The Great Race to Rewards is back on!?!
The following are not necessarily details, but rather changes I see in this year's promotion vs. last year.
1) You must earn 25 Tier Credits at each property. That makes a lot more sense than just earning one. In fact I tried to earn about 20 at each property last time just in case they decided to change it. At the Midwest properties, that should be easy to do at a low house edge; others will cost you a bit to earn those credits.
2) They now have lumped Reno/Lake Tahoe together, as well as one other grouping, though I can't remember which one now. This was a surprise to most last year, so probably not a big deal. Good news is Horseshoe Cleveland is now on the list, so that adds one more major market property. I'll be curious as to the St Louis property, since it will be sold to Penn soon.
3) The promotion begins July 1 at midnight, and runs through October 1 (?). I'll have to look that up when I get home. Payouts were at the end of October, though it seems everybody on here got paid.
If it's like last year, it appears that you can add a 7th property for another 15,000, though that could be the extras you earn from Facebook or online.
Seeing as I'm moving in a week, I'm probably going to front load 4 properties (Horseshoe Cleveland, HSI, Harrah's Metro*bleh* and Harrah's St Louis), then catch Horseshoe/Harrah's Council Bluffs, Horseshoe Hammond and Harrah's Kansas City in mid-August. A Vegas trip in September isn't out of the question either.
I'll be checking the website routinely to find out more and will post any updates here. So far I can't find anything (on their website or Facebook), which is a little worrisome since I may be doing 4 properties on July 1-2.
Quote: TiltpoulI do not know the details of the promotion yet, but the other day, I received my monthly mailing from HSI. In it they were promoting the Great Race to Rewards again, this time with the opportunity to earn up to 75,000 RCs ($750 in comps, $375 in Free Play).
The following are not necessarily details, but rather changes I see in this year's promotion vs. last year.
1) You must earn 25 Tier Credits at each property. That makes a lot more sense than just earning one. In fact I tried to earn about 20 at each property last time just in case they decided to change it. At the Midwest properties, that should be easy to do at a low house edge; others will cost you a bit to earn those credits.
2) They now have lumped Reno/Lake Tahoe together, as well as one other grouping, though I can't remember which one now. This was a surprise to most last year, so probably not a big deal. Good news is Horseshoe Cleveland is now on the list, so that adds one more major market property. I'll be curious as to the St Louis property, since it will be sold to Penn soon.
3) The promotion begins July 1 at midnight, and runs through October 1 (?). I'll have to look that up when I get home. Payouts were at the end of October, though it seems everybody on here got paid.
If it's like last year, it appears that you can add a 7th property for another 15,000, though that could be the extras you earn from Facebook or online.
Seeing as I'm moving in a week, I'm probably going to front load 4 properties (Horseshoe Cleveland, HSI, Harrah's Metro*bleh* and Harrah's St Louis), then catch Horseshoe/Harrah's Council Bluffs, Horseshoe Hammond and Harrah's Kansas City in mid-August. A Vegas trip in September isn't out of the question either.
I'll be checking the website routinely to find out more and will post any updates here. So far I can't find anything (on their website or Facebook), which is a little worrisome since I may be doing 4 properties on July 1-2.
Chester and AC are about as far apart as Reno and Tahoe. So are Joliet and Hammond. So my guess would be that one of those sets is now grouped.
Did they do a thing last year where a 7th property was supposed to be worth an additional 15,000 credits? I went to every single CZR property in north america during the promotional period last year, and they gave me 60,000 credits. Should I be complaining to someone?
Much of what the Tilty one has said is true, but let me try to clarify things:
* They explicitly say you can earn points by entertainment/food/room, but at $5 per tier point, you need to spend $125 at a single place in order to qualify that way.
* The new groupings are Reno/Tahoe (as mentioned), Las Vegas/Laughlin, and Ak-Chin/Rincon. Joliet/Hammond remains grouped, along with all properties in a single city (Council Bluffs, Atlantic City, Tunica, Bossier City).
* The race ends October 1 at midnight. Points will be paid out about November 15.
* There were actually five promotions under the Great Race umbrella last year. Thank goodness this seems to be the only one for this year.
* Some casinos are worth more than others this time around. Most are worth two points, except for Las Vegas/Laughlin (3), Tunica (3), Reno/Tahoe (1), St. Louis (1), and Cherokee (1).
* The chart for the payouts:
6-7 points - 10,000 RCs
8-10 pts - 25,000 RCs
11-14 pts - 50,000 RCs
15+ pts - 75,000 RCs
* There are some blackout dates this time - no points will be awarded for visits to Hammond, Joliet, or Metropolis between July 1 and 14; no points awarded for visits to Reno/Tahoe between July 14 and 23.
