best comps for slots, really?
I know many of the players who get the free room offers, show tickets, etc are slot players because the casinos know they stand to make the most money off of those players. For someone like me, who does not have the bankroll to play blacks at the blackjack table, do I need to give in to the dark side and play some slots when I make my semi-annual treks to Vegas?
If so, the slots with mini-games seem more interesting, but probably have a worse payoff percentage...just guessing. I've considered just finding the $1 or $5 machines 1-line machines in the HL area and playing 1 coin. Obviously I am not trying to hit a mega-jackpot, and I need to be able to play a while to let the points add up, so I wouldn't be mad at myself if I miss out on some higher jackpot by playing 1 coin instead of 3. I hate the monotony of this, but if I could break even or even be down a bit, it might be worth it to start getting the free room offers.
Gambling budget: typically $1000-1500 per trip for a 3 night trip. Since I mostly play BJ and VP (only venturing to craps if I'm up for the trip), I generally lose very little. I'm afraid everyone is going to flame me and say "just play more BJ and VP and it will work itself out" but we all know you're not getting any free room offers playing low limit VP and $25/hand BJ unless you stay at run-down casinos. The best I've been able to get thus far is 1 night comped at Mandalay, and I can usually get a couple free buffets or other meal credits while I'm there. As a side note, the Mandalay buffet was really disappointing, but I digress.
Just looking for thoughts, experiences, etc. Thanks in advance!
If you don't enjoy slots, don't play them. Just accept the fact that slots are more profitable than VP or table games, and therefore, if you're not playing slots, you're not getting good comps.
If you simply play more BJ and VP, it *may* work itself out, but probably not. Life sucks.
FWIW: Your idea of finding a $1 or $5 machine and playing one line won't cut it. On slots, they track the coin-in. They don't care much about the denomination. Oh, sure, it's a lot easier to play thru $1,000 in a shorter time on a $5 machine than a $1 machine. All they care about, is how many times you played thru $1,000 (or whatever number they're looking for).
1. Increase your play to what the casino wants,
2. Move to a casino that appreciates your normal level of play,
3. Buy your own buffet.
I generally go with #2 with a touch of #3. I also apply #1 on my first couple of bets when the pit critter is watching and recording my play.
Quote: seviayAs I believe most of us on this site are either advantage players, math nerds, or degenerate gamblers (or some mix thereof), I don't think very many are regular slot players. It seems that slots draw the best attention of the casino in terms of comps, because VP gets penalized and you cannot always count on a pit boss to accurately assess your play at the tables. Believe me, I have discovered a day later that 4 hours of BJ play was not even noted on my account ($25/hand, but it was at Luxor, so I expected at least *something*).
I know many of the players who get the free room offers, show tickets, etc are slot players because the casinos know they stand to make the most money off of those players. For someone like me, who does not have the bankroll to play blacks at the blackjack table, do I need to give in to the dark side and play some slots when I make my semi-annual treks to Vegas?
If so, the slots with mini-games seem more interesting, but probably have a worse payoff percentage...just guessing. I've considered just finding the $1 or $5 machines 1-line machines in the HL area and playing 1 coin. Obviously I am not trying to hit a mega-jackpot, and I need to be able to play a while to let the points add up, so I wouldn't be mad at myself if I miss out on some higher jackpot by playing 1 coin instead of 3. I hate the monotony of this, but if I could break even or even be down a bit, it might be worth it to start getting the free room offers.
They reward slot play more exactly because you cannot expect to stay even or be down just a bit. You will "pay" for those free comps.
Can't afford to play blacks at Blackjack? Perhaps you might want to play blacks at Baccarat for awhile? Just see if you can get dubbed "Mr Banker" and get noticed for having a black chip out there all the time and an occasional red one for the dealer. They may not notice that there are two people whom you never speak to each playing a green chip on Player at the same time. Your net bet would be Fifty Dollars, but the casino would enter into their computer that you were a ONE HUNDRED DOLLAR bettor. This might just get you up to the Comp Level that you desire but might be more within your budget for that trip. It may not be the game you most enjoy but quite frankly I think it would be much better than playing a slot machine for comps!
