First Vegas trip with girlfriend - Average play drastically reduced - How to handle rating/comps

I am going to be bringing my girlfriend to Vegas for the first time in a few weeks. She has an idea that I spend a good amount of money in Vegas but I have never fully let on to the total amount. (Last Trip I had 15k front money 275/hand avg) This trip I will be on my "best behavior" and probably will have an average of 75 or 100 with drastically reduced play. I stay and play at the Mirage on all of my trips. I have comped rooms at several other casinos that are not part of mgm resorts which I could stay in.

Am I better off not getting rated when I play to not reduce averages?
Should I just stay where I normally do and not worry?

At the $275 per hand level, I would suspect that you have a host. Here is what I suggest that you do. Give your host a call a week in advance and tell him/her that you are bringing your girlfriend to Las Vegas for the first time and you want to show her a good time. Tell your host that you don't want to gamble as much on this trip because you want to spend more time showing your girlfriend what a great boyfriend you are, so you will be spending less time at the tables and having a smaller average bet because you don't want her to see how much you normally play. Tell your host that you'll make it up to them when you come to Vegas next time by yourself.

Trust me, a good casino host knows what it takes to keep a good player at his/her casino and will give you the benefit of the doubt. If you have an established host at the Mirage, they will be sure to take extra good care of you this trip, even if you don't gamble much this time.

When I travel by myself to Las Vegas, I tend to spend 8 to 10 hours per day gambling. When I take a trip with my wife, I normally spend only 3 or 4 hours at the table. While my average bet does not change with/without my wife, I call my host ahead of time when I do go with my wife and he takes extra good care of us. From romantic dinners, to gift baskets, to free shows at any casino (even at other non MGM properties), to shopping sprees and gift cards, to whatever else he can think of to surprise my wife and make her feel good. Why does my host do this? Because he know that if my wife is happy, I am happy, and I will return on a different trip and lose a bundle.

Hosts are smart people. While you are not a whale, you are a valued customer and since you are established at the Mirage, stay there. A smart host will take great care of you and treat your girlfriend like a queen.

A part of me says its a shame you can be your real self at play with your own lady.
But..
1. You can get her a two-hour spa treatment "just for her." ("Honey - look what I got you, just to pamper you! I'll just be down stairs playing cards!") What a guy!
2. If you lose comps from lower level play, you can still pay in plain old cash. In fact, you often are in a better position to pay in cash with fewer buy-ins.
3. $100 a hand still gets comps.

If you can easily afford what you typically lose when you gamble, then I think you should do the opposite of what you are indicating. I have seen guys make this mistake a million times; fortunately I feel I learned from that. I first got married later in life, so that helped I think, but I had a few things that we joke is in the "premarital agreement". Mostly this is un-negotiable outdoor activities that I was not going to give up in order to get married. Believe me when I say you better think of everything you like to do, if this woman is going to have some say so, and it sounds like that is where it is heading [why else would you care?]

It is hardwired in the female to whittle away and change everything she doesnt like in her mate. Only those things you have laid out as forbidden will be untouched *if* you marry the right woman.

On the other hand, if your girlfriend is making you realize you arent going to be able to afford the level of gambling you have become accustomed to, you can thank her in advance for turning on the light. Your host or whatever might as well get the message too.

Quote: odiousgambit

On the other hand, if your girlfriend is making you realize you arent going to be able to afford the level of gambling you have become accustomed to, you can thank her in advance for turning on the light. Your host or whatever might as well get the message too.

Also, if your girlfriend gets the message across that betting what an ordinary joe takes two days to earn on a single hand of blackjack is completely insane, then you will have ultimately benefited.

Women generally react to a bet by calculating the amounts of goods and services that bet could buy instead. Especially when you lose. The fact of the matter is, the vast majority of people overbet, because they need to ratchet up the thrillometer more and more and more, as it becomes no longer "exciting" to bet $10, then $25, then $100. If your girlfriend manages to convince you of the truth, that a $10 is just as much fun as a $275 one, well, then...you should keep her.

I vote for you playing your normal bets and seeing what happens. If she freaks out about the size of your bets, it's better to know that now rather than later. Plus you won't have to hide anything, so you won't get distracted by trying to keep up the charade. Also, if you hit a hot streak, telling her up were up $7,000 for the afternoon has a lot more impact than saying you were up $2,000.

Calling your host to explain the situation ahead of time is probably a good idea though. Getting her a nice spa treatment comp will probably help her realize the benefits of your playing.

Quote: scottndindy

She has an idea that I spend a good amount of money in Vegas but I have never fully let on to the total amount.

She will eventually find out. Until then, you can send her to a spa special and ramp up your bets in her absence, or you can "be yourself" and not try to hide what will eventually be discovered anyway. Depends how serious you are about her, I guess.

Quote: scottndindy

I am going to be bringing my girlfriend to Vegas for the first time in a few weeks. She has an idea that I spend a good amount of money in Vegas but I have never fully let on to the total amount. (Last Trip I had 15k front money 275/hand avg) This trip I will be on my "best behavior" and probably will have an average of 75 or 100 with drastically reduced play. I stay and play at the Mirage on all of my trips. I have comped rooms at several other casinos that are not part of mgm resorts which I could stay in.

Am I better off not getting rated when I play to not reduce averages?
Should I just stay where I normally do and not worry?

You bring your GF and then hope that nothing will change from your visits with no GF? I wouldn't count on it; she wants to have fun, too, and with you. IMHO, I would focus more on her and less on your play for this one trip. You can always go back to Vegas with buddies, but dealing with a vexed GF is not so easy. We've ALL seen the pissed GF standing behind the guy who's playing too much BJ.

Besides, GFs bring a different kind of BJ ...

Why would you even consider being anything less than 100% truthful and candid with this person about your gambling level?

Presumably you can afford it, and have done it for some time now: it is part of who you are.

Were you left-handed, or color-blind, would you try to hide this from her?

You are setting your relationship with this woman up for failure by not being open about this: either she accepts it, or she doesn't.

Better to find out now than in a Divorce Court.

Unless of course your ambivalence implies that you believe you may have a gambling problem, but let's not go down that road ...