Video Poker Forum

This topic may have more relevance for those of us who have had easy access to areas where casinos are concentrated and openings both more frequent and more competitive. My own experience, some years ago, was with the opening of casinos in and around Las Vegas.

The folks who run casinos want to familiarize you with their new layouts and services, of course. And it goes without saying that they attempt to build lists by signing you up for their slot clubs.

Quite often, the standard inducement for supplying them with your address and telephone number (and, later, e-mail address) was a free pass to their buffet.

Care seemed to be taken to provide some extra quality to those opening buffets, from special foods to generous quantities. My favorite, at a casino which I later didn't patronize (because its machines didn't match the payoffs at those of other places) was the initial buffet at the PARIS.

I must have been hungry the night I visited the opening, because I really enjoyed the oysters on the half shell, served up all-you-could-eat, over a bed of ice on an island adjacent to the crepe station.

So that's my favorite casino opening treat. I also remember the general quality of the initial buffets at the Bellagio and the Wynn, both of which continued at a high level for some years (and may to this day, when I no longer can visit Las Vegas easily).

My question for you is, have you experienced any special treat, of food or of some other benefit, connected with the opening of a casino?

To broaden the topic, and extend to folks who aren't near any area where casinos are concentrated, have you received any special incentive for signing up for a slot club, something out of the ordinary?   

The best I ever got was a loss rebate up to $400. I already had a card, so I signed the GF up. We lost the $40p that night and a few weeks later got $400 in free play. We ran that through one time and got $720 back. So our net was $320 - never went back after that.

Cosmopolitan was offering a $100 rebate for new card applicants. Unfortunately I won $2000 in my first few hands there so I couldn't get my rebate.

I don't have any good stories but I have never been to a casino's grand opening and not won. We have had 3 that I have been to were I play and I walked away a winner each time. 2x I got a royal. 1 was on a brand new bank of machines that hardly had a few hundred hands played through them and I hit the Royal which started at $5k. Then at our newest casino a friend and I both went and within 10 minutes of getting our players card we both hit AWAK almost at the same time. I held 1 Ace and got the rest and it dealt him the 4 aces and he drew the kicker while I was getting out my ID.

Wife and I did them all in one day...
In Vegas:
Tropicana: First $200 on us (We each put in $200 and played $2 DDB. I busted, she hit a $500 quad, to put her total to $600. I sucked my $200 back on video poker, so we were TOTALLY up $400 on that play)
Cosmo: $100 loss rebate (We both played $1 DDB, both hit a $250 quad within 10 hands. Again cashed out $400 ahead)
Palms: $1000 loss rebate...unfortunately we went bust on $5 DDB (no quads at all) and didn't have enough cash on hand to do my WIFE'S $1000 chance...so we sucked that out as $500 in two installments.

However, in earning Diamond-In-A-Day with CET, we earned $3000 freeplay ($750 a week, "bankable") which we played at the end of the month, and sucked out $2900. (Only cost us around $1000 to earn DIAD, so we profited $1900)

I don't have any good stories but I have never been to a casino's grand opening and not won. We have had 3 that I have been to were I play and I walked away a winner each time. 2x I got a royal. 1 was on a brand new bank of machines that hardly had a few hundred hands played through them and I hit the Royal which started at $5k. Then at our newest casino a friend and I both went and within 10 minutes of getting our players card we both hit AWAK almost at the same time. I held 1 Ace and got the rest and it dealt him the 4 aces and he drew the kicker while I was getting out my ID.

You bring up a good point and it's one of the main reasons I don't have much faith in vp being completely random. It's been a while since we have seen a new casino open around these parts but I always made sure not to miss any casino opening. I'm not sure how they do it but the new casinos are "loose", the latest casino opening saw easy pickings for about a week on both slots and vp, we all cleaned up. I can remember driving about 200 miles to attend another opening and was able to feast on both vp and slots for 2 days, I would have stayed longer but business called. The only exception to this idea involves a casino opening closest to home. We were all pretty excited about the place because it was so close but that wore off quick because we just couldn't hit in the place. The casino drew a impressive crowd for a short time but I couldn't help but notice how empty the parking lot was getting every time I drove by. The casino had been open for several months before they started an effort to get back and attract new players, billboard signs went up all over the place and VERY generous free play coupons were received. I decided to put my free play to use and was surprised to see jackpots everywhere, I was killing the vp there for around 2 weeks, hit my share of slots also. I can see how the casinos can manipulate the slots but for the life of me I can't understand how they can do the same on vp, that is if it's all totally random.