March, 2019

Q+As and Briefs

We expected to be back in Las Vegas today after two weeks in GA visiting family.  But Southwest changed our plans, canceling our flight.  We couldn’t find another convenient one – we only do  non-stop these days – until Saturday, competing for seats with all those basketball fans wanting to come in for the Sweet Sixteen.

This may be the longest time ever we have not been around casinos since we moved to Vegas 20 years ago.  Our vacations have normally been planned around casino offers and comps – free hotel rooms, free cruises – and then combined with visits with friends and family.  And some people, hearing that we will be gone for 19 days, have already been asking whether we are getting bored and antsy to get back to VP.  And my answer is indicative of our change of attitudes and interests as we are getting older.  Yes, no matter how much one enjoys vacations, you are always glad to get back to your own home and a routine.  But we have not missed our casino life at all.

Yes, we will be back “in action” in April, but at the slower pace we had already embraced before this trip.  We no longer go out to a casino every day –just 3 or 4 days a week.  Of course, part of this is because of the decrease in good advantage-play opportunities, but more is based on our reduced energy level.   The days we do visit a casino our sessions are usually just 2-3 hours.

Now for answers to reader questions and some tidbits of information that I have found as I have had time to go through my files.

Q: My concern is a tax diary for my daily trips. Any chance maybe you and Bob Dancer can get together and collaborate on a diary to sell? At least we know it’s coming from highly reputable sources.

A: Thank you for your kind words! It would be hard to standardize a diary that would fit all gamblers’ need.  I put a couple sample diary forms in Tax Help for Gamblers, one an electronic example and one a hard-copy version.  If you aren’t skilled with electronic record-keeping, I think nothing beats a little calendar notebook in which you can, after each session, jot down all sorts of info you need/want to remember.

 

Q: Have you and Brad stopped playing blackjack?

A: We rarely play BJ unless we come across a coupon play or we are on a cruise ship and want to join friends in a purely social entertainment environment.

 

BRIEFS

I like it when casinos give detailed information about a promotion.  Here was the explanation from an Arizona Charlie’s about bonus points:

     7X Bonus Points: Every Sunday and Thursday in March, all players club members will receive 7X points on all same-day base slot points earned. All players club cards must be removed and reinserted no later than 11:59 p.m. on each promotional date to receive credit.

This is something you need to watch for.  At some casinos, when you are earning drawing entries, you need to remove your card before the stated deadline when the drum will close so your current play will count in figuring your virtual ticket total.

Something I don’t like casinos to do.  Give incomplete promo details that make you feel “tricked”:

SWIPE N’ WIN: Win up to $100 Free Slot Play!

And you win a scoop of gelato!

 

Frugal transportation hint:

Discount tickets for Nevada residents are available at all of the Monorail’s customer service ticketing offices upon presentation of your valid Nevada driver’s license, State of Nevada government-issued identification card or Nevada Sheriff Card. Local fare is $1 per ride.  Maximum purchase: two single ride tickets per person per day OR one 20-ride ticket no more frequently than every ten days.

 

Looking to learn how to play a new game?  Many casinos give free lessons, often during not-so-busy daytime weekday hours.  Here is a good one if you are in downtown Las Vegas:

Learn to play a new game or perfect skills with Golden Nugget’s free daily gaming lessons. Lessons are held on the casino floor.

  • Three Card Poker, Crazy 4 Poker, Let it Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’Em and Mississippi Stud Poker

Daily – 10:00 a.m.

  • Craps Lessons

Monday-Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.; Thursday-Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

  • Blackjack Lessons

Daily – 11:00 a.m.

  • Roulette Lessons

Daily – 11:30 a.m.

 

And in the I-hope-it-happens-but-I’d-bet-against-my-living-long-enough-to-see-it department:

The AGA (the American Gaming Association, which lobbies for the gaming industry ) recently highlighted six key policy areas that they were working on, one of which was “updating gaming tax policy, including an increase to the jackpot reporting threshold from $1,200 to $5,000.”

A Gambler’s Balanced Life

Brad and I are no where near a casino today and won’t be for a full two weeks.  (You can find out why as you read further.)  So, this will not be a regular blog full of Vegas/gambling frugal information.  However, this is a perfect opportunity for me to suggest other ways to get such information that you may have missed in the past – and that is going back and reading comments on past blogs.  I have talked to many people who read my blog faithfully as soon as I post one, but never go back later to read the comments.

I also know this to be true as people e-mail me with questions that have been discussed at length in the Comment section.  Many people post comments many days or even many weeks after the original blog and that information may be as helpful – or even more so – as things I have written.  An example of this is when players wanted to know what we and others are doing when a favorite casino downgrades machines and/or changes a major program, as Boyd had done.  That subject was discussed at length in the comments on many blogs, and you would be able to see what casinos to which other knowledgeable players are switching.

So, if you rarely read the “Comment” sections – you could go back some weeks or months and might be surprised how much new or helpful information you missed.  And then you might decide to get in the habit of, before reading a new blog, go back and read comments on at least the last one or two. (I do this for QOD and all the blogs I read on this website – LVA readers are very knowledgeable – and very generous in sharing their valuable information!)

