[JohnG72]

It also depends where you play and how you play.

I have a friend that plays table games. Flat bets $10 mostly, increases to $15-$25 when she is losing. She was always claiming she just plays a few hours and gets comped at every Harrahs place except Ceasars. So I went and did the same thing and got bupkis. I talked to her about her play afterwards. Turns out, she is an idiot, for lack of a better term, and likely playing at a 25% disadvantage. Also turns out that the pit bosses at Harrahs casinos rate your skill level.

A couple places that have sent me ample free rooms and food comps or discounts has been Orleans and Fremont(both Boyd properties). Also Fitzgeralds. Those places seem to be pretty liberal with the comps. That was mostly betting $10-30 at double deck black jack along with around $50-100 coin in on slots per trip.

One other place that has been pretty easy with discounts and so forth is Venetian. I don't even play there. I've maybe run $250 lifetime through their slots, and I play poker. They send room offers all the time, and have been as low as $69 for a weekday room, which is very inexpensive considering the quality of the rooms there. Their poker room has also been generous with comps in trying to introduce new games, and I've eaten free at Noodles Asia or Grand Lux Cafe several times.

[mojavedxer]

Originally Posted by JohnG72

It also depends where you play and how you play.

I have a friend that plays table games. Flat bets $10 mostly, increases to $15-$25 when she is losing. She was always claiming she just plays a few hours and gets comped at every Harrahs place except Ceasars. So I went and did the same thing and got bupkis. I talked to her about her play afterwards. Turns out, she is an idiot, for lack of a better term, and likely playing at a 25% disadvantage. Also turns out that the pit bosses at Harrahs casinos rate your skill level.

A couple places that have sent me ample free rooms and food comps or discounts has been Orleans and Fremont(both Boyd properties). Also Fitzgeralds. Those places seem to be pretty liberal with the comps. That was mostly betting $10-30 at double deck black jack along with around $50-100 coin in on slots per trip.

One other place that has been pretty easy with discounts and so forth is Venetian. I don't even play there. I've maybe run $250 lifetime through their slots, and I play poker. They send room offers all the time, and have been as low as $69 for a weekday room, which is very inexpensive considering the quality of the rooms there. Their poker room has also been generous with comps in trying to introduce new games, and I've eaten free at Noodles Asia or Grand Lux Cafe several times.

John, unless the table rate calculations at Harrah’s properties have change since I left them last year. They do not use any sort of skill level in your rating. Until you have won a decent amount of checks in front of you. Your skill level is never analyzed, When they do watch your play its only to determine the next course of action in game protection.

What this thread needs is a tally of the loosest and tighest comping policies in town so we know where to dump our money for maximum comp value.

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by Chicken Wing

In Atlantic City, Harrah's has always seemed to be the most generous with free or discounted buffets and hotel rooms. I would assume that they are the same way in Las Vegas.

Harrah's is always the most liberal with the comps for machine players because they set the payout percentages lower than just about anyone else in each market they are in. That is their corporate strategy, charge you more for your gambling, in theory, then pay more back to tracked players as comps. For the tables there are some markets where they do track your abilities using some table software they have in some places. If they do not use that software where you are playing then they give you a fairly liberal rating from what I have heard.

For those who don't know, the basic math behind comps is simple. The casino estimates what your play is worth on an expected edge formula and then they are generally willing to comp you up to 40% of that edge for house amenities such as company owned restaurants and rooms (where they have a built in margin) and 20-25% for non-company amenities such as cash or gift cards.

Blackjack is an excellent game for comp players to play because the standard guess is you are giving the house 2% for each bet you make. If you play basic strategy and don't play on tables which pay 6-5 for blackjacks, your edge against is closer to 0.5-1.0%, so if you get max expected comps you are pretty close to even against the house. If you mix in even rudimentary card counting (leaving when a table goes highly negative or just counting aces) you can get ahead especially if you value the comps.

Craps can also be a decent game for comps for the smaller player because the floor usually expects you to lose 2-3% and will at first give you credit for that, but if they see you do nothing but make line and come bets, they likely bring you down closer to your actual disadvantage (1.4% on line bets since they'll never include your free odds bets into their estimate of your betting level).

Video poker played by skilled players is the usual way to get an edge on the comps game, but it does require disciplined and patient play, plus a pretty good bankroll to be successfully done. For serious VP players, the comps are often what push their play into the positive expectation zone. There are a number of books out there that go into this.

[Croce]

Kimba,

Maybe you are spreading your play around to several different casinos. If you find a casino that you like and do all of your gambling there, you have a better chance at getting comps mailed to you and/or comps from a floor person. I rarely ask for a comp anymore because the casinos seem to have ample mailers that adequately reward my play. I never play for comps, but play to have fun. Probably spend less on gambling per year then most golfers spend on their game. There are many benefits that accrue from being loyal to one property. You can also always try another casino if you feel you aren't being treated right. Good Luck.

