My precious son-in-law Steve is now back home. The plane carrying his Army unit from Iraq touched down at Fort Benning about 2 hours ago. Angela and the kids were there to hug him to death! And I can start breathing easy again after 14 months of worry!

Thanks to everyone who supported him with kind thoughts, boxes of goodies, and fervent prayers for his safety.

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It is 6 p.m. Monday - and Brad and I are just now getting rested up after chasing around town yesterday doing some great Mother’s Day casino promos. We usually play video poker only 3 or 4 times a week and a typical session is about two hours. The old gray mares just ain’t what they used to be! However, if there is an extra good promotion we might stretch out to a 4- or 5-hour session.

Once in awhile, usually on a holiday, many casinos run super promotions – and yesterday’s Mother’s Day was a perfect example. We started late morning, hit 6 casinos, and didn’t get home until midnight. No wonder we needed to rest today!

I thought I would tell you about our activities yesterday, to give you an idea how important promotions are to video poker players who want to play with an advantage, increasing the likelihood that they can pull out a long-term profit. What we did yesterday is just an example. Every savvy player in town did not do the same promos. There were more than any one person or couple could do in one day. So each player had to analyze the various promotions and decide which ones made the most sense for them, i.e., considering casino location, game selection, and the free time they had. I will also talk about how you can find out about casino promotions so perhaps you will have more and better options on the next holiday.

We got up earlier than usual (we are late sleepers) because we needed to pick up at 11 am our out-of-town guests we had put up at the Palazzo and take them to the airport. The airport drop-off area was the usual Sunday morning madhouse but once we took the tunnel to I-215, the freeway was not crowded and we were at Green Valley Ranch by noon. We found our favorite Multi-Strike machines empty and beckoning to us so we could start playing immediately.   This was a surprise because many people who get Station mailers (as we do) had 6X points this day and these machines are quite popular. 

In the past bonus-point days have been Station-wide and advertised in the media and anyone could take advantage of them, but in recent months there has been a switch to specific-property promotions and you only earn bonus points if they were listed on your mailer. This same thing is true with the Coast properties – fewer all-property public promotions. So one of the main ways to learn about and take advantage of promotions is by playing enough to get mailers from the casinos. This is true both for casinos that cater to locals and for downtown and Strip properties that cater more to tourists.

We had to leave GVR at 4:30 because we had been invited to a VIP dinner at the Hard Rock scheduled for 5. This was an extra postcard offer not in our regular monthly free play mailer. A dinner invitation is something we can easily turn down – we throw away hundreds of dollars of food comps every month – but this one came with an offer of $100 free play. Brad always says that if you want him to eat “banquet food” (which he really dislikes) then you must pay him to do it! Actually we had TWO “banquets” conflicting at 5 p.m. The other one was the tournament award dinner at the Venetian and we were kind of anxious to see how much Brad had won since he had three good scores. But we knew whatever he won he could pick it up at a later time – and tomorrow he will pick up $1500 at the Venetian cage for his 5th place win!

Next came a quick stop at Ellis Island where we each picked up our regularly scheduled bounce-back of $25. We had planned to complete our “circle” around that big block by stopping at Tuscany where we would pick up our regularly scheduled free play and then play for awhile at their 10X-point promotion. But earlier in the day, a friend had called us to find out if we knew that Silverton was giving 5x points all day. I find out that this fact had been “hiding” in a small ad in Friday’s paper that was promoting Mother’s Day menus in their restaurants, but I had been busy and hadn’t read Friday’s paper as I usually do before holidays since that is where you will often find last-minute promotions by locals casinos. Once again, I was grateful for networking – one of the ways to stay abreast of important casino news. 

So we skipped Tuscany, blowing off the $30 free play we could have collected. We got to Silverton about 7 p.m., went to the players club to check the details of the promo and to get new players cards since I hadn’t packed the Silverton baggie in my traveling file I stock each day before we leave to do battle with the casino. Normally we would be tired and ready to go home by 7 p.m., but this was a double-dipper promo since they were running another promotion the whole month of May in which you could get free play for your points instead of the previous comps-only. And we could earn our 6x points on one of Brad’s favorite machines – quarter Hundred Play. Actually it was a triple-dipper promo because our play would earn us future bounce-back free play mailers also. 

