Discipline

[elmo]

Hello all

Been lurking on the boards for a while now, just registered. I posted this because i need some advice, not on any machines in general, but just on machine discipline.

From reading this board, it seems a fair proportion of you are able to make a regular profit playing fruits, and to do this you all must have learned some sort of discipline...like...when to stop, when to play, when to push etc. I don't even profess to be any sort of pro or even semi-pro, although I know how to play, but lately I've been losing a lot by just thinking 'sod it, i'll carry on...' I'm not thinking this on shit machines either, stuff like VIU which I know fairly well (par etc) and it's getting right on my nerves.

So questions are, how did you learn to stop yourself? I don't just mean, realising it's not giving anything, but what do you do when (as happened to me tonight) mach was backing from first quid, offered 3 features within a fiver then took another 20 for 2 more, none higher than £3. Then carry on carry on....

I mean, i don't mean to moan but i just thought these sort of feelings must be familiar to you...just thinking...'ahh it'll have to go off a few more quid...', or 'fuck it, i might make a few quid...'

Any general advice? Do you ever play when drinking? Limits?

cheers for reading.

[Booked_moss]

We all do that too i think, there are several ways i try to get around this:

1) trick your own mind, cause the machine is playing with you to say "just 1 more pound" but to get around this try simply putting that one more pound into the machine next to it.

2) take a step back a minute. Have a smoke\coffee\beer a few feet back from the machine and think a few seconds.

3) Time is money, if you have a route plan of machines to be done that day you are pushing yourself to get to the next location. This way is best for me. Therefore I dont seem to get that "one more pound" complusion when doing it this way as I'm thinking "not showing, off to the next location which i know streaked 3 weeks ago".

4) Never play after beer (NOTE TO MYSELFSELF: TAKE YOUR OWN ADVICE ON THIS ONE FOR ONCE).

5) Dont play.

Sure you will find at leat one that works for you.

[levartemit]

This is a problem that i am sure has plagued us all in the past. Who hasnt got pissed off at a dead Red or BFM thinking the payout was round the corner and going for it when in reality it was still £50 away?

I also agree that the problem can be much worse when a few beers have had their effect on you (I personally have NEVER bought half a coke etc to play on a pub machine, always half guiness etc). Generally the first thing you should look for is what type of machine it is. Different machines have completely different playing profiles, even when full etc. For example, a full barcrest VIU or clone will nearly always fold for the jackpot within one (unless it has been refilled) and show signs of being increasingly happy til it throws the top steak etc, yet other crests such as D&P, GGG etc can cost up to 50 for one, though the blocks are not well defined, unlike BFM/Mazooma where you KNOW how much it wants to give before stuffing you.

Many machines now have 'anti force' profiling to prevent players taking maximum value simply by forcing. Thats why you can get a tenner offer one board then 6 then 2 then 5 etc. Manus have learnt from the past that machines that can be forced for full value (e.g Wildfire P1 etc) are always hit by players, then dead for ages, which puts the average punter off playing it, hence low cash box, hence no profit for location/supplier. In general, set a sensible limit for the machine you are going to play, based on the potential amount you could lose. For VIU etc, if full and showing, I would think the most you could lose, should it not give top for a while is a tenner say, whereas you could easily lose a ton in a red whether it is full or not, then watch in dismay as someone who hasnt got a clue sticks a quid in and gets 4 JP's (yes it happened to me!).

If you get on a machine which is clearly dead, play 2-3 then walk away. ok, you have lost a couple of quid, but there is always the next one, and you dont risk going 50 in to get 25 back. I would suggest the hardest thing to do when playing is to simply walk even though you are a few quid out of pocket. Ok, so occasionally you can be wrong and watch someone after you take the pot, but how many other times have you seen someone go on straight after and waste another tenner? If I get into this situation I tend to think of the worst play I have ever had, where I went 80 down on a machine I KNEW was dead after about 10. The biggest enemy of the player in my opinion is GREED. If you can control the urge to be greedy, to keep trying when a better part of you is sounding the warning bells, then you can get the discipline to only play when you are (obviously never 100%) sure that you will get some sort of return. In essence....know your machine, be prepared to take a small loss if dead, and once you rack up some wins dont be greedy, judge when it goes flat again and dont unjustifably chase losses and maybe youll get somewhere. Hope this helps a little.

[Scott]

It can be sometimes very difficult to walk away from machines especially the old 'few more quid' thinking.. once you are £10+ in its very difficult to walk away on some machines such as BFM chasing this will almost certainly lead to loses in multiples of the £10. I agree with the others.. try a couple of quid and if its not showing any signs of being happy walk away from it and try another. You never know you could just well get a quick/lucky steal. Believe me it does happen.. I have stuck a pound in a ToT and streaked it before.. infact I can remember many times this has happened in the past. Is a hell of a lot better than pumping some machine you know will take £50+ for one JP then go dead after. Of course there are machines that almost always force for a JP within £30 or so so will not end up much down. Its I am afraid all about the discipline again.. Use best judgement and you should be ok.

[alpha bravo]

All very good tips on discipline, if only i could put them into practice.

[elmo]

Cheers lads, appreciate the replies.
Sound points, I'll definetly be having a long think before the next quid goes in...

[fray]

Not drinking when playing is the key for me, as soon as I get drunk all the hard work and profit goes out of the window (sometimes down the toilet...), I start playing crap from boredom or drunken logic...arghhh

[Scott]

I dont know why so many people dont buy alcohol.. I find in moderation it is less suspicious then say buying half a coke then walking over to a machine.. if you are say drinking a bottle of bud you will certainly look more in place in a pub. Hell you dont even have to drink the whole bottle if you dont want to...

[jglenny]

Being drunk is by far the worst for me it triggers all the other points like putting an extra pound or ten in. Like i have said before i think im a real Pro and can empty an empty machine.