Machine Roulette Question

[bjaygold]

The math is pretty simple. For each 37 spins, you will lose a dollar 36
times, and win $25 once. Net loss will be $11 for each (37 x $11) bet, for a game
EV of 97.3%. So unless the slot points are worth more than 2.7% (I don't
think so!), my opinion is that this is a sure way to lose money.

Every major LV casino has VP games worth more than 97.3%. The vast majority
have at least 8/5 Bonus Poker, worth 99.1%. And you actually have a chance to
win, while still earning those valuable slot points!

Brian

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In a message dated 6/18/2007 11:40:05 PM Pacific Daylight Time,
queenofcomps@cox.net writes:

I'm not familiar with this game on a machine and someone wrote to me asking
if this plan made sense:

<<What do you think of this strategy for accumulating points on a slot
machine. Some of the casinos have Single Zero Video Roulette. If
you bet $5.00 on Red and $5.00 on Black and $1.00 on the Zero, you are
making an $11.00 wager towards slot club points. If Red or Black comes
up you break even on those bets, but lose the $1.00 bet on the Zero,
Sooner or later the zero is going to hit and you win $35.00 but lose
the two $5.00 wagers, but you still come out ahead $25.00
which covers a few of the $1.00 losses. Im not looking at this system
to make money, just to get the points on a card very quickly for one
reason or another.>>

Anyone have opinions on this?

************************************** See what's free at http://www.aol.com.

[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]

[Bob_Dancer1]

Brian correctly explained that single-zero machine roulette returned
97.3% and then concluded: Every major LV casino has VP games worth more
than 97.3%. The vast majority have at least 8/5 Bonus Poker, worth
99.1%. And you actually have a chance to win, while still earning those
valuable slot points!

True enough, except for the skill factor. There is skill required to get
close to that 99.1% return (both in identifying the machine and in
playing the hands), while no skill is required in roulette (other than
in differentiating between the single zero and the double zero
machines). The particular scheme listed in the post ($5 on red, $5 on
black, $1 on zero) doesn't change the expected return any from betting
all $11 on a single number (17, for example, but that's no better or
worse than any of the other numbers), but it does reduce the variance.

For gamblers unable or unwilling to learn the idiosyncrasies of Bonus
Poker or other game, or who don't have the discipline to limit
themselves to playing the best games (or who have the misguided view
espoused here recently that "Sometimes, when the full pay machines are
not hitting, you gotta play something else,") this is not a terrible
alternative.

As a video poker educator I continually attempt to teach players how to
play the better games (as does Jean, who initiated this thread) --- but
I know from experience that many people are neither willing nor able to
take the time and energy to learn. Sometimes it's lack of intelligence,
sometimes it's severe scepticism that my "system" works, and often it's
just plain having too many other things to do that they're more
interested in. There's a whole lot of busy people out there who don't
want to take the time to learn a new skill for something they're only
going to do quite irregularly.

Bob Dancer

For a 3-day free trial of Video Poker for Winners, the best video poker
computer trainer ever invented, go to //www.videopokerforwinners.com