Poker Poker Poker!: [vpFREE] Re: The VP MENSA MYTH LIVES ON

--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, b.glazer@... wrote:
>
> > 10a. The VP MENSA MYTH LIVES ON
> > Date: Tue Jan 29, 2008 5:11 pm ((PST))
> >
> > Howdy
> >
> > Today I started a conversation with an intelligent rather
impressive
> > gentleman at The Borgata in AC. I found it rather disappointing
and was
> > somewhat
> > taken aback he was playing a 1.00 9/6 JoB...ONE DOLLAR AT A TIME.
> >
> > Why I asked was he only playing one at a time. He explained he
had read a
> > book by a mensan that determined any VP game that was not a
positive game was
> > not worth playing full coin because you are going to lose anyhow.
By playing
> > one coin your money will lasts longer and somehow it works out
better for you
> > in the long run..... or something like that!
> >
>
> You're playing 20% as much coin-in, so unless the single-coin odds
are five times or more worse, your money WILL last longer. And it
will last longer still if you don't play at all. The fact is
correct, even though the logic sucks.
>
> Of course, you will lose a larger percentage of your coin-in, and
you will generate 1/5 as much in comps, etc., but if you're playing a
losing game, the correct strategy, if you can't use "don't play", is
to play the lowest amount of money possible to minimize your losses.
>
> If the single coin paytable returns a negative EV that is LESS than
five times the negative EV of the full coin paytable, THEN your money
will last longer on the full-coin play, but with bigger swings.
>
> --BG
>
> ==============
>
Yes, playing one coin does result in a lower theoretical loss, but
the real question was why wasn't he playing one of the many .25 JoB
machines at the Borgata instead of one coin $1? The $1.25 bet on
quarters would have resulted in a lower expected loss than the short
coin $1 bet. Of course explaining how betting more per hand could
result in a lower loss might have been an exercise in futility with
this player.

Bill