A 6-12 month roadtrip?

[mickeymouse]

Recently a friend of mine is having a break from work for several months when his company made him redundant. He has done reasonably well as an AP part-time in the past as a hobby and has a fair mid-five-figure bankroll. He has suggested he might head to Nevada (and surrounding states) to visit friends for a few months before he actively starts searching for work again, just playing short sessions from venue to venue and living a basic subsistence lifestyle in the meantime to support himself.

Do any of you think this is viable, and, if so, how long do you think he could potentially do this for before options are exhausted? 3 months? He has fairly good boredom tolerance so hopefully that won't seem to be much of an issue.

[Blitzkrieg]

I think it's viable. There is more to gambling than just blackjack. So as long as your friend has respect for his bankroll, there is no telling how long your friend can stay in the game.

[Dieter]

Make sure he's not overlooking the "duh" plays, like "VUXing". Ultimate-X definitely counts as "any game other than blackjack", just in case.

[Exoter175]

Make sure he's not overlooking the "duh" plays, like "VUXing". Ultimate-X definitely counts as "any game other than blackjack", just in case.

Can't overstate this comment enough lol. You're talking about a pretty comfortable living from VUXing if you have little to no competition and a good amount of machines.

[21forme]

Make sure he's not overlooking the "duh" plays, like "VUXing". Ultimate-X definitely counts as "any game other than blackjack", just in case.

Depends on the venue and the limits. In some areas the number of vultures is ridiculous compared to the number of machines. Also, VUXing anything lower than quarter plays is really a waste of time becasue it's so low EV.

Also, don't forget that some casinos actively watch the UX machines and bar vultures quickly.

[Exoter175]

Depends on the venue and the limits. In some areas the number of vultures is ridiculous compared to the number of machines. Also, VUXing anything lower than quarter plays is really a waste of time becasue it's so low EV.

Also, don't forget that some casinos actively watch the UX machines and bar vultures quickly.

I disagree wholeheartedly that anything below a quarter play wasn't worth the time. I can flip through 26 games (three denoms) and play each machine off in about 1 minute, maybe a little less. The other day when I arrived early to get breakfast, I flipped through all the UX machines in about 15 minutes and made $64.05 on nothing but nickel plays. Now, that isn't always going to be the case, but whether you are wagering 75 cents on a three play DW nickel, or 15 dollars on a three play JoB dollar, the +EV is still there and shouldn't be overlooked. I've hit 4 deuces on five play with 5x's on all hands for a nice little handpay before.

[mcallister3200]

It's a valid point both ways, everyone should place a different and appropriate value on their time. Bob Dancer has said that he would drive across town for a $30 coupon but wouldn't walk across the street for $5.

High % edge low $ value plays can really help smooth out fluctuations for those on smaller bankrolls, but you don't really want to reveal yourself as an AP abusing low limit plays that could prohibit you from taking advantage of something more lucrative at a later time.

[Exoter175]

It's a valid point both ways, everyone should place a different and appropriate value on their time. Bob Dancer has said that he would drive across town for a $30 coupon but wouldn't walk across the street for $5.

High % edge low $ value plays can really help smooth out fluctuations for those on smaller bankrolls, but you don't really want to reveal yourself as an AP abusing low limit plays that could prohibit you from taking advantage of something more lucrative at a later time.

That implies that things might get more lucrative. In this age of "casino gaming" blackjack rules are making counting less profitable, and machine/VP plays are becoming less advantageous by the day with a higher house edge, and the gaming commission looking into cases where machines might become advantageous. Making the "future" of machine/VP plays nearly impossible, aside from the "mainstays".

I'm not cheap, but I wouldn't pass up the opportunity to take a shot at anything with an advantage on it. As long as I'm not a silver miner, buffalo hunter, seagull or whatever name you want to come up with for a guy who takes leftover credits from machines, I doubt the casino will ever truly give a shit about what machine I play, so long as I don't find a blatant malfunction on said game and exploit it with repetition to make "serious" money.

[mcallister3200]

Point taken, determine what's worth your time not what's worth other people's time. There will always be some AP play out there if you're not too stubborn to listen and learn.