There are some other things, but I suggest reading the rules and FAQ if you're interested in this. Don't worry, they're not too long.
I need to get the 75,000 credits. Gotta maximize. So what is the best way to do this? Being in the Midwest, I could hit Cleveland, Windsor, HSI, Hammond/Chicago easily, and maybe Metropolis/St. Louis/KC. The first four will give me 8 points, the next group 5. That puts me at 13. I suppose I could fly out to Vegas (was considering it anyway), and collect the extra three. An AC or Tunica trip would also put me over the top.
Anybody have any other itinerary ideas?
(Rincon and Ak-Chin should absolutely not have been grouped. That makes no sense.)
Quote: teddysOh my . . . this is so tempting . . . this was just about my favorite promotion of all last year.
I need to get the 75,000 credits. Gotta maximize. So what is the best way to do this? Being in the Midwest, I could hit Cleveland, Windsor, HSI, Hammond/Chicago easily, and maybe Metropolis/St. Louis/KC. The first four will give me 8 points, the next group 5. That puts me at 13. I suppose I could fly out to Vegas (was considering it anyway), and collect the extra three. An AC or Tunica trip would also put me over the top.
Anybody have any other itinerary ideas?
(Rincon and Ak-Chin should absolutely not have been grouped. That makes no sense.)
NO to Shreveport to Tunica to Biloxi to NO is a pretty and manageable 3 day route.
Rincon and Ak-Chin, I think, are grouped more because of their status as managed-but-not-owned properties than because of their proximity. They're both excepted from a handful of promos and giveaways each year, presumably because the tribes won't go along. Being grouped and low value targets might be a way to limit their cost in this promo.
Horseshoe Cleveland - 2pts (probably first thing Sunday morning)
Horseshoe Southern Indiana- 2pts (Monday morning)
Harrah's St Louis- 1pt (Monday afternoon)
Harrah's/Horseshoe CB- 2pts (Thursday/Friday)
Harrah's/Horseshoe Chicago- 2pts (after the blackout dates)
Harrah's NKC- 2pts (probably late July, early August)
Harrah's Metropolis- 2pts (who knows? I'm upset they are blacked out on July 1-2)
Tunica- 3pts (probably when I do Metropolis, like Labor Day weekend?)
Total- 16pts
I was hoping to get an August Vegas trip in, but with my new work schedule I'm afraid that's not going to happen.
Mr W lives in Windsor area and will gladly put the needed 25 points on Mr A card that he mails to him if Mr A will do the same for Mr W...after putting the points on you mail the card back to sender or onto the next connection on the list to collect your reward points in his local
It costs you to put the points on in your local for the other people but doesnt cost you the travel expenses
Sorry for thinking out loud here been out in the heat too long
Quote: coilmanWhats stopping people from forming a little group where say Mr A is the Atlantic City connection, Mr W is the Windsor connection, Mr C is the Chicago connection, Mr R the Reno connection and so on.
Mr W lives in Windsor area and will gladly put the needed 25 points on Mr A card that he mails to him if Mr A will do the same for Mr W...after putting the points on you mail the card back to sender or onto the next connection on the list to collect your reward points in his local
It costs you to put the points on in your local for the other people but doesnt cost you the travel expenses
Sorry for thinking out loud here been out in the heat too long
Some properties require that you check-in at the Total Rewards desk. In these cases, you would have to show ID.
I think that's part of the reason they raised the 1 credit to 25. The least amount you have to risk is $125, if you go play slots only. On VP, you have to risk $250 potentially.
The official rules say you can swipe at a promotional kiosk, so it is theoretically doable to swipe other people's cards and earn their credits for them (though against the spirit of the game, obviously).Quote: TiltpoulSome properties require that you check-in at the Total Rewards desk. In these cases, you would have to show ID.
I think that's part of the reason they raised the 1 credit to 25. The least amount you have to risk is $125, if you go play slots only. On VP, you have to risk $250 potentially.
Quote: teddysThe official rules say you can swipe at a promotional kiosk, so it is theoretically doable to swipe other people's cards and earn their credits for them (though against the spirit of the game, obviously).
In Vegas, you had to do it at the cage. I think it was also the same at Council Bluffs.
Quote: TiltpoulIn Vegas, you had to do it at the cage. I think it was also the same at Council Bluffs.
Horseshoe Cleveland as of right now you have to do it at the Rewards booth. They told me there will be a kiosk for it, next to the parking voucher kiosks, but at this point, it's safer to go through the desk.
