Running Cold to Hot

One of the funniest things I like to observe when I'm playing Video Poker at casinos, is the video poker player who hops from machine to machine usually putting in $20 at a time, and trying to avoid or determine which machine is "hot" or "cold"


I think its important to understand that it is my belief that there certainly is no purpose in chair hopping. Assuming all machines have the exact same payout structure, all you're really doing is getting exercise :)

Take for example my latest session at Harrah's Rincon. I play $.25 9/6 Jacks or Better (JOB) and on average, you should expect to play about ~2500 hands on $100. Of course, at any given session, you can run horribly bad. Last night at Harrah's that was just the case. I was broke after 500 hands, every time I held a low pair and ignored the high cards, the high cards came up. Every time I held 4 flush draw, it never flushed. I was dealt a substantial amount of no-holds, and 3,4,5,6 that never hit a straight. Barely any full houses, and no 4 of a kinds. It was your typical ugly session, but I gutted it out and stuck at that machine.

Now I think most people around me would have jumped ship when they saw they had lost $50 quickly and went to the next machine. I just don't see the reasoning, its impossible to avoid downswings and changing machines won't prevent it from continuing or occurring again!

So of course I was annoyed that I had a bad swing. I took a little break to clear my head, came back and sat down at the same machine. The last hand I had played was still there, no one had played it. Suddenly, I was hit by the deck. Four of a kinds came out like nothing, I had hit 8 within 1 hour. My flushes were hitting, my two pairs were filling up into full houses. I had now gone in the exact opposite swing. I ended the session at (2800 hands) down $100 to up $46.25

I think it just goes to show you, there really is no point in changing machines for escaping down swings. Because at any given moment, you could suddenly run hot and maybe, just maybe, catch that elusive Royal Flush.