8/6/2004
JEAN
The following letter appeared on the video poker forum vpFree, which you can subscribe to at [email protected]. I’m always preaching about the benefits of studying and researching the slot club system in any casino where you play. I thought this post gave a very good illustration, and Greg, the author, kindly gave me permission to edit and reprint it here.
GREG
Here is an example of the typical type of screw up that one might run into when dealing with slot clubs. Be prepared for this type of thing and don’t be afraid to question the word of the casino people.
I recently played a double-points promotion at a southern area casino. This was one of those deals where you have to sign up for the double points prior to play, and they’re later credited to your account manually.
I signed up for the double points and played for quite a while. At the end of the day the card reader showed enough (single) points for about $170 in cash back, so I expected to get $340 when I cashed in my points. I left and came back the next morning to cash in my points, which the slot booth lady said amounted to $170. I asked if they had manually doubled the points yet, and she said that they had. So I asked her to check again, because I didn’t think that my points had been doubled. She checked and said she needed to get her supervisor to look at my account.
The supervisor looked at my account and said, “”But you didn’t play any yesterday.”” I told her that I had played a LOT yesterday, and what about all the points on my card? She said, “”Those points are showing up as being played TODAY!””
So I asked her (1) Why would I sign up for double points, not play at all on that day, but then (2) turn around and play a huge number of points on the very next day, which (3) would be impossible, because I had been asleep and had not been in the casino the second day until just now when I came in to collect my cashback? I also suggested that it was possible that I had run “”overtime”” by a few minutes the previous night, which might have caused the computer to credit all of my points onto the following day for some weird reason. I was very nice about the whole thing, which I think helped because she agreed with me and went ahead and credited the double points without further argument.
After this episode, I had a few observations:
(1) In situations like this, know beforehand what you should be getting from the slot club. If what they tell you doesn’t match your calculations, keep asking questions until either they give you what you deserve or you’re satisfied that you’ve made a mistake.
(2) It helps to know a casino’s slot club system as well, if not better, than the casino employees themselves.
(3) People who are unable or unwilling to make the calculations to correlate points to cashback are at a real disadvantage. If I didn’t know what my points should have been worth, I would have just taken the slot person’s word that my points had already been doubled, and would have missed out on $170.
(4) Here is yet another reason to despise those mystery systems such as what you find at many casinos. Without knowing how many points I’d earned or how much those points were worth, I wouldn’t have had any ammunition for my argument.
(5) Don’t get mad or upset when this type of problem happens (which it will — sooner or later). Just state the facts calmly and clearly.
JEAN
Amen, Greg!
8/13/2004
Keep those e-mails coming. I need your opinions and comments!
More about sex in Sin City — seemingly a never-ending subject of interest in our local newspaper. Remember the Hard Rock ad issue we discussed in several April columns? It’s still not resolved. “Despite two months of talks between the Hard Rock Hotel and the state attorney general’s office, the Nevada Gaming Commission on Thursday said larger policy issues affecting the industry and the community had to be addressed before the casino’s allegedly pornographic advertising case can be resolved.” Read the whole R-J story at
www.reviewjournal.com/lvrj_home/2004/Jul-30-Fri-2004/business/24417883.html
But this is what kills me: Three days later, on August 2, I read an article in the LV Sun with this headline: “Hard Rock changing prescription for ads.” The story began: “A resort where customers and spokesmodels show plenty of skin recently kicked off the first leg of a new advertising effort that so far marks a significant departure from the blatant sexual images that have become a staple of Las Vegas. Showing skin is old hat, officials at the Hard Rock Hotel say.” Read the whole story at: www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/sun/2004/aug/02/517272552.html.
Just as I have always believed — once the pendulum reaches one extreme, it starts swinging back the other way. Or maybe Hard Rock officials read Frugal Fridays when I get really wound up?!
The May 21st column about my search for tranquility must have struck similar chords in a lot of people and many shared their frustrations. Here’s a typical example, from my friend Steve, a Vegas local:
Great column this week, Jean! [Well, he credits my writings for luring him to this fun life in Vegas, so he may be a little prejudiced!] We didn’t have the problems you did getting the Tranquility Fountains (we picked up ours rather near the evening deadline), but they didn’t last long at our house. The motors were louder than the fountains themselves (and the motor sound was not particularly tranquil), and our fresh batteries went dead on them overnight. The next day we tranquilly put the fountains in the trash.
Last June we talked about frugal flying and Jeff Compton weighed in with this good bumping hint: “I am frequently in the position that I do not want to leave for the airport two hours earlier than usual on the possibility that I will get bumped. So what I do is the night before I leave (about midnight) when I go online to check my boarding pass, I also check the flight to see what fares are still available. If the flight is full or only the most expensive fares are still there, then I’ll go to the airport early to try to get bumped. So far this has worked very well.”