I don't have time to write it but I will be detailing my Race trips on my blog. So far I'm +2 checkpoints!
As I recall, last time you didn't even have to swipe, just earn one point.
Quote: teddysCaesars Windsor has a kiosk. I swiped. I have no reason to believe they are not reliable.
As I recall, last time you didn't even have to swipe, just earn one point.
There was a swipe requirement last time... the thing that varies is whether you do it at the counter with a TR rep (which requires ID) or a self-swipe (which you wouldn't need a TR Rep or ID).
I did not "try" for the contest last year and I doubt I will travel to any casinos besides Caesars in Vegas and Rincon in San Diego this year.
But to those of you who do travel -- is the extra travel worth it for the points offered? Unless you are already travelling to these cities why bother?
I don't think it is worth the extra travel for the points offered, unless you are driving there already, especially since they got rid of reward credits for cash. (The cash value of the points would have been $375.00. Now, you can just get that in freeplay.) On the other hand, it is really nice to have those points if you are planning a trip to Vegas and you like high-end casino swag like restaurants, spas, etc. I basically used all my points for meals at Caesars and Paris at restaurants I wouldn't have been able to try otherwise.
Quote: AlanMendelsonis the extra travel worth it for the points offered? Unless you are already travelling to these cities why bother?
Depends. I spent about $350 to get $600 in points last year, and it looks like I'll spend about $420 to get $750 this year. On a per-hour basis, your typical Wal-Mart greeter makes more, but not half bad for time that wouldn't ordinarily earn me anything. Besides, I enjoyed my time on the road, and I expect to enjoy myself even more this time around.
Your mileage, of course, may vary.
Quote: JamieVI would have to agree that the traveling is the most appealing part of the promotion. However, monetary wise, I don't think they give you enough incentive to travel outside your normal casino destinations. 750 dollars is easily spent on a round-trip flight for two to Reno ( I live in SoCal) so I would already be in the red....no fun!
I would not fly to places you weren't already planning just for this promotion. Best case is that extra location is worth $250 RC for you.
I liked it last year because I was able to drive around Lousiana and Mississippi. I'll most likely do the same thing again and split the cost with a few family cards. I don't think it is worth it just for the RC, you really have to want to travel to all the casinos. In my case ~35 hours of driving isn't something everyone is wanting to do.
It costs a bit for gas, a hotel, and money spent gambling. But worst case scenario, I'll spend as much as I get in rewards points. I look at that as setting aside $500 (or whatever I get) towards special dinners, shows, etc. in Vegas.
So instead of stuffing that money in a coffee can, I get to travel to places I don't normally go, and get to do a bit of gambling. That's a more interesting way to spend life, don't you think?
Quote: IndyDarren
So instead of stuffing that money in a coffee can, I get to travel to places I don't normally go, and get to do a bit of gambling. That's a more interesting way to spend life, don't you think?
Pretty much my thought. Worst case I break even on cost and I still had a nice weekend vacation of gambling.
I'm extremo new to this forum, but pretty much the only reason I joined is for this thread. Last year I was able to get all six check-in's with the help of trading cards, but this year it's obviously a little more difficult. So I'm trying to see if anybody here is interested.
I attend AC and Chester at least once a week so I'll be able to scan your card at those two locations for 4 points.
I'm looking for any location other than Vegas, Laughlin, Chester, or AC.
Any Tunica peeps up in here?
You're saying what we're all thinking.Quote: firewire0Hey all -
I'm extremo new to this forum, but pretty much the only reason I joined is for this thread. Last year I was able to get all six check-in's with the help of trading cards, but this year it's obviously a little more difficult. So I'm trying to see if anybody here is interested.
I attend AC and Chester at least once a week so I'll be able to scan your card at those two locations for 4 points.
I'm looking for any location other than Vegas, Laughlin, Chester, or AC.
Any Tunica peeps up in here?
Honestly, I don't have any problem with mailing cards. I broached the subject last year and no one was interested. But that said, same offer as last year: If you want some points on your card, you can mail it to me an I'll earn the points. I live in the Midwest, so I could probably get Indiana, Windsor and Cleveland (possibly, but not likely, Tunica). No quid pro quo required. PM me for details.
Edit: I've rescinded the offer because I think it would be too hard to earn the points, which very well could involve a large expected loss. Also, I don't feel comfortable handing in another person's card at table games. If you still want to work something out, however, feel free to PM me.
Got 2 points yesterday at Horseshoe Cleveland.
Drove up at about the time the baseball game
was starting, so I missed most of that traffic.
