The Spirit of Savvy - Day 1, Part 2

Dec 28, 2013 I remember some years ago when we had meager budgets and paid for a lot of stuff. I got some good advice from a very helpful individual (thank you K.A.!) who took the time to shepherd me by email through an exploration of what it would be like to up our budget.

"I've upped my budget," I said to the Quad Queen, "now up yours!"

We went from a loss limit of about $100 a day each to triple that. And sure enough, the comps and offers started coming in, and the free play too. We got enough free stuff that, on average, we weren't out of pocket any more than when we'd been gambling a lot less. We'd found a 'sweet spot' and we've been enjoying it for some years now.

But, as you read in an earlier post, Jimmy Poon pointed out that we could eke out a better return by simply playing the game better, by being prepared, by practicing.

"Jimmy Poon, you were right," I said. "By gum, I'm going to do it! I'm going to try harder, train more, use strategy cards!"

"That's the spirit, Flushie," he said.

"Yes Jimmy Poon. That's the spirit, all right... the Spirit... of Savvy!"

Jimmy and I looked at each other. Neither of us needed to say another word. We knew. Yes, we knew.

We knew the way two people know something when you don't have to say "I know!" or anything. That's how we knew.

Jimmy immediately logged onto the website and started preparations.

The other thing is, we want to significantly increase our budget this trip and play a lot more higher denominations. Mrs. Flusher and I are at a point in our lives where we no longer want to put up with sketchy rock bottom barely-cleaned but dirt-cheap rooms. No, now we demand sketchy one level up from rock bottom somewhat-cleaned and still very cheap rooms.

And we even crave some high end rooms... like at Encore / Wynn (or EnWynn), which we've been enjoying lately. Our stays there are not fully comped so like before, we are purchasing what we want.

We think that when we move up to higher denomination play - primarily dollars - we can get that stuff comped, and get a whole lot more free play, particularly downtown, and better food and better treatment all around.

To do this, though, we are making some adjustments.

We'll play lower volatility games, like Jacks instead of Double Double for example, at higher denoms.

We'll play slowly and more carefully when we are playing dollars.

We'll use the strategy cards. (Although, frankly, the Quad Queen has gotten so good through practice, she doesn't really need one. I'm talking two minor errors over 700 hands on the WinSimulator 3000 featuring WinPoker yesterday.)

We need to shave every half percent of error out of our games that we can. Playing dollars, when we (hopefully) hit Royals, we get taxed 30%. That takes half a point off of the return. So one strategy is to play full pay triple play quarters or five play quarters, where it is offered. That gets our coin-in up, but there is no tax hit on a single line $1000 Royal because it's under the $1200 limit above which Uncle Sam has his way with you.

If, God forbid, we are dealt a royal on multiplay, we'll take our tax lumps and like it!

Another strategy we'll use is to start on a lower denom and work up to a higher one using the Strict Rules of Parlay.

What are the Strict Rules of Parlay? Well, you start at some denom, say quarters. Put $20 in. If and when you double your buy-in, you move to 50-cent. Each time you double your stake, you move up a denomination. This hopefully gives you higher denom play on a small buy-in, rather than putting in more money to start at a higher denom, and blowing through it, potentially. Basically its press when you are winning, hold back when losing. Because the other part of the Strict Rules is that if parlay up a denom and then lose have of it, you drop a denomination. The Queensbury Rules of Parlay forgo this protection and allow you to dive straight into the ground - once you have moved up a denom, you stay there no matter what.

Finally, a goal of mine, unfulfilled for 17 years, is a second lifetime dollar Royal (and hopefully many more after that). That's right, I had one dollar royal early in my gambling career, and haven't had one since. 17 years have passed, and that's more than enough.

This is going to be a very exciting ride. I'm kind of nervous, because the dips are going to be way deeper than anything we've experienced before.

So getting directly to the incredible mind-blowing earth-shaking love-me-long-time gambling action of Las Vegas that you readers crave and demand... requires that I first talk about the night before the trip....

...in Day 1, Part 3.