Tag: RNG

Video Poker – Basics and Choosing the Best Game

Leave a comment

If you ask Video Poker players “what is the best video poker to play?” don’t expect an answer before they ask you some questions. It’s not a black & white answer – there’s a lot of grey area in consideration. Some questions might include:

  • What’s your bankroll?
  • Have you played before or are you a newbie?
  • Do you prefer volatile games (bigger payout possibilities with an expected quicker loss in bankroll) or do you prefer to play longer with less volatility?
  • Are you interested to learn the correct strategy to maximize your time and reduce the house advantage or do you just want to play for fun and figure it out as you go?

So Many Games to Choose From. Each game has different pay tables, denominations and can be played on a single line or multiple lines. Let’s use Jacks or Better as our base game for this post.

The deal – A FEW BASICS

The solitary play of a video poker player.

If you are new to video poker, the first thing you should understand that while it uses poker card rankings for the basis of pay out, that’s really where the comparison ends. You can’t bluff the machine or figure out OPTIMAL STRATEGY by yourself.

So, how does this game work?  A Random Number Generator (RNG) deals 5 cards from a 52 card deck. (Some games use more, such as Joker Poker). The player chooses the cards to keep, presses draw to get replacement cards for those discarded to make the second and last 5 card hand which decides the payout. Most VP machines deal the draw cards from the continuous RNG.

I refer to 888Casino concerning three major differences from slots, real poker and video poker:

  1. Unlike slot players, video poker players have a say in the outcome of the game.
  2. Because the player has a choice in video poker play, it is possible to play the hands in a way that is most beneficial to the player.
  3. Only a mathematically derived video poker playing strategy will get you the most from your video poker play.

Considering Denomination & bankroll

This is where your bankroll comes into play. Remember, a bankroll is a totally separate amount of money dedicated to casino gaming – not to the money to pay bills, or even the amount in your pocket. It’s a totally separate amount!

.You can play single line games at nickel (hard to find outside of Nevada), quarter, fifty cents, $1, $2, $5, $10, $25 and even $100 machines.  Keep in mind that this depends on your bankroll and, in this player’s opinion, playing max bet of five coins. For more info on playing Max Bet, click on “Video Poker &  Max Bet.”

If you are interested in multi-line games, such Triple Play, Five Play, Ten Play, Twenty-five Play, Fifty Play or One Hundred Play, you may want to drop down from quarters to nickels or even pennies, depending on the number of lines.

Super Times Pay Video Poker

Super Times Pay Is an example of Multi-Line Video Poker

So, you probably want to know how much is needed to give you the best chance of a winning play.

According to 888Casino, “The first rule of thumb most players hear when it comes to video poker is that for the long term you need about three to four times the amount won when you hit a royal flush on your game and denomination of choice. Specifically, if you are planning to play a 25 cent Jacks or Better game (standard game, not a progressive) where the royal flush pays 4,000 credits (which comes to $1,000), you need three to four times that amount or $3,000 to $4,000 dollars………If, instead you plan on playing a standard dollar Jacks or Better game where the jackpot once again is 4,000 credits, you will need $12,000 to $16,000 since the dollar amount of the royal flush is now $4,000.”

Please note that this for standard JOB. The higher the volatility (Bonus Poker, Double Bonus & Double Double Bonus as examples), the higher your bankroll should be.

The Draw

A very simple rule when looking for the best video poker game for your play is to look at the full house/flush payouts. Those two numbers with the specific game will usually determine the expected payout %.  Another part of the payout structure to look at is the pay for four-of-the-kinds (quads). You will find that the higher the quad payout is, the more volatile the game can be, and so, a larger bankroll is needed.

Recreational gambling is about being prepared and having fun. Video poker can be a grind, so if it’s not fun, move on to something else. But the more prepared you are, the more fun it will be.

Related articles:

Video Poker Considerations for Lower Pay Tables – Jerry “Stickman” Stitch

Video Poker Players – Don’t Rush the Royal Flush

Slot Machine & VP Etiquette – Final Part

Binbin – Remember, “When gambling, embrace the math, not the myth”

 

7 Tips For Slots & Video Poker Players – Gambling Mindfully

Leave a comment

The notion of mindful living – being attentive, aware, or careful of things such as kindness, etiquette, eating, and even gambling – has come to the forefront of recent research.

Solitary gambling is a style that some people prefer.  Slot players, video poker players, video keno players – basically any machine casino game play – prefer different expectations from their gambling.  The need for social interaction isn’t necessarily a criteria for a good time. When gambling alone, it is easy to lose one’s self, so being mindful, or in the moment, can become very important.

Video Poker Machines at Mohegan Sun

Video Poker Machines at Mohegan Sun

Stadium gaming has given some players who prefer solo gaming a chance to play games such as roulette, blackjack and baccarat, getting a social element without the intermingling involved and the ability to play different table games without moving tables. Electronic gaming has even made boisterous team-like games such as craps accessible to the single player.

