being gold is not special

[doris13]

to all you gold members whining about not being on the leader board and making stupid comments to non gold players:your juvenile comments make me happy i'm not 1 of you "priviledged players".your comments are embarrassing;yes we can read and i don't need to pay to chat.every site i play allows chat for free!i don't need your discount packages either,i have free rooms every month in every harrahs owned casino.i play here because i enjoy it and not to cry about who's on the leader board.

[Webman]

Doris,We offer a free trial of the Gold Membership so people can try it out and determine for themselves whether the value is worth the price of admission. Most who try it out decide that it's worth the cost.I understand what you mean about the chat comments. I think most of these comments are in the spirit of competition, but I know people can get carried away at times. Chat is a very small portion of the benefits of Gold membership. Participation in the contests is open to everyone, and everyone has the same odds of winning, every time they play. I also understand the frustration of Gold members who feel like they should have some benefit beyond free members. And they do, with the exception of participation in the contests.We are always striving to make membership at this site, both Gold and Basic (free) better. If anyone has any feedback regarding this, we always take it to heart. I know a lot of people will agree that many features we develop are a direct result of the feedback that they offered. When it comes to Gold membership, we definitely want people to feel that they are getting their money's worth, so those features will of course always exceed the features offered to basic members. We hope to always keep that price low and affordable since it helps fund this site and keep it up and running for everyone while offering what we believe are some high-value features for anyone who wants to improve their video poker play and have the best online experience possible.And also in the spirit of competition, I love you putting these particular Gold members in their place. We hope you enjoy the site whether you join the Gold membership or stay with the free membership. Hopefully between the two options everyone finds what is best for them personally.

[royal flush]

in response at least those players only pay $60 per year for the gold which i also play i dont whine about the contests as i realize the winners need atleast a dealt royal or four aces with a kicker. i am letting my diamond card go as all harrahs games have been so downgraded to 98% or less so you have no shot and players are whining all over the internet about harrahs games and reducing comps no bonus points, diamond room has cut food offerings. do what i am doing like i am staying at rio for 4 days playing only 1 point $10 coin in 8 hands to keep my remaining points alive as i hope to get one or two more trips of free rooms before they cut me off. in the meantime i play fpdw at the palms and if vp goes the way of harrahs i will only play live poker against weak playing tourists and look for casino miscalculated promotions only as i dont want to lose my money on bad games and whine how much that "free room" cost. go buy harrahs some gold it will cost you mor than $60

[rockinrobin]

As gold members, we often chat and get to know each other during regular play at non contest times.  During the contests, we root for each other and like to see other gold members of the board.  It is all in the spirit of fun and competition.  No harm is ever meant as far as I have observed.  When you read the chats, you can see that there is always alot of joking around.  I am sorry you took offense, maybe take Webman's advice and take a trial run at Gold and see what there is to offer.

[cddenver]

No harm is ever meant as far as I have observed.  When you read the chats, you can see that there is always alot of joking around. 
 
Nicely put, that's my take on it as well.

[doris13]

hey royal flush i only mentioned my diamond status total rewards to mean i don't need the discount packages 1 of your members was trying to throw in our faces.i am not a big fan of harrahs either but as long as it's comped i will continue to play and stay there;i play slots and video poker so i do ok.i'm in NJ not vegas so i don't have the big choice of casinos you have.

[BillyJoe]

I can't speak for anyone except myself, but if the good-natured comments I have generated during contest activities have offended anyone, please accept my apology.
To paraphrase Tiger Woods, " I would not want to let my fellow VP friends down with any transgressions I have commited, and I am sorry for any personal failings I may have."

