Hi Harry,
Happy New year to you!
First of all, you are not even the most neurotic player on the
floor, no less the only one! Many of my vp playing friends, and I do
NOT exclude myself from that elite group, are quite neurotic.
However, since I believe that ALL intelligent people are at least
slightly neurotic, I wear my neuroticism as a badge of honor.
Fortunately, for both my sanity, and I truly believe, my bankroll,
with very exceptions, one Bennie is all that I am willing to feed a
machine, in one sitting. I may go back to the recalcitrent offender
later, even though past experiences warn me that it will still
remain stubbornly un-cooperative. On the 2nd go round, I rarely
donate more than $40.00 more.
The exception to above is when I find a juicy prog. They are my
nemesis. Once I start on a ripe prog., I find it difficult to quit
until it either hits or I am about to miss my plane. I've only hit
one prog. this way, though I've played many. The progs I have hit
gave up the Royal to me w/i 15 minutes of my sitting down. However,
I usually ignore the litle voice which reminds me of these past mis-
adventures, and continue to throw hundred, after hundred, into the
cold and ravenous bill acceptor.
Intellectually, I know that what you're saying about randomness, in-
so-far as the last hand having no impact on the next hand, is
absolutely, unequivocably and mathmatically 100% correct. However,
as you also note, and as anyone who plays a lot of VP will attest
to, the machines are streaky. I'm just trying to find the one
that's streaking in tne right direction.
Conversely, the only time I'll leave a machine that is at least
giving me max playing time, is if someone is blowing smoke at me,
trying to carry on an inappropriate conversation, the uncomfortable
seat is giving me a backache, I'm hungry, or I have to use the
facilities.
Of course, what works right for me, may not be right for someone
else. I think we should all seek our own comfort level, w/o
worrying too much (outside of corect pay schedules & stategy) about
the "proper" way to go about engaging in our favorite pastime.
Babe
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Harry Porter" <harry.porter@v...>
wrote:
jackessiebabe
> So IMO, if it makes you feels better and helps you to derive
more
> fun from your vp experience, go for it, and switch machines
whenever
> you get the urge to do so. Much like chicken soup, it may not
help,
> but I can't see how it can hurt either.
Babe, I'm with you to a modest extent. But there's a potential for
distraction in this.
If you switch from a machine after you've dropped $200 or $300,
deciding that it's "cold", it's likely going to occur to you that
had
you swiched machines at the first inkling the machine was "cold"
you
might have saved yourself a $100 or so.
The only natural thing to do is to switch machines when they stop
"paying" earlier, before they have a chance to do heavy damage to
your
bankroll. That makes for play in which you're now very vigiliant
for
negative streaks and frequent machine switching.
It opens the mind up for recrimination when the choices made still
lead to a very bad session, and in general, lends itself to a lot
of
distraction and negative play focus.
I may exaggerate here, but once a player accepts that there's no
relationship between what happens one hand to the next, play
becomes
much, much simpler and comfortable (mind you, I'm speak only out
of my
own experience).
That's not to say I don't change machines from time to time. I'll
do
it to get away from a smoker, or someone who's otherwise
obnoxious.
I'll do it if I'm too cold or warm. And, on occasion, when the
play's
going very poorly, I'll move simply to put myself in a fresh
environmnet - to help me shake the displeasure a rough session
brings.
- Harry (who, perhaps, is the only neurotic player on the
floor ...)