Best Way to Play Free Play

[Midwest Player]

Assume you have a couple of hundred dollars in free play. Now I always play my free play on video poker. However, the casino has terrible pay tables. No matter if you play the 5 cent game or the 10 cent or the 25 cent or even the dollar game all the pay tables on Jacks or Better are 7/5. So my first question is with such a bad pay table would I be better off just playing slots. At least I know if I play video poker I will win something.

Second, what denomination of game would be best to play. I usually just play the 5 cent game, but it would take a long time to go thru $200 dollars playing 5 cents. Would it be better to maybe play the 25 cent game so you would get done quicker and then can get back to the blackjack table? If you play the 5 cent game you will get more hands in and thus a better chance at getting a royal, but then again you are wasting valuable time which could be better spent at the blackjack table. Any thoughts?

[blueman]

You can play the highest % payback games for max ev or hedge it on games like baccarat betting both $100 on player $100 on banker and walking out with either $200 if it hits player or $195 of it hits banker

[nighterfighter]

That's assuming there's an electronic baccarat machine, and it lets you bet on both.

MWP, are all the different video poker machines that awful? JoB sounds terrible with that paytable but what about dueces wild or double bonus. Those are higher variance, but with free play it might be ok....

You could also just find one of those 100 hands at once machines, and be back to the Blackjack table really quick! At a 5 cent machine, 25 cents a hand time 100 hands... 8 times and you're done, and probably have better EV than a slot machine.

[ZeeBabar]

In my case, in one casino, I get a free table play coupon of $25 or $35 and when I am playying a rd chip game, I use it in a significantly positive count. I have been advised that its best to play it on the baccarat tables but I just dont play anything else, only BJ.

[Meistro123]

video poker. playing a higher denomination will increase your variance but save you time, so if you have a big bankroll relative to the free play then u should just play bigger stakes. if ur bankroll is tiny then grind it out at the lower stakes to minimize the variance and maximize your long term utility.

[Stealth]

Assume you have a couple of hundred dollars in free play. Now I always play my free play on video poker. However, the casino has terrible pay tables. No matter if you play the 5 cent game or the 10 cent or the 25 cent or even the dollar game all the pay tables on Jacks or Better are 7/5. So my first question is with such a bad pay table would I be better off just playing slots. At least I know if I play video poker I will win something.

Second, what denomination of game would be best to play. I usually just play the 5 cent game, but it would take a long time to go thru $200 dollars playing 5 cents. Would it be better to maybe play the 25 cent game so you would get done quicker and then can get back to the blackjack table? If you play the 5 cent game you will get more hands in and thus a better chance at getting a royal, but then again you are wasting valuable time which could be better spent at the blackjack table. Any thoughts?

Assuming I have a partner, I would cross bet craps, including the free play. The only exposure if done correctly is the 12.

Stealth

[Jabberwocky]

Some casinos don't have craps games.

[ShipTheCookies]

Let's not confuse free SLOT play with free bets for table games.

I use free play strictly when certain machines (slots or video poker) are in a positive EV state.

[mcallister3200]

Assume you have a couple of hundred dollars in free play. Now I always play my free play on video poker. However, the casino has terrible pay tables. No matter if you play the 5 cent game or the 10 cent or the 25 cent or even the dollar game all the pay tables on Jacks or Better are 7/5. So my first question is with such a bad pay table would I be better off just playing slots. At least I know if I play video poker I will win something.

Second, what denomination of game would be best to play. I usually just play the 5 cent game, but it would take a long time to go thru $200 dollars playing 5 cents. Would it be better to maybe play the 25 cent game so you would get done quicker and then can get back to the blackjack table? If you play the 5 cent game you will get more hands in and thus a better chance at getting a royal, but then again you are wasting valuable time which could be better spent at the blackjack table. Any thoughts?

Most casinos have video blackjack with crappy paytables on some machines, somewhere around 97%. VP generally better than a reel slot.

If you’re just playing off free play this is way lower variance than VP, and in the case you didn’t have terrible VP machines and regularly played them sharp players avoiding playing free play on those machines can keep the hold on that machine from looking even worse than it should from the casino perspective.

[jimmybond007]

Even the worst of VP payables will return more than a slot machine. If a casino doesn't allow free play on video poker then slots is all you have left.

[cc12b]

I use free play coupons on BJ, I bet them when shoe is positive just like I would raise my bet.

[ShipTheCookies]

I use free play coupons on BJ, I bet them when shoe is positive just like I would raise my bet.

So you bet real cash when the shoe is -EV, but a free bet when it's +EV? I'd do the opposite if forced to use it on bj as a counter. Preferably, never play when it's -EV to begin with though.

[Iwantmoney]

However to all posters here I think I am correct to say for free play you are not getting the original free play coupon back yes, so if you play both sides and player wins you get only one hundred cash chip back yes?

You can play the highest % payback games for max ev or hedge it on games like baccarat betting both $100 on player $100 on banker and walking out with either $200 if it hits player or $195 of it hits banker