But our bodies gave up about 11 p.m. and told us we just couldn’t stand any more fun that day. We did manage to stop at the Palms because it is near our condo and I played off a $40 free play coupon that would expire at midnight.

And then it was home to our welcoming bed.

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Earlier tonight we took Brad’s daughter and son-in-law to see “Jersey Boys” at the Palazzo. (Seems like we need out-of-town guests to motivate us to see Strip shows these days!) We all enjoyed the show, not just for the music that we loved but also for this group’s fascinating story, the details with which we hadn’t been familiar.

However, there was unexpected real-life drama on the stage toward the end of the first act. First, a drink was spilled on the floor. That didn’t seem out of place since it was a bar scene. Even when Erich Bergen, playing Bob Gaudio, came rushing onstage and slipped on this wet spot and landed on his behind, he got up and the action continued so we didn’t think anything was amiss.  But then Erich didn't appear with the group for the next number and there was an awkward pause and some adlibbing by the others about when Bob Gaudio would come out. Then all the actors left the stage and there was an announcement that there would be a short intermission. We realized that this was unscripted since there was not an intermission scheduled at this point, and we began wondering if that slip and fall we had just seen was serious.   After a short time, an announcer came on again, saying that Mike Backes (an understudy) would be taking over the part of Bob Gaudio. Our suspicions were confirmed, although no details of the accident were mentioned in the announcement.

Mike did a great job the rest of the evening in the very important part of Bob Gaudio, the songwriter of the group, upholding well the tradition that the show must go on! And he was given a very rousing applause at the end of the show.

Of course, all of us in the audience left wondering how Erich Bergen was and hoping his injury in the fall was not serious.   An employee told me that he had hit his head but it looked to us more like he might have hurt his back. Perhaps we will find out in the news tomorrow?

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1. From someone who may be more “crazy frugal” than I am: “This is decidedly non frugal but well worth it. At the South Point barbershop, for $45 they will do an old fashioned shave. Straight razor, hot towels, cold towels, skin stuff, after-shave, the whole deal.  All that is missing is the theme music from “The Godfather.” I took my Type A++ personality brother-in law and he actually relaxed for the half hour and thoroughly enjoyed it. I am not sure if South Point will comp there, but that is one of the few things in Las Vegas that I will pay real money for.”

 [Oh my, I am impressed!]

2. Here's another update on the Wynn buffet:  “My nephew was there recently and he said the booth told him that you get 1 buffet at 25 pts and another at 50, 75 and 100 points. So, for $900 coin in on video poker, you can have 4 buffets at Wynn.  That is way too good of a deal to last.  That's about a 15% comp rate.”

[Always check promotions in advance. This one especially changes often.]

3. Online from AtlanticCityRose: “When I was there last week, it was so dead I played in the smoking section and it didn't bother me.”

[Now that’s dead! And they are still saying we aren’t in a “real” depression?]

4. Thanks to a reader who sent me this, one I’m surprised I hadn’t seen before. It summarizes Brad’s and my philosophy very nicely. "He who is frugal is the richest of men, and the miser is the poorest."

- Chamfort (1741-94), French satirist

There are more reader comments at my blog site and many give new casino information that might be useful to you.  Just go to the left side of any blog entry where there is a list of the most recent comments.  You can also find older comments at the end of any past blog entry. 

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My blog entries of April 22 and 25 must have hit a nerve because I got a lot of comments, not just here but in personal posts.  Here is one that spoke to some of the issues:

“I have been an advertising and marketing executive all of my life.  So when you mentioned a correction about your emailed offer from The Palms for $49 in April, I went back and looked at it.  You were right the first time.  Sometimes the Palms and other hotels say that a promotion is specifically for (name of cardholder + account number).  The email you referenced only required that you mention "OPER 226." In fact, I emailed that offer to many friends outside of Vegas because I specifically checked to see if it was for me only or for anyone with knowledge of the code.

“I have been coming to Las Vegas continuously since 1964 and now I live here.  The cutbacks that I am seeing just in the past year are astounding.  I live next door to a guy who is a manager at U. S. Foods, which delivers virtually everything casinos use in their food and beverage departments.  They are the primary vendor to 70% of the hotels here in Las Vegas.  He says their business is down 20%.  First, the cuts came from the small bars and taverns that closed their kitchens due to the smoking ordinance.  Then, the vast majority of taverns who still serve food have seen their business shrink to a fraction of what they had been doing.  Now the hotels have cut back on quality and variety.  I was surprised to learn about the wide range of pre-prepared frozen foods that are available in case lots, virtually anything and everything you can name and in various quality grades.

“So with tighter machines, increased prices of buffets, less selection and lower quality food, and poor service, the casinos are only going to increase the downward spiral in their business.”

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Blackjack Insider is an online gaming newsletter that comes as a monthly e-mail. Although the primary subject material is about blackjack, many articles cover other casino gambling topics as well.   A regular issue has both free content for subscribers and some for members-only who pay a small yearly fee. I find it full of gambling information that is not only interesting but also valuable in helping me get more out of the casino than they get out of me! 

Just out is the 100th issue of Blackjack Insider and it can be read by anyone who has access to a computer. No subscription or fee is required. It is filled with articles by gambling experts in many fields: card counting, blackjack, tournament play, craps, video poker, and live poker. Some of the authors give interesting details of how they got started in casino gambling. In fact, I include in my article some “secret” details of my early gambling experiences (pre-casino) that I have never put down in writing ever before.  

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I am writing this near midnight on April 29, a date that always brings nostalgic thoughts to Brad – and I hear lots of stories of his youth. 59 years ago on this date he left his parents’ home in the little town of Connersville, Indiana, and boarded a train to begin his new life in the Air Force. He had wanted to join the military since he was a little boy and played for hours with metal toy soldiers in his sandbox. So now at 17, he was able to start living his dream, and even the rough basic training in the Texas heat of Lackland Air Force Base didn’t dim it.

After basic training, he was on to Vance AF Base in Enid, Oklahoma, not an exciting place by any stretch. So after a few months, when he heard that there was free beer in Korea, he volunteered to go there. When he wrote to his mother about his new exciting assignment, she wrote back and asked, “Do you know there is a war going on in Korea?” This small fact had not yet penetrated his 17-year-old mind – it was just too full of thoughts of adventure.

He boarded a troop ship in L.A for the 12-day trip to Korea – or that was where he figured it was going. But to his surprise, it stopped first in Japan, where the few Air Force guys were told to get off and the Army infantry soldiers and Navy sailors would continue to Korea. Talk about luck.    Brad would spend the rest of his 30-month enlistment time, not in a war zone, but in a plum job as a warehouse supervisor who had a whole crew of Japanese workers to do all the work. This left him plenty of time to pursue the pleasures of youth – and there’s a whole book there, some of it X-rated!

April 29 also has great significance for Brad for another reason – and for me too because I shared that momentous day with him 19 years ago, when he retired from federal civilian employment at Naval Avionics in Indianapolis, Indiana. Now our stays in Vegas could be more than just short vacation visits.

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There seems to be a “bug” going around in Vegas recently, causing a short-term illness rather than the extended one which plagued us in the winter. They are calling it a 24-hour flu virus, but it usually floors you for three days. The first day you just feel bad and don’t know why. The second day you are flat in bed in-between the bathroom trips on which you don’t know which end has a more pressing need. On the 3rd day, the frequent bathroom trips are over, but you are so sore and exhausted you think you were run over by a semi.

I just finished with my three-day ordeal and feel okay, but Brad’s hit him when we were at Ellis Island this evening. He had been dragging all day and had felt a little nauseated but ate some chicken noodle soup and said he was feeling a little better. So we decided to do our monthly play because Sunday is a 6X point day. After about 20 minutes, Brad suddenly jumped up from his machine, took two steps, and then crumpled to the floor in silence. I was sure he had suffered another heart attack. I yelled for security. 

Then the most amazing thing happened – nothing. The customers kept playing their machines. The dealer at the empty craps table just looked at him …  like … people lying on the floor of the casino was just routine … like ...  “Oh, just another Ellis Island drunk.” 

After a minute Brad did get up on his own and recovered enough equilibrium to stagger to the restroom. I went to the pit where I finally was able to find a couple of security guards -- with no help from the crap dealer who was still just standing guard at his empty table. The guards were efficient. One went to the restroom to see if Brad was doing okay while the other helped me gather up my belongings –- and the couple of thousand dollars I almost forgot to punch out of our machines.

