Help on getting comps

I feel like I am missing out on some comps because I am so shy and introverted. I feel like I deserve some special treatment because of my action, or at least to be told that I am dreaming, but am not quite sure who to talk to or how to ask them about comps. Could anyone help out by letting me know who, how, what, and when they ask for comps? Any encouragement that it is okay to ask for comps would also be helpful for me. I've done plenty of waiting around for the casino to just give me stuff out of the goodness of their heart but it doesn't seem to be working. Any help for a relatively new gambler would be appreciated - thanks!

I have found that if you are betting an average of $25 or more you can get something on the spot. Lets say you are playing $25 a hand. Most of the strip properties will give you a comp to the coffee shop. If you are playing at $100 or more you may be able to get your room taken care of. But playing for comps is always a bad idea. That $20 lunch could cost you $200+ in gaming losses. When you sign up for the players club you will almost always get some kind of discount on rooms for just being a member. The more play you put in the better the offers tend to get. Vegas has gotten really stingy with comps lately, so myself as a low roller I just find the casino that serves the best drinks and go from there (Wynn/Encore and Aria are good places to go).

Quote: FrGamble

I feel like I am missing out on some comps because I am so shy and introverted. I feel like I deserve some special treatment because of my action, or at least to be told that I am dreaming, but am not quite sure who to talk to or how to ask them about comps. Could anyone help out by letting me know who, how, what, and when they ask for comps? Any encouragement that it is okay to ask for comps would also be helpful for me. I've done plenty of waiting around for the casino to just give me stuff out of the goodness of their heart but it doesn't seem to be working. Any help for a relatively new gambler would be appreciated - thanks!

For 99% of people the best thing is get a players club card and be sure to present it. If you play slots, well, all you can do is insert it and play. If you play tables present it when you walk up. They should ask but a good policy is have it in one hand when you buy in with the other. Then the dealer or boxman will take it and get you entered. Unless you are a bit of a high roller don't expect much in the way of "discretionary comps" as the corporate world calculates for every penny.

Pick what looks like a slow-moving table since time and level are what you will be based on. Save your time trying to bet big a few hands then move down. Every pit boss in the world knows this trick. One "trick" you can try is buy in for more then "rathole" some cheques when nobody is looking. Your buyin is the most you can lose so no matter what that will be part of the equation.

All in all, play your normal game at your normal levels and simply be nice. You may ask a simple, "Am I close to earning anything good?" If you are close they may bump you up. If you are cool a $15 player could be a $20 player. But it is all about theoretical loss anda % of that.

If you have more than one casino you go to, DO check your levels after similar play and go to the one that treats you better.

What game do you play? Where do you like to play?

I like to play Blackjack, Craps, and Video Poker. At BJ I'm usually betting 25 with only a 1-4 spread. Craps I place the 6 and 8 and play 10 pass line with 3-4-5 odds. VP at the $1 level. Is it even crazy to think about comps at this level? Also do my wins (I wish) hurt me in getting comps? Has anyone heard of a floorperson getting upset with people asking for comps or should you ask the dealer first? Thanks.

Your level should be giving you some free food. VP won't get you rated as high as being a slot player (but smart people don't play slots). Wins or losses dont matter, it is all about the theo, but sometimes a casino will give you a discretionary comp for a big loss. I suggest playing at the M resort, they seem to be more generous with their comps than the strip & downtown, plus the people working there are very friendly; the pit boss actually chatted with me for about 20 minutes when I was playing (and im a red chip player).

Your action should get you comps just about anywhere in Vegas. On the strip at the higher end places you should get food and occasional free room offers. At the lower end strip and high end off-strip places, you should get a bunch of free rooms and better food, and gifts. At the lower end off-strip places, you should get whatever the heck you want. So yeah, don't be afraid to ask.

