Casino Reward Programs
February 8th, 2011 at 4:06:06 AM
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Hey all, first post here, I'm from Brisbane, Australia, and I'm looking for some advice regarding the Casino Reward programs that they offer at two of the casinos here. Which are linked together.
Currently the rewards system stands on tiered levels. Depending on how much you play/spend.
Entry free
Silver 30 casino dollars/ 50 hours of table play at at least $10 bet
not really sure what it takes to make one casino dollar but it involves playing the slots
Gold over 700 casino dollars
Platinum Invite only
I'm trying to work out if it would be worth my while attempting to make my way up the reward ranks. Would it be easy to get 50 hours of table play, at say blackjack, with just 1000 dollars, ten dollar bets only, playing basic strategy.
I have a friend who is a platinum member and she got there by just playing the slots. Had a few big wins.
I'm not really set out to make a lot of money, just to have fun mainly and build up the rewards and to see how long I can make that 1000 dollars last.
The rewards are worth it in my opinion. Once you reach Gold you get free parking, accommodation, free food, free drinks, tickets to sports games, tvs, cameras, all kinds of stuff, I guess its so they can get you to keep coming back.
Would anyone know of any calculators I could use to work this out? Work out turnovers, and time played. I think that's all the casino care about, how much money you turn over.
Thanks guys
Currently the rewards system stands on tiered levels. Depending on how much you play/spend.
Entry free
Silver 30 casino dollars/ 50 hours of table play at at least $10 bet
not really sure what it takes to make one casino dollar but it involves playing the slots
Gold over 700 casino dollars
Platinum Invite only
I'm trying to work out if it would be worth my while attempting to make my way up the reward ranks. Would it be easy to get 50 hours of table play, at say blackjack, with just 1000 dollars, ten dollar bets only, playing basic strategy.
I have a friend who is a platinum member and she got there by just playing the slots. Had a few big wins.
I'm not really set out to make a lot of money, just to have fun mainly and build up the rewards and to see how long I can make that 1000 dollars last.
The rewards are worth it in my opinion. Once you reach Gold you get free parking, accommodation, free food, free drinks, tickets to sports games, tvs, cameras, all kinds of stuff, I guess its so they can get you to keep coming back.
Would anyone know of any calculators I could use to work this out? Work out turnovers, and time played. I think that's all the casino care about, how much money you turn over.
Thanks guys
February 8th, 2011 at 4:39:46 AM
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Wouldnt this go under the "dont play for comps" rule of thumb?
"Although men flatter themselves with their great actions, they are not so often the result of a great design as of chance." - Francois De La Rochefoucauld
February 8th, 2011 at 5:04:11 AM
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Well, I'm not going to advise you as to what things you should value or what your personal priorities should be, but just how much do you think that "free" parking is going to cost you? Just how much do you think that "free" ticket to a sporting event will cost you?
OUR casinos give free booze, free food, free hotel rooms, free limousines, free shopping cards good at jewelry stores, but NONE of it is really free!
Don't go to the casino more often so as to get freebies.
Don't bet more than you normally would so as to get freebies.
Don't play slots or table games for freebies, play what you want to play for enjoyment.
Now I see nothing wrong with being aware of various programs that casinos have to reward their frequent customers. If you played the way you wanted to play and they want to give you a free hat and a free cup of coffee ... go for it! If you played the way you wanted to play and they want to give you a free TV... go for it. Don't start changing the amounts of your bets to please the casino rewards program.
here casinos determine your theoretical value based on the game you played, the amount of your bets and a few other factors. They don't much care whether you won or lost, they focus on the amount that you bet. Then they rebate a certain percentage of your theoretical value to the casino thru their comps program.
So don't plan your gambling around the existence of a rewards program.
Gamble as you wish to. Its your money and the casino's goal is to take that money from you. The low cut blouse on the blackjack dealer is part of the casino's goal of taking your money. The Casino Reward Program is part of the goal too.
OUR casinos give free booze, free food, free hotel rooms, free limousines, free shopping cards good at jewelry stores, but NONE of it is really free!
Don't go to the casino more often so as to get freebies.
Don't bet more than you normally would so as to get freebies.
Don't play slots or table games for freebies, play what you want to play for enjoyment.
Now I see nothing wrong with being aware of various programs that casinos have to reward their frequent customers. If you played the way you wanted to play and they want to give you a free hat and a free cup of coffee ... go for it! If you played the way you wanted to play and they want to give you a free TV... go for it. Don't start changing the amounts of your bets to please the casino rewards program.
here casinos determine your theoretical value based on the game you played, the amount of your bets and a few other factors. They don't much care whether you won or lost, they focus on the amount that you bet. Then they rebate a certain percentage of your theoretical value to the casino thru their comps program.
