a "lunatic," because of how they've chosen to do that.

In order to get where he is now, Dancer had to cut some ethical corners, expend a tremendous amount of effort in becoming an expert, get lucky at the right time, and sacrifice some personal relationships. Would I do that? No. But who am I to say he or anyone else shouldn't?

Thanks for the reply. I am a fan of your cynical and well-written posts on today's Vegas. I shouldn't have written "lunatics." It just popped out.

What I was getting at was that for such highly intelligent, knowledgeable capable, clever, and mathematically-savvy people as Dancer, being an advantage player is not, as you wrote, "the only viable option for a given person at a given time, or the only other choice might be a low-paying drudge job." 

If one had those abilities and knowledge, it would not limit them to a drudge job and could be put to much better and more productive use such as working for NASA or SpaceX or a thousand other endeavors that would also pay plenty of money but would not require skulking through life donning fake beards or developing ulcers from the anxiety of one's "profession" being identified by casino goons.

Since being an AP requires a large bankroll and a lot of time for the slim EV to be realized and a significant investment of time to learn the ropes, advantage play is not an option for someone who needs money yesterday as you seemed to be saying.