Quote: FrGamble

I feel like I am missing out on some comps because I am so shy and introverted. I feel like I deserve some special treatment because of my action, or at least to be told that I am dreaming, but am not quite sure who to talk to or how to ask them about comps. Could anyone help out by letting me know who, how, what, and when they ask for comps? Any encouragement that it is okay to ask for comps would also be helpful for me. I've done plenty of waiting around for the casino to just give me stuff out of the goodness of their heart but it doesn't seem to be working. Any help for a relatively new gambler would be appreciated - thanks!

Well no matter what level you play at you will get comps.....They will build on you players club card of course the more you bet....The higher your theoretical loss will be, the higher you comp value will be. I remember when it was standard to comp 40% of theoretical loss. Now if they comp 40% they are considered "loose with comps" LOL! How comps work are really easy when you hand the pit boss you players card he is gonna watch to see how much you bet, and look in from time to time to see if you bet has gone up or down. When you sit down the "timer" will start and when you get up to leave the "timer" will stop. Depending on what the pit boss "rated" you at times the length of time you were at the table will determine how many "reward points" or "comps" will go onto your players card. Every casino will figure their reward point deferentially some better than others. All you have to do is go to the players club deck at any casino and look or ask and they will tell you how many points are on you card(there are normally different levels) and what you can do with them. Than of course a host or pit boss can give a "discretionary comp" But these are gonna be few and far between unless you are a green and black player only.

When in Vegas everything is charged to my room card...every meal, every time I buy a coffee or something in the deli, a pack of gum in the gift shop. You name it...its getting charged to the room card. When I check out I ask to have my comps from my players card applied to my bill. And depending on how much I gambled, how cool the pit boss was when rating me, and whether he was cool and kept hitting the button that I was at the table even after I left......I get most if not all of my bill comped. My bill is normally around $700 and it will normally get comped. But I have a normal casino with a host. But I am by no means a high roller. But I only bet green and black chips.

Then of course there are the "mailers"...free rooms or discounted rooms ect ect the more you play the longer you play and the larger the bet you play of course will determined how good these "mailers" are!

In my personal experience I have found if I stay at a table for at least 4 hours the casino will be looser with the comps...For some reason the 4 hour mark seems the be the magic number for a lot of casinos...dont know why, or maybe this is just my imagination!

What is comped and how it is comped varies from place to place, or actually from one owner to another (e.g. MGM, Harrahs, Boyd, etc).

A lot of places will accumulate points from slot/VP play on your card which can be redeemed for meals or cash. At Boyd you can just present your card at the register and they will scan it like a credit card and deduct the points. At their restaurants you get 40% off meal prices when playing with points. So a $10 buffet will cost $6 worth of points.

Table play is usually handled by the pit manager. The dealer can't help you other than calling over the manager if you can't get their attention. Towards the end of your session, just ask the manager for "a buffet comp for two" or "dinner for two at xxx restaurant".

You should get offers in the mail for free or discounted rooms just by using the card without ever having to ask for anything.

I'm most familiar with Main Street Station where I stay and play. At your play level there you should never have to pay for a room or meal.

I have had different experiences, and it might be more of a case of downtown vs. strip.

I tend to stick to craps, with 10 pass and 20 odds.

An hour of this at the Golden Nugget got me a Sunday buffet comp.
An hour of this at the Mirage got me a cold shoulder.

Quote: ThatDonGuy

I have had different experiences, and it might be more of a case of downtown vs. strip.

I tend to stick to craps, with 10 pass and 20 odds.

An hour of this at the Golden Nugget got me a Sunday buffet comp.
An hour of this at the Mirage got me a cold shoulder.

Well...most casinos are not going to rate odds....Some will, The M resort comes to mind on a casino that rates odds on craps. IMO the casinos that rate odds just use a lower theoretical loss percentage. Lets assume that those place are both rating you at $10(not rating odds) and I will assume their TL is 1.5% even though your TL on a P/L is 1.4% and that they are comping back 40% of TL. We will assume 25 come outs per hour. $10x1.5%x25x40%...you comp value should be somewhere around $1.50

THi si out of my experience, I've never been comped anything, but wouldn't the OP's level of play get anyone really good offers, and a host, at alow-roller place like 4 Queens, MSS or so? I'm asking because based onw hat I often read here, most Strip properties, the ones worth staying at, would expect higher levels of play.