I'll be in LV later this month, and also will
probably get to Windsor and to Horseshoe
Southern Indiana.
It would be nice to get to the 50,000 point
level, but I don't know if that is feasible
for me. We'll see.
Quote: JohnnyQ
I'll be in LV later this month, and also will
probably get to Windsor and to Horseshoe
Southern Indiana.
Have you booked your flight to Vegas? It takes a layover of about 3-4 hours to comfortably get from ORD to Hammond Horseshoe and back. If that'll get you over the hump, it's probably worth the cost of an economy rental car. That's what I did for last year's promo (well, I went to every property, so I took 6 hours and went to both Joliet and Hammond).
Quote: rdw4potusHave you booked your flight to Vegas?
Thanks for the thought, but I already booked (and then
re-booked - and as usual a long story there) the tix
using a companion flies free deal.
I'm going to see how much a weekend junket to
Atlantic City would be.
Quote: JohnnyQI got a few points last year, so I like this promo.
Got 2 points yesterday at Horseshoe Cleveland.
Drove up at about the time the baseball game
was starting, so I missed most of that traffic.
I'll be in LV later this month, and also will
probably get to Windsor and to Horseshoe
Southern Indiana.
It would be nice to get to the 50,000 point
level, but I don't know if that is feasible
for me. We'll see.
JohnnyQ----
Did Cleveland have a kiosk, or did you have to go to the TR counter? Did you need ID? Thanks!
Quote: geejunJohnnyQ----
Did Cleveland have a kiosk, or did you have to go to the TR counter? Did you need ID? Thanks!
When I did it (which was about 2 hours after the promotion officially started), they told me to go to the kiosk. Then I said it didn't work, so they had to swipe me, which required an ID.
Quote: geejunJohnnyQ----
Did Cleveland have a kiosk, or did you have to go to the TR counter? Did you need ID? Thanks!
When I did it on Friday at the Horseshoe Cleveland,
I had to go to the Player's Club
and show ID. The first person I spoke to didn't know
what I was referring to, but the supervisor did.
I think they will become better at their training programs
over time.
I am guessing that some places will have kiosks and
that others will require you to stop at the Player's Club.
If you have been to LV or just not yet for this Great Race game could you let me know if you found any casinos that had a kiosk to register for the race? I am planning on going next month and a friend asked if I could take his card and register it and get him his 25 pts. I don't have a problem with this but if I have to go to the Rewards desk and show an ID then forget it. Let me know if you seen any casino in LV that had a kiosk to register for the Great Race.
Greatly appreciated.
Quote: rdober237Hi,
If you have been to LV or just not yet for this Great Race game could you let me know if you found any casinos that had a kiosk to register for the race? I am planning on going next month and a friend asked if I could take his card and register it and get him his 25 pts. I don't have a problem with this but if I have to go to the Rewards desk and show an ID then forget it. Let me know if you seen any casino in LV that had a kiosk to register for the Great Race.
Greatly appreciated.
Am I the only one who thinks this would be a prosecutable crime, which would involve a conspiracy across state lines? You don't think its at least possible for one of the thousands of cameras in the casino to note this foul play?
Quote: SOOPOOAm I the only one who thinks this would be a prosecutable crime, which would involve a conspiracy across state lines? You don't think its at least possible for one of the thousands of cameras in the casino to note this foul play?
I agree. And this type of thing is also the reason for the changes to this year's version of the promo - checkin with ID and 25 points must be earned. As someone who travels enough to do the full promo on his own, it does kind of suck to think that others could get $750 just for mailing their cards around.
Atlantic City (2)
Philadelphia (2)
Elizabeth, IN (2)
Metropolis, IL (2)
St. Louis (1)
Joliet, IL (2)
Windsor, ON (2) need passport
Cleveland, OH (2)
back to AC/Philly
It's about 40 hours of driving and 2300 miles.
If you are in the Midwest, skip NJ/PA and add KC and Council Bluffs instead after StL.
I couldn't get enough by dipping down to LA/MS and bypassing some of the midwest ones (and not making the trip much longer).
I'm hoping to get Chicago this weekend; I played up there last weekend, but alas, the promo didn't run then. I'm only about 2 hours from there, so that shouldn't be too difficult to achieve.
A trip in August is due to KC, getting me up to 8pts. Tunica is possible over Labor Day weekend, so that's 11. That leaves Metropolis and HSI, which I can get on the Tunica trip or a separate trip for those two properties.
This new job is killing me for getting to a lot of different places easily. The relocation is the main problem.
For those of you who like long stories, you can read my blog entry.
Quote: fremont4everTo make a long story short, the bush leaguers at Harrah's Atlantic City can kiss my derriere. . . .
