[logline]

Quick question on comps...

Does inserting your card in a machine simply track $$$ played or does it also record your winnings/losses? If it records how well (or poorly) you do, does it make a difference in the mail offers they send?

[noraft]

Originally Posted by BBMW

Ties. Every game is set up so you can't do what you want to do without losing enough money to make the comps worthwhile. There's always an outcome that doesn't hit one of the two low odds bets. In craps it's the 12 on the come out. In roulette it's the 0/00, in Baccarat its the tie.

You are NOT the first one to think of this, and they have it priced in.

Ties push. Nobody betting player/banker loses money on ties.

[owelles]

Originally Posted by logline

Quick question on comps...

Does inserting your card in a machine simply track $$$ played or does it also record your winnings/losses? If it records how well (or poorly) you do, does it make a difference in the mail offers they send?

At most places the offers come through your volume of play, not whether you've won or lost. And yes, they do track your wins and losses, which is how you can get a year-end statement for tax purposes if you need it.

If you put $100,000 through the machines and break exactly even, you'll get more offers than if you spend $1,000 and win (or lose) $1,000.

[ScoopLV]

Let's face it. This works like bankcards work.

Either:

1) You get the credit card with the high annual fee.
2) You get the credit card with that nickles-and-dimes you.
3) You get the absolutely free card that requires you maintain a very large balance with the issuing bank. (Thus losing out on putting money to work in a more efficient way elsewhere.)

You're going to pay one way or another. Same with casinos. You're going to pay one way or another. Actuaries have studied this in depth to wring every last nickel out of guests. Put up with it. Don't put up with it. Doesn't matter. Las Vegas is like the movie "War Games." The only winning move is not to play.

[logline]

Originally Posted by owelles

If you put $100,000 through the machines and break exactly even, you'll get more offers than if you spend $1,000 and win (or lose) $1,000.

This doesn't make sense to me. What is the rationale for not offering more incentives to people who lose (or win) the $1000? I really don't gamble much, but I've been on an incredible lucky streak lately. My offers have gone down, which seems counterintuitive.

[ScoopLV]

The casinos care about velocity. (Much like Realtors.) How much and how often is the gambler playing? That's what matters. They have the math figured out. Lucky? Unlucky? Doesn't matter. Eventually, the percentages will work out exactly the way they are supposed to. Take millions of people playing billions of individual games, and probability will work 100 times out of 100. An individual might win once, or even several times. But the masses lose. And they lose just enough not to drive them away.

Math is the gate, and the key to the sciences. And in the science of separating people from their hard-earned money, percentages rule.

[logline]

Originally Posted by ScoopLV

The casinos care about velocity. (Much like Realtors.) How much and how often is the gambler playing? That's what matters. They have the math figured out. Lucky? Unlucky? Doesn't matter. Eventually, the percentages will work out exactly the way they are supposed to. Take millions of people playing billions of individual games, and probability will work 100 times out of 100. An individual might win once, or even several times. But the masses lose. And they lose just enough not to drive them away.

Math is the gate, and the key to the sciences. And in the science of separating people from their hard-earned money, percentages rule.

I get that and totally agree, but I don't see why they would alter their offers/incentives (as owelles mentioned above) when the actual amount spent has not changed at all.

[PinkString]

Originally Posted by logline

This doesn't make sense to me. What is the rationale for not offering more incentives to people who lose (or win) the $1000? I really don't gamble much, but I've been on an incredible lucky streak lately. My offers have gone down, which seems counterintuitive.

When the offers go down, I avoid the particular casinos until the offers go up again. You could try that, but it's a few months of waiting. Meanwhile, check out other casinos since some will give you monthly offers no matter what.

[owelles]

Originally Posted by logline

I get that and totally agree, but I don't see why they would alter their offers/incentives (as owelles mentioned above) when the actual amount spent has not changed at all.

The more you play, the more you're likely to lose eventually. Not everyone does, of course, and the best gamblers are the ones who leave once they get ahead and don't get greedy. They're rare, though.

So the more you play, the more the casinos think you're a valued customer. They want volume. The more volume, the better their chances are of taking some of your money. And the better their chances are, the more offers you'll get to come in and hopefully (in their eyes) lose money.

[Raiderman]

Originally Posted by noraft

I had an idea for a system to get comps today that I wanted to run by some more experienced folks. In Baccarat, one can bet with the player or the bank. If you want to rack up some serious comps, why not have two people play and always bet opposite each other? One with the player, one with the bank? The money will just move back and forth, but the action for both players will be rated. Every time the bank wins it will deduct 5% of the total payout, so you'll slowly lose money, but if the comps are running 10% to 40% of the total action, you'll be making it back (and then some) in comps. Or am I missing something?

Just an FYI, you wouldn't need to have another player. You're allowed (at least in the casinos where I dealt Bacc) to play Player and Banker in one bet. You wouldn't need another person. However, any floor would see that and pause your play, so you wouldn't accrue comps, as the "net" bet is $0. Same was true if we saw that there was a team working the table. Both were paused.