Croce

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by gvc8

stations are running a promo that gives you a free buffet if you earn 100/200pts in one day which is very easy to do. 100pts=lunch buffet, 200pts=dinner buffet..and you get to keep the points to boot. you have to go to rewards center to get the comp coupon. dont know how long its going to last or if its limited to certain station locations. had free lunch buffet yesterday.

This.

Last week, I went to Aliante Station on labor day & got a 5x points promo for Video Poker, where they're usually stingy on comps. (Some of the video poker machines pay back close to or over 100% with optimal play, so obviously they don't wanna pay much in comps.) Once I got to 200 points I got a free dinner buffet, which was decent but not great - nice to try a variety of things, even tho I'm not real big on buffets. The best part was that I didn't actually have to use any of the points I earned & won $35 as a bonus (after tips).

Mostly, tho, I'm a live poker player. Poker makes less money for the casino but you can still get decent comps while playing with an advantage against lesser players. As long as the casino gets their cut, they're happy. The better rooms will comp you $1-2/hr while giving you a comfortable place to play. Venetian's the best combination in my opinion; great place to play, comfortable, well-run, top-shelf alcohol comped if you want it, Fiji water by default & I typically earn $1.50/hr in the games I play - probably have close to $500 in comps remaining with them. Wynn/Aria/etc also are decent, TI gives $2/hr but is low traffic, IP used to be $2/hr but not anymore as far as I know.

Slot machines are ALWAYS a long-term money loser unless you hit a BIG jackpot. I've got a few friends who work for one of the big slot companies; whenever I've asked them what games are best, I get the same response - "None of them." The most popular machines are 'dribblers', designed to pay out small amounts occasionally to keep the player happy so they won't notice their money gradually eroding. Blackjack's a far better bet as you can play against a house edge of less than 1% with intelligent play.

So much is computerized & electronic these days it's hard to get 'special treatment' from a host or otherwise. I've got a friend who gets good comps at Circus Circus by playing big bet Blackjack when the floor is watching, $5 otherwise - he gets his whole trip covered a couple times per year (including a meal at the very good steakhouse there). That's VERY hard to find anymore. Your best bet at most places is sign up for any new players promo they have, play some & see what mailers/promos you get. Some will be more liberal at doing things to attract your play. Then, adjust your play to maximize comps if you're so inclined ...

[yellowsnow]

I am a low roller. I don't spend a lot. A big casino night for me is $20.....but I get a lot of comps. I think it is related to how much play you get for your money. For the $20 I spend, I might get several hundred dollars of play if I'm lucky.

Most of my comps are at Eastside Cannery and Boulder Station. At the Cannery, I usually get a couple 2fer buffets(monthly), a couple gifts(monthly), and $10 in slot comps every week. At Boulder(Stations), I usually get a 2fer buffet, maybe a gift, and $5-10 in slot comps every Fri, Sat, Sun, and Mon.

[PinkString]

Like someone mentioned above, find one casino you really like and just go there. If it's a Stations casino, then just go to those. You will build up more points and get free buffets. We've been taking advantage of the email offers monthly for a buy one get one free buffet and when we get there, we swipe the card and find it ends up being totally free for both. That's good.

After your meal, drop a few bucks into a machine or two and you will keep getting the offers. When signing up for the card, make sure you include your email address so they can send you offers. To redeem them, go to the club booth.

And like Yellowsnow mentioned, the Cannery is really good at sending offers. The eastside cannery is more fun than the north side one.

[kimba01]

Yikes. I think maybe I need to take a class or something!!! Some people really do study this, don't they? I wonder, overall, if those who spend that much time doing all that studying, make a good living at it?

I am more like you, yellowsnow. But, I get a few coupons, but doesn't seem like much.

[delgadobb]

I forgot to mention one other thing. Here's a simple example of what a 'low roller' can get with little effort ...

When I went to Ellis Island for their excellent $6.95 steak dinner (salad/soup, steak, potato, garlic buttered green beans & large microbrew beer), I signed up for their players card. Got $10 in free play, nice but no big deal. Since then, I get a mailer every month with $5 in free play & twice-a-week coupons for free pizza & beer. Every Tuesday & Saturday I can get a free slice of Metro Pizza (decent thin crust pizza) along with one of their microbrews. I use my $5 free play once a month (while eating said pizza) which usually gets me close to $5 in return, that's about it. I hardly spend anything there - just the occasional steak dinner. The monthly mailers often have extra promotions in them as well.

My guess is I'd get more if I gambled more there, but it's hard to complain as I'm sure the free slice & pizza twice a week is worth $30-40 a month. Mind you, I only go when I'm in the area to play poker at Venetian/Wynn/etc, but it's a nice option to have. Someone in the area (Davie?) could probably do great with those little freebies for minimal effort - free food & beer 8-9 times a month. My guess is there's even better stuff available there & elsewhere, depending on your play.

[jcx456]

I feel dumb for asking but i've never paid too much attention before. Do you get comps or comp points for everything in the casino, even playing in the poker room and wagering in the sportsbook?