Okay, I can’t delay any longer in responding to the many comments about my July 6th blog entry.

I wish I had stuck to my report on the Hard Rock pool party and not mentioned rape because it did not clearly or accurately reflect my real feelings and beliefs. I am sincerely sympathetic to rape victims. I know rape is usually a crime of violence and power, not a sexual one, and the victim is not to blamed for any reason.  

However, I feel there a type of sexual encounter, especially among young people, where the female is giving out all sorts of “Yes” messages by her actions right up to a certain “hot” point that the male can’t pull back when she suddenly says, “No.” Is that rape or consensual sex? Or, is there something in-between? 

I appreciated everyone’s input, no matter what the views were. It was pointed out that many of the girls at the Hard Rock pool party are “professional” girls, many who work at strip clubs in the city, and their reputations weren’t at stake. Some pointed out that every generation has shocked their elders - and that there were ambulances at Woodstock. In fact, my sister gently reminded me that all of us have sowed some wild oats and that some of my actions when I was younger would have shocked our parents if they had known about them!  Then there was one very smart wag, trying to get on the good side of me, that tried to convince me that the Rehab pool party was really a frugal option for him. So much free merchandise that one didn’t need to go and pay at the Chicken Ranch.  

There was much discussion about risk and blame. I liked this one from a poster on vpFREE: Consider these other scenarios - you walk down the street by yourself in a bad part of the city flashing a lot of expensive jewelry.  If somebody robs you, people would certainly say you were asking for it.  Does it mean that it was OK for the person to rob you?  Of course not - it is morally and legally wrong.  But do you deserve some of the blame?  I think so.  Would you park somewhere, leave your windows down and your purse on the front seat?  If you did and the purse was gone when you came back, would you deserve some of the blame?  Again, it doesn't excuse the criminal action at all - whether it's rape (which granted is much more personal and traumatic than many other crimes) or any other violation, the person committing the act is undeniably wrong.  But there are things that we all do to try to decrease the chances of something bad happening to us.   

Ah, so many viewpoints about the same subject. 

I think it might reveal more accurately some of my true feelings if I give you here the advice I would give my beautiful 15-year-old granddaughter: 

1.  Don’t dress in a way that will flaunt your body. You want to attract a boy who is drawn to your charming personality as well as your beautiful body. 

2.  Don’t put yourself in risky situations. Don’t go alone to a hotel room or an apartment with someone you don’t know well. This is no time to be naïve! 

3.  Be very careful about drinks at a party. It is a popular “trick” to add the “date rape” drug. Choose sealed bottles or cans and guard them while you drink. 

4.  Remember that boys have all sorts of lines to get a girl to go to bed with them. Don’t fall for them, even if they include the word “love.” 

5.  Don’t lead a boy on, with encouraging sexy actions for so long, that when you want to say “No,” he will find it difficult or impossible to accept that “No.”  (And I will give your teenage brother the same advice – stop before your girl’s “Yes’s” become so tempting that you will not be able to control your actions if she suddenly says “No!”)

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I have waited for several days to return to the subject of my July 6th “hot” entry. I have been reading and re-reading and pondering the many comments I have received, many more by private e-mail than even the unusually high number that got posted on the blog page. I did not want to respond in haste less I overreacted and I wanted time for all sides to get in their opinions on this controversial subject. 

First, I want to thank everyone who entered this fray, no matter what your opinion. Of course it is always satisfying when people applaud your point of view, but some of the most negative comments have been the ones that have made me think the most. I like ideas that make me think! 

Next, I want to get in some technical facts. Some of you complained that your comments didn’t appear on the blog page and it seemed suspicious if they were negative ones. I’m not sure why that sometimes some people have difficulty with the “Comment” function. Perhaps a browser problem? Some accused me of deleting negative comments. Again, there must be computer gremlins in action because I deleted only two comments, and those not because they were negative. The guys involved decided to describe some of their sexual escapades in more graphic detail than I thought the general readership would be interested!  

