Comps for the low budget gambler

[OTABILL]

How would you guys lije to run 2m a year through the casino and not even have an assigned host. Their answer is always.... just talk to whomever is on duty. I have had 0 success in that area. They all seem afraid of their own shadow. I don’t ask for much. Once in awhile a dinner voucher, but if you had one in the last year or so they just say forget. It is my opinion that playing strictly video poker is what causes them to be so stingy with comps. The automated system gives me midweek rooms sometimes but weekend rooms finished a year or so ago. The automated system also gives you access to second grade Shows and a little bit of FreePlay not very much maybe 50 bucks a week or so. I also think going to the casino four or five days a week does not help because they must buy now figure I’m going to come anyway no matter what

Agreed regarding hosts. We played a lot locally and never had one.

[tech58]

How would you guys lije to run 2m a year through the casino and not even have an assigned host. Their answer is always.... just talk to whomever is on duty. I have had 0 success in that area. They all seem afraid of their own shadow. I don’t ask for much. Once in awhile a dinner voucher, but if you had one in the last year or so they just say forget. It is my opinion that playing strictly video poker is what causes them to be so stingy with comps. The automated system gives me midweek rooms sometimes but weekend rooms finished a year or so ago. The automated system also gives you access to second grade Shows and a little bit of FreePlay not very much maybe 50 bucks a week or so. I also think going to the casino four or five days a week does not help because they must buy now figure I’m going to come anyway no matter what

Agreed regarding hosts. We played a lot locally and never had one.

Have either of you asked a host about what determines freeplay&bonuses?
Sounds to me like every point you mentioned is part of the problem. The casino and it's tight attitude for VP,hosts not really hosts,frequent trips, and possibly computer tracking of your "pattern of play".

Olds 2M a year is more than double what it takes to hold top card where i play.
This would give you 3 nts. any day, all shows, dining ,gas cards, and anywhere from $800-$4000+ free play per month.Not to mention all the Junque you can haul away.

My only ***** with the set-up is after 2.3M a year why am i a closer to the bottom in free-play than to the top!

The answer lies in that computer program and what exactly it is dissing.
I believe we would all benefit from knowing that answer.

[olds442jetaway]

I have tried every way imagineable including going through the head of player development who is also one of the tribal head guys. I even ran into him almost every visit. The usual generic answer. Computer programs and upgrades to their systems, lack of hotel space, booking conventions, and on and on. I even gave him a side by side comparison to the Foxwoods offers and how my coin for 2019 dropped to 20 percent of 2018 and where it went. Foxwoods. Then they started pulling the same reductions. My best guess is still the same. Reward slot players, punish vp players. Guess they don’t care about the extra 40k That went into Foxwood’s pocket instead of theirs for 2019. My punishment to both casinos was swift but short lived due to the virus. Played at a level for 2020 that would never generate a W-2G.

[olds442jetaway]

Just as a follow up, one of my buddies is strictly a slot player. The old fashioned ones where the 3 ovals is the jackpot. He makes only 20 percent of the trips I do, but coin in for the year was similar to mine. He had offers for 24/7 suites, the top shows, free play ten times my offers, restaurant comps, cruise offers, even limo rides home. His losses were similar to mine due to a couple of really big jackpots. Otherwise, he would have lost 200k or 10 percent to my 40 k or 2 percent based on the historical returns for the types of machines he plays. He also had several trips where he played 10 dollar machines. I think the frequency of trips and playing exclusively videopoker is the main reason for lower comps. Wish I knew the formula.

[onemoretry]

...If you go to the casino twice a week and spend $125 each time. You are considered a $125 player (even though you spent $1000 in the month) But if you only went once for the entire month, and spent $1000, you are considered a $1000 player...

In this context, does "spend" mean lose?

[OTABILL]

...If you go to the casino twice a week and spend $125 each time. You are considered a $125 player (even though you spent $1000 in the month) But if you only went once for the entire month, and spent $1000, you are considered a $1000 player...

