Interesting Player Development call

Hi. I had an interesting exchange with my host. His title is actually as a Director of Player Development. I stay at the Nugget in Vegas. A few weeks ago I was there for thier Super Bowl bash and when I checked out the host on duty comped about 1/3 of the RFB. I thought I deserved more but let it go beause I don't play for comps and things like that aren't worth arguing about. My guy was out for a few days for reasons unknown.

Anyway, I had been planning to take them up on another offer when my host called me first. Somewhere along the way he must have reviewed his players' action and apologized and told me over the phone that he was refunding all my charges.

During the same call I told him that I was going to come out in a few weeks with a buddy and he asked me what I like to drink so that he could have a bottle in the room waiting for me. That's a first that I didn't expect and, without my asking, upgraded my suite to the second highest category. I also asked him if he could arrange a room for my friend and at least give him a decent room rate. He told me that he'd have the room comped, no problem, even though I told my guy straight up on the call that my freind would almost certainly be a red chip bettor. He comped the room for him for free all the same.

FYI, I keep a running total and I've taken 5 figures from them over the last two years. Conservative play with some good luck.

I know that my play would barely register at a high end strip property but I was wondering what category this puts me in at the Nugget. I play simple craps on the (darkside) line or the 6/8 at about $300 a roll for 4 hours a day. It's hard to find out on the internet because if you google "high roller" all you get are articles about the Ferris wheel in front of the Linq.

Nobody can be a whale downtown; there is no such thing :-)

You could get better responses with a couple of more details in the post. Can you clarify what you mean by comping 1/3 of your RFB? Do you mean you payed up front for the rooms and were charging things back to it and they agreed to comp 1/3 of the total? Or do you mean you had comped up front rooms and any resort credit was based on play? Do you have a history of play at GN (sounds like you do)? What was the rough total amount of the rooms plus the resort credit?

Based on what you've said, you're underselling yourself when you say that your play would barely register at a high end strip properties and I can actually answer from personal experience. I play below your level. I am a little over $200 per roll at craps. I don't bet the dark side (WTF man!?) - I bet numbers, nothing inside. The $200/roll is my rated play not including odds. I always hit my four hours per day, never anything more unless I get too inebriated. I concentrate my play at MGM properties. My current offers from their website are four free nights in a suite (not a regular room) and $250-$350 in resort credit from the low-tier properties (Excaliber, NYNY, Park MGM) and $100-200 at the high tier properties (Bellagio, Aria). I am working with a host at MGM and get a little better than that: 4 nights in a suite, VIP lounge, limo pickup, and $100 per day in resort credit.

The disconnect here is how much the on-call host messed up by only comping 1/3 of your trip. First, the fact that the title of your host is "Director of Player Development" means that you don't JUST have a host - you have the boss of the hosts. Moreover, if I was in charge of player development at the Nugget, and I had a $300/roll craps player staying at my casino and gambling there, and the on-call host said, hey, we'll comp 1/3 of RFB, I'd hit the roof. The "on-call" host significantly undervalued your play from an expected loss standpoint.

It's my understanding based on conversations with my hosts at MGM properties that (at least at MGM) they divide these things into RFB-1 and RFB-2 - RFB-1 being regular room and say - $100 a day in resort credit and RFB-2 as being around $350 per day in resort credit and an upgraded room. Based on your play levels, they should be calculating your expected loss at thousands of dollars per day and I believe you would be a solid RFB-1 and borderline RFB-2 player at an MGM or Total Rewards Property.

Finally, I would point out that your running total is meaningless to them - or at least it should be. They're calculating your value to them based on expected loss. That running total is just good variance in your direction. If they are good at what they do - and I'm sure they are - they know that over the long haul if you are betting money at games that have a statistical edge in their favor, they will beat you.

