Gash
Gash
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September 16th, 2021 at 8:06:38 AM permalink
Hello Wizard and Everyone

In Video Poker (Jack's or Better), I know that you have suggested to Always bet the Max 5 Coin bet because of the high payout and lower house edge on the Royal Flush as opposed to 1 to 4 coin bets.

Questions
1. In general, if you only had $5.00 in your pocket to make a bet in Video Poker, would you choose to make a 'one' $5.00 Coin bet OR, would you choose to make 'five' $1.00 Coin bets? Why?

I'm stuck, as here are my thoughts:
Since there is such a high probability that I will not get a Royal Flush anyway, then why would I do 'one' $5.00 Coin bet, then possibly lose.That's it. Game over? Instead, would I not be better off doing 'five' $1.00 Coin bets and having those 4 extra chances of winning some smaller payout amounts?

I am completely new to casino gaming and gambling, so would certainly appreciate the Wizard's advice and anyone elses thoughts, with a few examples that might help me understand this better.

Thanks Wizard & Folks
billryan
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September 16th, 2021 at 8:20:12 AM permalink
I think it depends on your intentions. Will you quit after your 5 $1 hands if you are up, or will you keep going if you have any money left? If you bet $5 on one hand and get paid 2-1 for two pair, are you walking away? I think if you are going to play until you are broke, it is best to do it in one big bet rather than five small ones.
The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
Gash
Gash
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September 16th, 2021 at 8:25:04 AM permalink
Hello billryan

Thank you for your thoughts.
I appreciate it
ThatDonGuy
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ChumpChange
September 16th, 2021 at 8:27:30 AM permalink
I would make the one $5 bet. Remember, there's a good chance you're going to get the point where you only have 5 credits bet from your initial buy-in.

Suppose you have $200,000 to start. This is 40,000 $5 bets, where you are expected to get 1 Royal Fush, or 200,000 $1 bets, where you are expected to get 5 Royal Flushes.
Your 5 $1 Royal Flushes pay a total of $1250.
Your 1 $5 Royal Flush pays $4000.
All of the other expected payouts are equal, so that's $2750 you are giving away for every $200,000 you are betting, or 1.375%.
Gash
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September 16th, 2021 at 8:43:18 AM permalink
Hello ThatDonGuy

Thank you for your thoughts & explanation.
I'm new here, so everyone's thoughts and
opinions are appreciated.
Good for me to read, listen and learn from
everyone.
vegas
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September 16th, 2021 at 9:19:50 AM permalink
Play 4 hands on max quarters. You get the benefit of still hitting a max coin royal and have 4 hands to hit something good.
50-50-90 Rule: Anytime you have a 50-50 chance of getting something right, there is a 90% probability you'll get it wrong
Dieter
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September 16th, 2021 at 9:20:06 AM permalink
Quote: Gash


1. In general, if you only had $5.00 in your pocket to make a bet in Video Poker, would you choose to make a 'one' $5.00 Coin bet OR, would you choose to make 'five' $1.00 Coin bets? Why?

  • link to original post



    If I only have $5 in my pocket, I probably can't afford to play video poker.

    The clown in front of the bumper cars says "you must be this tall to ride"; I'm not that tall with $5.
    May the cards fall in your favor.
    Gash
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    September 16th, 2021 at 9:27:03 AM permalink
    Hello vegas

    A very good point.
    Thank You
    Gash
    Gash
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    September 16th, 2021 at 9:32:03 AM permalink
    Hello Dieter

    Lol. Yes. I totally agree with you.
    It's the best way I could ask the question.
    I appreciate your thoughts.
    Thank you
    billryan
    billryan
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    September 16th, 2021 at 11:04:39 AM permalink
    Always remember it is okay to eat your gambling money, but never bet your eating money.
    The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
    DRich
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    September 16th, 2021 at 11:38:46 AM permalink
    Quote: billryan

    Always remember it is okay to eat your gambling money, but never bet your eating money.

  • link to original post



    Who separates their money? When the bank account is at $0 there is no more eating or gambling.
    At my age, a "Life In Prison" sentence is not much of a deterrent.
    AlanMendelson
    AlanMendelson
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    ChumpChange
    September 16th, 2021 at 2:23:10 PM permalink
    Years ago I was playing the $5/coin VP progressive at Bellagio. The royal was worth around $32,000.

    The lady on my right got a royal in hearts. As I congratulated her (and got ready to cash out and leave) I saw she only played one coin.

    She won $1250.