In this context, does "spend" mean lose?

Depends how you view a trip to the casino. I have explained my view several times in several previous posts. Given the hostility it elicited and not wanting to do a FP-type repetitiveness, I'll leave it at that.

[notes1]

otabill, again, i agree with you. the indian casinos i have played at do not offer me a host and the hosts i had in AC, didn't give much. and, don't hesitate to bring up your reason for casino play. while you, and everyone else hopes to win, you are more pragmatic and realize that is very unlikely, over the long haul. you play for enjoyment, not a damn thing wrong with that.

i also think it is appropriate to mention, that up until 2 months ago, unemployment was around 3.5%, economy was doing well, personal wealth was near record highs and the casinos i went to were quite busy. what reason did they have to give away anything? now, maybe after they reopen and IF there is a reluctance for some to visit and lose, the casinos might just be a little more open to trying to entice players.

[OTABILL]

otabill, again, i agree with you. the indian casinos i have played at do not offer me a host and the hosts i had in AC, didn't give much. and, don't hesitate to bring up your reason for casino play. while you, and everyone else hopes to win, you are more pragmatic and realize that is very unlikely, over the long haul. you play for enjoyment, not a damn thing wrong with that.

i also think it is appropriate to mention, that up until 2 months ago, unemployment was around 3.5%, economy was doing well, personal wealth was near record highs and the casinos i went to were quite busy. what reason did they have to give away anything? now, maybe after they reopen and IF there is a reluctance for some to visit and lose, the casinos might just be a little more open to trying to entice players.

Thanks Notes. As I have posted elsewhere, some Native American casino's here, including one managed by CET plan on reopening on the 15th. I haven't played VP in any of them for quite some time, just bingo up until months ago with my late wife. Years ago, I played VP at many of them. Some don't have my latest address though all, I believe, have my email. It will be interesting what offers, if any, I receive..

[tech58]

Just as a follow up, one of my buddies is strictly a slot player. The old fashioned ones where the 3 ovals is the jackpot. He makes only 20 percent of the trips I do, but coin in for the year was similar to mine. He had offers for 24/7 suites, the top shows, free play ten times my offers, restaurant comps, cruise offers, even limo rides home. His losses were similar to mine due to a couple of really big jackpots. Otherwise, he would have lost 200k or 10 percent to my 40 k or 2 percent based on the historical returns for the types of machines he plays. He also had several trips where he played 10 dollar machines. I think the frequency of trips and playing exclusively videopoker is the main reason for lower comps. Wish I knew the formula.

Excellent post OLD"s.
It illustrates very well the VP problem.
Casinos are PUTTING their money where they MAKE their money!
But the general dissing of VP means that, even if you lose, your sucking the hind one!
So whats the solution? Lose more? That apparently does not work.
Switch games? 21 with basic strategy and bare bones counting is about -.2% to even.

AS far as VP we are trying to figure out their computer program that determines free play.
Is there a way to increase it while risking the same coin-in?
That is in essence our quest for knowledge.

[wildman49]

The way a host explained it to me, was...If you go to the casino twice a week and spend $125 each time. You are considered a $125 player (even though you spent $1000 in the month) But if you only went once for the entire month, and spent $1000, you are considered a $1000 player...Therefore you are a higher rated player, hence more promo, comps etc. This is based over a 3 month period, so every time they consider your offers, its based on the last 3 months of your play.
I'm not sure if all casino's are the same, but that's what I was told.

I put this very same question to my host and was told if both players put the same coin in over a month time frame, one does it in 4 hours per trip and one does it 1 hour a trip, the same coin in is the same in comps. I think there is a whole lot of bull cookies coming from my host office. They just don't want to say. The 3 month average is the norm at most casinos.

Tech and I are on to something but can't really comment on it here just yet since we just got the ball rolling on it when the shut down hit. It has to do with sessions per machine.