My play, I think, rates being told "Come again!" And I can get that at the corner store for a lot less :P

1. Change $500 or more for chips when you sit down even if you only play $5. Don't do $100 and $100
2. For the 1st couple of hands, bet heavy. This is the time floor looked at you. They are too lazy to look at your play again.
3. Some casinos now comp based upon your losses. So,... too bad. I think The Orleans comps up to 20% of your losses.
4. Get a marker account, always cash out markers.
5. Ask your high roller friends to play your card.
There are more techniques to get comped. U can find them documented in many books..

My experience with the Harrah's properties is that they give lots of free rooms and other offers via mailers but are quite stingy with point earned comps for table games. I would guess if you are playing steady green BJ with an occassional black thrown in you will never have to pay for a room at any Harrah's (now Caesar's) property. I wholeheartedly agree with a previous poster who said bet bigger your first few hands while the pit boss is entering your data. I also always cash in for more than I would be willing to lose. And although I never used that phrase before, I periodically 'rathole chips', too. After my last $300 win which I was up over $600 earlier, when I left I colored up for my initial buy in with the $300 in my pocket. I know some say only 'theo loss' counts, but sometimes it doesn't seem to work that way.

Speaking of ratholeing chips, anyone have a dealer demand the green chips in your pocket when you color up at the end of a session? This last trip I had a dealer that kept asking for the green chips in my pocket and I kept telling her I didn't have any, even though we both knew that I did.

Yes. But don't exchange for black chips. always exchange $75 for 3 greens :-)))) Just have fun playing the system.

Quote: kp

Speaking of ratholeing chips, anyone have a dealer demand the green chips in your pocket when you color up at the end of a session?

That's preposterous. It's none of their d-----d business! If they're so uptight, they could be pulling some other yo-yo stuff, too.

Quote: kp

Speaking of ratholeing chips, anyone have a dealer demand the green chips in your pocket when you color up at the end of a session? This last trip I had a dealer that kept asking for the green chips in my pocket and I kept telling her I didn't have any, even though we both knew that I did.

You should have proceeded to spit in their face and cold-cock them.

Quote: TIMSPEED

You should have proceeded to spit in their face and cold-cock them.

Well, they are doing their jobs.

Here's my article on earning and using comps:

http://vegasclick.com/gambling/comps.html

Thanks that is an awesome link - thanks everyone!

Quote: MichaelBluejay

Here's my article on earning and using comps:

http://vegasclick.com/gambling/comps.html

One thing I didn't see mentioned, but I also never see it mentioned elsewhere, is that some casinos will require a minimum bet at table games before they will even take your player's club card. In Vegas, the only place I've seen this happen is at Harrah's. (Pai Gow Poker, $5 minimum table, but $10 was required betting before they would record your action on your player's card.)

Yeah, I try to not load up my articles with trivia which is of no practical value.

.....

Well, that certainly makes getting comps harder than in the past. I'll check this out. Thanks for the tip.

I asked a suit at the MGM the other night and he told me the opposite: They'll rate any level bet no matter how low, as long as it meets the table minimum (of course).

Quote: MichaelBluejay

I asked a suit at the MGM the other night and he told me the opposite: They'll rate any level bet no matter how low, as long as it meets the table minimum (of course).

My wife flat bet $10 at blackjack there recently and received some very fair ratings.

Quote: FrGamble

I feel like I am missing out on some comps because I am so shy and introverted. .... I've done plenty of waiting around for the casino to just give me stuff out of the goodness of their heart but it doesn't seem to be working. Any help for a relatively new gambler would be appreciated - thanks!

Start by knowing your Theo. "Theo" is short for your theoretical value to the casino which of course means how much a statistician would say that you will lose to them. Please note it has nothing whatsoever to do with actual results and is not a value that is adjusted to ever reflect actual results.

