Poker Poker Poker!: [vpFREE] Re: Comments on several threads

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "nudge51" <nudge51@...> wrote:
>
>
> > I also self-track my play and this pays
> > > dividends in finding VP games that play the slot rate or more
theo
> > > than they should.
>
> > Will somebody explain what theo means in this context.
>
> I'll take a stab at it. Let's assume that on the particular video
poker
> machine that you are playing, the casino has assigned a 3.5% theo.
to that
> game, in other words, they are assuming that you will lose that
percentage
> on all the coin in that you play on that machine. If you happen to
find a
> machine with your same VP game on it with the same paytable, but
also
> includes nickel Lucky Lucy's Lapdance Lion Fish video slot on it and
> erroneously assigned the 7% theo. for that idiot game to your VP
game, you
> have stumbled on a comp. bonanza. If the casino in question is
comping at a
> rate of 30% of your theo. on the first machine, for every $100K you
put
> through over time, you would be entitled to $1,050.00 in comps. The
same VP
> game on the Lucy machine would net you double that, or $2,100.00.
Of course,
> the difficult part of this little magic trick is how to determine
the
> casino's theo. assignments on both machines. Good luck with that.
> Nudge
>

The best clue to a high theo situation is a higher point return than
expected (from play). If you track your coin and points from machine
to machine, you'll spot a discrepancy right away. This works the
other way as well (low theo).

Most of the time VP theo is constant. But some casinos purposely
vary their theo depending on pay schedule, type of machine,
denomination, coin per time, and other variables. These are much
harder situations to analyze.

While high theo machines are attractive, the trade-off is usually a
poorer pay schedule (makes sense) ... unless there's been a mistake.
If you can find a high theo machine with a good pay schedule that
fits well with your bankroll, you can add to your advantage as nudge
points out.

And it's not just "extra" comps. Cashback, offers, and anything else
tied to points also get a boost.