2/1/2002
I’m back — the Frugal Princess said she had run out of things to write about! But I really appreciated the rest she gave me and she did a great job. That’s not just a mother’s pride — I had a lot of people say they enjoyed the different slant from a less-experienced gambler.
My file is bulging again, so here comes bits and pieces from here and there.
BRIEFS
TomSki just returned from a trip to Australia. Here are some interesting excerpts from a report he posted on the Skip Hughes Video Poker List: “Visited the Star City in the Darling Harbour section of Sydney. Casino was about the size of the Mirage. But there was not a single video poker game in the whole place! I was told they took out all the VP games per the request of the pit bosses. The pit bosses felt if one wanted to gamble on a card game, they should do so at the tables! I found out why they don’t let you wear caps/hats. It’s because the casino cameras need to be able to see your face in case you’re caught cheating.”
We get something in the mail from the Palms every few days: free-play credits for certain days, free gifts and show tickets, an invitation for Brad to attend a January birthday party, promotion flyers, a VIP dinner, a whole booklet of coupons for bonus points and other goodies in Feb. and March. Now, this all comes from some fairly heavy $1 play (3-5 hours) a couple of days a week and because we’re locals. But I hear heavy local quarter players are getting a lot of mail too. In addition, out-of-town quarter players who put in a lot of time at the machines are reporting that they’re scoring comped rooms.
You almost always do better for room comps if you book through a host, whether she comps you upfront based on past play history or evaluates your play and makes a decision toward the end of your visit. I’ve had good reports from people who’ve taken my recommendation to contact Mickey (formerly our host at the Hard Rock) at [email protected] or Danielle (formerly our host at the Orleans) at [email protected]. We’ve known both for many years and they both work extremely hard for their customers.
Another Palms note: They’re running a shuttle to the Fashion Show Mall and Caesars’ Forum Shops. Call for times.
Want to find out the Vegas weather before you get here? Log onto www.weather.com, type in “Las Vegas,” and get the current conditions and 10-day forecast. Now you’ll know how to pack — halfway, at least: There’s NOWHERE you can find reliable information about the temperature inside a particular casino. I’ve frozen to death in a Vegas casino in July, and I’ve had to start shedding clothes in January. Vegas definitely is “Layer City.”
Now that tax season has arrived, I’ve had several inquiries about the tax preparer/financial advisor I recommended some weeks ago. To repeat: Her name is Marissa Chien and you can contact her at Advantage Tax, 702/207-1040 or [email protected]. Marissa’s an experienced and well-qualified Enrolled Agent and, since she’s a player herself, she understands the special problems that gamblers face.
By the way, everyone does know — don’t you? — that if you forget something I’ve reported, you can go to the Frugal Friday Archives, where every column I’ve ever written is quietly waiting for you to click.
If you want to judge how well Vegas is doing economically, just count your Super Bowl Party invitations. By our own reports and those from others, I think casinos are getting desperate. As one casino executive said before the holidays, “We’re mining the databases a bit deeper these days.” Reinforces my belief that it pays to join a lot of slot clubs and put in some minimum play at as many casinos as possible. Who knows what your mail will bring. Another good technique is to put in ONE day of HEAVY play at the highest denomination that you ever play at as many casinos as you can. This will often bring high-level offers in the mail. Casino competition is at the highest level I have e
2/9/2002
Notes I jot down as I run around Las Vegas:
The Gold Coast is certainly a more cheery place since they painted the ceilings white.
Park in the Four Queens parking garage and check out your parking ticket stub — four coupons, including a free dinner in Magnolia’s for earning 200 points on your current trip.
If you get a credit line at the Suncoast or Orleans, you have 45 days to pay back the marker, instead of the usual 30 days at many other casinos.
The Riviera has a good “cover-your-losses” promotion for new slot club members. But don’t try to get cute and pad your losses by pulling your slot card when you’re dealt a pat winning hand.