So to give everyone their shot, please re-post any comments that haven’t appeared on the blog page and you want them entered into the discussion. If they don’t appear within 6 hours, send them to my personal e-mail (queenofcomps@cox.net) with a note and I will put them in a subsequent blog entry. 

Then in a couple of days, I will tackle a response to this hot potato!

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You can post comments at the end of each blog entry.  

You can read comments written by others, in the order they come in no matter on which entry they are commenting, by scrolling down on the left side of the blog page. However, the easiest way to read comments, especially if you are looking for one particular subject, is to click on the title of the entry that interests you. There, at the end of the entry, will be a complete list of all the comments.

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My discussion about a “resort fee” a couple of days ago generated a lot of comments, both here and in emails to me privately. This is a bigger hot point than I had originally thought. 

Many responders wondered why I didn’t call out the casino where this incident happened to me. As a rule, I like to give general advice about a subject as much as possible. I didn’t want people just to be careful about this one casino, but to always go over their bill before they check out of any hotel. Another factor is that I hate to give negative publicity to one person or company when it might be just an isolated honest mistake. 

However, this time I am going to mention the casino. It was Green Valley Ranch. Now I like the Stations casinos. They run some great promotions. Brad and I have played at a Station casino for many years and plan to continue doing so as long as they have good video poker games and good promotions. But I hope someone with decision-making authority there will read my blog entries about this situation and also take note of the comments and realize that dinging players with extra charges is negative PR that is pushing customers away. 

Speaking of reader comments here, there is a lot of helpful information in them. When you read my blog, you may be missing them. You have to scroll down below the blog entry on the left side of the page to see a list of “Recent Comments.” However, some people don’t comment on a particular blog entry right away. So if you are interested in a specific subject, click on the title of a particular blog entry and at the end of it you will be able to see all the comments that have been written.

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Mr. B (he wants to remain anonymous) reported on an Internet forum that he had forwarded part of my blog entry of September 11, “Trippin' in a Casino,” to Gary Loveman, Harrah’s CEO.  He suggested that getting rid of “daily average” would be an easy way for Harrah’s to increase customer retention with no extra cost to the casino. Much to his surprise he got a quick response, not from Mr. Loveman, but from probably one of his underlings who has been delegated the responsibility of responding to dissatisfied customers.  Here is the reply:

From: David Norton

Thanks Mr. B for the note. 

The comments below [from the blog] are quite observant.  Elements of Total Rewards [do] reward cumulative play and more frequent lower play trips, most notably the Reward Credit/point balance [and also] some direct mail offers as well as entries in promotions and some other things. Other things are dependent on the daily play level. I understand the points below [in the blog] but process wise it is very challenging not to make some things  dependent on daily value.

Hosts (do) have the discretion to take care of the customer as
needed to ensure they are properly rewarded.

Thanks again for the comments.

My comment would be that their very complex customer tracking system is based almost entirely on “daily value.” When you worship at the Altar of Daily Average, of course it would be “challenging” to change it. And his comment about using a host will be laughable to many good Harrah’s customers in casinos around the country. Their hosts are telling them their “discretion” has been progressively more and more restricted, that they spend too much of their time apologizing to customers that they can’t do as much for them now as they did in the past.

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1. “My only question with the Southpoint promotion is this.  Are the birthday bonus points (2500) included for this promotion?  If they are, that first card is a real bonanza.”

You could check at the slot club, but I’m guessing you can get gas cards only with earned points. Birthday points are not “earned.”

2. “Do you mind sharing the name of the doctor who did your facial work and what you had done. It looks great!”

Thank Dr. Stephen Perkins, a world-famous plastic surgeon in Indianapolis, IN. I had a face lift and eye lift about 15 years ago, at the same time as some needed sinus surgery. I had a few more “nip and tucks” about 7 years ago.   Some have thought I had some recent plastic surgery because I “look different” these days. But the reason is that I no longer wear glasses (except for reading) and have a new shorter hairstyle.

