Here’s a retread, one of my first posts – updated. It was true then, and it’s true now. I just want to reflect on why I like mornings for gambling, or at casinos in general. I can hear Linus singing “Happiness” at the end of the first Peanuts Casino animation, coming soon. “Mornings In Casinos is the Best for Me…..”
serenity in an empty casino😊
First and foremost – There’s nobody there! I’m talking 6:00 am. I mean, to hop to any machine, play a little BJ, hit a whole row of Video Poker – it’s just the best. And the quiet is just surreal. The few people who are there either just got up or are looking for breakfast somewhere – or asleep on a machine!
Beverage service – nothing like black coffee and all the water you want – and not having to wait long to get it.
Smoke – you can just feel the last remnant of it being cleared before the weekend crowds appear. It’s the crispest air you’ll find at a casino (if anyone can refer to casino air as crisp?)
Cleanliness – Machines are wiped down, and there aren’t as many machines to sit down at where there are ashes all over and/or drink glasses not picked up.
If it’s a local casino, I get to to leave before the buses and weekend crowds arrive, and I still have the rest of the day to myself.
Two additions from our friend Mike T. – 1) No machine hoggers, and 2) not a lot of machine slappers…..if any!
Viva Las Vegas in the Morning
It’s also a great time to people watch the few people up. Ah, that walk of shame and the business girls parade after their night shift.
The action is still going, but still not busy.
A healthy walk outside in the morning to start your day. We visit usually in July and August and it gets hot! A walk down Las Vegas Boulevard without mosiers, huskers and time share hawkers is devine in the cool of the morning.
Serenity now? Yes, in the morning. Keep Calm and Gamble in the morning.
We have all been there – those of us who play Video Poker and Slots. You’re playing along, things are going well, and then it happens……the machine pause for a moment! What does it mean? Was I winning too much? Did someone in the “Office Upstairs” turn on that switch that changes winning into losing? Conspiracy thoughts abound.
Well, you know what it means? NOTHING! At least it isn’t a reaction to ant success you’ve had previously.
Just Catching up to itself
Yes, we think it might have stopped our winning momentum, or the rhythmic luck we had our mojo in, but nope – it doesn’t have a clue how much you were winning or how your mojo was – it’s a machine and it doesn’t have the consciousness or emotion to care!
A 1980 IGT Video Poker machine.
So, what DOES IT MEAN? Well, when Video Poker Machines Hesitate – especially certain generations of Video Poker machine manufactured by IGT – they do so often to do it’s accounting. In other words, the counting of hands played, coin in & coin out, for example, are kept in short term memory. On the IGT VP machines, for example, every 100 hands, it is downloaded into long-term memory, much like your computer does at times. The more games and denominations on a single terminal, the longer it may take – a single game with a single denomination would be barely noticed.
You will find fewer and fewer machines with that hesitation these days, due to better software upgrades. But when Video Poker Machines Hesitate admittedly, it’s is frustrating.
Of course we, as human beings, may notice it happen when we are winning, and shortly after we start losing. “They must have known I was winning!!!!” you might yell. But, seriously, nothing could be farther from the truth.
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. That’s why today we introduce Choosing the Best Video Poker Game for You. Some considerations 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:
Unlike slot players, video poker players have a say in the outcome of the game.
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.
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 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.
Here’s a retread, one of my first posts – updated. It was true then, and it’s true now. I just want to reflect on why I like mornings for gambling, or at casinos in general. I can hear Linus singing “Happiness” at the end of the first Peanuts Casino animation, coming soon. “Mornings In Casinos is the Best for Me…..”
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. That’s why today we introduce Choosing the Best Video Poker Game for You. Some considerations include:
