I played more DDB over the past two years than any other game --- simply because specific promotions at one particular casino work better on that game.
If you want to know if promotions work better on one machine than another --- DO NOT START ASKING QUESTIONS AT THE BOOTH. They don't know and your queries may cause them to alert their supervisors and they will 'fix' whatever it is that gives you an advantage.
Remember, casinos are not in the business of supporting winning players. If you need somebody to tell you exactly what to do to exploit a promotion, you don't have what it takes to be a winning player anyway. You have to find these things out yourself and develop your contacts in the player community.
Let's hypothetically say I knew several good plays in Florida and was tempted to post them here because someone clueless regularly says 'if BD won't post a positive play for Florida, that proves they don't exist!"
Taunting or no taunting, if I outlined such plays here, I would also be telling the casino of a 'leak' and they would adjust things. Many casinos have employees who check out the various fora regularly. Not so much this forum as such a high percentage of the chatter here is worthless, but still, publishing active blueprints here is not a smart idea.
If you check out my columns, you'll see that the only times I write about a situation is after it is over. There are many reasons for that --- but not wanting to educate casinos in real time is a big part of it.
Thank you for your response. after reading a few articles im understanding alittle more about theoretical promotions. i personally have never seen one, im used to the standard X amount of points =
entry in a drawing or x amount of points gets you a a random prize from $5-$50 promo cash.
Almost every casino in Vegas runs slot and video poker promotions. For a low limit player, understanding and exploiting them is essential. In Vegas, there are hundreds of non casino venues that offer promotions. Some can be very lucrative. One has a lose $25, get $25 in free play certain hours. Others give drawings, others give play $X, get a free meal. Even our grocery and convenience stores run promos, although I'm not sure how many are worth chasing.
Almost every casino in Vegas runs slot and video poker promotions. For a low limit player, understanding and exploiting them is essential. In Vegas, there are hundreds of non casino venues that offer promotions. Some can be very lucrative. One has a lose $25, get $25 in free play certain hours. Others give drawings, others give play $X, get a free meal. Even our grocery and convenience stores run promos, although I'm not sure how many are worth chasing.
I'm relatively, or, we are relatively, sure that Phil will let us know how many are worth chasing....
The Fremont casino dowtown also has a progressive slot play on a bank of machines that is postive ev most days. It has been there for years and still continues
With all due respect to Mr. Dancer, does anyone here actually believe a casino is worried he will tell the public when they aren't making money?
You're being naive, FP
Strong players are considerably smarter and casino savvy than many casino executives in the slot and slot marketing departments. These casinos put out promotions and often don't realize what they've done until several of the sharp pros come in and take a bite. Casinos hire right brain people to design promotions --- and many of the best players are left brained sorts. This is happening today at casinos all across the country.
My point wasn't at all that casinos were worried what I would tell you. You are absolutely no threat to them, no matter what I try to explain to you. Anybody who plays the "I'm 71 years old and can't be expected to play correctly" card is creating music for a slot director's ear.
I was worried that the casinos would read any step-by-step instructions on how to beat them and fix the problem before other smart players had the chance to have a go at it.
The examples you used to figure out whether something was profitable were all after the damage has been done. It takes a totally different sort of expertise to accurately predict what's going to happen when players combine rules 3 and 5 from one promotion and rules 2 and 9 from another before it actually happens. Doing what I do is considerably more involved than what you realize.
With all due respect to Mr. Dancer, does anyone here actually believe a casino is worried he will tell the public when they aren't making money? These machines have software that tracks exactly how much money they make on every game. I have seen the screens for this software myself a few times. With today's networks, they don't even have to open the machine. If I owned a casino and saw him playing one of my machines, I would know in a New York minute something was up. It wouldn't take me long to find out why. Perhaps he wears a disguise? It worked for Michael Jackson.
Newer machines can be connected to networks and can be more easily analyzed, but do you think those machines with the sticky buttons at Borgata are set up like that? These systems cost good money, and many casinos are cheap and greedy. Also at the end of the day, you still need a math savvy human to interpret those numbers the systems can provide. I'm sure there are exceptions, but I never got the impression that slot managers were very sharp in the math details.
I wish Bob didn't help quash the Revel's refund your losses up to 100k when they opened that summer. I know it wasn't worth it for a Las Vegas resident since you had to pick up your free play weekly over 20 weeks, but it was going to be good for locals. I know Bob wasn't completely responsible though. You had these idiots pulling their cards when they were dealt good hands, so they could maximize their "losses" and the casino got smart and pulled the promotion. That had to be one of the worst thought out promotions a casino ever offered.
Strong players are considerably smarter and casino savvy than many casino executives in the slot and slot marketing departments.
That is somewhat comforting. I am used to dealing with very savvy clients. You can't fool them and they are quick point out the errors, sometimes before I see them. If I owned a casino and a slot manager came up with a promotion that was funding anyone's great lifestyle, I would fire him in a heartbeat.
I don't have time to comb the casinos for promotions and casino errors in my favor. I am better off sticking to my own profession and playing VP for entertainment. When my wife and I go to a nice restaurant and drop $200 for a fancy dinner and wine, I don't offer them double or nothing for the bill. I understand there is a cost to running a restaurant. I want them to be there when I come back for our anniversary.
It's the same thing with a casino. I want them to make money on me. I just don't want them to make it all in one day. I don't want a free $200 dinner that costs me $1,000 either. At the restaurant I want them to know my name and give me a good seat. I want the manager to ask me how I liked the food. If I'm constantly taking money out of the cash register, I doubt that would happen.
Part of my problem is the VP world Mr. Dancer describes is hard for me to understand. He seems to be describing a world where a few ultra intelligent and skilled individuals consistently exploit flaws in the casino's business plans. Casinos do not create these promotions to attract professionals. They create them to attract hopeful losers. They reserve the right to decide who plays and who doesn't. The casino wants players to win on occasion. This keeps them coming back. They want high rollers because they make more money on them over time. How is it that a famous player that anyone who has ever inquired about the game would recognize is allowed to prosper when others aren't? How can this player be allowed to continue to beat the casinos year after year? Would they allow anyone else to do this?
If exploiting flaws is the backbone of professional VP profit making, wouldn't your success trigger counter actions from the casinos? The better you got, the more the casino would work against you. Instead of banning him, they allow him to teach classes on how to beat their games. As a businessman, I find it hard to believe a billion dollar industry is that clueless. I guess things are different in Vegas.
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