And now for the reason why we are taking a long vacation away from casinos.  I write a lot about the value of gamblers having a good balance between casino life and what I call “real life.”  These pictures, taken in Georgia, show how much love is being shared and how much St. Patrick’s Day fun we are having in our “real life.”

Great-grandchildren:  Cooper, 4 months, Asher, 4, and Bowen, 2.

Need the New Edition Tax Book?

The 4th Edition of Tax Help for Gamblers is finally available – to order here on the LVA website or pick up at the Huntington Press office. And that pre-pub frugal discount is still available through March 15 – a real bargain at $15 that includes free shipping.

But I am still receiving questions that I want to address:

“If I have an earlier edition, do I really need this new edition?” 

Perhaps some do not, if their tax situation is rather simple and/or their gambling figures are quite small.  However, this book has more updates than any previous one.  Part of the reason – a big part really – is the major changes brought about by the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act passed by Congress at the end of 2017, one that majorly affected the 2018 federal tax returns. Another factor is the growing number of states which for the last few years have been changing how they treat gambling figures, both for their residents and out-of-state players. The chapter on “How All 50 States Handle Gambling Wins/Losses” could cause you major financial mistakes if you depended on information found in any previous editions.

We have expanded our discussion about sports betting that will help new gamblers deal with tax issues.  We cover in more detail fantasy sports play, describe the new – and surprisingly positive – changes for dog and horse race betters, and added a new section on cryptocurrency.  We warn about a benefit loss for professional gamblers, but reveal a new benefit for them that could be a major money-saver. And we discuss at length the change that is hitting hard many recreational players and the various ways they are dealing with it.

And what might be most valuable in this new edition are the 2018 sample forms in the back of the book, which are quite different from those of previous years.  They also include notes pointing out the new places where you would put various gambling figures.

“Will this book tell me whether, because of all the new changes, I should switch from filing as a recreational gambler to a professional one?”

This book rarely uses the word “should” because the IRS written guidance for gamblers speaks in very general terms and is often vague, even contradictory, and thus open to individual interpretation.  You will probably get tired of us repeating often throughout the book, after giving a range of possible actions, that what you “should” do depends on your individual “facts and circumstances.”  This is why I cannot answer your personal tax questions and I will suggest, as we do often in this book, that you consult your accountant or professional tax preparer, who will look at the big picture of your “facts and circumstances.”  This is why I shudder when people pose tax questions on an Internet forum and someone gives their “opinion” and/or relates their own personal experiences with that matter.  They may be sincere and trying to be helpful, but so often the information can mislead others.

———

This book is also available for all major eBook reader formats, including Amazon Kindle, Nook, and iBooks.  One warning: Be sure if you order the paperback or the eBook online, you check that it is the Fourth Edition. Some previous editions are still being offered, but not worth even a heavily discounted price!

DING DONG – THE “UP TO” WITCH IS DEAD!

In the middle of February, I was just getting ready to write here in my blog a rant about how I and most other players hated casino offers with that dreaded “up to” phrase.  Many casinos sometimes use mystery multipliers, but the Station properties had gone whole hog with this technique, not just for video poker but also for slots. And it wasn’t long that the word got around that “up to 6x” usually meant you mostly were going to get 4x or perhaps an occasional 5x, but almost never 6x.  Since one got 3x automatically on non-multiplier days, getting 4x wasn’t much of a promotion.

I don’t know whether a lot of people complained or just stopped playing as much, but much to my surprise – and delight – suddenly mid-month the Stations newspaper ads and signage in their casinos now promoted 6x/10x days, with the “up to” replaced with “GUARANTEED” in big bold lettering.  And in our March mailers not a “up to” can be seen.

Good move, Stations, and hopefully that wicked witch “Up To” is dead for good!

The Stations run a lot of promotions but their website and mailers and ads require careful reading.  Not all promotions run at all properties.  You need to check the logos carefully for each promo.  For example, bonus multiplier days vary from property to property, as do gift giveaways.  And importantly, there seems to be no promotions at the Palms in March except for the company-wide “Monopoly Big Time Bonus.”   Locals who get mailers from their “core” casino will see many of the promos, but if they want to check on those at other properties, they will need to check the Station website.  For out-of-towners who do not get these local mailers, checking the website is absolutely necessary to get promo information.

 

BOYD PROPERTIES

I give the same advice as above to Boyd players, especially out-of-towners.  Read promo information carefully because not all offers are company-wide.  And some point multipliers are only for players who get a local mailer.  Scot’s Bonus Point List will include only those that are available for the general public.

Check here for the details of The Young at Heart (YAH) senior Wednesday at the following six properties:  Aliante, The Orleans, Gold Coast, Suncoast, Sam’s Town, and Eastside Cannery.  For the 3 downtown properties – Main Street Station, California and Fremont – the YAH details are here.

 

SOUTH POINT

No multiple-point days this month, but here are a couple of frugal finds:

  • Steak ’n Shake – Happy Hour – ½ price all drinks and shakes, Sunday-Thursday, 2-5 pm. and 10 pm-close.
  • $4 movies for seniors, 50+, all day Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday. $5.25 movies all day Tuesday for all ages. Click here for restrictions.

Watch for lots of food specials around St. Patrick’s Day, March 17, and look for drink specials during March Madness basketball.