Originally Posted by
Alan Mendelson
I thought that all gambling is determined by luck -- the luck that you pick the right spot where the ball will land, or how the dice will land, or what symbols the RNG chooses. All of these things are out of the control of the gambler. The only skill we have is selecting what games we play or bets we make hoping to take advantage of good luck or bad luck (if you consider betting the dark side in craps as taking advantage of bad luck).
In the case of video poker, the pay table or the "expected return" is nothing more than a guide to help you pick a game to play. The pay table or expected return has no impact on whether or not you will have good luck or bad luck when you play. One can have good luck and hit a royal playing 6/5 Jacks or Better, or one can have bad luck and go bust playing 10/6 Jacks or Better.
Curiously, this seems to be what you are talking about here, Arc: