June 2, 2000
I don’t have to be in Vegas to be a frugal gambler. Whenever I enter a casino in the U.S. (or the world, for that matter), I’m always looking for an edge. I’m always looking for some game or promotion that will be to our advantage. And the most important tool I have at my disposal in this quest is that small but strong word I preach about so often: “”ask.” Last week, again, the word “”ask”” came through today like the trooper it is and has always been. I thought I’d done every kind of casino couponing possible, but today I achieved something that I had never done before: I got paid for a coupon that was not only expired, but that I didn’t have in my possession.
Let me explain. Based on our play last fall, the Empress, in Joliet, Illinois, sent Brad and me each two $50 bounce-back coupons. One set expired May 12 and the other set expired May 24. But in the process of changing our address from Indianapolis to Vegas, my coupon got lost in the mail (Brad got his, which is how we knew about it).
We took Brad’s good coupon for $50 (the one that hadn’t expired yet) to the slot club desk, where he got a crisp $50 bill. I then mentioned to the clerk that Brad had another coupon that had expired May 12, and that I hadn’t received any. I explained that we had just returned home from Las Vegas and hurried up to Joliet as fast as we could. I did the usual polite, humble, and round-about inquiry that I employ in delicate circumstances such as this, saying, “”I don’t suppose there’s anything that can be done about the expired coupons, but I wonder if you have a record that the unexpired one was sent to me.”
The slot club clerk checked in the computer and said, “”Oh, it came back. We didn’t have a good address for you.”” After checking with a supervisor, she was pleased to announce, “”Yes, we can pay you a hundred dollars for the two coupons, and I can give Brad fifty dollars more, for his expired coupon.”” I’m here to tell you we were pretty pleased to hear it. A hundred and fifty dollars added to our trip bankroll just for asking nicely and properly.
BRIEFS
From the Video Poker Whine Department: You know your luck is bad when you’re playing a deuces wild machine and it takes three deuces to make 4-of-a-kind. Money you don’t lose in a casino because of smarter play? I count that as money won.
Brad and I went to a buffet in Reno recently that cost $50 for two. I never thought I’d see the day! This isn’t your father’s Reno — or Las Vegas. Sure, we were comped — you didn’t think a frugal queen would actually pay that much for a buffet, did you? But a lot of people were paying it! Where are the Bargain Cities of yesteryear? Well, they’re still around, but you have to look a little harder than back in the good old days. I remember when you could get a decent buffet for $3.95 and the restaurants weren’t owned by world-renowned chefs and populated by the beautiful people. Sometimes I wonder if this is a sign of old age. And the final straw. They’re going to tear down Silver City and put up a Walgreens! Did you come to the center Strip in Las Vegas to shop at Walgreens? There’s already one on the toney south endof the Strip. But next to the El Morocco? Is nothing sacred anymore!
June 9, 2000
When I was much younger, I used to get a little impatient with the senior citizens in the casinos, blocking my passage with their wheelchairs, tottering along behind their walkers, pulling their oxygen tanks along with them. Wouldn’t it be easier for them to stay in their condos or assisted-living apartments or convenient nursing-home rooms? I’m not so young now. And every time I see a senior citizen struggle to get to a slot machine or blackjack table, I give him or her a big smile — and a helping hand, if needed. Maybe I’m in denial about the realities of growing older, but I can’t imagine anything short of a coma that would keep me out of a casino.
But whether you’re a bit wobbly or not, as soon as you cross a certain age line (anywhere from 50 to 65, depending on the casino), you’re courted aggressively by the joints. Las Vegas, especially, is really starting to market to those of us in our golden years. Only a few years ago I wanted to write an article about senior-citizen benefits in a casino, and I had to give up. There just wasn’t enough material. Back then, the casinos seemed to figure that everything was so cheap anyway that they didn’t need to have any special program for the oldsters.
Well, have things changed! (I love competition.) The more big and fancy casino resorts that are built in Vegas, the more the established ones have to scramble for customers. And all of them are starting to realize that seniors are the ones with two important things a casino wants in a customer: lots of leisure time to gamble and lots of discretionary income to gamble with. Senior programs and discounts are sprouting up all over town.
So from time to time, I plan to include a senior tip in Frugal Fridays. You youngsters can either skip them or file them in a corner of your brain. You might be surprised how time flies and how soon you start needing senior tips!
The senior tip for today: When you sign up for a new slot club card, always ask if there are any special programs for seniors. And carefully read all the literature you receive from the clubs you already belong to; they may be starting new senior programs, or you may have overlooked the information if you only recently crossed that magical age line.
BRIEFS
I wish just once someone would win a life-changing jackpot and say, “”Hell no, I’m not going back to my stinkin’ job and my Simon Legree boss. And I’m not going to help the homeless — let them work hard their whole life like I did. And I’m not going to buy any of my lazy kids a house or a new car — they can get up off their butts and work for what they want like I did when I was young. I never expected my parents to support me after I was eighteen and able to go to work and even though I just won ten million, not a penny goes to them!”
Something to thing about: “”The creators of video poker did something that no other gambling-game developer has been able to do. They made a push, which is a tie, seem like a win.”” LVA publisher, Anthony Curtis, in an article for Casino Player.
Something else to think about: “”When you belong to a slot club, a push is a win. That’s because every coin you send through the machine counts toward something of value later on.” Jeffrey Compton, author of The Las Vegas Advisor Guide to Slot Clubs.
