Maybe you think I dwell too much on casino promotions in this blog. But every smart machine player knows that’s where the “gold” will be found. A slot player will chase promotions so he will earn more comps and lose less at the machines, leaving more money to gamble with and thus extending his fun time in the casino.   

The video poker player who is trying to break even or make a profit doesn’t have a prayer of succeeding without hitting promotions hard. I get a lot of e-mails bemoaning the decrease in good video poker schedules and asking what people should do about it. I can give lots of advice but it really boils down to this: Play the best pay schedules you can find and search diligently for the “extras” the casinos are offering. And now, with casinos scrambling to find a way to prosper in a weak economy, there are more extra benefits than ever before. 

I have mentioned the local newspaper as a good resource for promotions. As an example, here are some I found just by checking the casino ads in the first section of Friday’s Las Vegas Review Journal: 

1. Promotions for new players included free play for joining the players club at South Point and Tuscany. And all Station Casinos are offering new members (locals only) a rebate up to $100 of their losses on the day they join. 

2. Suncoast had two ads for drawings, one for slot players (June 27 + 28, at 2pm and 7pm) and one for table players (June 29th at 8 p.m.). 

3. Silverton also had two ads: One gave details about their June Saturday drawings, at 4pm and 8pm, and a drawing for a boat on Sunday, June 29th at 8pm. The other told about their Friday bonus points, 5x on reel games and 2x on video poker. 

4. The Palms, where you usually must use your slot club points only for comps, were advertising their June promotion in which you could earn free play instead.

Newspaper ads often don't give all the particulars you might need to decide whether a promotion is good for you. You should heed the advice they usually give in the fine print: Check at the slot club for details. 

Did I take advantage of any of these June promotions from Friday’s newspaper ads? Well, some Brad and I have already done or will do before the end of the month. But the ad that caught my eye that day was the ladies’ shoe sale at Dillards. Darn the casinos – full speed ahead to the mall! 

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