In summary, I think it's a reasonable reaction from the host and wouldn't read into it any more than that. He or she is trying to retain you as a client after a mistake by a less senior member of the team. The idea that you got a 1/3 RFB comp on that play at the GN is ridiculous and you would get the same or better at Strip properties. Your host knows this (though it seems like you don't!) and wants to keep you coming to GN. If you don't believe me, go and stay at any Strip property, get a players card, and play like you would at one casino the entire time. Confirm your rated play with the table manager after every session. Check periodically at the mLife / TR desk as to how you're being rated. After your stay walk into the host's office and ask if your play is enough to qualify for a host and what they can do for you on this trip. If you're getting rated at $300 per roll for four hours per day, I'd be willing to bet that you get your room comped and $400-600 worth of resort credit for the trip.

I hope the above was helpful and good luck holding on to your winnings.

Quote: dalsanto3

You could get better responses with a couple of more details in the post. Can you clarify what you mean by comping 1/3 of your RFB? Do you mean you payed up front for the rooms and were charging things back to it and they agreed to comp 1/3 of the total? Or do you mean you had comped up front rooms and any resort credit was based on play? Do you have a history of play at GN (sounds like you do)? What was the rough total amount of the rooms plus the resort credit?


The disconnect here is how much the on-call host messed up by only comping 1/3 of your trip. First, the fact that the title of your host is "Director of Player Development" means that you don't JUST have a host - you have the boss of the hosts. Moreover, if I was in charge of player development at the Nugget, and I had a $300/roll craps player staying at my casino and gambling there, and the on-call host said, hey, we'll comp 1/3 of RFB, I'd hit the roof. The "on-call" host significantly undervalued your play from an expected loss standpoint.

It's my understanding based on conversations with my hosts at MGM properties that (at least at MGM) they divide these things into RFB-1 and RFB-2 - RFB-1 being regular room and say - $100 a day in resort credit and RFB-2 as being around $350 per day in resort credit and an upgraded room. Based on your play levels, they should be calculating your expected loss at thousands of dollars per day and I believe you would be a solid RFB-1 and borderline RFB-2 player at an MGM or Total Rewards Property.



In summary, I think it's a reasonable reaction from the host and wouldn't read into it any more than that. He or she is trying to retain you as a client after a mistake by a less senior member of the team. The idea that you got a 1/3 RFB comp on that play at the GN is ridiculous and you would get the same or better at Strip properties. Your host knows this (though it seems like you don't!) and wants to keep you coming to GN. If you don't believe me, go and stay at any Strip property, get a players card, and play like you would at one casino the entire time. Confirm your rated play with the table manager after every session. Check periodically at the mLife / TR desk as to how you're being rated. After your stay walk into the host's office and ask if your play is enough to qualify for a host and what they can do for you on this trip. If you're getting rated at $300 per roll for four hours per day, I'd be willing to bet that you get your room comped and $400-600 worth of resort credit for the trip.

I hope the above was helpful and good luck holding on to your winnings.

I had a Rush Tower Junior Suite for 4 days on Super Bowl weekend. It was comped up front for about $1000 (I never bothered to check at time, along with $325 show up money and the limo/lounge. The RFB bill that I settled, and was reimbursed for, came to $400, give or take.

Quote: Lovecomps

I had a Rush Tower Junior Suite for 4 days on Super Bowl weekend. It was comped up front for about $1000 (I never bothered to check at time, along with $325 show up money. The RFB bill that I settled, and was reimbursed for, came to $400, give or take.

So on 16 hours at $300 per roll:

- Comped suite for four nights
- $325 in resort credit up front
- You put $400 on the room in additional expenses, for a total of about $725 on the room, which was initially only comped for about $450 and got increased to a $725 comp based on your host's call.

I'll take a step back on some of my statements above about being undercomped because I thought you were just getting a 1/3 RFB comp (e.g. ~$500 comped out of the total above), but you still should expect full RFB at the Nugget IMO and that's why you're getting the call from your host. $300/roll and four hours per day is a big player. The on-call host should have said, "Mr. Lovecomps, of course we will take care of whatever you have on the room." You're not a high roller, but I think "medium roller" would be an appropriate description. You'd certainly be on the radar for a host at any Vegas casino.