    When the attendant came to pay her, the attendant's first words were "what a waste."

    The player to my left was snickering.

    The player to her right was on her cell phone telling someone about her blunder, snickering.

    Had she made the same $5 bet on a $1 machine a royal would have been $4000.

    But put all of that aside.

    At the $1 she might not have hit a royal or even a $1250 hand pay or just lost everything.

    I was at Caesars years ago when a lady hit the three Wheel of Fortune symbols on her last quarter for $10,000. She cried hysterically that she didnt have 3 coins to win a million. But had she taken the time to add a dollar to her machine she wouldn't have hit the 10k payoff.

    So do you bet $5 one time or play 4 hands on a 25-cent machine or play many hands on a nickel machine?

    IDK. Do you feel lucky?
    Gash
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    September 16th, 2021 at 2:51:03 PM permalink
    Hello AllanMendelson

    Thank you for sharing this with me. It seems like everyone so far
    is suggesting the same thing, which is to always get the 5 Coin max
    in order to have a shot at the big Royal Flush and don't waste my money
    on the 1 Coin bets.
    Because I am new, I figured, why not bet 'five' 1 Coin bets in order to give me that
    many more chances at making perhaps some smaller wins.
    I'd be pretty happy winning $50 on my 5th hand of 1 Coin bets than winning
    nothing on my 1 hand of 5 Coin bet (Assuming I lost that round).

    Again, Thanks
    DRich
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    September 16th, 2021 at 2:56:14 PM permalink
    Quote: Gash

    Hello AllanMendelson

    Thank you for sharing this with me. It seems like everyone so far
    is suggesting the same thing, which is to always get the 5 Coin max
    in order to have a shot at the big Royal Flush and don't waste my money
    on the 1 Coin bets.
    Because I am new, I figured, why not bet 'five' 1 Coin bets in order to give me that
    many more chances at making perhaps some smaller wins.
    I'd be pretty happy winning $50 on my 5th hand of 1 Coin bets than winning
    nothing on my 1 hand of 5 Coin bet (Assuming I lost that round).

    Again, Thanks

  • link to original post



    To me it is all about the math. I don't enjoy video poker anymore. To people that do enjoy playing an argument can be made for playing more hands and I always recommend that they play the smallest denomination available. If I only had $5 to gamble and I enjoyed playing I would play the $0.05 machine 5 coins at a time. For others it might make sense to play one nickel at a time and maybe you could play all day.
    At my age, a "Life In Prison" sentence is not much of a deterrent.
    ChumpChange
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    September 16th, 2021 at 2:58:21 PM permalink
    I'd play 5 cents per spin on the nickel VP for 100 minimum spins. There's no Royal in my future.
    Gash
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    September 16th, 2021 at 3:11:36 PM permalink
    I appreciate your feedback and thoughts.
    May I ask why you don't enjoy VP anymore
    and what games you do enjoy and why?
    I'm not trying to impose. As a new comer,
    I find it very interesting to see other people's perspective.
    You or someone else may bring up a few points that I have
    never thought about which may help me make different decisions.

    I am very analytical and like to learn based on theory, science, math etc...
    Unfortunately, I do not have a mind like Michael Shackleford. I certainly wish I did.
    All this would be so much easier to understand.

    Again, Thanks
    Gash
    Gash
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    September 16th, 2021 at 3:13:48 PM permalink
    Hi ChumpChange

    Thanks for that.
    I appreciate your thoughts.
    ChumpChange
    ChumpChange
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    Gash
    September 16th, 2021 at 3:16:20 PM permalink
    You keep losing until you hit the quads.
    I bought a strategy book decades ago on video poker, so I could write out a strategy on an index card and refer to it while playing. Now VP games are much different and I'd need a new book, or maybe the Wiz's site has the strategies I need for the current VP games out there.
    Gash
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    September 16th, 2021 at 3:23:33 PM permalink
    Yes. As a matter of fact, I believe Wizard has the
    Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced Strategies in his
    Video Poker section.

    Thanks Again
    DJTeddyBear
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    ChumpChange
    September 16th, 2021 at 4:12:37 PM permalink
    I look at it this way…

    Odds are you’re not gonna hit a royal, and if you’re like most people, you’ll have a specific amount you’ll play, and you’ll play thru that money until it’s gone.

    That being the case, playing one credit instead of five gets you five times the duration on the machine.

