Winning big versus grinding playing different casino games

There are two schools of thought when it comes to gaming. Win big or grind.
As with everything else in the casino I like both depending on my mood. Looking at video poker is a great way to start the discussion of winning big versus grinding.
Different games have different pay tables but that’s not all you need to consider. For example, I always look to play 9/6 Jacks or Better when I don’t mind grinding. Returns on 9/6 Jacks or Better are 99.54% but you can find games with similar and better returns.
I mostly play Jacks or Better because correct strategy is intuitive and easier to remember than other games. There aren’t a lot of ups and downs with Jacks or Better. Without getting too math nerdy, Jacks or Better has a low variance.
Basically Jacks or Better is a slow and steady grind. I’ll rarely see quick big wins and I’ll rarely see quick big losses.
Generally I like to play the slow ‘n steady pace of this game but it can become mundane.
Gambling should never become mundane. When I feel this I switch games with something that will put a little pep in my step. Double Double Bonus Poker offers returns that are almost 99% (98.98%) but has a much higher variance than Jacks or Better (it’s more than double).
Generally this means I’ll either win big or I’ll lose big.
There are more jackpots in Double Double Bonus Poker than Jacks or Better. To make up for this there are smaller payouts on smaller hands. While you can grind out your time in Jacks or Better by getting two pair, and winning twice the wager, you can’t do that with Double Double Bonus Poker since you only get even money on two pair.
This may seem like a small difference but playing longer gives you a better chance at hitting the higher payouts. Variety in the casino is what keeps things exciting.
When I play craps I’ll generally stick to the Pass Line bet and two Come bets, both with maximum odds. This can get a little mundane after a long session so I always have a small budget to get freaky with and throw money into the middle of the table where most of the bad bets are.
I look to long-shot bets, games or variance when I want to shake things up. Playing games with higher variance doesn’t always make returns much worse but it does change the way the money flows.
There are some days when I’m feeling very conservative and I’ll only play 9/6 Jacks or Better or a single Pass Line bet in craps. Then there are days when I’m feeling a little sassy and will portion off some of my bankroll to devote to Double Double Bonus Poker or hard-way bets just to give me a little pep in my step.
Winning is always fun but hitting jackpots is awesome!

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