Quote Originally Posted by Tthree View Post
Find out what pay schedules they have for the different video poker games noting the top paying for each game. The wizard has optimal strategy for these games on his sight. Print the cheat sheet and study it for the game you intend to play. Bring it when you play. Consult the sheet if necessary. Nobody will care but some people that are making mistakes might make fun of you. Just know they could benefit from doing the same.

You can use two strategies depending on your personal risk profile but either one you are best to limit your play to as few pulls as possible. The idea is you want variance. The more spins you use the closer you expect to be to your theoretical loss or maybe even win if you find good enough machines. If you want to be more sure to walk with something play a 25 cent machine until you played through your $50 and cash out immediately. That will probably be 40 spins. If you want a chance a a big win play the $50 through in as few of spins as possible. You may walk with nothing playing it on 2 spins on a $5 machine but your chance of winning a lot are much higher.

I once played through a free slot bonus on 5 spins. The third I got an up and down straight flush draw and missed but hit the straight but the fourth I got and inside straight flush draw and hit the straight flush for 250 coins. If I had played a lower denomination game the cash value of the coins would have been much less. I have won nothing a few times but most of the time you come in around your EV a plus or minus 50%. That rare time you pull a really nice hit on one spin you win a lot. The EV will be really close to the monetary value of the free slot play.

Remember with this play and match plays you want variance. For match plays I prefer to get two or three MPs rather than one but much more than that is not as desirable for my game plan. One match is okay but if the denomination is very large I prefer two or three. It limits risk while still giving a nice shot at high reward. Free play is theoretically no risk but I have lost money on the play at times when I split and double. Just remember you split and double strategy is not the same. Defensive splits are not desirable because you have less to defend for double the cost. Doubles should be weighted differently also as you are tripling risk for double the reward.
Variance is good for match plays, but this sounds like a freeplay. You don't want variance on freeplay. It's the same as if they said you had to bet $50 of your own money on something, then they will hand you $50 cash. With a $50 matchplay, it's like if you bet $100 of your own money, and if you lose, they rebate $50. Variance is good because it only helps you if you lose (on a win it is no different than if you had just bet $100 of your own money with no matchplay). For freeplay, I could say it is like betting $50 of your own money, then win or lose, they give you $50 in cash. This is not contingent on a loss, so variance is not desirable.