Start with the game you play, the amount of your average bet, the length of time you play, and the house edge that the casinos use in their computers and the rates of play in their computers. If you happen to be playing Blackjack at an otherwise empty table you are actually playing faster and therefor placing your money at risk more often than their computerized comp program is awarding you any comp dollars, since the casinos computer assumes a five players rate of play. If you are actually at a full seven person table with everyone taking alot of time, you are actually risking your money at a slower rate than their comp computer is awarding you comp dollars.

The problem is that these are "mythical dollars" that just go into your account in the casino's computer. The casino will award you comps based on their policies and the requests that you make. Often if you don't ask, you don't get. Some people talk to a host upon arrival, some only at departure, some never do and some players interact with their host all during their stay.

If you ask a floor man for a meal comp he will punch your card number into the computer and see how much money you've been risking ... you will normally get a meal comp if you are at or even near what their computer requires. A comp to a buffet or a deli sandwich is cheap. A comp to a top tier steakhouse in the casino is more costly for them.

Some people are RFB: Room, Food, Beverage. They stay, eat and drink for free. Now if you are lucky and win the casino's money they will want you to return and bring their money back to them. If you lose, they will want you to come back and try again at THEIR casino rather than someplace else. So often they will make additional adjustments based on your actual results but often comps are simply based on your Theo and you might as well get what should be coming to you, even if it is only some lousy sun visor cap with a casino logo on it.

The Grande in Biloxi has what I consider to be a lousy comp program, Indian casinos tend to be notoriously stingy, but in Vegas comps are handled well. Usually.

Thanks FrGamble for asking a question I've been too shy to ask myself. Sorry to belabor the point, but are there more examples of the "magic words" to use with the floor person when you're trying to get a comp (after being rated and playing for awhile). I think it's like this:

"Can I get a buffet comp?"
"Have I played enough for dinner at X?"
"How much more to have a hooker sent up to my room?"

Is that about right?

Also, if you're trying to have room charges comped, can you ask the desk person at checkout, or do you have to talk to a host? The only time I tried this I went to see a host, at the Golden Nugget. He took me into his office, and I felt like I was going to the Godfather to make my request at his daughter's wedding. Actually the guy was super nice, but the whole experience was pretty nerve wracking to me.

I find that going to the host's office is best, some go to the player club desk and ask. At the Venetian I just happened to approach the credit desk to ask a question and prefaced my comments with an "I'll be checking out shortly"... and suddenly all my room charges were itemized and zeroed out and all the tips were itemized and zeroed out. I didn't even intend to ask for com;ps, I just accidently uttered the magic words to a randomly selected employee.

Now as to that "hooker sent up to the room" .. nah. Some Hollywood movie had that scene were a hooker knocking on the hotel door wore a casino uniform and her name tag read Entertainment Department. Casino managers cringe at such things. Now a comped helicopter ride to Pahrump, that can be arranged.

First always present your players card no matter how small you may think you are playing. Second, be friendly and social with the pit bosses. Now sometimes it will work, sometimes not depending but I have come home after talking with pit bosses for a couple of hours and found i had acquired mega points, even at the Harrah's casinos. Especially here on the east coast we have exchanged restaurant and sports bar tips. Talked about vacations family whatever and you will be very pleasantly surprised. When I was engaged about ten years ago we were playing craps at Harrah's Las Vegas and I was talking for a long time to a Japaneese boss about the difficulties of marring outside of my ethnic group He told me he had faced the same from his family also. I told him we would be coming back out for part of our honeymoon. Ten minutes later he came over and gave us four comp nights for when we returned later that year. In addition, playing $10 pass line bets, I got diamond in a day from Harrah's. So always be friendly. Last, do not be afraid to ask, the worse they can say is no.

Quote: hook3670

I was talking for a long time to a Japaneese boss about the difficulties of marring outside of my ethnic group He told me he had faced the same from his family also. I told him we would be coming back out for part of our honeymoon. Ten minutes later he came over and gave us four comp nights...

Marrying outside my ethnic group can help me get comps? I'm on it ;)