First time going to Vegas

Hey,

Given the fact this is my first time going, my knowledge is a little greasy.

Is it at all possible for me to get comped a plane ticket and hotel room if I called the casino and/or comp service in advance and ordered a 5k marker? (I would do a wire transfer, cash transaction)

Let me know if there are any benefits to doing it before hand. Thanks --

No, not for 5K. The exception might be if you have an established record as a whale someplace else.
Wiring $5,000 to a casino in advance will get you $5000 at the Casino cage. Nothing more.
Sorry.

I agree, but contact a host wherever you give action to see what they can do for you.

Agree with above. No chance of airfare in what you've planned. However, you should have your play reviewed just before you check out. They may comp your room one or more nights, possibly food charged to your room, based on your play.

Quote: ss0247

Is it at all possible for me to get comped a plane ticket and hotel room if I called the casino and/or comp service in advance and ordered a 5k marker? (I would do a wire transfer, cash transaction)
Let me know if there are any benefits to doing it before hand. Thanks --

Airfare? No Way, pal. Sorry.

Hotel room,,, probably, but do not EVER expect to get them to commit to it on your first trip. They want to see your ACTION, not your potential. ACTION is money that you actually put at risk, not have in your pocket or their cage area.

Benefits... YES,.

First of all... you can visit their website and select a 'host' to contact... that can put you in a better situation than random assignment.

Second, I would NOT ask for a limo, but if you send an update email (NOT phone call) to your host you just might find you will get a limo at the airport.

Third and main advantage: By contacting the casino and being scrupulously HONEST with them you will start off with the best rating that you might otherwise get. Reports from pit bosses and floor personnel will start flowing into their computers right away. Nothing will be overlooked due to busy personnel.

If you email them saying this is my type of action AND you live up to it as far as hours, games and ACTION. You may get a few 'benefit of the doubt' decisions going your way in your rating because its a this guy was honest with us right from the beginning situation.

The cage can help with the transfer, so can your host, but at your level of play I would not ask for anything and my email of my itinerary would merely say "I hope to be able meet with you prior to my checking out". Don't ask for a limo, don't ask to meet with thehost upon arrival. Just let the host know your Wire Confirmation number, the amount, your itinerary, your PLAN for action...when they see your ACTUAL action, your honesty will help you, not hurt you.

I would EXPECT to be RFB....Room Food Beverage.... Do NOT even expect Airfare and its likely your Food will exclude their Top Notch Restaurant.

So email,don't phone, because hosts can be busy or can have days off.... also a host you select can send the email to a newer host but can't do that with a phone call.

Now I'm curious. What level hotel do you think will RFB a newcomer for transferring $5,000 to a cage?

Quote: billryan

Now I'm curious. What level hotel do you think will RFB a newcomer for transferring $5,000 to a cage?

NONE.
And places like Wynn, Encore, Venetian, Palazzo, or other Biggies.... won't even notice it. Not ever.

However, mid tier or lower tier places do enjoy Wire Transfers, people who describe their action and people who actually live up to their declared action, people who notify a host rather than start off mooching via a host and people who start right off asking to be rated but not necessarily trying to get immediately rewarded for anything.

If he says its his first trip to Vegas, wires five K, puts five K in action, is seen doing the Lord's work a few times... casinos often like to "invest" in such new players and will be generous.

Thanks for the response.

I read somewhere that I shouldn't even notify the casino in advance, not even sign up for a players card prior... just bring my $5k-$10k and throw it on the felt hoping the pit boss/host to offer my lodging comped on the spot, among other things. Which do you suggest? Also, which hotel? I was thinking the Cosmopolitan or The Hard Rock would accommodate me due to their crowd and their attempted age market (I'm 22).

Quote: FleaStiff

Airfare? No Way, pal. Sorry.

Hotel room,,, probably, but do not EVER expect to get them to commit to it on your first trip. They want to see your ACTION, not your potential. ACTION is money that you actually put at risk, not have in your pocket or their cage area.

Benefits... YES,.

First of all... you can visit their website and select a 'host' to contact... that can put you in a better situation than random assignment.

Second, I would NOT ask for a limo, but if you send an update email (NOT phone call) to your host you just might find you will get a limo at the airport.

Third and main advantage: By contacting the casino and being scrupulously HONEST with them you will start off with the best rating that you might otherwise get. Reports from pit bosses and floor personnel will start flowing into their computers right away. Nothing will be overlooked due to busy personnel.

If you email them saying this is my type of action AND you live up to it as far as hours, games and ACTION. You may get a few 'benefit of the doubt' decisions going your way in your rating because its a this guy was honest with us right from the beginning situation.

