35 Years of Advantage Play – Part 5

Last week I ended my blog by stating that for our first 8 years of gambling the “total casino experience” was more important than our financial bottom line.  That is not to say that we could spend lavishly without thought.  For one thing, we had a very modest amount of discretionary income at that time, and we certainly weren’t people who would go into debt or tap retirement savings for entertainment options.  However, our goal was not to make a profit in gambling but to take reasonably-priced vacations by playing smart BJ and using the slot club benefits and comp system.

As tourists, “living” in casinos for long periods of time, although we played BJ several hours a day, we were always looking for fun things to do when we weren’t at the tables.  We both loved to travel, so we would often choose destinations where we could combine sightseeing and casino play.  We hoped from casino to casino couponing around town in Reno and then taking a scenic drive down to Tahoe. When we were in Atlantic City, we would leave the casino often to do our power walks up and down the boardwalk and perhaps drive to other beach towns and hit their boardwalks too. Several times we took a side trip by bus to see the sights of New York City, a memorable one over Christmas to see the holiday decorations.

We took a short-term cat-sitting job in Maryland so we could tour the sights in Washington and then found out about gambling in some of the local firehouses.  It was run as a “charity” and the food served by the ladies auxiliary was terrific.  And the BJ games, staffed by volunteers, offered good rules so we sat down and played.  We were very naive back then and didn’t wonder if everything was on the up-and-up since there didn’t seem to be any good oversight much less governmental regulations.  After awhile I told Brad I was going to go play poker.  I don’t know my thinking at that time to make such a bad move.  Unlike Brad, who had played poker his whole life, I had little experience in the game, barely knowing the basics. Maybe the gambling gods take pity on silly amateurs.  Anyway, about an hour into this low-stakes Hold’Em game I was in shock when I ended up making a royal flush hand. I tried to stay cool but I think my face probably turned white –   I didn’t get any calls on the river and the pot was small!  However, I did take down the $500 bonus being offered for that hand.  No friendly congrats – the table was full of frowning local old men who didn’t appreciate an out-of-town interloper.  Brad and I hightailed it out of there very soon after!  It might have been a “charity” endeavor, but we suspected it probably was run by a criminal element.

We expanded our travels out of the country, taking six cruises during this time period, always playing blackjack in the ship casino between shore excursions.  We hit Central American and island ports, went through the Panama Canal locks, and then a long Mediterranean voyage visiting many sea ports.  We even rented a car and took a long road trip around Europe, where we visited and played BJ in a London casino, in one in Luxembourg, and two different ones in the Netherlands.

However, we spent the most time in Vegas, with longer and longer visits after Brad retired.  And in Vegas there was never an end to entertainment options.  Since long brisk walks was our exercise of choice those days, we could hit the many casino promotions up and down the whole Strip, like no-fee daily slot tournaments and free pulls on slot machines.  With some you would always win something, maybe just a free drink or a kitschy souvenir:  keychains (I used to collect these and had dozens), magnets (I still have some of these on the front of my frig), cheap logo hats or Fannie packs.  But at times you could snag something more valuable:  a T-shirt, a free afternoon show ticket, or maybe a comped buffet.  I don’t know how many Sands mugs we picked up as we walked the Strip – probably dozens – so many that all our friends and relatives started declining these “gifts.”  And– of course – we always hit the free popcorn at Slots-A-Fun.

I don’t need to mention how important couponing was during those days;  I’ve written about it many times.   Not only were these a positive play, often a better return per hour than playing low-level BJ, they gave us a break in our long walks and a chance to check out many different casinos. In my first Frugal book, I talk about how we would tip maids and they would save coupon books former guests had left behind.  I remember one valuable coupon book that was often found by the maids, because many visitors weren’t going to go off- Strip just to use a coupon.   But they gave us motivation to take the coupons and hike from the Strip over to Palace Station several days a week, with one memorable visit when we hit a big payout on the free keno coupon.  I also remember Brad telling me we should be “fair” and not just play a few hands to use a VP coupon and then run.

“Okay, we’ll play for a little longer,” I relented.

And then what happened?  He hit a $1000 royal flush.

“I don’t think the casino is going to be impressed with your fairness!”

When we stayed downtown, there were never-ending interesting things to do – the ubiquitous promotions like on the Strip and many coupon books that often included free food.  One – I think it was the Plaza – had a coupon for a free breakfast – pancakes? – and there was also a coupon that you gave to the waiter that covered the tip!  We used to buy valuable coupon books given out freely by the Western Casino from those customers that preferred cash to coupons. One coupon was for a free bingo session. I have always hated bingo – thought it was the most boring game one could play.  But free is free and I temporarily lowered my standards, successfully picking up some cash wins!

Another interesting thing we did when we were downtown was to go to court.  We’d go to the courthouse and asked a security guard where the most interesting trial was going on and he would point out that courtroom.  We enjoyed some pretty good juicy drama!

I never remember using a taxi to get around those days – not frugal I thought – so we would use the bus or shuttles to add new destinations to our daily walks.  Once we started to drive from Indianapolis to Vegas to stay long periods, avoiding the cold Indiana winters, we could expand our entertainment activities.  We liked to visit companies that gave visitor tours, learning the manufacturing details for cranberry juice, clown figurines, potato chips, chocolate candy, and marshmallows. This last one was popular when the grandkids came to town. Speaking of kids, we spent a lot of non-gambling time entertaining out-of-town friends and relatives.

I could write endlessly on the fun factor in Las Vegas, but I must wrap up this long detour.  If you are interested in more of these memories, I talk a lot about our early casino years in my first Frugal book, especially in the chapter “Long Term in Las Vegas.”

I will return to the math in my next blog, reporting how changing games gave our positive expectation a major boost!