jbjb, the best and probably only way to identify it is both: strategy & dumb luck....although the term "dumb" might not work best here.
Because of my failed effort at being a vp ap--where everything I did was actually controlled by +EV games, slot clubs & promotions as well as utilizing casino tools such as ATM's, hosts, mailed offers, casino credit lines, etc.--I did a sharp 180, totally reversing my approach as well as my idealogy about gambling.
Yes people win, but they only do so if the cards fall their way. Even for AP's--it's all really nothing more than a waiting-it-out game. Those royals MUST HIT in order to achieve that edge, and every royal is 100% luck.
I recognized luck as being the ONLY method of winning, so it only made sense to give good luck as many opportunities to appear as possible when one plays. And that's done thru a structured increase in denomination & game volatility, special plays that deviate from optimal holds, and an intricate money management system. At the same time, my true "advantage" came by completely rejecting every one of those reel 'em in casino tools I mentioned, because as we all know (but few will admit to) they are designed to extract every dollar possible from every player who succombs to their hard-to-resist tools. It is as simple as that.
So yes, I won and I still do because of luck, only it's not as random as you think. I do not mathematically beat anything. Give anything good in life more opportunity to show up, and it will. You just have to use that magnificent computer attached to your neck, and not the one in your hands. For instance, my marriage has been a good one, but it takes work. We both always look for ways to make it more fun and satisfying all the time, so we "go for" whatever might accomplish that. Some people might say owning a big RV is a negative--it's a big waste, a burden, anti-"green", or whatever. In other words, to most it's a big risk. But to us it's enhanced our lives, so it was a big win. And this is exactly how playing vp has worked for me. The opportunity is there, waiting to be exploited. But who's gonna take advantage of it? So far, only me.
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