2 video poker questions

First question

Not taking into account any slot club points or promotions.
Would a 9/6 jacks or better machine at casino x be the same as a 9/6 jacks or better machine at casino Y?

Question 2

If I had a $1000 bankroll to spend at v/p would I be better off playing it all in one machine or should I play it in a few different machines? Again all pay tables being equal.

Thanks.

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Welcome to the Forum!

Quote: Xciceroguy

First question

Not taking into account any slot club points or promotions.
Would a 9/6 jacks or better machine at casino x be the same as a 9/6 jacks or better machine at casino Y?

If you're talking about payback percentages, then yes... Video Poker machines must be set to be played as though you were dealing with actual cards. Thus 9/6 will be the same everywhere...

There are some Indian casinos where Video Poker is actually set on a lottery terminal and functions as a slot machine. In those cases, it wouldn't be the same, but those are rare these days.

Quote: Xciceroguy

Question 2
If I had a $1000 bankroll to spend at v/p would I be better off playing it all in one machine or should I play it in a few different machines? Again all pay tables being equal.

Doesn't make a lick of difference... the only factors should be your comfort level. For example, I play a lot at Horseshoe Southern Indiana, and there are two machines where the glare is awful. I don't play at those machines simply because it hurts my eyes.

If you feel there's a lucky machine, go after it! Use whatever you want but mathematically there is no difference.

Thank you.

I agree with previous posters on question one, but I have a different outlook on question 2. Yes the mathematics of probability are unchanged, so in the LONG run, it would make no difference if you played one machine or many. But in the short run, I consider that each machine has its own little destiny of what it is going to deal. Assuming you know how to play correctly, the trick is to be at the right machine to have that favorable date with destiny. I'll play a set number of credits and if I don't see any kind of winning trend, I head for another one when that limit is reached. I liken it to scouting for a good blackjack table. If a dealer isn't doing any good for you, changing tables can't hurt. Also, when you are losing, it is helpful to slow down at VP. If you stay at the same machine, you can get wiped out even more quickly by not taking a break, stretching and moving to another machine. I personally don't like sticking with a loser for too long. I know that in the long run it won't matter, but in the SHORT run, it can. I do think that some people have a sense, a sort of precognition about this sort of thing, and that if they follow that instinct, they can make surprising wins.

I'll leave you with this story to explain why I feel this way: I've only played roulette once in my life, and that was at some Irish named casino in the old downtown part of Vegas. We met friends there, and one of them wanted to play roulette. I knew nothing about the game so I sat and watched my friend play for a while. Finally, he insisted I get in the game, so I bought some chips to appease him. He then put me on the spot by asking me to choose a number to bet on. I didn't want to do that because he was going to risk money on my choice, but I finally said OK and just closed my eyes and tried to come up with a number. In my mind's eye, I could see the wheel and the ball dropping on a number. So I gave my friend that number. He proceeded to bet that number just about every way possible, straight, on all corners, the color, the dozen it was in, etc. The wheel was spun and my number came in. That was a big win. He asked me to choose again, and I did the same thing, I came up with another number and we both put chips on it like the first one. The second spin, my number came in again. Now we had some serious money and he asked me to choose a third time. I repeated the process, and you may not believe it, but I hit a third number in a row.

Now the casino halted play and had someone inspect the wheel and changed the ball. My friend thought this was hilarious because we couldn't possibly be messing with any of that. They resumed and sure enough, I hit again on the 4th spin. Now the entire table was betting whatever we put down, and the casino was paying out to everyone. They didn't like that much, and changed the dealer. I also turned to find a guy who looked just like George Foreman in a fancy suit standing so close behind me that I could hear him breathing on me. My friend wasn't flustered at all and said, "Screw them, let's play on." We played another spin (along with everyone else at the table following our bets) and had an incredible 5th hit in a row. That was a bunch of money and my friend just didn't want to stop. When I closed my eyes to try to pick a 6th number, I didn't see the wheel anymore. Instead, I got a strong negative feeling that we could walk out now under our own power, or be carried out. So I told my friend that we needed to take our money and get the hell out of there before something ugly happened.

I can't explain how I chose those numbers. It didn't feel like they might come in, but rather like I had opened a window for just a little while into a different world, and I felt I KNEW those numbers were right. Others will say I'm nutty, or that every now and then people have streaks like that, but I experienced this myself and cannot deny something did happen to give us such good luck. So I listen when I get a gut feeling, as long as it isn't something that would take me out of my gambling budget, or is just a crazy stupid bet like splitting 10s. That's my 2 cents anyway. I hope my response was at least entertaining. Good luck at the casino. I love to see people win.

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