There’s nothing quite like snatching victory from the jaws of defeat to make you feel good about a day in the casino. One big win at the end that erases previous losses and makes you a winner doesn’t happen anywhere near often enough, but it feels great when it does.
Paul, a video poker player I’ve known for years, had one of those days with a nice win on Triple Double Bonus Poker after a day when Bonus Poker had grinded down his bankroll. All were 25-cent, single-hand games.
“I budget $100 for the day,” he said. “Bonus Poker is low volatility, and it usually gives me a good run for my money.
“Not this time. It had barely been an hour when the first $80 was gone. I said to myself, ‘If it’s going to go this fast, let’s make it really fast.’ I switched to Triple Double Bonus Poker.”
Triple Double Bonus’s big attraction is a 4,000-coin bonanza for five coins wagered if four Aces are accompanied by a 2, 3 or 4 as the fifth card.
There’s a tradeoff in low returns on more common hands. Paul not only would be going from the 2-for-1 on two pairs in Bonus Poker to 1-for-1, but would have a payback drop from 3-for-1 to 2-for-1 on three of a kind.
“When my big hand came, it started with a pair of 2s and other low cards. I didn’t think much of it, I just held the 2s and hit the button. The first card on the draw was an Ace, then a 2, then finally the fourth 2. Eureka!”
Paul had himself a $500 jackpot. On Triple Double Bonus, four 2s, 3s or 4s with an Ace, 2, 3 or 4 kicker pays 2,000 coins for a five-coin bet.
I asked Paul if it meant Triple Double Bonus would go higher in his mix of games to play.
“No way!” he replied. “I’d be a nervous wreck the whole time. I could only play this time because I’d resigned myself to losing the $20. As it was, I had my original $100 back and I had a $400 profit. I went home happy.”
