$46,000 per year from Fun Book Coupons??

In Dancer's newest column is the "rebuttal" in which another writer (not Dancer) talks about a friend who never lost money in a casino and made big money utilizing "fun book coupons" as part of a no-loss strategy.

Did I read this article correctly?

In part the author writes (excerpted):

"Another friend "Larry" played exclusively match-play fun-book coupons with his wife... he just bought his 5th house and averaged $46,000 a year playing nothing but fun-book coupons without a losing day in his career...."

I admit, I've never played a "fun book coupon" except I once had a $5 match play coupon which could be played once. Would someone please explain how it is possible to win SO MUCH money with fun book coupons? Just how many fun books did he have? Where did he get them all? And did he raid the stores of every taxi cab company in Vegas to get them?

Maybe he got them from the porn slappers?

Its quite possible. I know someone who claims he went an entire year without playing a hand of BJ without some sort of coupon. for awhile last year, Stations was running a promo you could use once a day that included MPs of from $10 to $25 for most of their casinos. I picked up almost $500 in a ten day trip thanks to these coupons alone. Now they are a shadow of what they were, fewer coupons and only one per month instead of one per day. I'm aware of a current promo coupon that pays $6 when you win, and you lose $5 on a losing one, and the casino doesn't seem to mind you using thirty, forty, even fifty of these coupons a day.
Include free play into the equation and I could see someone pulling in close to a grand a week, but its a lot of work for such easy money.
Ever read how Mr Curtis got his bankroll when he first Vegas?

thanks billryan... but how do you get so many coupons? do you pick up all the coupon books at the counter, or steal the delivery box?

During my "roadtrip" days, I picked up a couple hundred match play coupons from Pilot (and other) truck stops for Deadwood. After "discovering" the displays and coupons on the "tourist" pamphlet rack at one stop, I than stopped at every truck stop until I figured I had "enough". (8 here, 12 there, etc) In other areas of the country, I did the same thing many times. I'd often go to a casino with pocketful of gaming coupons.

There are a myriad of other sources as well.

Times have changed dramatically, most places now "register" their use at the player's club, and/or limit the quantity a person can use.

I used a lot of coupons in 2009. Over 55 nights in Vegas, I played over 1,000 gaming coupons. Where and how I "got that many" is none of your business. I did chronicle my adventures in my trip reports, and did give some tips on acquiring coupons and the arena of "double dipping" to use multiples on the same visit.

I do believe that someone who does not play anything except gaming coupons could "earn" that much, in years gone by. In 2011 or 2010 I don't know. I know what I earned doing promotions here in south Florida during the "Casino Boat Cruise to No Where Wars." It was a lot of hours, easy "work", and I've never bothered to compute an hourly wage because of "travel time" exceeding "casino time". A cruise casino would be open for 3-4 hours, but getting past the 12 mile limit, boarding, and travel too & from might have added 3-6 hours to a trip. Based on 3 hour work "sessions", I made "big money". Based on 9 hour sessions I did "OK". I did keep "records", so I do know what I took in, days, and other pertinent information. And I would do it again in a heartbeat if the same situation presented itself.

I will say that every time I entered Circus Circus, I'd play several coupons, whatever number I thought I could, and always left with at least two "new" fun books for the next day. At other locations, I'd usually be able to get at least one "new" fun book.

Whether someone comes by the coupons legitimately, begs, borrows, lies, buys, trades, steals them, socially engineers, or even print their own should be no concern of yours. A single $5.00 match play may not be worth the time to many. To others, it's still almost $2.50. Use 10 - 100 or more of them, and that is significant money to many people.

Earning $46K does not surprise me pre 2009. It may even still be possible. I don't know the "climate" in 2011.

I also know I did very well with "my" coupons in 2009. The coupons easily equaled my travel expenses and much more.

thanks roadtrip. I certainly appreciate this comment of yours: "Whether someone comes by the coupons legitimately, begs, borrows, lies, buys, trades, steals them, socially engineers, or even print their own should be no concern of yours." And you are correct-- it is of no concern to me. But I only want to do things legitimately. I don't beg, I do repay my markers, I dont lie, I am willing to buy things at a fair price, trading is good, I don't steal, social engineering is an interesting concept, and I do not counterfeit.

I just wondered how he bought his fifth house on $46,000 a year. Of course, I guess the author didn't say he bought those houses with mp coupon winnings, but still...

I don't think the 46k was his only income. I think it was "play" money.
46k is more than enough to cover closing costs and a down payment on a house. You then rent it out with a positive cash flow (rent over mortgage/insurance costs).
Once a house has appreciated and the mortgage is payed down a bit, you sell it and purchase 2 homes.

I know several people who have amassed a good deal of wealth through that method.

It seems a little far fetched to me. Even if you had $100 worth of matchplays every day for a year you would still come up short of his mark.

I dont know what time frame this person acted in but in today's environment, almost any matchplay you get over $10 will almost certainly have to be verified by a higher authority than a dealer...usually the players club booth....and they are regulated...and matchplays in general are harder to come by.

10 years ago? Perhaps matchplay bandits had an easier time but that still seems far fetched.

Wow, pjstroh... a reasonable answer. Be careful. Soon they will think you are me using a different screen name.