3, “If he is back from Iraq then of course his unit is back, it is attached to him.”

Steve did not go to Iraq with the unit he eventually led. He was a late replacement during the “surge.”   And actually, the men in his unit left their position a little before Steve did. He stayed back with his captain until some inventory problems were solved.

4. “Jean, when you travel, do you use player points somehow to pay for your flight?

I sure try to as much as I can. We have quite a few old Station points we can use. (Under their new program we redeem our points for free play instead of for travel.) Brad says I have a phobia about paying for anything with real money!    We do belong to several airline frequent flyer clubs and pay for everything we can with a credit card that earns us miles. This last trip was on American using frequent flyer miles and a real bargain since we could go to two destinations on one dogleg ticket. American is the only airline that I know of that will let you do this on a frequent flier ticket.

5. Many of you sent greetings to Steve, glad he was finally home from Iraq and thanking him and all the soldiers for their service to our country. I conveyed these message to him and he is extremely appreciative of all the support.

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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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Sometimes a friend of mine - I call him Mr. Anonymous – sends me his ideas/opinions on a subject and I decide I can’t write something that would state it better. 

So I present a guest blogger today, a skilled video poker player who has spent many years “blending” in a casino! We both welcome your comments.

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Blending In 

As a smart gambler, one the things you should consider a priority is to try to remain welcome at all of the casinos at which you play. Here are a few tips for staying on the good side of casino management, or at least for not attracting unnecessary attention to yourself. 

Don't play two "good" video poker machines at once. This is the biggest "red flag" I can think of, alerting the casino that you are a skilled player out to beat them. There are a couple of exceptions. If you are waiting for a hand pay, it is okay to slide over to the next machine and play while you wait. Or if you are playing a high-denomination machine which generates frequent hand pays, and there are machines open, holding an adjacent machine is acceptable, so you can play it while your main machine is "locked up" with a jackpot. In any case, if someone asks you to give up a machine you are holding (but not playing), you should probably do so. Getting into an argument over a machine with another casino customer is a surefire way to attract unnecessary attention. I am aware of several instances where both arguing players were thrown out. 

Don't loudly discuss VP strategy, game or promo percentages, how much money you've won from the casino, and how much per hour the game you're playing is worth. Displaying how smart you are to all who are in earshot is not the best way to remain welcome. Also, keep that VP strategy card out of plain sight and learn the game well enough so you only have to consult it occasionally. Be discreet! 

If there is cashback at the casino, don't wait until you need a supervisor's signature to cash out your points. Cash out more frequently for smaller amounts. 

If you only play at a casino on multi-point days, you might consider occasionally playing for a short time on a single-point day. Several casinos have been taking action against players who only play the best games and only during multi-point times. At best, they will stop sending you mail. At worst, they will 86 you! 

Follow the rules. If an offer says, "One per customer," as on a coupon, or for a free gift, obey the rule! Most all of these redemptions end up recorded in the casino's computer, and eventually any abuse will be discovered. Some places will let you get away with multiple indiscretions, but some will take action against you immediately upon discovery. Why take a chance on getting barred from a casino for a few dollars, points, or an extra car care kit? 

Be friendly to everyone, especially casino employees. You might be out to extract every possible dollar from the casino, but you should avoid displaying an adversarial attitude towards floor people, supervisors, slot club personnel, hosts and anyone else you come in contact with. Be nice, or at least be civil! 

Tip when it is customary, especially at casinos where you play frequently. You don't have to be overly generous, but if you never tip floor people when you hit a jackpot, even when you are obviously winning big, word will quickly get around. And don't you want the casino employees you see all the time to be happy when you walk in the door? I know I do -- who wants to play somewhere he is not wanted.

So blend in as best you can, and when you win maybe they’ll hardly notice!

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