The cage can help with the transfer, so can your host, but at your level of play I would not ask for anything and my email of my itinerary would merely say "I hope to be able meet with you prior to my checking out". Don't ask for a limo, don't ask to meet with thehost upon arrival. Just let the host know your Wire Confirmation number, the amount, your itinerary, your PLAN for action...when they see your ACTUAL action, your honesty will help you, not hurt you.

I would EXPECT to be RFB....Room Food Beverage.... Do NOT even expect Airfare and its likely your Food will exclude their Top Notch Restaurant.

So email,don't phone, because hosts can be busy or can have days off.... also a host you select can send the email to a newer host but can't do that with a phone call.

Thanks for the response.

I read somewhere that I shouldn't even notify the casino in advance, not even sign up for a players card prior... just bring my $5k-$10k and throw it on the felt hoping the pit boss/host to offer my lodging comped on the spot, among other things. Which do you suggest? Also, which hotel? I was thinking the Cosmopolitan or The Hard Rock would accommodate me due to their crowd and their attempted age market (I'm 22).

Quote: ss0247

Thanks for the response.

I read somewhere that I shouldn't even notify the casino in advance, not even sign up for a players card prior... just bring my $5k-$10k and throw it on the felt hoping the pit boss/host to offer my lodging comped on the spot, among other things. Which do you suggest? Also, which hotel? I was thinking the Cosmopolitan or The Hard Rock would accommodate me due to their crowd and their attempted age market (I'm 22).

Of course, you're not going to throw your money on the felt all at once. And you'll get the best comps a low-roller joint where your wagering will give you more clout. Your fist trip will give you a chance to get your feet wet and figure it out. The best time to ask your host what they can do for you is at the end of your stay when your action can be properly evaluated.

Book a room through the casino and make sure not to pay for the whole thing right now. If you think you'll buy a lot of expensive food and charge it to the room, go ahead and find a deal on expedia then get your food comped.

If you want to call and try to sweet talk a host, the most you will get is a provisional room. The advantage of this route is that when applying comps from your play, you are more likely to get the lesser rack rate. This can be a substantial discount on the weekend.

Upper end strip won't care. At all. I also wouldn't expect to get more than 20-25% of theo, a lot of value can be found in the return offers. Try to put in 3-4 hours per day, even if half of it is on $10 blackjack or $15 pai gow. Of course, all of this varies by program.

OP,

How big do you play and what games?

Quote: ss0247

Thanks for the response.

I read somewhere that I shouldn't even notify the casino in advance, not even sign up for a players card prior... just bring my $5k-$10k and throw it on the felt hoping the pit boss/host to offer my lodging comped on the spot, among other things. Which do you suggest? Also, which hotel? I was thinking the Cosmopolitan or The Hard Rock would accommodate me due to their crowd and their attempted age market (I'm 22).

Not sure how familiar you are with these things. If you get 5k in chips, play for 100 hands at $50 and cash out then you should expect absolutely nothing from the casino. In 3 days If you have 6 sessions of 2 or 3 hours each with a buy in of $1000 and have an average of 40 or 50 then you will have a case for some comps. Rating and getting comps isn't about how much you buy in for.

Quote: GWAE

Not sure how familiar you are with these things. If you get 5k in chips, play for 100 hands at $50 and cash out then you should expect absolutely nothing from the casino. In 3 days If you have 6 sessions of 2 or 3 hours each with a buy in of $1000 and have an average of 40 or 50 then you will have a case for some comps. Rating and getting comps isn't about how much you buy in for.

So do you suggest I spread my 5-10k across the weekend or play it all in one sitting?

Quote: ss0247

So do you suggest I spread my 5-10k across the weekend or play it all in one sitting?

If I may, I suggest you find as good of bets as you can and make it last as long as possible. You are graded not on your bankroll, but on how much money you expose to them and how many hours you play.

So ideally you want your 5k bankroll to get bet 10-20 times over at least 4 hours a day, exposing 50k-100k over the course of your trip to start getting comped the way you want to be. You'll have to be lucky, or good, or both, to get that far with it without busting, but those are the type of numbers that get their attention, and it is doable. Just not easy.

That doesn't mean you have to make large bets, though average amount bet is a factor. Just bet things that are going to take a relatively small bite for the HE. Craps pass / don't pass line, decent blackjack, good video poker, stuff that's close to even money.

All jmho.

Quote: ss0247

So do you suggest I spread my 5-10k across the weekend or play it all in one sitting?

I think you are going about this backwards. What do you usually bet? $50 hand BJ? $1 VP? $15 craps with full odds and 3 come bets? Bet what you are comfortable with..... betting to hope to get comped is negative EV...

MUST DO: Drive out to the Railroad Pass casino just before sundown. Then, after the sun goes down, drive back towards Vegas. The view of the city lights when you come over that hill is AMAZING!!

You might want to check out Laughlin, as well. The landscape and geology along the Colorado River is also amazing. Don't forget the Grand Canyon.