By now I was pretty sure Brad wasn’t having a heart attack but had probably caught the same “bug” from which I had just recovered. The guards said he was finished vomiting but too dizzy to walk so they brought him a wheelchair. They gave me his keys, one guard escorted me to the car, and then I drove around to pick him up at the door. 

I had driven a car my whole adult life, but when Brad retired 19 years ago I rarely took the wheel; he was a willing chauffeur wherever I needed or wanted to go. It’s our joke that Brad has to be dying to let me drive. I hadn’t been behind the wheel for years when in 2003 I drove him to the doctor’s office where he was found to be in the middle of a heart attack and was sent by ambulance right to the hospital.  

Anyway, I got us home all right – so I guess I haven’t forgotten that skill. Now I will get a chance to polish up my nursing skills to help Brad through the next couple days.

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Someone e-mailed me this comment on the Palms room offer I mentioned in my last entry: “I'm sorry, but THAT offer is NOT for any yokel & therefore should not have been mentioned.”

I appreciate the input. This is the sort of thing that happens to me when I have so many ideas in my head but don’t get them all out in print. I did mention this Palms offer being for just a few dates but I forgot to emphasize that this came as an e-mail directly to me -- and I have been a fairly heavy player at the Palms since it opened. That, of course, was an offer that the man off the street probably would not be able find.  

The point I was trying to make with this example was that it was a really bargain price compared to offers I had received in the past. (Actually I don’t take any room offer from a Vegas casino that is going to cost me real money since I can get all the comped rooms I need for our out-of-town visitors so this was just a theoretical exercise.)

The point of that whole blog entry was to show how players who search diligently can find all sorts of bargains, especially in this period of a declining economy.  And I want to mention now that more and more casinos are using the Internet for marketing to their customers and I recommend that you sign up for these messages at any casino where you would like to stay. Now the quality of the e-mails you will get will vary greatly. Some will give you prices that you can beat at other Internet sources. Some will give you a room offer for the next few days – and you live half way across the country and can’t possibly get a reasonable airline ticket in time. 

However, you will find some gold in some of these e-mails. We have received free play offers, cut-rate show ticket prices, and (like the above example) reasonable, even bargain room packages. If you sign up at casinos that are within driving distance, you may snag some last-minute valuable deals as casinos try to fill their property with warm bodies that might drop some gambling dollars.

You can  usually sign up for these e-mail messages at the casino's Web site.

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Yesterday my fellow blogger David McKee wrote about cuts the casinos were making to try to adjust to a worsening economy. Not surprising I had been compiling notes about this myself.

For example, I noticed Green Valley Ranch buffet has started charging extra for crab legs - 1/2 lb $3, 1 lb $5. I heard via Internet forums of other cuts there, like downsizing the wine glasses for slot players and switching from Red Bull to SoBe. We aren’t big seafood eaters and mostly drink water so these are changes that don’t bother us, but could be fairly important to others.

However, this next cut has caused a roar of protests on the Internet forums. Harrah’s has closed the Seven Star Lounge at Caesars and has cut the food selection at all their Diamond Lounges in Vegas. Many have commented that this is the last straw since Harrah’s was taken private and so many downgrades have taken place. They will vote with their feet and take their play elsewhere.

Some casino cuts have affected their employees more than their customers, with numerous layoffs. However, sometimes this cutting of employees will impact the quality of customer service. And Wynn cutting down their dealers income by making them share their tip pool with pit bosses is bound to affect the morale of the employees which in turn can also lead to an unpleasant atmosphere for players.

But the general opinion of whether the faltering economy is all bad for Vegas is mixed. If you have lost your job or your house, of course it is bad news. But for players like us, retirees who don’t need a job and their home is paid for, the few cuts we feel in the casinos are overwhelmingly forgotten because of the good things they are doing to get more warm bodies in their casino.

There is talk about decreased comps and some of that is happening. However, hotel prices are coming down all over the place, even at the top resorts. We recently received an e-mail room offer from the Palms for $49, including free admission to the Ghost Bar or Rain, 20% off spa services, and $25 in free slot play. True it was for a few specific dates, but it is an example of how players who search diligently can find all sorts of bargains, not just on rooms but on food and shows.

Promotions is another area where a scrambling player can find real gold these days. Brad and I are finding more good plays than our tired old bodies can do.

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