So don't plan your gambling around the existence of a rewards program.
Gamble as you wish to. Its your money and the casino's goal is to take that money from you. The low cut blouse on the blackjack dealer is part of the casino's goal of taking your money. The Casino Reward Program is part of the goal too.
February 8th, 2011 at 5:04:47 AM
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Well, I'm still new at this, didn't realise that could be considered a bad idea.
February 8th, 2011 at 5:10:52 AM
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Its not "bad" to accept a "freebie" from the casino.
Its simply bad to be unaware of the reason those freebies exist.
I get comped rooms, I get comped meals, I get free coffee, free orange juice, free Screwdrivers, but I eat what and when I want to, I drink coffee when I want to, I drink the Screwdrivers when I want to ... and I get all of those freebies by having gambled exactly the amounts that I wanted to at the exact times that I wanted to. I didn't gamble extra dollars to try to get a freebie from the casino. I didn't make any special trips to the casino just to qualify under their rewards program. I didn't select a particular game or slot machine based upon the casino's freebies.
Its simply bad to be unaware of the reason those freebies exist.
I get comped rooms, I get comped meals, I get free coffee, free orange juice, free Screwdrivers, but I eat what and when I want to, I drink coffee when I want to, I drink the Screwdrivers when I want to ... and I get all of those freebies by having gambled exactly the amounts that I wanted to at the exact times that I wanted to. I didn't gamble extra dollars to try to get a freebie from the casino. I didn't make any special trips to the casino just to qualify under their rewards program. I didn't select a particular game or slot machine based upon the casino's freebies.
February 8th, 2011 at 9:10:48 AM
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Most casinos give you comps based upon a percentage of your theoretical loss. This percentage is anywhere from 20% to maybe 35%, depending on the casino and its location. Some might be slightly higher, but not by much.
For example, lets say that in theory, you will lose $1,000 based upon the games/slots that you play. The casino will give you $200 to $350 worth of free stuff.
Now wait! There is still a catch!
Of this $200 to $350 worth of free stuff, the casino tends to give you what are called, "soft comps" which are comps that are not worth exactly that amount to the casino. For example, they might give you a free $200 room at the rack rate of $200, even though you are checking in on a weekday during a very slow time of the year. Had you checked into that room on your own through an internet special, that room might only cost you $75. Or the casino might give you a free meal at the coffee shop. Your bill at the coffee shop might be $25, but in reality, it is only costing the casino $10.
Most casinos do not give you "hard comps" which are comps where the actual value is worth actual money. In other words, if your theoretical loss is $200, the casino will not hand you $200 in cash on your way out the door.
Personally, I agree that it is wonderful for you to take advantage of comps if the casino wants to give them to you. However, do not play for comps. After all, it is no fun to lose $100 just to get a "free" coffee shop lunch that is worth $20.
For example, lets say that in theory, you will lose $1,000 based upon the games/slots that you play. The casino will give you $200 to $350 worth of free stuff.
Now wait! There is still a catch!
Of this $200 to $350 worth of free stuff, the casino tends to give you what are called, "soft comps" which are comps that are not worth exactly that amount to the casino. For example, they might give you a free $200 room at the rack rate of $200, even though you are checking in on a weekday during a very slow time of the year. Had you checked into that room on your own through an internet special, that room might only cost you $75. Or the casino might give you a free meal at the coffee shop. Your bill at the coffee shop might be $25, but in reality, it is only costing the casino $10.
Most casinos do not give you "hard comps" which are comps where the actual value is worth actual money. In other words, if your theoretical loss is $200, the casino will not hand you $200 in cash on your way out the door.
Personally, I agree that it is wonderful for you to take advantage of comps if the casino wants to give them to you. However, do not play for comps. After all, it is no fun to lose $100 just to get a "free" coffee shop lunch that is worth $20.
February 8th, 2011 at 9:15:10 AM
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I'll disagree with the responders. A casino I went to had a promotion that if you got 50 points, you got a $50 dinner gift certificate to a nice Italian restaurant they had on the premises. For another 100 points, you got a certificate for a free hotel stay, that I wanted to use for my in-laws that were coming to town.
150 points = $1500 coin-in at video poker. At single 0 video roulette, my expected loss was $40 for all 150 points.
So in some situations there are reasons to play just for comps.
Now to the OP. It usually doesn't make sense to play just for comps. But your question is: how much will 50 hours of BJ at $10 a hand cost you in expected loss.
60 hands an hour * 50 hours = 3000 hands of blackjack * $10 = 30,000 wagered. If you are playing good basic strategy you'll lose .5% = $150. Assuming they play a "normal" game of blackjack. You'll need to ask someone else about your "risk of ruin %"
Becoming a very basic card counter (Ace-5 count) will pretty much mean you're playing for free. It should make it a bit more fun too.