All their promotional kiosks were occupied with some other inferior, crappy promotion. So back in line I went. They said they COULD NOT OPT ME IN FROM THE DESK, because they didn't have access to that information. But they assured me that they would be finished with that other crappy promotion in about an hour. No, they weren't. By this point I had written off Harrah's AC as being run by amateurs and not being worth my time. . . . The gambling was also awfully expensive; the vast majority of the VP I checked had 7/5 JoB and 6/5 Bonus. Bleh. They did have 9/6 JoB for $5 and up in the high limit room. There was no incentive for me to play anything here, so I didn't.
So in frustration and anger over being jacked around and not knowing about the publicly listed 25-cent 9/6 JoB , you saw fit to leave and waste significant time, energy and money instead of even looking into one of the other three eligible places. Nobody here says much about AC being easy or friendly to deal with. But to take its place with a couple of other trips seems a bit much.
is that they have very strong feeling/opinions about how things are/should be,
and will often come across as rude, hostile and aggressive when trying to get their point across,
but they ultimately mean well and are usually pretty decent and nice people once you see things their way
which is usually the way things are/should be...
Quote: SanchoPanzaSo in frustration and anger over being jacked around and not knowing about the publicly listed 25-cent 9/6 JoB , you saw fit to leave and waste significant time, energy and money instead of even looking into one of the other three eligible places. Nobody here says much about AC being easy or friendly to deal with. But to take its place with a couple of other trips seems a bit much.
I'm being misinterpreted all around, so let's clear a few things up:
1) My feelings about Harrah's AC had nothing to do with their 9/6 machines or lack of same. Believe it or not, I looked up all the CZR casinos on vpfree2 before my trip and they all told roughly the same story - a few 9/6 and other full-pay games in quarters+. I didn't expect to get a seat on one of them, and probably wouldn't have had I been able to find them - the place was busy. It didn't matter much because this wasn't a gambling trip.
2) I couldn't go to the other casinos because I didn't have time. In order to spend more time in AC, I would have had to blow more money to add time to my car reservation and change the plane ticket - or buy a new one. My one opportunity to leave would have been when I found the kiosks unusable and the TR booth unhelpful. My choices were to split and take my chances elsewhere or stay and hope things opened up. I chose to stay and that obviously didn't work.
3) Of course I was frustrated over being jerked around. Wouldn't you be?
4) The people of Jersey/Philly I dealt with were about as I expected them, maybe a little friendlier. They're not a reason to stay away; they weren't a draw either.
5) The trips to Hammond, Windsor/Cleveland, and LV aren't reactions to the AC disaster; they were planned from the start. I actually cut a trip to HSI because of this, because in Race terms, 11=13.
Quote: fremont4ever3) Of course I was frustrated over being jerked around. Wouldn't you be?
I agree with you completely on this point. For some reason the CET properties in AC tend to jerk people around more than other properties you may visit. I don't think its intentional; as it's been stated, there are cultural differences. However I canceled an entire trip to AC once because of poor treatment on CET's end.
One of the guys under him replied, saying they were sorry and they would give me the CheckPoints for Atlantic City. I thought that was nice of them and wanted to give them credit publicly. This changed things around again, so look around in my blog for further details.
have Cleveland and Windsor... Planning
on Southern Indiana in a couple of weeks.
The Race is ON !
Is there a convenient way to determine how many tier credits you received on a past visit to a casino? I know I can find out how many total tier credits I have earned this year, but I don't know how to determine how many came when and from what casino.
I ask because I have made some brief casino visits on which I may or may not have earned the required 25 tier credits necessary for earning the "Checkpoint(s)" associated with that location. Same for my wife. It is quite possible that during the term of this promotion I could earn 3 checkpoints in Tunica, 3 checkpoints in Laughlin/Las Vegas, 1 checkpoint in St. Louis, and 1 checkpoint in Cherokee. That total of 8 checkpoints would be worth a bonus of 25,000 bonus rewards credits. I'm sure I will not be going to enough other casinos to gather 3 more checkpoints and reach the next bonus level.
However, if I did not earn the necessary 25 tier credits in St. Louis, I will only have 7 checkpoints (worth 10,000 bonus rewards credits), and I would receive that same amount for the 6 total checkpoints I would have if I don't bother to take the drive up to Cherokee. The difference between 10,000 and 25,000 bonus reward credits might be enough to sway me on whether I make that drive or not prior to the end of September.
So how do I find out how many tier credits went on my account and my wife's at Harrah's St. Louis, and how many in Tunica also, for that matter?
