Visitreno

[Dave]

Well just getting ready to take off and I can't wait. A few last minute questions for the regulars. Does the Siena still have that special Happy hour Black Jack deal in the AM. You mentioned it a long time ago Jerry but I can't find anything on it on their web site or the flier I just got from them.
My other question is when you guys decide to play Video Poker (which I don't know all that much about), what do you look for on the game that you choose. I know you guys look at payout 9:6 or something like that but I just want to know what to look for and where those machines are.
I appreciate the help!
Alison did you ever make it to downtown? Jerry when are you going again? I hope your wife and you are both hanging in there bud! Remano you always have something smart to say. Ben where in the heck are you man? John your jokes were great this month I especially liked the seal story along with the free the pig protester's. Stan Allen & JD stay cool. Hey how come Star never comes on to this board once in a while to say hello? If you are Mr. Reno John, she has to be Miss Reno! Man I am rambling sorry!
I better get to bed. I hope you are all doing well!
Dave

[jerry]

Just about to sign off and caught your notes so will try to reply. Hope you are not leaving early tomorrow morning.

Happy Hour BJ. I don't know. I tried to play the day they started it and couldn't get a seat. Never tried again as I do not wish to rise that early. It may not have continued.

VP there really is bad. They have four machines only (by center) that offer full pay double bonus on quarters only. It takes 10 quarters to get the extra cash back ticket. On those same machines, the payout is lower on dollars if you can imagine that.
There are a few scattered machines that have a decent, tho not full, pay. But mostly they are dollar machines. A couple have 9-6 JOB at 50 cents and a dollar.
I try to play only quarters but, honestly, I have not gotten anything on the machines there for a long time. I am burned out on them. They really have the machines screwed down tight.

And, YES, they can adjust the payout on VP machines - in spite of the pay table. I have actually seen inside of VP machines at a casino and have seen the adjustment mechanisms for VP. Don't want to name the casino.

The Siena has really cut back on my offers. WAYYYYY BACK....I am not excited about going back. No incentive considering how little play I get for the dollars I lose. They want the locals more than out-of-staters.
No plans at this time to go back. I am considering a new base of operations. If I win the free rooms soon, I may try the Eldorado on my next trip.

My wife is no better. She is basically unable to sit anywhere or ride in a car. I hesitate to leave her again. No medical specialist has helped her yet and we have run out of options.

On VP, probably the best plays are the nickle machines. They are not full pay but don't suck up the money as fast. Two sets of progressives. One at the Center Street bar and one set by Men's Rest Room. We try to play those when we can until we are driven off by insensitive smokers.
My wife has hit the royal twice on one of those banks.
I have never hit a Royal at Siena and I have played every poker machine in the place, at every denomination, for 1,000s of hours.

Have a great trip. Wish I could meet up with you there. Sorry that this post is such a downer.

[jerry]

Dave, I see you are staying at the Sands. I hate to gamble there basically. They recently took out the only full pay machines for DB.
There is a decent progressive play at the Tequila Bar. I think you play 9-6 JOB, if I remember correctly. Again, I seldom can stay long there though because of the low-class clientele that inhabit the place. The smoke is very bad there-almost impossible to avoid.
Last time I checked, the other bar had a lower payout.

The Sands also took out the only decent beer they offered and replaced it with some Hawaiian crap that must be a lot cheaper.

I do stay at the Sands when I have to pay for a room, which is likely to be more often in the future. IF I go back. I need some incentive.

BTW, most of their JOB machines are 6-5 when 9-6 is full pay. Go figure the math on that payout. I really wish they had some decent plays there.
I would like to play there but can't justify it.

Let me know if you like their new sports book.

[Quinc]

you guys ever use a vp strategy card? i found some for 6$ on a website and just wanted to know if it were worth it?
_________________
Don't play blackjack that pays 6:5..Changing that one rule, reducing blackjack payouts from 3:2 to 6:5 adds a substantial 1.39% to the casino's advantage.

[jerry]

I haven't used one altho I have made my own charts for a game or two which I sometimes refer to. Using them seems tedious but I think it can be worthwhile.

[Dave]

Thanks for the replies guys. So Jerry how do you pick which VPoker machine you are going to play? I am talking basics here. Is 6:9 the numbers I am looking for? Sorry I just want to play on the machine that pays out the best for your play and to tell you the truth after a while they all kind of look the same to me. (Could be the beer helping that out!)
Do you have any other Casinos downtown that still have the machines you prefer? Thanks again for your help. I just thought I would mix it up between all the hoop games and trip to the BJ and craps tables.
Hang in there Jerry.
Dave

[jerry]

As briefly as I can make it, Dave:
This is for full house and flushes.
9-6 for JOB
8-5 for Bonus Poker
10-7 for Dbl Bonus
9-6 for Dbl Dbl Bonus

This is what you look for. Some are there. Less at Siena, I think, than other places. Side by side machines may look same but have different pays.

The first two games above should let you play longer. The last two, you hope for a big quick hit. They drain you faster.

I play the Bonus Poker between Lake St Bar and Slot Club.
I play Dbl Bonus beside center bar (only 4 machines at 25 cents)
By Contrada, you find some others for 50 cents for JOB and close on the others with a progressive. This bank has a "decent" deuces wild game (NSUD) at 50 cents too.
NONE OF THEM PAY ME....

I don't have any other places that I play downtown.

Best I can do for now. There are lots of sites to research which give you payouts, odds, what to hold, etc. Lots of work, I think. There is probably a reference or two on the home page of this site which would get one started, if so inclined. Otherwise, google, I guess.

[stan_allen]

Believe it or not, your local library might even be a good resource, as they tend to have a few gambling books tucked away in the travel section, one of which will probably have the chart listing the hierarchy of desired hands for video poker.

That list is longer than what one encounters for blackjack, which is why I've never bothered to memorize it, but it's good as a reference for the beginning player.

Your local library also contains many other useful and enjoyable books, which provide not only countless hours of informative and entertaining fodder for the mind, but the classically tactile sensation of holding a bound volume, which the Internet can never compete with.

Why not visit your local library today?

[JD]

My Father used to say, "Son, don't repeat yourself. It's redundant, repetitive and too long winded."

I've said it before and I'll say it again. You can make a case that casinos don't make their money when you bet and lose. They make it, when you win...but they don't pay you what they should if it was a "fair " game.

Example: Simple heads or tails coin flip. Every time you guess wrong, you owe me a dollar. Everytime you guess right, I pay you 75 cents. Wanna play?

Video Poker is more difficult to figure because of the complexity of the game. But essentially, you want to look for the best pay tables which (IF YOU HAVE PERFECT PLAY) has the highest payout (or smallest house PC).

The best website for this is the "Wizard of Odds". He can wring the simple pleasure clear out of a royal flush. But is an excellent place to read up. Here is the Video Poker section:

http://wizardofodds.com/videopoker

Pick a game, see the various pay tables you might encounter. The idea is to try to find the best pay tables. Me, I try to find the best bartender.

[Dave]

Yeah I am somewhere in between. Thanks for all the replies guys. Off we must go! I tell you what it won't be for lack of effort and I guarantee you we'll have a good time. Thanks again.
Dave