So I say, if you enjoy playing BJ, go for it. If you just want sporting tickets and hotel rooms, and you don't like gambling, it's a bad idea.
150 points = $1500 coin-in at video poker. At single 0 video roulette, my expected loss was $40 for all 150 points.
So in some situations there are reasons to play just for comps.
Now to the OP. It usually doesn't make sense to play just for comps. But your question is: how much will 50 hours of BJ at $10 a hand cost you in expected loss.
60 hands an hour * 50 hours = 3000 hands of blackjack * $10 = 30,000 wagered. If you are playing good basic strategy you'll lose .5% = $150. Assuming they play a "normal" game of blackjack. You'll need to ask someone else about your "risk of ruin %"
Becoming a very basic card counter (Ace-5 count) will pretty much mean you're playing for free. It should make it a bit more fun too.
So I say, if you enjoy playing BJ, go for it. If you just want sporting tickets and hotel rooms, and you don't like gambling, it's a bad idea.
February 8th, 2011 at 9:22:03 PM
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Well that's what I'm trying to work out. I'm going to be there playing Blackjack anyway so I figured I may as well try and take advantage of the comps in the best way possible.
Now I think most of you guys are talking about the comps you get WHILE you're playing. See, if I get myself up the rewards tiers to say, gold for instance, I'll be able to go in and eat and drink for free, whenever I like, without actually playing anything. For a whole year. I love the form of entertainment and of course I wouldn't be there solely to rack up reward points.
$150 for 50 hours of high class entertainment seems pretty good to me.
I heard somewhere that you need to go through at least 90k to make it to gold. If that were so and I went by the math in the previous post ( thanks by the way ) 1k - 150hrs - $450 lost. Give or take a bit of course. I think the benefits you would accumulate over the 365 day period would be well worth losing even 1k over.
I never really considered the rewards in the first place because I didn't think they would make much difference, but if I'm going to be there anyway, why not? Especially after everything I've seen that my 'platinum' friend gets up to. Currently she brings me free drinks on her card (johnny walker blue). I wouldn't mind being able to do that for myself.
I found a site with info on this particular casinos blackjack rules:
6 decks
Double on 9, 10 or 11.
Dealer stands on soft 17 (S17)
Split to 2 hands, including Aces
One card only on split aces
Double after split (DAS)
Double on soft 9 or 10
Blackjack pays 3:2
Insurance pays 2:1
Dealer blackjack takes Original Bets Only (OBO)
First card from shoe burnt, and shown to players.
House Edge: 0.534%
<----- has more info on the rewards programs
They're a partner of another casino which offers the 50hrs. This one allows you to accumulate casino dollars from table play and not just the slots. hmm
Now I think most of you guys are talking about the comps you get WHILE you're playing. See, if I get myself up the rewards tiers to say, gold for instance, I'll be able to go in and eat and drink for free, whenever I like, without actually playing anything. For a whole year. I love the form of entertainment and of course I wouldn't be there solely to rack up reward points.
$150 for 50 hours of high class entertainment seems pretty good to me.
I heard somewhere that you need to go through at least 90k to make it to gold. If that were so and I went by the math in the previous post ( thanks by the way ) 1k - 150hrs - $450 lost. Give or take a bit of course. I think the benefits you would accumulate over the 365 day period would be well worth losing even 1k over.
I never really considered the rewards in the first place because I didn't think they would make much difference, but if I'm going to be there anyway, why not? Especially after everything I've seen that my 'platinum' friend gets up to. Currently she brings me free drinks on her card (johnny walker blue). I wouldn't mind being able to do that for myself.
I found a site with info on this particular casinos blackjack rules:
6 decks
Double on 9, 10 or 11.
Dealer stands on soft 17 (S17)
Split to 2 hands, including Aces
One card only on split aces
Double after split (DAS)
Double on soft 9 or 10
Blackjack pays 3:2
Insurance pays 2:1
Dealer blackjack takes Original Bets Only (OBO)
First card from shoe burnt, and shown to players.
House Edge: 0.534%
<----- has more info on the rewards programs
They're a partner of another casino which offers the 50hrs. This one allows you to accumulate casino dollars from table play and not just the slots. hmm
February 15th, 2011 at 4:52:41 AM
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Rewards programs provide players with benefit, cash back and other prizes for being loyal customers. Some casinos require you to apply, while other casinos automatically enroll every player into their VIP program. Either way, almost every Internet casino allows players to accumulate points as they real money games. The more points you accumulate, the more rewards you earn. From here http://www.casinosdiary.com/' rel='nofollow' target='_blank'>http://www.casinosdiary.com/"]http://www.casinosdiary.com/ you may get more information on casino rewards programs.
