"Junkets" still around?

By junket I mean free airfare and room and limited food, usually to AC or Tunica and other Mississippi properties. An occasional Las Vegas and Reno/Tahoe.

This might read as a stupid question as an internet search does yield results but often people in this "business" tell lies.

I'm at the point in life I can afford my own air and room and food, but if it's free, why not? I don't like "pressure" to play at a certain casino which of course being on a junket might include(justly). Not interested in front money deposit or credit lines either.

What's the current scene/situation?

There are a number of junkets out of Raleigh, Greensboro, Kinston (all NC), and Richmond, VA. Current destinations are:
At least 4 or 5 tour operators to choose from.

AC, NJ - most every weekend
Biloxi, MS - generally once a month
Tunica, MS - 2x or 3x a month
Crystal Palace, Nassau, Bahamas - 3x -4x per year
St. Louis, MO - new offering
Foxwoods - Haven't seen this one in a while now though

And they will also fly Soutwest to Las Vegas (Paris)

I like shopping for my own airfare and hotel rates. It's pressure and guilt free. I usually play at Caesars properties so I get offers to stay at their places for free but that's because I have pre-earned those offers. If I take advantage of an offer, I feel no additional pressure to gamble at the host hotel.

It just works out better for me that way. I can fritter away a whole day at the spa/pool or go sight seeing or whatever. If they stop sending me offers then there will be others.

I have a group of 4 buddies that get free airfare + rooms to AC once per month.
They brag about their "free" trip often.

Of course they return home stuck about $5k each. Horrible players.

Quote: MakingBook

Of course they return home stuck about $5k each. Horrible players.

What game? Horrible in what sense? Even a bad BJ player wins on some occasions I had thought? Craps and Roulette well with a lucky streak again, can win being "horrible". Thanks.

Quote: s2dbaker

I like shopping for my own airfare and hotel rates. It's pressure and guilt free. I usually play at Caesars properties so I get offers to stay at their places for free but that's because I have pre-earned those offers. If I take advantage of an offer, I feel no additional pressure to gamble at the host hotel.

It just works out better for me that way. I can fritter away a whole day at the spa/pool or go sight seeing or whatever. If they stop sending me offers then there will be others.

Good points and I agree. I think with a free room offer they do expect you to play, but of course no "danger" of them charging you if you don't. Said risks do occur with some junket operators.

Quote: RaleighCraps

There are a number of junkets out of Raleigh, Greensboro, Kinston (all NC), and Richmond, VA. Current destinations are:
At least 4 or 5 tour operators to choose from.

AC, NJ - most every weekend
Biloxi, MS - generally once a month
Tunica, MS - 2x or 3x a month
Crystal Palace, Nassau, Bahamas - 3x -4x per year
St. Louis, MO - new offering
Foxwoods - Haven't seen this one in a while now though

And they will also fly Soutwest to Las Vegas (Paris)

Thanks for the reply. Would you say or guess that $25.usd average bet, not including odds at craps, four hours a day, would earn you respect and a free trip to AC or MS from that area?(total of eight hours for one night's room and air with transfers and limited food)

My wife is a slots player and she recently has received junket offers to Beau Rivage in Biloxi from Gary IN. The offer was for airfare for two people, 3 nights lodging, possibly two meals per day, midweek in early October. She called to ask about it and was told that they expected each person to play $500 per day. She passed. I don't remember the name of the company making the offer.

Quote: NokTang

Thanks for the reply. Would you say or guess that $25.usd average bet, not including odds at craps, four hours a day, would earn you respect and a free trip to AC or MS from that area?(total of eight hours for one night's room and air with transfers and limited food)

I would think that might be a little lite. My craps rating is generally $80 - $180, and I will average about 8 hours of play for every 24 hours there. So for a 3 day trip, I will have over 20 hours of craps play. And my wife is usually playing through another $300 on the slots with my card. For this, I get 2 free seats and a free room.
I also get offers directly from Beau Rivage too, not just from the tour operator. However, when I have accepted the offer direct from the Beau, I end up on a charter flight with one of the tour groups anyway. I think Beau likes it that way though, since they don't have to give the operator any credit for my play.

I would guess that you might need to be around the $50 level for 4 hours of play, depending on the game played, to get free trips, but I could be wrong. You will certainly need to play a minimum of a 4 hour session at one sitting. You will not get much credit if you play an hour or 2 at a sitting.

I think my buddy gets 1 free seat and a room, and he mostly plays Pai Gow Poker for $30 or $40 per hand, but he will play for 12 hours a day.

Quote: NokTang

What game? Horrible in what sense? Even a bad BJ player wins on some occasions I had thought? Craps and Roulette well with a lucky streak again, can win being "horrible". Thanks.

Mostly blackjack. And they are really HORRIBLE players. The kind that stand on soft17, etc. Plus they all play a progression system.

I went as a guest once. They said I would need to get a players card to be rated. I wasn't counting then, but I played stone-cold perfect H17 basic strategy. At the end of the trip, I was informed that I would not be invited back.

Quote: ddloml

they expected each person to play $500 per day. She passed.

What, the casino expected she'd bet through $500 per day, in exchange for R, F, B, and airfare, and she PASSED?

WTF?

Betting through $500 a day is NOTHING.

That's the deal of the century.

Hell, it beats the con that the cheapo vegas boys played on Stupak.

Quote: MrV

Hell, it beats the con that the cheapo vegas boys played on Stupak.

Sounds like fun. any links?

Quote: Croupier

Sounds like fun. any links?

Coitainly.

Conning Stupak

'Nyuk 'nyuk 'nyuk.

Quote: MrV

What, the casino expected she'd bet through $500 per day, in exchange for R, F, B, and airfare, and she PASSED?

WTF?

Betting through $500 a day is NOTHING.

That's the deal of the century.

Hell, it beats the con that the cheapo vegas boys played on Stupak.

Seriously. Is this offer available to just anyone? What will they give to someone who bets though $25k per day?

Quote: MrV

Coitainly.

Conning Stupak

'Nyuk 'nyuk 'nyuk.

Nice.

Quote: MakingBook

Plus they all play a progression system.

There's your answer.

Quote: MrV

What, the casino expected she'd bet through $500 per day, in exchange for R, F, B, and airfare, and she PASSED?

WTF?

Betting through $500 a day is NOTHING.

That's the deal of the century.

Hell, it beats the con that the cheapo vegas boys played on Stupak.

That's what I told her. Just because you play $500 doesn't mean you lose $500. Even playing slots, like she does. She didn't get that. (She squirms at betting $10/hand at Pai Gow Poker. We really are low rollers.) I figured that there must be some other catch that they didn't tell her, like a timeshare deal.

I wasn't going to get to go with her anyway, she wanted to bring her mother with her. When mom heard about the $500/day, the offer was declined by her too. Must run in the family, I guess.

Quote: ddloml

That's what I told her. Just because you play $500 doesn't mean you lose $500. Even playing slots, like she does. She didn't get that. (She squirms at betting $10/hand at Pai Gow Poker. We really are low rollers.) I figured that there must be some other catch that they didn't tell her, like a timeshare deal.

I wasn't going to get to go with her anyway, she wanted to bring her mother with her. When mom heard about the $500/day, the offer was declined by her too. Must run in the family, I guess.

Without putting the math into it right now, $50 should get you $500 in expected bets at the right slot machine, especially if you play a flat-top with a perfectly graduated payout structure for less than Max Bet.

Quote: Mission146

Without putting the math into it right now, $50 should get you $500 in expected bets at the right slot machine, especially if you play a flat-top with a perfectly graduated payout structure for less than Max Bet.

$50 wouldn't qualify for my definition of "should". $200 would get you there most of the time though without going broke and your average loss being ~$50.

I was using, "Should," mathematically just to indicate expectation. Of course, that also includes hitting the Top Pay because that factors into EV. I would be astounded if $200 failed to result in $500 in total bets.