Got my first royal flush of 2014 last night on .25 DBP. Before that hit my wife and I were down a combined $600 (some of this was craps loss) afterwards, I played one more hand to clear the screen then cashed out and we went to bed a $400 winner. Felt really good getting back up and then leaving.
Congratulations, the first one of the year is always a confidence builder. I'm going to assume it was on a -EV pay table? And you had the GALL to leave immediately afterwards? Before going again, you need to consult with the resident pessimist from Europe who wants you to know that there's no way you'll ever keep that profit.Originally Posted by dannyj
Thanks Rob. Yes, it was 9/6 DB.
I'm sure most people would think what I have to say is stupid. This is not the part. But, I really appreciate what Alan has taught me from this forum in the past month. I love Harrah's. Initially it was for the proximity to my house and for the outdoor aspect. Its tropical setting is so relaxing by the pool and it's only 40 minutes away.
My husband and I have never been gamblers. My husband does not like losing money. I'm more of a rebel. Whenever we gambled it would be 20-$100 each and it was gone within 30 minutes on the slot machines.
We've been going to Harrah's (by the pool, hotel stays) since March. In the last month I've been thinking about the advantages of earning tier credits. I starting researching and learning how to play poker. I came across Alan's forum and it had honestly changed everything. Harrah's sends out monthly membership status updates. 06/06/2014, my tier score was 287. 07/03/2014 my score 538. I'm not sure how they do their bookkeeping. To me they seem a month behind. But, as of today my score is 3,090.
last weekend I had a $400 profit with only $100 input. Last night I was down $70 and played for about 2 hours. Seems to me their are lots of ups and downs. People come sit next to me and play for a very short time. I feel like the longer you play the more chances you have to earn more winnings. I was down and hit the straight flush. Cashed out so I could save my $200 voucher for next time.
My point is..... If it weren't for Alan's forum I would be playing slot machines and earning 20 tier credits an hour like my husband. He's happy playing penny's for hours on a 20 dollar bill.
Thank you, Alan
I believe you are a happy player and that's what this is all about. Everyone has their own method and reason for playing vp. It's the unhappy ones who find it tough to listen to those of us who are happy, for whatever reason, as we play our own ways. And they abhor us explaining what works for us, over time, if it goes against what their brainwashing has told them. Anger & despair is what it's all about to them.
So... is your way the only way?Originally Posted by redietz
Here are the problems with "your way":
1. You can lose playing positive expectation machines. When you sit down at a machine with a positive pay table there is no guarantee that you will win. With nearly all video poker games you must get a royal flush in order to have a positive expectation, and royals come about approximately 1:42,000 hands. I remember my royal flush drought that extended more than a year. (Ever hit a royal redietz?)
2. Of course you should always play the best pay tables available, but with the exception of a few games the only difference between paytables is the pay on the full house and the flush, and what separates the "risky" games from the games with less variance is the amount paid on two pair. Unfortunately there is always a trade off to the player -- choose a game with less variance and you give up the chances for bigger paying hands and that means a much bigger bankroll is needed to see a royal. And without that bigger bankroll on those lower variance games you are lessening your chances for hitting a royal making the +EV less significant.
3. All video poker is risky and a gamble -- no matter what the paytable is. To tell someone that they should continue playing because there is a positive paytable is nothing more than telling a player to expose themselves to more risk. Any talk about probabilities is meaningless to the individual player unless that individual player is prepared with a huge bankroll. (I don't have a huge bankroll. The average player in Las Vegas says he has a bankroll of less than $600. See http://www.reviewjournal.com/busines...get-five-years )
4. Once you win a bet -- any bet -- the money (credits on your meter) is your money. It is no longer the casino's money, and it is no longer the house's money, and you shouldn't think of it as free money to gamble with. It is your money once you win it. By "your system" you are advocating risking more of your money (the player's money) when there is no compelling reason to do so.
5. And if your system does work so well, and you still want to advocate your system, isn't it all just academic with no basis in reality? Where do you find these positive paytables and where are these slightly negative paytables with comps and benefits that will turn your play positive? I previously asked for someone to post the casino offering such a deal -- and so far no one has. It seems to me that what you are talking about is ancient history and is now a fairy tale.
To my friends reading this: when you win, take the money and run because it's now your money.
Congratulations on the royal!Originally Posted by dannyj
Was it a handpay and they asked you to play another hand to clear the screen? Or was there no hand pay and you just decided to clear it yourself?
When I hit a 25-cent royal at the Vegas airport a few months back, I left it on the machine when I went to the pay booth to get my money. I was not asked to play it off... but another floor person did put in a quarter to remove it.
Personally, when I get a big winner that does not require a hand pay, I like to leave the big winner showing. I've done this often with AAAA on Aces and Faces at the $1 or $2 level. The pay is $400 or $800 -- I've cashed out and I leave the aces showing.
I was just happy to switch you from playing 8/5 Jacks to 8/5 Bonus or 8/5 Aces and Faces which were on the same machine.Originally Posted by Vpnewbie
Thank you for joining and for participating.
Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson
Thanks Alan,
No, it was not a hand pay. We were in the lounge having a nightcap and I was playing at the bar with my wife watching. I held 2 cards to the royal and drew the other 3 to complete. Well, my wife got excited and drew attention (unwanted by me) from the couple next to us. I just felt compelled to clear the screen after they got their look and cash out.
Alan, this may help. When I first started playing as a pro in late 1999, the three games I played in my strategy were almost exclusively 8/5 BP/ACE$ BP, 10/7 DBP, & 10/6 DDBP. Those games were plentiful back then and thru probably 2003, even right up to the $100 machines at least for 10/7 DBP in a few places. And you know what? Because of my cash out and leave requirements once I reached my win goal, my results per individual sessions were nearly exactly what they were right up thru the time I retired in 2009. Those 5 extra credits here & there really didn't mean a thing when you don't sit like a zombie pounding away aimlessly--and they STILL don't. And like I said earlier, who knows or cares whether or not those "plus EV-driven extra credits" that I gave up after the "theoretically positive" machines went away would have made any difference at all, ever? It's all just theory. I'm very happy with what the reality was, thank you very much!
Last edited by Rob.Singer; 08-10-2014 at 07:53 PM.
This coming week I have another "hit and run" opportunity. I have $930 of free play on either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday at a local casino. This time I have a SPECIFIC win goal of $540 from the $930. I will play 8/5 $1 Bonus or 8/5 Aces and Faces to try to reach it.
Here's why the goal is $540:
Yesterday, one of my salesmen and I were in the car cold-calling in a neighborhood I was not familiar with. He was giving me directions and I was driving. At one intersection I made a right turn after stopping at a red light -- and failed to notice there was a no turn on red sign. And there was a red light cam. Fine: $480 (I looked it up online). Of course I am hoping the camera didn't work but I have to prepare for it.
The other $60 will cover my gas to and from the casino.
So the first $540 of wins will be cashed out and put in my pocket. Hopefully I will convert the $930 of free play into $540 or more. And hopefully the red light cam wasn't working.
$480- Wow whats a speeding ticket worth?
I can't imagine a red light ticket costing $480 but it's true. Damn LA County needs money.Originally Posted by quahaug
Everything in S. Calif. is pumped up beyond what can be expected in most other areas in the country. Everything.
What you're doing with the free play is smart. You can't realistically expect to get 99% value from it anyway. The "long-termers" would immediately say that you'd expect 99% or so "over time" if you get free play every month and the battle goes on for years. BUT WHO WANTS TO GO TO A CASINO AND LOSE $400 WHEN THEY HAVE A GUARANTEED OPPORTUNITY TO GO HOME WITH A PROFIT OF AT LEAST $400!? I know people like Dancer & arci claim one session means zip, but all they're doing is tossing around silly justifications for losing.
It is a fact that every vp player everywhere is upset and frustrated if they go into any casino and do not walk out a winner. AP's pretend that it does not hurt by BSing about how they were supposedly "playing with an edge at around $40/hr." but every person with at least half a brain understands all that is is feel-good talk meant to soothe the pain of losing. And if you were to talk to these Einstein's right afterwards, here's where you'd discover it is only they who claim to know what will happen at the machines in the future. Yes folks, here is where they proclaim "I lost today, yes, but I know I'll catch up and even turn it all around sometime down the road, because THE MATH TELLS ME I WILL".
So WHO is it that claims to know what the machines will do? Case rested.
Rob is right. Only the math guys have a crystal ball and can see the future. I can't see the future. My crystal ball broke in the Northridge earthquake.
Last I heard, it doesn't give tickets on turns, only people who go straight through when it's red.Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson
Also if you register your car in your wife's name (and yours in her name), you will be immune to photo tickets. You are not legally required to name the driver pictured. I beat a photo ticket in Arizona this way.
Check out my poker forum, and weekly internet radio show at http://pokerfraudalert.com
What if the flash goes off, which is what happened? Still no ticket even if the camera triggered?Originally Posted by Dan Druff
So I ran through my $930 of free play and cashed out $830. First photo shows the free play loaded on the machine, second photo shows the cash out tickets. What I did was cash out after accumulating some wins. Only three full houses, one small quad that was worth $125, one flush and one straight. Lots of two pairs, and three of a kinds.
Good stuff Alan, but while the critics won't say what they're thinking I'll do it for them. "How do we know you didn't just put all those tickets back into the machine and lose it all, and more, before leaving?" After all, it's IMPOSSIBLE to keep winning from those awful -EV machines, while only winning awaits on machines barely a per cent higher.
Technically, Rob, I didn't win. I actually lost. I started with $930 and cashed out $830. Yes, the $930 was free play money -- but it was a loss. Had I taken the free play to black jack or craps I might have won.
Only a few times in my life have I taken free play and left the casino with a big profit. My most memorable was about four years ago when I had $800 of free play and left with something north of $13,000.
But the reality is I am happy to take free play and convert it into some amount of cash.
And I wonder why the "critics" haven't already pointed out that technically I "lost" playing last night? Because... I did "lose" and didn't turn the $930 into a profit.
There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote