Comps

Whether to sign up or not for a player's club card wherever you play just seems to be assumed to be the best move in this forum. However, I have been leery of this move. For one thing, I don't intend to play games or bet amounts that get comped much, or even gamble that often, so I don't expect much. Possibly, when retired I may gamble more. This that was linked from a WoO site was pretty informative, but nonetheless I am left with these questions:



*Are there indeed gamblers who are such pikers that it is a waste of time to get a card?

*Is it worth getting a player's club card just anywhere, or should you skip it at certain places? So far Charles Town WV's new casino is getting panned for stinginess, for example, so....

*I wouldn't mind getting offers in the mail, but I absolutely detest getting telephone solicitation. Is there some way to nix this?

*Except that a couple of times advantage players say they want to be anonymous in a Casino, I have to say otherwise it is cheerleading for Comps here in this forum. Any other known drawbacks?

I get very good rates at Harrah's properties in vegas (and presumably elsewhere) when logged in with my TR card. Better than any rates found at travel sites, discoutn sites, hotel sites, etc. For that reason I've stayed at IP and Rio my last two trips.

I've also gotten good offers from Boyd gaming for Sam's Town and their Downtown properties, but I've never stayed there (I might next trip).

For that reason alone, it's worth getting player cards. And they're free, to boot.

Oh, my play is meager in all cases. Last trip I hardly gambled at any Harrah's property.

Quote: odiousgambit

*Are there indeed gamblers who are such pikers that it is a waste of time to get a card?

Yes. To missquote one of Niven's Laws: "All large groups contain some idiots and crackpots."

Quote:

*Is it worth getting a player's club card just anywhere, or should you skip it at certain places? So far Charles Town WV's new casino is getting panned for stinginess, for example, so....

Don't know. But I'm not aware that it hurts to get a players card anywhere.

Quote:

*Except that a couple of times advantage players say they want to be anonymous in a Casino, I have to say otherwise it is cheerleading for Comps here in this forum.

Since play is rated when you present your card at table games, advantage players might be spotted that way. But since just about everyone down to minimum-limit gamblers do present their cards the minute they sit down, then perhaps not doing so might arouse more suspicion. Pick whichever you like.

Me, I kind fo colelct player cards. I won't go out of my way to get them, but I will 1) get them at any casino nearby and 2) at any casino I want to play in. I'm under no illusion that I'll colelct too many.

Unless you really want to actively conceal your identity and style of play, I think its best to get a card. Casino hosts often make investments in players so you might benefit more than your actual play would otherwise merit.

As to phone solicitations I simply would not tolerate that at all. Perhaps you might want to simply not give them your phone number. Mailings, particular oversized ones, annoy me too. I give them my email address. I've had several emails from various hosts.

Harrahs would never mail the chartered flight offers promptly enough so I gave up on them.

i have about 10 cards from vegas.
4 ca indian
4 ca cardroom
they never call you. thats absurd.

i never play at venition or palazzo. they send out emails.
the mgm casinos also email me offers
bills gambling hall sends me AWESOME offers via mail including free nights. i do try to play there as much as possible because of this. im a low roller too i play close to the minimums.
sahara sends my roommate a lot of free rooms in the mail id suggest sign up there. saying you are a low roller.
mgm grand also give me really good room rates. not because i play there a lot. because i book there a lot.

id say there is no harm in signing up to a ton of em. you might get an offer you like.

I've never been called, only receive offers in the mail and by email. Then again, I'm not a big money gambler, so maybe that's why I don't get called very much.

I tend to not get cards at casinos where I pretty much know that I won't be going to again. In my latest road trip, I stopped at an Indian casino outside Sacramento, as well as at casinos in South Lake Tahoe and Reno. Since none of those destinations will become regular for me, I didn't pick up any cards at those casinos.

I have been told at various casinos that my level of play wouldn't qualify for anything AT ALL on my card. This is typically at something like Pai Gow Poker, where I bet $10 per hand, and I'm told that unless I bet $25 per hand minimum, then there will be no points accrued on my card. At places like that, I tend to not get cards (or throw away the one I already had) and not go back. There are plenty of places that will give me points for my limited amount of play.

Finally, I know that with my limited amount of play, I won't be getting very many points, and those points won't go very far. But I've been able to get such things as a free buffet, or a free room, or a free room upgrade, etc, etc. Nothing very major, but I'll take it.

Even min bet players at most joints will get like $5 - $10 of comps or so if they play for a few hours.

If you're playing at a place like the bellagio i dont think they will even rate you unless you're getting a quarter a hand.

I play quite a bit when I go to LV and I play the machines. Comps are a major part of my motivation.

You better believe advantage players use their cards on every hand played at the machines. These days they need the perks to actually be called an advantage player. Don't think for one minute the tracking hurts any of these people. Even the most famous vp players who write about their great winnings and comps and all that, and even name the places they rape, never have a problem going back and doing it all over again & again & again. It's kind of like what I do without the writing (or the winning).

The only reason not to get a card is if you anticipate a better sign-up promotion in the near future. As an example, I took my girlfriend to Club Fortune with a $10 free play voucher for new sign-ups in hand. They wouldn't let us both use it, so I decided not to get a card, knowing that I'd stumble on another one. Sure enough, Las Vegas Weekly had a an with the same deal.

I am a low roller, usually betting no more than $10 a hand, sometimes $15. I think Harrah's has stingy offers, but after my big loss in Vegas in Feb (I lost $1200 at Harrahs properties betting no more than $10 a hand @ the BJ, Pai Gow, Pai Gow Poker/knock off games) I have been getting some great offers from harrahs such as 2 free nights in Vegas @ Harrahs LV or IP (of course I'm picking Harrah's), super cheap nights in other places, such as $15 a night at Harrah's reno that included two free buffets, etc.. I would say get the card no matter what because you never know what they might send you, a lot of times just for being a member you get certain offers. I also suggest logging into the players club websites periodically and checking offers, such as playersclub.com or the total rewards part of Harrahs because I have found some offers here I had no idea I had. My last bit of advice is to google promo code for the hotel, I was about to sign up for a regular room rate for two nights at the M and I googled promocode and I found an offer code that made the rate significantly cheaper and came with some goodies, I think it was an offer for California residents. I hear the M is nice and I am looking forward to saying away from all the hustle and bustle of the strip area.

When you get your players card, ask for an extra copy.

Most players on this board are table players.

Casinos don't offer much in comp rewards for table players, but they send tons of offers to slot players.

If your wife or girlfriend plays the slots, tell her to use your players card.

This way you will build up your comps much faster.

My wife plays the slots and if she has someone next to her that isn't using a players card, she will ask them if they wouldn't mind playing with another extra card. Most players don't mind using the extra card.

Get the cards. I'm going in three weeks and staying 3 nights at Paris comped and picking up a free 7 day cruise voucher from Norwegian. Then 2 more nights comped at NYNY with $75 free play and restaurant discounts. I always try to combine the offers from HARRAHS and MGM. The good offers from HARRAHS really start when you reach Diamond level.

I don't like the idea of maintaining anonymousness at casinos. Two things come to mind. First, I think hiding the fact that you like gambling due to potential social resistance simply caters to the taboo. Gambling isn't an indication of bad character, it's simply a decision requiring responsibility. Second, tax evasion (if you should be so lucky to owe taxes on your winnings) is not a worthwhile risk.

Also, if a casino tried to run me out for having honest repeatedly excessive winnings (for example, exploiting a game with a player edge), I would happily refute it.