First, this is my first posting ever on here so just let me know if I do something wrong.
Second, I would like to thank the lady, I don't know her name, who told me about this site sometime around the middle of 2011. She even loaned me her strategy card while we played quarter video poker (which I now know doesn't have the best EV's!) at Harrah's while her husband was in a World Series of Poker tourney. . .
And now a quick recap. . . The first time I played VP was December 31, 1999. I hit a royal that first night and have been playing ever since. I would get out to Vegas anywhere between two and fifteen times a year. Never gambled a lot, so I usually just limited my play to Harrah's (mainly Harrah's and Rio) as I was comped there (well, at least for two nights a month!). I did pay attention to pay tables, but typically played them as I was too lazy too look elsewhere.
During the last six months of 2011, I made a major change. I really started following this site, made some life changes and made it out to Vegas quite a few times. I limited my play to pretty much only SouthPoint, which I had found out about through this site and Gambling With an Edge (Thanks, Bob, Frank and Munchkin!). I purchased Video Poker for Winners to practice my hands and playing methods. Although I didn't hit anything major, my dollars did seem to last longer and I was able to enjoy myself longer while playing.
At the end of December/beginning of January, I made the leap, took a new job and moved to Reno. I waited a little over a month doing some homework and looking over the various casinos before jumping in. After seeing something with an EV of over 100% at Atlantis, I decided to give it a try. I found the machines (JoB 9/6 and DDB 10/6 where you have to put in ten coins)and had a little luck last weekend (my first weekend of play).
Yesterday, I tried my luck again at the DDB. My only regret, is due to my current life changes, I was only playing nickels. I started at $100, went down to about $60 and then hit a couple of quads to reach about $125. After that, it was a steady decline until I hit a straight flush which bailed me out for awhile. Then, another decline. I was down to between $10-20 and was having a hard time deciding when to quit. I like to set stop losses and leave with something, but had set the $100 as my allotment for the day. I ended up getting a hand with JQK and 2 of diamonds and a low spade or club, I can't remember which. Deciding to go for it, I dropped the 2D and pressed the draw button. To my surprise, the 10 and Ace of diamonds showed up! 8000 coins!!!! My first royal in over a decade. Like I said, I wish it would have been quarters, but I can live with it. I tried to get a guy sitting next to me to take a picture (I don't have a cell phone) and send it to my email, but he didn't have that ability either. I played a little longer, but ended at $410 with a nice solid (for me anyway!) winning day.
Now, I know things go up and down, but this was definitely a nice start to 2012. We will see how the rest of the year goes!
By the way, I love the trip reports, Mickey's stories (couldn't he write a book with all his experiences?) and discussion on the odds and math that explains the reasoning behind the decisions. Keep up the good work everyone!