Group electronic table games

Zindel Segal, a Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough, has researched mindfulness in a way to transcend to solitary gambling.  His research can be taken to suggest that automatic routines, habitual patterns, and favorite games play into the solitary gambler’s play. Patterns of negative thinking, such as “tight machines,” “low casino payoffs,” and casino superstitions can slip into the players awareness, changing the “in the moment” enjoyment. He suggests seven ways that I believe gamblers can transcend those negative thoughts.  Here’s how:

  1. Living on “automatic pilot” (rather than with awareness and conscious choice). This brings to mind the awareness of your bankroll.  Continuous playing on a slot or other machine without a stop limit, or taking a walk for a break can mindlessly cause over-betting your bankroll and gambling beyond one’s means.  NETG SUGGESTION – be aware of time and money played.  Keep a log, and bring only the money for that session. While playing , set a loss limit.

    A Simple Casino Log for winnings & Losses

  2. Relating to experience through thought (rather than directly sensing).  This brings to mind the many times gamblers tend to remember events such as re-occurring close bonuses in slots, re-occurring cards or patterns in video poker, table game card repetition, or even player snafus.  The reality it we tend to be aware of certain parts of experience, not the whole.  Obsessing over the pair of 6’s that next gets a third can cause thoughts of casino cheating or fixed outcomes.  NETG SUGGESTION – be aware of the science, the need for fairness with gaming commissions, how RNG’s work and casino house edge.
  3. Dwelling on and in the past and future (rather than being fully in the present moment).  “I never win at XYZ casino.”  That’s the past talking, because we constantly want to see a cause and effect to base our next action by. On the positive side, this includes going back to a particular machine that you won on previously.  NETG SUGGESTION – remember your success on the next play’s outcome  is not dependent upon the previous play. Every bet placed is an “in the moment” event, with not connection to your previous bet.
  4. Trying to avoid, escape, or get rid of unpleasant experience (rather than approach it with interest).  Going to the casino to gamble is not a good thing to do when you are angry, upset, or in an altered state. NETG SUGGESTION – Gamble when it is your primary interest to do so, and you have calculated your sufficient bankroll. When gambling is your secondary thought or reason to go to the casino, maybe that’s not the time to go in the first place.
  5. Needing things to be different from how they are (rather than allowing them to be just as they already are).  Chasing wins can be catastrophic to your finances.  When losing, accept what’s happening, play to only your bankroll, or even call it a day.  It can turn in an instant – but the house edge will always play a big part in your continued play.  NETG SUGGESTION – accept the results as part of gambling.  The casino is there to make money while entertaining you – but they don’t owe you anything.  Fight the good fight, but don’t let recent trips or event recent losses in that session wreak havoc with your emotions.
  6. Seeing thoughts as true and real (rather than as mental events that may or may not correspond to reality). Understanding the science and mathematics involved in gambling is the first step to perception problems.  The gambler’s fallacy is the belief that the chances of something happening with a fixed probability become higher or lower as the process is repeated. The idea that a machine is “due to hit,” or is “hot or cold” is a human perception in an in an extremely small amount of time.  Correct assumptions of that particular machine can only be expected over long-term play, something none of us have the time to do with one machine.  NETG SUGGESTION – Accept the science & math in slot machines with the Random Number Generator.  Acceptance is the key!
  7. Treating yourself harshly and unkindly (rather than taking care of yourself with kindness and compassion).  “shoulda, coulda, woulda” – these are the things we tend to be ourselves up over during a session.  “I coulda moved to another machine,” “I shoulda taken a break,” “I woulda had a better day if I had studied mt Video Poker strategy more.”  NETG SUGGESTION – Take the experience as a learning one.  Remember, the best plans for your casino visit still might go awry because of house edge, many casino visitors, availability of your “favorite machines,” and on & on.  Remember the things you could have changed, accept the things you couldn’t – and don’t beat yourself up in the process.  But if it concerns spending more money than expected, and that becomes a pattern, re-assess your need to gamble.

I hope this has been helpful.  It’s so easy to get wrapped up in the excitement of the casino.  Just walking in can give you a boost of adrenaline, sending those endorphins screaming for excitement.  But try to be in control, in the moment.  Being mindful in life can mean being mindful in your gambling.

Binbin

Special Thanks to Professor for permission to use his research for this post.

Zindel Segal is Distinguished Professor of Psychology in Mood Disorders at the University of Toronto Scarborough. His guiding professional intention is in using empirical data to advocate for the relevance of mindfulness-based clinical care in psychiatry and mental health. He has carried on a longstanding and valued collaboration with John Teasdale and Mark Williams devoted to the proposition that offering training in mindfulness meditation to formerly depressed people can address relapse triggers and support long-term recovery. Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy—the program developed through this work—has now been evaluated in over 10 studies worldwide. He also serves on the Advisory Board for MindfulNoggin.com which offers a digital platform for MBCT.