    On the other hand, if you can find a 5¢ machine with the same payouts as a 25¢ machine, THEN you’re better off playing five credits on the 5¢ machine. Your money lasts just as long, but if you do happen to hit that royal then you’ll get 800 more hands instead of 250 more.
    I invented a few casino games. Info: http://www.DaveMillerGaming.com/ ————————————————————————————————————— Superstitions are silly, childish, irrational rituals, born out of fear of the unknown. But how much does it cost to knock on wood? 😁
    Gash
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    September 16th, 2021 at 4:47:38 PM permalink
    Sorry DRich

    I think I called you by someone else's Username.

    I was wondering why you don't enjoy Video Poker anymore?
    Just curious, that's all.

    Again, being new to casino gaming, I only realized it after reading someone's article why they did not enjoy VP. They did not like the fact that you always lose your original Coin Water, so if you do hit the Jack's or Better, which pay 1 to 1, you really haven't anything. You lost your initial bet, and you won the hand even money. He stated that in many other games, you at least get your wager back if you win, plus your winnings.

    Thanks DRich
    ChumpChange
    ChumpChange
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    September 16th, 2021 at 4:55:03 PM permalink
    Play 1,000 hands and see if you are down 1,500 coins on 5-coin play.

    I drew to an inside straight and won on my 2nd hand.

    Get enough small wins, it could add up to a quads win.

    I hit quads and doubled my winning lead to straight flush levels. I've missed a handfull of straight flush draws already.

    Just missed a Royal!

    Well, I lost all my wins and I'm back to 1,000 credits.
    So I was ahead about $65 on a quarter machine, well short of the $1,000 a Royal would bring.
    That'd be $13 ahead if I was betting just 1 coin on a quarter machine where a Royal pays $62.50; also $13 ahead if I was betting 5 coins on a nickel machine where a Royal would pay $200.
    Last edited by: ChumpChange on Sep 16, 2021
    DRich
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    September 16th, 2021 at 7:09:17 PM permalink
    Quote: Gash

    I appreciate your feedback and thoughts.
    May I ask why you don't enjoy VP anymore
    and what games you do enjoy and why?
    I'm not trying to impose. As a new comer,
    I find it very interesting to see other people's perspective.
    You or someone else may bring up a few points that I have
    never thought about which may help me make different decisions.

    I am very analytical and like to learn based on theory, science, math etc...
    Unfortunately, I do not have a mind like Michael Shackleford. I certainly wish I did.
    All this would be so much easier to understand.

    Again, Thanks

  • link to original post



    After 30 years of working in the gambling industry and millions of hands of video poker it is all just too formulatic now. Play 100 play video poke for thousands of hours and you will understand after each dealt hand when you can predict within a few percent what your return will be.
    At my age, a "Life In Prison" sentence is not much of a deterrent.
    billryan
    billryan
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    September 16th, 2021 at 7:18:14 PM permalink
    Quote: DRich

    Quote: Gash

    I appreciate your feedback and thoughts.
    May I ask why you don't enjoy VP anymore
    and what games you do enjoy and why?
    I'm not trying to impose. As a new comer,
    I find it very interesting to see other people's perspective.
    You or someone else may bring up a few points that I have
    never thought about which may help me make different decisions.

    I am very analytical and like to learn based on theory, science, math etc...
    Unfortunately, I do not have a mind like Michael Shackleford. I certainly wish I did.
    All this would be so much easier to understand.

    Again, Thanks

  • link to original post



    After 30 years of working in the gambling industry and millions of hands of video poker it is all just too formulatic now. Play 100 play video poke for thousands of hours and you will understand after each dealt hand when you can predict within a few percent what your return will be.
  • link to original post




    That is what turbo is for.
    The difference between fiction and reality is that fiction is supposed to make sense.
    Suited89
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    September 18th, 2021 at 4:32:33 PM permalink
    The 1-coin vs. 5-coin is rather well documented. Even though the Royal pays less, better to take 45/55 chance as few times, as the long run is basicallly House. I consider this ? a more-or-less "Adios Bet". I would put the $5 into a $5 machine and "Adios".

    There's a drink named Adios... if its $5 I know some that would take that offer over the VP ;o)

    Suited89
    some people need to reimagine their thinking
    Gash
    Gash
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    September 19th, 2021 at 11:35:44 AM permalink
    Hi Suited89

    I appreciate your thoughts on this.
    I believe what you are saying is it is better to play
    the 5 Coin bets fewer times than 1 Coin bets many times.
    Sorry, I was just a bit confused.

    Thanks A Million
    Gash
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