Video Poker
I don't recommend VP play for most players today for a few reasons, chief of which are the risk and bankroll required and the ever dwindling number of reasonable plays for smaller bankrolls.
There are two main ways to win at VP, if you live in an area with lots of low limit full pay single line games (Vegas, Reno) you can just do small plays all over the place and then run the weekly coupon circuit collecting your EV until you need to re-prime the pump. If you don't live in the area involved playing these low limit games is just wasting your time IMHO unless there is something special going on.
The other way is to have giant bankroll yourself or as part of a group and do lots of plays on VP that is either full pay or close to full pay (like 15/10 deuces or 8/5 bonus poker) and play until you either win and get the desired amount of coin-in or hit a particular loss target and then make it up in the form of rebates, airfare, and mail offers.
The good straight up multi-line plays at medium stakes are mostly gone and when one pops up it's usually wiped out pretty quickly.
The big problem with VP is that you are relying on the future goodwill of the casino for your EV. You have to network with players to know which casinos are generous and which are not otherwise you risk playing a losing game and getting nothing for your efforts. Sometimes a casino gets mad at you and puts you on no-mail status which means all your effort in priming the pump is for naught. Finally you have to realize that if you don't hit the Royal at VP you are playing a 2 to 3% losing game and that can destroy your bankroll pretty quickly.
Most new AP's don't have the network of players needed to pull off the higher stakes VP properly and low stakes EV isn't good enough for the time you are wasting unless you live in that area since most coupons would go un-cashed and the locals places who send that type of mail only send it to locals. For lower stakes you are better off sticking to games that give you your EV right on the spot.
BP
I don't recommend VP play for most players today for a few reasons, chief of which are the risk and bankroll required and the ever dwindling number of reasonable plays for smaller bankrolls.
There are two main ways to win at VP, if you live in an area with lots of low limit full pay single line games (Vegas, Reno) you can just do small plays all over the place and then run the weekly coupon circuit collecting your EV until you need to re-prime the pump. If you don't live in the area involved playing these low limit games is just wasting your time IMHO unless there is something special going on.
The other way is to have giant bankroll yourself or as part of a group and do lots of plays on VP that is either full pay or close to full pay (like 15/10 deuces or 8/5 bonus poker) and play until you either win and get the desired amount of coin-in or hit a particular loss target and then make it up in the form of rebates, airfare, and mail offers.
The good straight up multi-line plays at medium stakes are mostly gone and when one pops up it's usually wiped out pretty quickly.
The big problem with VP is that you are relying on the future goodwill of the casino for your EV. You have to network with players to know which casinos are generous and which are not otherwise you risk playing a losing game and getting nothing for your efforts. Sometimes a casino gets mad at you and puts you on no-mail status which means all your effort in priming the pump is for naught. Finally you have to realize that if you don't hit the Royal at VP you are playing a 2 to 3% losing game and that can destroy your bankroll pretty quickly.
Most new AP's don't have the network of players needed to pull off the higher stakes VP properly and low stakes EV isn't good enough for the time you are wasting unless you live in that area since most coupons would go un-cashed and the locals places who send that type of mail only send it to locals. For lower stakes you are better off sticking to games that give you your EV right on the spot.
BP