Slot Machine Quiz – True or False

5 Comments

Can You Take the Slot Machine Truth Quiz and score 100?

I’m read that slots are not going to be prevalent as much in the next few years.  Millennials’ money is being sought, casinos are reducing the importance of their “bottom line,” and casinos are looking to offer more amenities, less gambling.  So, before the technology changes so much that this quiz is obsolete, let’s see if you would know about those one-arm bandits…….take the quiz below.  True or false!

1. A cold machine is due to pay a jackpot soon.

2. Machines that pay better are put near the doors of casinos.

3. The odds change when the casino expects a large crowd

4. Penny slots are your best deal

5. Slot Machines are fixed to beat the player

6. There are ways to beat slot machines

7. Always cover all the lines – bet max lines.

8. If I leave the machine, and it hits a jackpot, I would have hit it if I had stayed

9. Casinos can change the payoff % with a flip of the switch or a technician opening it up briefly, doing whatever they do.

10. There is no link between the card reader and the RNG in the slot machine.

————————-The Answers————————-

1. False – depending on your definition of soon. If you are going to sit and play for the next month non-stop, you’d probably see some good hits.

Is This What Gambling In Massachusetts Casinos Going to Make Us Feel Like?

A psychological term known as the gambler’s fallacy pertains to this perception. The previous outcome has no impact on the next slot pull – it has no memory of previous games. The truth is, a cold machine is just a machine that hasn’t paid for a while, that’s all.

2 . False –  Once upon a time a machine or two was placed near a casino entrance that paid better (a long time ago.). However, today there is no need to entice you in to play like the old days, machines with higher payback % are strewn around the casino.

Row of one armed bandit slot machines in casino brightly lit

Modern casinos don’t put easy machines near doors or at the end of a row of slots. If they did, why would anyone play the tough slots? Want a higher paying slot, try bumping up in denomination – and even then, it’s a sure thing.

3. False – Nope it’s not done.  Do you know why?  They don’t have to. The casino edge is all around you – why pay more people extra to do all that when they’ll make money just leaving them alone? In fact, aside from frowns of the Gaming Control Board and the time to make all the changes, the crowds on weekends aren’t worth the effort – it’s busy most days at modern casinos.

4. False – Actually, the term penny slots is manufacturer magic.  penny_slotsIf you play, you know that there is a lowest bet on most “penny slots.” The latest don’t even give you a chance to play a penny under their certain limit.  Aristocrat has .25, .40 as their lowest bet. Under that, you just have to cash out!

But back to the question.  Even though you may be betting small, the sad truth is that overall, penny slots have the highest casino edge per spin of all slots. And, since the per-spin amount is higher than other slots, the total hourly cost of playing them is often higher than other machines.

5. True – of course! It’s called Casino Advantage. senior-playing-slots It’s not true that they are fixed to cheat – but of course they are fixed to win. The machines are designed to have a sizable house edge and the more you play, the more you spend.

6. False – unless you mean physically hitting the machine, which will probably draw some undesirable attention. No book, article or system is ever going to teach you how to win at the slots. There are smarter ways to manage your bankroll when playing slots, such as knowing the individual machine’s rules, or watching for random bonus machines getting close to being hit.  But even then, it’s just trying to play smarter, a sure-fire method to win.  Please, don’t waste you money or effort. The simple truth is that slot machines are a gamble – pure and simple. Enjoy them at your own risk – and simply as entertainment!

7. True – if you want to have the best way to maximize your bankroll and give yourself the greatest advantage at the luck of the RNG.  That doesn’t mean max bet, just max lines.th (50)  Some machines, such as “Quick Hit” and their many variations should be played with max bet – it’s like playing video poker on one credit.  It you don’t want to give yourself a chance for the better payoff, then that’s your decision.  Whatever floats your boat.  But, always MAX LINES.

8. False – Wheel of Fortunethat machine doesn’t know who is pushing the button or pulling the lever.
The random action of paying out does not depend on the amount of spins that have previously occurred – or the temperature of the coins or bill you put in, or the time between plays. It is the exact moment that the reels are spun that determines the outcome of the spin.

9. False. The slot machines have a computer chip in them that determines the pay back percentage. These are preset at the factory. In order for a casino to change the pay back, they would have to change the chip. th (49)In most jurisdictions there is paper work that has to be filled and submitted to the Casino Control Commission for each machine if the chip is changed. It is time consuming and the chips are very expensive. For this reason, it is more economical to decide on the pay back percentages before purchasing the machines and having the factory ship them with the proper chip.

10. True – There IS no link between the card reader and the RNG.mrrewards-927x282 By not using your player’s card you are denying yourself valuable comps and sometimes cash back from the casino.

How’d cha do?  The only good score is 100 – 10 out of 10.  If you got any wrong, look it up and learn to accept the science and technology involved.  It might make your experience, and your bankroll, better knowing the truth.

Binbin