Mandalay Bay comps... yeah... I've "heard" that they ain't so generous there. Don't know if its true or not though. Those things do vary and are often subjective.
The worst thing to do is to get a free room and find out that the free room or the attempt to get a free room is one of the most expensive things you've ever done in a casino. If you play slots you will get really great drink service and be more likely to get more substantial comps such as free room offers. Yet if you don't really enjoy slot play, what real value will you get out of the trip? The room charges may be real nice to get comped and it might be real nice to move up a tier to a better casino but its no use to sit there getting calluses from hitting a little red button over and over again and really hating the whole experience.
You could do worse than run $200 through a dollar slot at a Harrah's or MGM property. Find a machine that does not offer a bonus for max coin, and do exactly 200 spins at $1. Who knows, you might even win. Then, watch the offers roll in.
Quote: DJTeddyBearThere's a rule somewhere that states you shouldn't play just for the comps. The exception is if you know you're right on the edge of getting the next level. But that's not your case.
FWIW: Your idea of finding a $1 or $5 machine and playing one line won't cut it. On slots, they track the coin-in. They don't care much about the denomination. Oh, sure, it's a lot easier to play thru $1,000 in a shorter time on a $5 machine than a $1 machine. All they care about, is how many times you played thru $1,000 (or whatever number they're looking for).
I agree 100% with not playing for comps. I was kind of gauging what the rest of the logical people here would tell me...see if anyone wanted to try to talk me INTO playing slots, rather than talking me OUT OF playing them. Maybe if I get up at VP or BJ, I'll toss a bill in a machine and see what happens.
BTW, I mentioned the high roller slots b/c of the (supposedly) higher % return on those vs. the penny and nickel machines, where you can spend a couple dollars a spin with the absurd multi-line bets. I figure if the return is better on the HL slots, I can play longer and therefore my coin-in over time will likely be higher than if playing on the cheapo machines.
There's a certain logic there.Quote: seviayBTW, I mentioned the high roller slots b/c of the (supposedly) higher % return on those vs. the penny and nickel machines, where you can spend a couple dollars a spin with the absurd multi-line bets. I figure if the return is better on the HL slots, I can play longer and therefore my coin-in over time will likely be higher than if playing on the cheapo machines.
Then again the penny machines, with thier million paylines, are a little nuts. You could actually be playing more per spin at a penny machine. And because there are so many paylines, you win often, except it usually for less than the cost of the spin!
Edit: Sorry, I typed too slow, my response was supposed to be in response to Seviay's response.
The new tech penny machines are often very fun to play and take in a LOT of coin. They should be paying out higher on those, and
they will realize that at some point.
Quote: IkeNot true. The time on device is effected by more than just the hold % of the game. Hit frequency, bonus frequency, top award, and other factors play a huge role. Chances are, you may have a more enjoyable time and longer time on device on a 84% payback penny game than you would on a 95% payback $5 3 line 5x pay reel machine.
Edit: Sorry, I typed too slow, my response was supposed to be in response to Seviay's response.
@Ike: I assume the answer is 'no' but do you know of any reliable data on hit frequency of various slots? My guess is these are pretty closely-guarded by casinos, but maybe not. Obviously, if I am going to subject myself to the mind-numbing pain of slots, I'd prefer to have some entertainment in the form of sights, sounds, and mini-games, but if they are that much 'worse' (in terms of sustainability) than the old-school machines, I would steer clear.
@Everyone: As I said before, I know little about slots other than the little bit I have read on here and elsewhere. I'm just trying to gain more information to further weigh the pros and cons. I appreciate everyone's input.
It's true that slots players amass more comps because of the horrible return. But why not just spend $1000 playing whatever you enjoy most and then pretend the leftover $500 was you getting comped? This way your room still gets paid for and you have a much better chance of coming out a winner. This seems like a much better alternative than wasting your budget on a game you enjoy less just to be able to say you got a "free" room.
Play what you love most and that way you always have a good time win or lose!