June 16, 2000
I love it when I’m proved wrong -– especially when it concerns my statement that “changes in slot clubs never better things for me personally.” Well, I’m still unimpressed by the changes wrought by the Silverton slot club, but those at some other casinos have pleased me mightily. The Four Queens increased the cashback for video poker to the same higher level of reel slots (.5%); not only that, but they so far haven’t taken out any of the good games or reduced comps to compensate for higher cashback. Bally’s/Paris has decided to come out of the dark closet that Jeff Compton calls “don’t-ask won’t-tell” and now tells you their exact cashback formula.
But the best news comes from the Gold Coast. Those pesky (for me, anyway) merchandise points are now gone, replaced with good hard cashback. The new slot club system shares the same fundamental characteristic with all Coast properties — points based on coin-out rather than the usual coin-in –- but the formula is different from the one at the Orleans and Barbary Coast, which gives .2% cashback and .1% in comps. The Gold Coast has a cash or comps system, with .25% if taken in cashback and a higher .3% if taken in comps.
How you compare the two systems to figure out best play on any given day depends on individual preferences. They all have good video poker machines, i.e., with pay schedules of 100+%. Do you like the restaurants at the Gold Coast? Do you have all the food comps you need elsewhere and prefer to take the cash? Locals and out-of-towners might have difference needs/wants here. But remember, on triple-point days at the Orleans and Barbary Coast, only the cashback points are tripled, not the comp ones.
Brad and I haven’t played at the Gold Coast under the new system yet. It was just put into operation (after several delays) and we’re still back home in Indiana. However, I’ve heard from several reliable sources who have played there. One friend had earned a large point balance under the old system and it was readily converted into cashback. Comps earned under the old system “may” be honored –- check as soon as possible at the slot club desk or with your host.
As long as we’re talking about Coast properties, I strongly urge everyone to go to http://www.suncoastlasvegas.com/club_denaro/index.html, the site of the Suncoast, a new Coast property opening in the fall. There they explain their planned slot club, Club Denaro, in detail. They’ll be using the same formula for comps and cashback as the new one at the Gold Coast. They list one interesting detail: You can earn points playing bingo, betting in the race and sports book, and playing at the table games. It looks as if they’re going in the right direction and combining table and machine play for a totally integrated casino-wide system. Good move!
When you’re at the site, be sure to sign the guestbook. They’ll notify you when you can join the slot club online. They list many perks you will have by becoming a charter member – bonus points and discounts in many areas among them. I remember that becoming a charter member when the Orleans first opened was a very frugal thing. For the first year you received a 10% discount at all restaurants, and this included meals for which you were using comps, thus allowing our comp “bank” to build up faster.
There have still been some questions about how the Coast properties’ coin-out system works, even though I wrote about this May 19 (see Archives), explaining it really isn’t that big of a difference. Next week I will explain the system in detail for those of you who are still confused.
Remember this Sunday is Father’s Day. I’m sure your father would approve of our taking advantage of one of the numerous frugal promotions available on this day. If you and he are in Vegas, you could take him to the Gourmet Feast Buffet at Boulder Station and treat him to a free brunch or dinner. The fine print says one meal must be purchased at regular price to get the free one, so if you
June 23, 2000
Now for the explanation I promised you last week. Most casinos base their slot club point system on coin-in (meaning how many coins you put into or through the machine). But at the Coast properties in Vegas (the Orleans, Gold Coast, and Barbary Coast, and the soon-to-open Suncoast), you collect points on your coin-out (meaning your “wins”). This confuses many people, who think they don’t get any points if they have a losing session. Not so. You get a point for every dollar you win on any winning hand and in this case a “tie” is counted as a win.
Let me give an extreme example to make it clearer. You put a $5 bill in a dollar 9/6 jacks or better VP machine. You now have 5 credits. You play those 5 credits and get a pair of jacks, which returns your bet, paying $5 racked up as 5 credits. You just earned 5 points because you “won” $5. (See how the tie is counted as a win?) You can cash out the 5 credits and then feed the machine the 5 dollar coins or you can just play the 5 credits — it doesn’t matter. If you get another high pair that hand, you will get another 5 points for that $5 win. Now you have a total of 10 points. If you play 100 hands and get a high pair every hand, you’ll have 500 points, although you invested only $5. Now, say you finally lose the $5 on hand 101 and quit. You’ve had a losing session, but you’ve earned 500 slot club points.
The system is pretty straightforward on the newer multi-line machines, where you’re credited with your points immediately after each winning hand.
However, coin-out gets a little complicated to explain on the older machines, especially when you put in a large bill, start winning on the first hand, and never use all of your original investment. The machine doesn’t rack up each win in this case until your original investment is gone or you cash out. So here’s a caution for these properties: Do not remove your card when you’re cashing out and coins are dropping, because you may be racking up points as the coins come out of the machine. Also hand-pays for jackpots sometimes do not show up on your card reader, but are posted to your account later. This complicated system does cause problems sometimes, because it’s not easy to ascertain whether you’re getting the correct number of points. And card readers have been known to malfunction. Computers are not mistake-proof.
Briefs
Read recently in the freebie magazine What’s On: “Very sparkly, very twinkly.” That’s the description of the Las Vegas skyline given by the autistic character, Raymond, in the entertaining 1988 movie Rainman. I never cease to be in awe when I arrive by plane in Vegas at night.
Senior Travel Tip: I’ve rarely found a cheaper price on the Internet to beat the senior fares given when you book airline reservations with a travel agent or the airline direct. I no longer surf the Web for airfares; it’s faster for me to call the airlines direct, choose the best bargain fare I can find, then ask for the usual 10% senior discount that can be applied to almost any fare category. I tried the Internet route but it was just too time-consuming. I can give the airline clerk a choice of several days on which we can travel and ask for the cheapest fare. On so many Web sites, you must give an exact day and even time of day you want to fly, and it’s hard to find when there might be a cheaper fare if you’re flexible.