Ask the Slot Expert: Do you switch video poker machines when your machine goes cold?

In a past column, I asked whether you tend to play one machine or bounce around from machine to machine when playing video poker.

I intentionally excluded behavior when playing slots. Slot players more frequently switch games when a machine goes cold. In addition, most slot players have a list of machines they want to play and don't plan to play just one game on a casino visit.

I usually have a short dance card filled out when I plan to spend some time playing slots. I've played a little bit on the latest Game of Thrones machine, then maybe took a stab at a new machine I hadn't tried before, and then finished up playing a Quick Hit machine, an old favorite. I rarely play just one machine, just one game when I play slots.

Video poker is another matter. I may try a gimmick game for low (and sometimes not so low) stakes for fun from time to time, but when I'm playing for points to maintain my tier status, I stick with the best game available in the casino, which is usually NSU Deuces.

An experience I had while playing a while ago prompted my question about whether you settle in at one machine or hunt for one that is being generous. I was playing with a couple I hadn't seen for a while. This occurred pre-Covid, when they would split their time between their home on the east coast and their home in Las Vegas.

He was having a horrible time playing NSU. Just could not hit anything. He kept switching from machine to machine, searching for one that would deal him some good hands.

I was playing next to his wife. After he switched machines for the second time, she asked me if I switch video poker machines when the one I'm playing turns cold.

I said, "What's the point?" The machine I'm playing is just as likely to deal me some good hands as the one next to it or some rando machine in another aisle.

Cold streaks are part of video poker. When a machine goes cold, instead of switching, I play through the cold streak. I'm going to show the machine who's boss. It can't keep being this stingy, right? (Spoiler alert: It can.)

Ironically, the machine-hopping husband is a brilliant statistician and knows full well that switching machines does not affect his odds one iota. But switching makes him feel better and, more importantly, does no harm.

This outing was so bad for the couple that they went through their session stake quickly. He said that he felt like a tourist feeding a machine with the small bills he had for spending money in his wallet. He also had to drop down in denomination to be able to keep playing.

Another friend was with us that day. She said that she understood why they had to drop down in denomination, but pointed out that a reasonable run of good luck at the higher denomination would have recouped most of their losses and it was going to take an extraordinary run of good luck at the lower denomination to get them to the same point.

It all comes down to bankroll and ensuring you have enough money for the length of time you want to play. In this case, we were all going out for dinner afterwards, so the couple couldn't just call it a day when their initial bankroll ran dry. We still had a couple of hours before the buffet opened for dinner, so they had to fill the time.

Determining your bankroll is like winterizing power plants in Texas. Do you prepare for the average loss and the average low temperature? If so, a slightly colder machine or temperature might drain your wallet or disrupt your power. Prepare for an infrequent, but not unheard of, low? That will keep you in the game longer. Or prepare for a near worst-case scenario? Then it will take a truly extraordinary situation to knock you out of the game.

I used to bankroll near the middle option. Enough to see me through a typical losing streak, but not so much that I didn't run out of money on rare occasions. Now that I'm playing in fewer casinos, visiting them more often, and playing shorter sessions, may bankrolling is more towards the first option. If I'm doing well on what I brought, I can keep playing. If the machine isn't kind to me, that's okay. There's always next time.

A new question: Do you play until you run out of money or do you cash out before you run out?

Speaking of power in Texas, what do you think about the people who got socked with huge electricity bills?

Isn't the price of electricity after the storm a classic example of Economics 101, supply and demand? Demand is high, supply is limited, price goes up.

And didn't the people who participated in the plans that tied their electric rates to the wholesale price bet that the price of electricity would stay low? And it did until they lost that bet big time.

I've never taken an Adjustable Rate Mortgage. By the time I started applying for mortgages, there were enough horror stories of people who had it good for years, but then found they could no longer afford their homes because the interest had gotten so high. I'd rather pay a little more in interest each month to have a fixed interest rate for the life of the loan.

I'm not saying that nothing should be done for the folks with the higher-than-sky-high electric bills. I don't think they got an alert after flipping on a light switch that it was going to cost $10 per minute to keep that light on. They were not able to make an informed decision about whether it was worth the cost of using the electricity they had available.

I'm just saying that they made a bet and the dice went cold as the snow and the temperature fell.

And consider this: What is the government going to do for the people who paid the higher, fixed rate to ensure that they never had surprise bills?

Here are the latest figures from https://www.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/#cases_totalcases.

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