--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, marccarfi@... wrote:
Being on a losing machine can be very stressful.And since changing machines will not make a difference in your results,if it makes you feel better emotionally,then why not do it.You actually gain something....you feel better.People can believe what they want about individual trails,but as long as you don't change playing the best EV machines possible with the best strategy possible,Who cares what you believe.The purists feel that you've committed some kind of sacrilege for doing so.
>
> Marc
Since this horse apparently still has a twitch or two left in it, let me go ahead and take a strike with my club ...
I get what you're saying. But I still stumble over the idea that switching machines would make someone "feel better", in absence of some gut feeling that their luck is more likely to change for the better.
I'm not sure who these "purists" are ... for myself, frankly I couldn't give a crap how often someone hops around machines -- that's their business. But I count myself a "very disciplined" player (and regard that as a critical success factor, when it comes to vp play).
I'm not immune to misgivings and second thoughts when confronted with a very sour session. But, assuming that I've otherwise been satisfied with the comfort and other characteristics of the machine I've been playing, I'm loathe to allow a bad session alone to prompt me to change machine.
You're correct in pointing out that switching, alone, has no material impact on play expectation. But I'm hesitant to accept that it's always without consequence.
Generally speaking, I find optimal play requires that I regularly set aside temporary misgiving or doubts about my play in order to ensure that I best take advantage of the opportunities at hand. An example can be pushing to play through a sour session when there's a strong advantage in doing so. Another can involve making a prudent choice between plays when my "gut" may be pushing me in a direction other than the best economic option.
Frequently, opting for the best choices means carefully weighing all factors at hand and sometimes going with one that involves some discomfort. And so it is that I'm caused to suspect that someone who switches machines because of a bad session might also be prone to make less than optimal play choices in the interest of "feeling better".
Obviously, we're talking supposition here. I likely don't know the first thing about the hypothetical player in question (unless it happens to be my wife ;). And, when it comes down to it, I really could care less. All the same, this is the presumption that arises in my mind.