You can gamble anywhere... once inside a casino, they all look pretty much the same. But Vegas is built in a beautiful desert valley, so I suggest to get outside and enjoy it.

Its a DRY HEAT.

When you drive to places like Henderson, Laughlin and Mesquite, you will find the gaming very competitive, far better than the big casinos on the strip. You can often find < $5 minimums, so its worth it either way to take a drive around the great state of Nevada.

My cousin Larry and me once drove all the way around Nevada and it was wonderful. Rent a car in Vegas head towards the Great Salt Basin, turn Left at I-80, and return by way of Lake Tahoe... you get to see so much along the way, and you get to think about the settlers journey way back when. I especially love the Hombolt, Carson and Truckee rivers, Walker, Mono, Pyramid and Tahoe lakes, and all the ma-and-pa restaurant stops.

There are plenty of cat-houses along the way, if that's your thing.

Try not to lose your money in a casino... if you don't gamble, or at least gamble within your spending limits, Vegas and the entire Nevada area is like heaven... a big playground for adults. But if you fall for the glitz and glamour and get tied down at a table trying to win your hard-earned money back, you'll have wished you took a road trip instead.

Have fun!!

Great advice disc, too many don't take it!

Quote: SOOPOO

I think you are going about this backwards. What do you usually bet? $50 hand BJ? $1 VP? $15 craps with full odds and 3 come bets? Bet what you are comfortable with..... betting to hope to get comped is negative EV...

Betting $50/$100 per hand blackjack depending on table minimums in the high limit room. $100 spin roulette, flat. I know that flat betting $100 per spin/swing doesn't correlate much with my $5k bankroll, but I do like to make big bets and have a earlier conclusion on my chip count. That statement did just contradict the comp gospel, but I will be gaming longer than usual possibly 2-3hrs x 2/3 nights staying.

Would be nice to have the spa comped at least, and the most the hotel and nightclub bottle service and a host who is somewhat intimate. Suggestions?

Quote: discflicker

MUST DO: Drive out to the Railroad Pass casino just before sundown. Then, after the sun goes down, drive back towards Vegas. The view of the city lights when you come over that hill is AMAZING!!

You might want to check out Laughlin, as well. The landscape and geology along the Colorado River is also amazing. Don't forget the Grand Canyon.

You can gamble anywhere... once inside a casino, they all look pretty much the same. But Vegas is built in a beautiful desert valley, so I suggest to get outside and enjoy it.

Its a DRY HEAT.

When you drive to places like Henderson, Laughlin and Mesquite, you will find the gaming very competitive, far better than the big casinos on the strip. You can often find < $5 minimums, so its worth it either way to take a drive around the great state of Nevada.

My cousin Larry and me once drove all the way around Nevada and it was wonderful. Rent a car in Vegas head towards the Great Salt Basin, turn Left at I-80, and return by way of Lake Tahoe... you get to see so much along the way, and you get to think about the settlers journey way back when. I especially love the Hombolt, Carson and Truckee rivers, Walker, Mono, Pyramid and Tahoe lakes, and all the ma-and-pa restaurant stops.

There are plenty of cat-houses along the way, if that's your thing.

Try not to lose your money in a casino... if you don't gamble, or at least gamble within your spending limits, Vegas and the entire Nevada area is like heaven... a big playground for adults. But if you fall for the glitz and glamour and get tied down at a table trying to win your hard-earned money back, you'll have wished you took a road trip instead.

Have fun!!

Thanks for the suggestion. I will take you up on it, however I won't have a vehicle and I hear the taxis are super expensive. This trip I hope will comprise of getting name exposure to the casinos and a visit to the mob museum. The casinos overshadow sometimes the great things that Vegas and the surrounding has to offer.

Cheers.

Quote: ss0247

Betting $50/$100 per hand blackjack depending on table minimums in the high limit room. $100 spin roulette, flat. I know that flat betting $100 per spin/swing doesn't correlate much with my $5k bankroll, but I do like to make big bets and have a earlier conclusion on my chip count. That statement did just contradict the comp gospel, but I will be gaming longer than usual possibly 2-3hrs x 2/3 nights staying.

Would be nice to have the spa comped at least, and the most the hotel and nightclub bottle service and a host who is somewhat intimate. Suggestions?

Get a much bigger bankroll for any of that. You don't have the funds to play long enough to make an impact with a host. And the spa or bottle service are comps typically well above your planned play. It's a lot of money to you, and to most people. It's low -roller to most casinos on the strip or even downtown.

Caesar's / Harrah's does specialize in treating low to mid rollers like they're higher. They're not the only ones, but they do a very good job of it. I suggest you book with them if you want the strip, or the D downtown; they also give decent comps for low play. Don't waste your time getting MGM to look at you; they won't.