Quote: dmIf the casinos are still offering 95% on those higher dollar reels, they are nuts. They don't get played because they are so boring.
The new tech penny machines are often very fun to play and take in a LOT of coin. They should be paying out higher on those, and
they will realize that at some point.
Why are they nuts?
Quote: IkeWhy are they nuts?
X2
If people enjoy the penny slots more and continue to dump money into them mindlessly, what incentive does a casino have to increase the payout on those machines (or decrease the payout on the "boring" ones)? It's probably only going to get worse on newer machines -- 6 reels, 100 lines, you name it -- rather than get better, at least as long as tourists and the "electric chair set" continue to patronize them. As far as I can tell, it's all a big psychological experiment to see what game makers and casinos can get away with. As long as some people "win" something every spin (read: get some portion of their original spin amount back), it seems they are happy continuing to pump money into that machine. It's somewhat Pavlovian if you think about it...
Its not just cash, rooms and food. Don't forget one reward that seems to very important these days: you get to see an olive dance! And also you get to see that word "bonus" flash on and off every now and then.Quote: Ikebut that 1% who gamble way too much are rewarded in other ways - cash, rooms, food, etc.
Quote: teddysI won't say never play slots. They are the most entertaining game in the casino
How so? They bore me to death. I don't get electronic games. I've never owned a video game, I can't play them for more than 5min before I'm bored to death. When I had the bar, these guys would buy rolls of quarters from me and play Space Invaders for hours. After I closed, I tried to play and just didn't see the fascination. I probably sound like I'm trying to be superior, but I really feel like I'm missing a component or something that won't let me enjoy video games. Sigh..
Quote: FleaStiffApparently you DID enjoy video games. Very much so! You got a rakeoff from the guy who supplied that Space Invaders device and you made a profit selling drinks to those quarter-dropping loonies.
I did, but I didn't enjoy it. OK, I made a huge profit on the PacMan and Space Invaders machines and on the pool table, the bar business is a huge profit maker. But the problem was, all the other bar owners I knew were complete alcoholics, and I was heading that way. People buy you drinks all the time and if you refuse, they get really insulted. That piece of crap TV show Cheers was complete ballocks. The owner/bartender didn't drink? Yeah right. The lovable patrons weren't alcoholics? Yeah right. Going into a bar 7 days a week is just harmless fun? Yeah right. In the 3 1/2 years I was there, I personally knew at least 6 guys that were killed in drunk driving accidents. There were messy divorces, people passing out, people going broke from drinking, fist fights, constant screaming fights and arguments. It was like Cheers some of the time, and the polar opposite the rest. I got out while the getting was good, as they say. There's a great line from the movie 8mm that goes: "If you dance with the Devil, the Devil doesn't change. The Devil changes you." If you doubt that, try owning a bar sometime..
Usually, yes. I know one bar that actually had a wheelbarrow and they would load up the drunks who had been drinking all day long and stack them out back to make room for the evening crowd. One bartender there did not drink, but since he was a known killer no one gave him any problems about it.Quote: EvenBobPeople buy you drinks all the time and if you refuse, they get really insulted.
> I got out while the getting was good, as they say.
That is good. I knew one alcoholic who took a weekend gig as a bartender and got cured by seeing all the losers who sat there all day drinking and had no money to do anything but re-up when their contracts expired.
>"If you dance with the Devil, the Devil doesn't change. The Devil changes you."
I think the Devil can change you even if you don't dance with him.
>try owning a bar sometime.
A bar? I couldn't afford to even buy a wheelbarrow.
Quote: EvenBobHow so? They bore me to death. I don't get electronic games. I've never owned a video game, I can't play them for more than 5min before I'm bored to death. When I had the bar, these guys would buy rolls of quarters from me and play Space Invaders for hours. After I closed, I tried to play and just didn't see the fascination. I probably sound like I'm trying to be superior, but I really feel like I'm missing a component or something that won't let me enjoy video games. Sigh..
You should have had an Arkanoid machine! At the end of the night when I was managing the bar, I'd buy a roll of quarters and play to my heart's content for an hour after locking up and restocking. That game was awesome.
