I have just spent the last three month slogging through 17 years of blogging and article writing – that’s reading and sorting probably close to a thousand Word documents. Why would I need to do that? Well, the answer is simple. I am writing another book, one that has been stirring around in my head for several years, and my memory needed some help with this. (No more details right now – it’s in the incubator stage and doesn’t have a title yet, but definitely will have the word “frugal” in it and probably the word “memoirs.”)
The thing that has stood out as I review my past writings is that, despite all the changes in the casino environment, so much has also remained the same. This entry from August 4, 2000, the first year I wrote “Frugal Fridays” (which ran for 7 years before morphing into “Frugal Vegas”) is a super example, with current comments in [ ].
AUGUST 4, 2000 “Frugal Fridays”
Because too many casinos are guilty of planning or changing promotions at the last minute, here is my first-of-the-month report, which will probably become a regular feature. [Still going 17 years later] This list of August changes from published information has been verified by me, either by phone checks, reading casino advertising in the local newspaper, or visiting the casinos personally.
The Orleans is awarding double points on Wednesday from MIDNIGHT to 6 p.m.
Arizona Charlie’s East (ACE) does NOT exclude multi-line video poker from triple points on Tuesdays from midnight to 8 a.m. or double points all day Wednesday. Check on this at Charlie’s West before you start playing, since some multi-line and large-denomination machines ARE excluded there. [Checking promotion details has always been of prime importance – and always will.]
The Hard Rock is giving FOUR times comp points from Sunday noon until Friday noon.
And speaking of the Hard Rock, they’ve done it again. They’re changing their slot club program. I’ve just recovered from the big change at the beginning of the year! Everyone knows what I think about slot club changes — I hate them. [Still do!] Why? They rarely say they’re changing; instead, they’re almost always “improving.” Most of the time, however, the only thing improved is the casino’s bottom line. Only once in a long while do I see some improvement for the player. Well, although the Hard Rock doesn’t say they’re “improving” the club, they do say they’re “excited” about the new program. I read the details and I wasn’t excited.
It isn’t the worse change I’ve ever seen. The Cash Back Program has been replaced with the Free Play Program. You’ll still get “paid” for your play at the same rate you did before, .5% for reels and .25% for video poker. However, you get this “pay” in the form of cardboard “credit cards,” which you insert in the same slot where you insert your slot club card. Your “cashback” is then put on your machine in the form of credits, WHICH YOU MUST PLAY OFF! Casinos have always hoped that you’d redeem your cashback and put it back into the machines. But the Hard Rock has stopped hoping and devised a system to force you to do it. I have hopes too — that this system will not spread! [Now there was a hope that was futile.] However, there’s no profit in complaining about changes. The Hard Rock will not completely switch over to this system until Sept. 1. Next week I’ll give you some hints on how to survive this change and make the new system work the best possible way.
In past Frugal Fridays I’ve given you several recommendations for valuable online sources for Las Vegas and gambling information and here are more…. [All long gone now, replaced many times.]
Brad wanted to contribute an “ouch” ending to this week’s column. It was reported in a couple of places that there was an unfortunate accident during one of the rehearsals for Melinda, The First Lady of Magic, a show that is opening soon at the Venetian. It seems that one of Melinda’s male assistants was impaled during the sword trick. The man was supposed to levitate over three swords, but the middle sword was not secured. In the words of Kate Maddox, columnist at the Las Vegas Sun, “The sword went right through his, oh, how to say this, family jewels?” Brad says for you not to worry, though. According to subsequent reports, the accident victim is doing fine, although he won’t be “in action” for a while.
[Brad still contributes a lot of material for me to write about although he prefers to remain mostly an “unnamed source.”]
I can only remark that a juxtaposition of anecdotes about dealing with slot clubs and getting impaled in the family jewels seems rather appropriate.