Question of the Day - 06 November 2019

Casinos never lose so even though I play like a Pro, I don't play anymore because casinos have taken away the profit in playing like a Pro.

In the short term (weekend or week) if you're not getting a good share of 4OAK's, you're going to bleed money regardless of the pay table.  

When you're at a location that has only one (or few) casinos, the choice is to play or not play. Sometimes playing a poorer pay schedule at home casinos is the price of practice for when we can go to places where we can find higher schedules.

What you are saying is about 50% of vp players are prob losing more on video poker machines than slots. I have no smpathy for pros playing for money. Casinos do not owe them a living. It also shows the greed of the casinos. They argue that they lose so much money on vp machines they have to cut down on pay tables. This is false. Your stats show this. I study vp strategy and play to win as much as I can. However I play for fun. I agree with one poster a small percent .1or so  makes no long term benefit. To play at 100%!level requires much more study and is not worth it to me. Most good schedules can be seen by looking at full house flush ratio. If you do not know that you should not be playing vpoker   That is an opinion. If one has fun to do this fine. The casinos will love you but comps will not make up for large amts lost. Your finding of about 50 % is about what I see in the casino.   Last visit saw man put two quarters in machine and got a Royal. He thought he would get 1000.   

Always I look at the pay schedules! I will seldom play 8/5.
I'm a 9/6 guy and I know where they are downtown.
I practice with Bob Dancers software program.

I know how to play correctly, know the best payables, but often can't find them where I am playing, so I play the best I can find.

I know how to identity a good pay table and how to play accurately, but given that my play is relatively low and my outcomes are driven more by  variance than skill, I don’t really sweat it. 

I use the software to practice, and play downtown or Boulder Hwy or locals casinos.  HOWEVER, when you have to go to the Strip, for, say, a show or a dinner, you play what's available despite the pay table. 

Can't think of anything to add to the survey.  

Based on the other comments, it sounds like some visitors who stay on the strip grudgingly accept the poor pay tables, and by extension the other issues that come with the "ambiance" of staying on the strip.  These include as 6/5 BJ, paid parking for hotel guests, etc..

You ALWAYS have a choice.  If you are semi-serious about not feeling like you are being taken advantage of,  you may want to change your "home casino" to some of the more liberal locals places off the strip, like Ellis Island, Rampart, etc.  

You can also stay Downtown where there are a dozen+ casinos competing for business within easy walking distance. In general, these "non-strip" alternatives appreciate their customers and usually treat them well.

Personally, I don’t play much VP. But when I do, I look more for a game type rather than paytable. My preference is 100 play penny jacks or better. 

To me the pay schedules are the most important factor to where I play. Up until a few years ago I would play wherever but after reading Bob Dancer's Million Dollar Video Poker and downloading his VP for Winners I have completely changed my outlook on VP. While I don't always play games where I have a +EV I have stopped playing the chop shop games that so many casinos have ,i.e. 8/5 JOB, 7/5 DDB, etc. 

"I care about playing the best paytables and strategies, but I'm willing to play stuff that isn't full pay if those machines aren't available where I happen to be visiting or staying."

I might use vpfree to find the best Jack's or better machine that I can find in the casino where I already am, but I'm not going to waste my  afternoon driving across town to get an extra 0.25% in expected value.  I only play vp when on vacation and I don't play enough for that extra edge to have a material impact on my return,  so the higher expected value isn't worth my time. However I would look for a JorB game over another format because it is the only strategy I have learned. 

I think @Kevin Lewis hit the nail on the head for me since I usually stay on the strip now and there’s few if any full pay schedules to be had there. If I do play video poker it would be a progressive jackpot machine if anything. 

My VP is mostly limited to getting a free comped beer. I know how to play but find it boring.

I do look for the 9/6 machines. I also prefer to play on machines that the player can control the speed of the deal and re-deal. I like to see the cards appear slowly rather than coming out at warp speed.

I know pay schedules and read and study when getting ready for an extended gambling session (2-3 times/year). Sadly,good payout machines are becoming scarce. I would never,ever, patronize Strip hotels solely out of principal. There are too many other "real" casinos out there to waste your time with their insulting foolishness. 

Been out of town so this is late and likely not read but that's OK.  Just want to say that Pixie's statement is the clearest and closest in meaning for those who know about strategy and pay tables but "play the best [we] can."