The Biloxi Welcome Continues

[FloridaPhil]

We've been wondering if the Beau Rivage would continue to offer us free rooms and flights since we've been playing the Cheap Strategy.   We were small winners on our last two trips, but our cash input was way down.  Just got 2 new offers in the mail. Nice... 

[alpax]

I would say the free flight offer is more remarkable than the free rooms, especially when membership tiers expire every 12 months for MGM M Life club program. MGM cannot control the cost of airfares as well.

Weekday stays are roughly under 100 at the majority of the MGM resorts, so at the very worst, you will probably get your room at 1/2 the rate. I tuned into Gambling with an Edge episode 2 weeks ago where they talked with a quarter VP player, I was surprised to hear most hotels will give free rooms with $4000 coin in. At $4000 coin in, Id rather just stick to local casinos.

I also noticed MGM Resorts are stepping up their comps lately. This past summer I played $1 Jacks Or Better at The Luxor in Las Vegas, coined in around $15000 during a short stay. That still does not get you into the Pearl Tier (2nd level out of 5) from the start point of 0. Shortly after, I constantly get offers for 2 free weekday nights and $50 freeplay along with $20.

Last week I am got an offer for 3 night stay (including weekends, except for the week of CES 2015) along with $125 freeplay along with $50 resort credit.

Standards could be lower these days?

[FloridaPhil]

Since Florida casinos put in Vegas slots and table games, the Beau has been pretty generous with their rooms and free flights.  We don't care about the bad odds as long as we can keep our cost under control.  My wife and I love the place and staying there for free is a great deal even if we lose a few dollars.  If you are a quarter video poker player in Vegas, I would think a free lunch would be a big deal. I like to take hourly single coin pot shots in the high limit room. Probably no more than $400-$500 a day and I frequently win or break even on those as I cash out quickly.  Do you think playing $5-$10 a coin counts more toward comps than the same money at quarters, or is the whole day's money added up no matter how you bet?

[alpax]

I am not sure if there is higher comp for high denomination play even though the data gathered by the casino from the club card is more sophisticated than it used to be. They know the times you play, how much you play, and where you are at on the floor. I had to play the $1 JoB in the high limit room since that is the only place at the Luxor or the major resorts on the strip for that matter that offers it for 9/6 paytables. I coined in about the same amount as I would on the trip to the local casino, I am not sure about quarter VP play since I ignored the lesser paytables at the time. If you do not take up on their offer within 12 months, they will not offer it again.

I made a few $25 bets playing the system at a higher denomination, but my status almost remains the same at the local casino. I have not been back to Vegas to try out the system.

It is probably the whole day's worth of gambling since it is by calculated Average Daily Theoretical (ADT) loss, the type of game and how long it is played. A high coin in rate for the low payback slots are still the king, since essentially the player is giving money to the casino with the low payout from the low frequency hit rates.

The offers from the mail are based on the past 3 months of the ADT rating, you've must have reached the threshold required for a free room and flight. Only way to find out if it is enough is if you plan to be back there and still get the same offer 3 months later.

[FloridaPhil]

Interesting...  I can't see how my wife and I put $4K a day through the machines playing like we do now. I wonder if shopping in their stores or eating in their restaurants helps your score?  We always ask for three nights Sunday through Tuesday.  The rooms are only worth $100 at most on those days.  I suspect they will give any Florida senior those rooms once they see you will play with some consistency.  We'll see.

[alpax]

For stores, restaurants, or even paying for the hotel rooms at the MGM M Life resorts, you have to present the club card at the time of purchase to get 25 tier points for every dollar spent. Thus spending $1000 theoretically without any gambling gets you into Tier 2 Pearl (25000 Tier Points). Once you are in Tier 2, everything gets boosted by 10%. 1 point of gambling ($3 coin in slots or $10 coin in VP) is worth 10 Tier points.

*EDIT: 2 tier credits for every base point earned at Beau Rivage or Gold Strike Tunica. Vegas is 10 points

I think you might be right about the senior offers, if the casino usually offers 0.5% bounce back, $4000 coin in will be just $100. The flights alone would cost more than that.

[pockettens]

My wife and I just signed up for a trip to the Beau in February. According to the booking confirmation, the package for two people is $711 if you had to pay for the trip. This is the trip from St. Pete, FL to the Beau

[FloridaPhil]

We will be at the Beau on February 1st, 2nd  & 3rd.  We prefer to drive because it costs us about the same and we like to casino hop. I would stay at the Beau even if they didn't give us free rooms.  The odds aren't that good, but the hotel is one of the nicest we have ever stayed at.  We love Biloxi!  It's like a little Vegas without the crowds and the crazy stuff.  Odds aren't everything, but you need to use different strategies to control your losses or they will kill you. 

[alpax]

I also think the ADT for Video Poker is magnified in Biloxi compared to other places. I knew for sure the airline comp would be an offer too enticing, $700 is what people can easily lose playing slots or video poker there if the payouts are exactly what I hear about. I also think the casino knows you hit a Royal from the last visit.

I heard rumors that the payouts are terrible in Biloxi to recoup costs damaged by Hurricane Katrina from last decade.

The Gambling with an Edge episode with that Quarter VP player from Michigan travelling to Vegas (hosted by Bob Dancer & Richard Munchkin) uncovers an interesting approach to taking advantage of airline miles from credit cards. Its worth checking out for those interested in travelling by air.

[FloridaPhil]

You brought up an interesting point. My wife and I have been taking 2-3 three day trips a year to the Beau Rivage for the last 5 years or so.  When we were playing max coins all the time, we averaged about $1,000 in loses on most trips.  Once in a while we hit a good run, but most of the time we lost.  Since switching to the Cheap Strategy, we cut our losses to about $200 at most.  I was expecting the free offers to stop and was prepared to pay for the rooms out of pocket.  On the last trip, the max coin $1,000 Royal put us way ahead.  Maybe that's why the offers continued?  I have seen a similar situation at the Hard Rock in Tampa.  When I play single quarter Cheap Strategy all day, I don't get any free play.  As soon as I hit a $1,000 or more jackpot, the free play comes to me like I was playing max coins all day.  I suspect their system uses wins in their comp calculations.