[BillyJoe]

In response to Royal Flush's comments about Harrahs, I'm going to stick up a little bit for their Total Rewards program. I live in Florida, so one thing I like is the portability to locations other than just Vegas. In fact, I find I get more value at non-Vegas Harrah's property. I happen to be 7Star, so when I travel, I have the opportunity to take advantage of their properties in many cities. Harrahs Marina in Atlantic City and Horseshoe Hammond in Indiana both have 7Star lounges that are fabulous. I couldn't do that with other brands, such as MGM/Mirage. 
I agree that their pay-tables are skinnier than I would like, but I would venture to say that their business plan is for Harrahs to be profitable, not me. So you have to look at the comps you receive to make up the difference. I'll use your 98% average return you mentioned. To attain 7Star, I need $1m coin-in (it hurts me to write that) to get the required 100k base credits in a year if I only played VP. That means I would expect to lose $20k/yr at their VP.
I have not added up all the comps that I have received this year from Harrahs properties, and it probably would not equal the $20k in the example, but as a 7Star, I get significantly more than a Diamond. If I add up the values of the annual 7Star trip, annual gift, celebration dinner, annual 7Star Signature Event, plus all the rooms, air fares, shows, cruises, golf and food comped, I think I get good entertainment value. Plus, I get to cut in front of all the Diamonds .  The more opportunities I have to visit their properties, and take advantage of each locations comps, the better my overall returns in a year.  
If you can afford the investment, I say get to the 7Star tier.

[damule]

     I've gotta disagree billyjoe. I'm Seven Stars as well and do not feel the return is worth the extra $890k through the vp machines over and above Diamond status. Last year (2008) I lost over $40k playing vp at Harrah's properties. Although most return tables there are 97-98%, sometimes it doesn't work out that way, even after $1mm through.

     In return I've received a free trip, 2 comped $500 meals, free spas, free shows, free rooms and several free gifts such as watches, a margherita mixer and stainless flatware. Also from all the reward points that I earned I never paid for a meal and would usually get great cash travel offers and the like. Worth $40k? Not even close. Worth $20k? Nope.


 
    
     The reason I feel this way is because as a Diamond level player I received free rooms, free spas, many gifts and rarely paid for a meal or a show...maybe got a 2 for 1 here and there. Also, I received the same great cash travel offers that I get as Seven Stars.
 
 
     I feel Seven Stars should be earned at about the 25,000 tier credit level for the comps that Harrah's returns. For $1mm through the machines one should get much more than what Harrah's gives. Next year I'll be Diamond again and will be much happier playing at other venues such as the M Resort and Stations where the returns are much better. 

[Tedlark]

  Doris I first wanted to respond by telling you that we were also happy you are not a gold member either but I'm not normally a mean spiteful person who takes everything to heart.
 
  Being one of the senior members of this website I have seen ALOT happen here and in terms of the site value and being a priviledged player I have nothing but raves for the people who run this site. This includes first and foremost Webman, who has done his level best to be hall monitor to most of us. And of course there is Mike Fields, he has been instrumental in getting us the widest selection of games available.
 
  The contest chats always take on an air of competitiveness and as Robin pointed out earlier; this is always in the spirit of fun. She also pointed out that many of us have become better friends as a result of the game chats and I do agree with that whole heartedly. At first I was aprehensive about joining in to the chats but I do enjoy the instantness of the chats.
 
  You mentioned that you don't cry who is on the leaderboards during contest time but it seems like you are crying now because of the chat? Have any of the comments made been directly at you? There have been people on this site in the past who have had comments and forum posts made directly at the because they asked for it. These people got personal and mean with comments directed at other members and we circled the wagons when these people popped their heads out of the sand.
 
  I don't know why I have written all of this as I have not done this much explaining in a long time. It's your perogative not to join the site as a gold member but which ever way you decide to go it will not affect me at all.
 
  I have held Diamond status with Harrah's since 1993 (back when it was known as "Captain's Circle" in Joliet) and this year I will probably not reach it but I don't care. If I limited my play to just Harrahs owned properties I would be Seven Stars. I have found that casinos are willing to give you great deals because they want to get you in their joints. I don't need Diamond status with Harrahs anymore because of this fact.
 
  In closing I will say that some people who patronize this site have benefitted from me and this is due partly to the comradship we have developed here. To paraphrase our big toe SGT Hulka I just have to say: "Lighten up Francis."
 
  Good luck either way.  Ted