They’re on to this trick and will refuse to pay you ANY rebate at all. (This promotion has since been cancelled)
The cover-your-losses promo for new members at the Stratosphere is only available to Vegas visitors. If you’re a resident of Las Vegas, North Las Vegas, Henderson, or Boulder City, you’re not eligible.
The Stratosphere has added the first K-9 unit in a Vegas casino. The unit has two officers: Officer Dex, a pure-bred German shepherd, and Officer Steve Leiberman, a Stratosphere security officer trained in K-9 tactics.
Add Silverton to the list (which includes all the Station casinos) where you can use your slot club points in conjunction with coupons. For example, if you receive an offer for a 2-for-1 buffet, you can purchase one buffet with your points to get the second one free. An excellent way to stretch those slot club comp points!
You MUST get on the Palms e-mail list, especially if you’re a local. They are e-mailing us frequent last-minute “specials”: Free Play, free room, and food offers. Go to www.palms.com to sign up.
If you’re downtown and see a lady in costume in front of the Golden Gate, go check her out. She sometimes gives out fortune cookies with coupons inside. We got a matchplay coupon the last time. Others have received coupons for free food.
Watch for bonuses offered for new slot club members. Arizona Charlie’s, both East and West, is offering triple cashback (up to $100) during your first three weeks of play. Since these are separate clubs, you can do this promotion at both casinos.
Did you know that in Vegas we get TWO new phone books a year (in January and in July), because we are growing so fast? Every other city in the U.S. only gets one a year!
To get your annual birthday slot club point bonus at the Suncoast, Gold Coast, or Orleans, you must belong to the slot club AND you must put at least 1 point on your card during your birthday month. Hey, how hard is that?
Hotel guests and players with comp slips may make advance reservations by phone for the usually very busy Victorian Room at the Barbary Coast. Others have to appear in person and sign in with the hostess and wait for an opening.
There are more accidents at the intersection of Flamingo and the Strip than anywhere else in the city. We drive through that intersection dozens of times a month. Wonder if we need to change our route?
The Hyatt at Lake Las Vegas furnishes their hotel guests fishing poles to use during their stay.
2/15/2002
I get so many interesting letters and good questions from readers! So I’ve decided that, once in awhile, I’ll include some of them in this column. This week I’m sharing an e-mail from a very frugal gambler who has chosen a casino game about which I haven’t written much.
Hi Jean,
I just finished reading The Frugal Gambler. From the book I know you consider yourself a “”low roller,”” but I’d consider you a “”high roller,”” from my point of view. Having a $3,000 gambling bankroll is way beyond my comprehension!
I’ve been going to Vegas for several years now, and consider myself a really “”frugal gambler.”” After reading your book I’m more convinced than ever that I’m really the one that qualifies for that title. Since Vegas is less than a five-hour drive away for me, I try to make it there at least a couple of times a year–sometimes I can get there four times. But I’m not retired yet, so I have to work around “”work.””
I utilize the time-share promotions to get my hotel paid for–for a 90-minute sales pitch– and my pat answers cut the sales pitches short. I usually get two hotel nights free. I do prefer to stay at least three nights, so I have to pay for one night, but often I check around and find some kind of discount to take advantage of for the third night.
I avoid all the slots, including video poker, and opt for the tables. My game is (live) poker, and it’s the cheapest way I’ve found to play. I bring $300 to play, allotting myself $100 a day. I can usually play eight or nine hours on that $100. (I began playing poker at around eight years old and really love the game.) Most of the time I’ll leave the table with some of that $100 left over–and on occasion I leave with more than I sat down with.
I prefer playing at Circus Circus since I think most of the tourists who play there are the kind of people who “”play regularly on Wednesdays at Aunt Matilda’s,”” if you know what I mean. Four hours of play gets me a food comp. Unfortunately, meal comp tickets at poker rooms have not kept up with the buffet prices–both the Sahara and Circus Circus give $4 meal chits–but the less-than-$2 meal costs still can’t be beat at my level of play. And, at Circus-Circus a meal comp allows you to use the VIP line – which translates into no waiting to be seated. And like you, I usually take a leftover muffin and/or fruit for breakfast.
The total cost to me for a three-night vacation nowadays (not counting the gambling) runs about $150, mostly for gas. Last Feb. gas was cheaper, so the total cost for three nights, gas, and snacks came out to less than $100 (including $18 for a motel). I brought back nearly $200 of my gambling money, and had a terrific time! I even found a coupon for a free show!
True, I don’t get to live the “”high life”” the way you do, but I just thought you might like to know that we truly frugal gamblers–those who can only afford to lose one-tenth of what you can–can still play in Vegas and have a good time, without losing our shirts.
This next week I’m moving up because a timeshare promotion gave me two nights at the Sahara, two free buffets, and two tickets to the magic show. In addition, I get to enjoy the same fancy swimming pool and hopefully the exercise room, as you do.
I haven’t told you what I like so much about playing poker at the tables as opposed to the machines. The thing is–I’m really frugal, and the idea of putting money into a machine before I even know if I’ve got any kind of chance at all doesn’t cut it for me. At the tables I play 7-card stud. I get my first three cards for free. If I don’t pair up or better, or if the cards aren’t set up for a really good shot at something–as long as my up card isn’t the lowest on the table (usually 1 chance in 8)–I toss in my cards and it hasn’t cost me anything to play. I can play for hours without having to put out any money, and I play only the hands either I have to (because I had the lowest card showing), or hands that have good possibility
2/22/2002
I love the casinos’ new coinless machines — but as in almost every new development in a casino, there’s going to be a criminal mind somewhere working out a way to take advantage of it.
Case in point: Recently Brad’s slot club number was called in a Palms drawing. While he was waiting around to sign IRS paperwork (for a 1099) and collect his $2,000, he was talking to some of the other winners. One of them told a good luck/bad luck story about one man’s experience in this drawing.
This man was playing a machine when he saw his number come up on one of the many casino TV screens. He had $800 in credits but that was no problem; he could just punch out his ticket, then rush over to the designated place to claim his $2,000. However, Murphy (of Murphy’s Law) is alive and well and sometimes hangs out in a casino; the ticket mechanism jammed and no ticket came out. The man didn’t know what to do. He had only three minutes to claim his prize and there was no casino employee in sight. So he asked the man at the next machine to watch his machine until a casino employee would come to unjam his ticket — and he would be back as soon as he had claimed his prize, just a few minutes, he figured.
Well, you can guess the ending of this story. The man came back to the machine to find it empty — and the man he trusted to watch the machine was nowhere in sight. His $2,000 drawing prize was suddenly $800 lighter.
I later told this story to an experienced gambler who often plays at the Palms and in other casinos where there are coinless machines. Although the above incident occurred when someone took advantage of a fluke — ticket jams are very rare — this player told me that he’d heard of a new organized-team scam, with two or more people working it together. First, they find a player with a lot of credits on the machine. Then one person goes to a machine somewhere behind the mark, feeds in a $5 bill, punches the cashout button, then walks away and out of the casino.
If a ticket isn’t taken right away, the machine makes a loud beeping noise. When this noise continues, the mark turns around to see what the deal is. He sees this unclaimed ticket hanging out of the machine and no one around and goes over to investigate. He probably debates for a few seconds what he should do — then decides to take the ticket out to stop the loud beeping noise and figure out later whether to keep the ticket or turn it in to security. All this probably takes less than a minute, but it’s a minute when his back is turned to his machine and plenty of time for a second member of the scam group — who has been sitting or standing nearby but out of sight — to quietly punch out the mark’s credits, quickly walk to the cashier to cash the ticket, then disappear out the door before the mark has figured out what happened!
Always be alert in a casino — where there are plenty of ways to lose your money.