[kimba01]

Ok, I don't know what "we don't gamble big" is, but we don't either and yet it seems that we don't get boo for comps. I always read that and yet they are getting buffets or meals comped. Maybe I am going about it all wrong. Are you playing slots? Do you just take your card to the cafe and ask how much you can get or do you have to go to the players club? I admit I am a little comp challenged here. I don't feel as if I am getting all of what everyone else is who says, "we don't gamble big".

Any tips on the best way to work the comp system? Better days, times, games, casinos? Not looking for anything big but just wondering. The only thing I ever really got was a few bucks off of a buffet.

[Willy702]

Tough to get more than you deserve these days, the tracking systems are very effective at measuring your value to the casino. Unless you are really a gambler and play enough to earn your comps, next best thing is to sign up at every casino you can possibly hit on at least a monthly basis and be sure you visit them at least once a month. Even if you play $2 and leave, it at least keeps you live and you'll get plenty of coupons in the mail. Some casinos are more vigilant about sending them to you than others, after a few months you'll figure out who you shouldn't bother visiting.

The coupons can obviously be very compelling and probably will be sufficient to get you out as much as you want, but they aren't comps so its a whole different game. In the old days you could do things like put out a $25 bet only when the floorman was looking and then bet $3 the rest of the time and get a comp you didn't deserve, but those days are pretty much gone.

[whyhateme]

First it depends on where you play and what you play. If you play locally, more than on the strip, I believe you're more likely to get something quicker. We play at the South Point, mainly $5 blackjack. We give our players club card when we buy in, usually for $100, play an hour or so, depending how it goes, and get comped usually for the café or buffet (breakfast or lunch). We also play early morning, around 3 am. I think they're more liberal on graveyard shift, plus it's less busy, which we like.

In these difficult economic times, a lot of places are much tighter. I find the complete opposite at South Point. Forget the Boyd Group (Orleans, Suncoast, Gold Coast) or Stations (Red Rock, GVR, Sunset,etc) unless you plug many hundreds in the slot machines or thousands on the tables.

With the slots, your play speaks for it's self, however, the table games, sometimes they'll not see you leave and continue crediting you with playing time . Just remember...nothing in Vegas is free. Somewhere down the line you paid for it!

[kimba01]

Thanks for the info. I am not trying to get what I don't deserve, I just wondered basically how much you actually have to play to get anything. Since I don't really get much, if anything, I don't always even use my card. But, if you are playing that day, do you go get your comps then? Otherwise, do they go away after some time? How do you know how much you have in comps?

[bledsoe3]

Always use your card.

[mojavedxer]

There is only two ways to get comps. Gamble a lot and accumulate points in the system. Or use the first time visit enticement comps the casino may offer you. The system rates the player and who issues a comp is held accountable for it and they are audited. The old day of knowing somebody with access to the comp book is over. I have sent a few casino floor men and couple of CSM to the un-employment line for abusing or manipulating the comp system.

[jjameson922]

Kimba, there are machines on the floor that you can put your card into and it reads out your points.
I don't know a great deal about them other than I read if I didn't get them, I would be wasting my money. So I got a few, gambled a little and wasted my money that way. I optimistically went thru $300 at Red Rock playing $1 machines and the following week received a food coupon for $25. My choice would have been to still have the $300. This past weekend I saw an ad in the paper for the Gold Coast telling about their Monday $11.99 all you can eat prime rib buffet. I thought to myself, "how bad could it be?" So I drove all the way over there, was not impressed with the casino, applied for a card, wasted $20 in a quarter machine, was comped $6.00 off my $11.99 meal that was barely fit to consume because the quality just was not there and then upon leaving, had the stupid woman in the parking garage back into me and cave the side of my car in.

[kimba01]

I like the Orleans better than the GC, but both are just decent. The room I stayed in at the Orleans was nicer than some I have stayed in on the Strip, though, and for 40 bucks I thought it was worth it. Well, it helped I was splitting it with my sister.

Yep, I had one bartender tell me the best way to make money on the machines is to fold yours up and put it in your pocket. Works best that way!

[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.

[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.