On July 9th we talked about buffets. From the Internet a kindred soul wrote: “We had the buffet at XXXX once and it was so bad we didn’t even steal any of the food. ;-)””
8/19/2004
Casinos have some of the best security systems in the world. Still, it’s important for all of us casino visitors to take more responsibility for our own safety and the protection of our money and belongings. A good friend wrote me the following letter, which points out some dangers in a casino you might not have thought about:
“”In the past couple of years, many casinos have instituted bounce-back free play that does not require an ID or a trip to the slot club to collect. This is handy for the customer, but has the potential for theft by those few dishonest folk who are always going to be hanging around where there’s lots of money.
“”At these properties, you just insert your player’s card, input your Personal Identification Number (PIN), press a few buttons, and voila — you have your free play. This is extremely customer-friendly, but unfortunately it can be taken advantage of by observant thieves.
“”I have seen that most people are extremely cavalier about safeguarding their PIN. It doesn’t matter who’s around, or who might be watching them, when they punch it in. I’ve even seen people ask total strangers to help them collect their free play, even though this involves telling the other party their PIN! This is, at least potentially, extremely unwise! I’m not talking about asking casino employees, of course.
“”Stealing another’s free play requires another thing, and that’s the victim’s player’s card. Have you ever forgotten your card when you left a machine? I know I have! Have you ever taken a restroom break, cashed out your money (easy with the handy ticket-in-ticket-out systems), but left your card in it? No big deal, right? Well, in places like the Palms, the Fiestas, and Station casinos in Vegas, it can be a big deal!
“”If someone should learn your PIN, and be able to get one of your player’s cards, you are in big trouble. The thief can then collect your free play without any real risk of being caught. And with the kiosks at the Stations, he can also access your comp points and use them to his heart’s content, also with little chance of being caught. You might not notice that your points are disappearing for quite some time and when you do, it’s too late to do anything about it. Except to immediately get a new PIN, of course! And to be more careful when you use it in the future.
“”I know this is a bit cynical, but I just can’t believe how trusting people are. I see people leave hundreds of dollars in credits on their machine and go in search of a bucket, or even to the bathroom. A couple of days ago I saw a lady leave a very expensive-looking suede jacket (with a beautiful fur collar!) on her seat while she went to the ladies’ room. And in a place with TITO, is it wise to ask a total stranger to watch your machine? Chances are that the person is honest, but if you do it often enough, you’ll eventually find someone who isn’t. It’s fine to trust your friends or even people you know just a little, but to trust every stranger with your money is pretty foolish, especially in a casino!””
As with so many other things, security is mostly a matter of using common sense, but in a casino it pays to add a little extra bit of caution.
8/26/2004
Brad and I used to ride Vegas city buses frequently, back in our early days as frugal visitors. We’ve always run all over town to play the best games, chase the juiciest promotions, and play coupons. Back then, if we couldn’t find a free shuttle, which was our first choice, we hopped on the bus. Later we found renting a car was often the most frugal option, because we could hit more good plays. Of course, now we don’t ride the bus, because we live in Vegas and run all over town in the Frugal van. So I depend on others to keep me up to date on transportation options so I can advise my readers, many of whom do depend on bus service.
The first update comes from Jeff Compton:
“”With the recent completion of the South Strip Transfer Terminal (SSTT), taking the bus from the airport to several hotels is quite easy. The terminal is located just south of McCarran and the #109 Southbound bus runs there every 10-15 minutes.
From the SSTT you can get to the following hotels:
Silverton — #117
Sunset Station/Fiesta Henderson — #212
Strip Hotels — #301/302
Sam’s Town — #213
Directly from the airport:
Sahara/Las Vegas Hilton — #108 (Northbound)
Downtown Hotels — #108 or #109 to the Downtown Transportation Center (Northbound)
If your hotel is not listed, it can still be reached with another transfer (check www.rtcsouthernnevada.com/cat for details.
Buses load and unload at airport ground level zero.
Fare is $1.25. Immediately ask for a transfer if you’re going to the SSTT to get another bus.
Do not plan on using buses after midnight (many do not run), if you have lot of luggage (buses do not stop directly at the hotels; be prepared to walk), or if there are four in your party (a cab is probably a better deal for less hassle).””
The second tip comes from Pesach Kremen, an expert on getting around Vegas without a car.
“”The CAT system has connected the monorail and downtown with the #108 Paradise Swenson. The benefit is in the increased frequencies of the bus.. During the day you have 20 frequencies from the airport to downtown and 30 late-evening with service to about 2 am. This is in addition to the very frequent service (12 per day Mon.-Fri., 15 per day Sat.-Sun.; 20 min evening all days, 30 graveyard all days) of the #109 from the airport to downtown. If your luggage meets the airlines’ carry-on limits, it’s OK for the bus. I’ve never had a problem with one carry-on-size rollerbag and my backpack (medium).
Buses are found at the -0- level (one level below bag claim) at the airport. Walk outside and go to the far right and you’ll see a long white bench that’s shielded from the sun. This is the area to board the #108/#109. Caution: When boarding the #109, make sure it’s going downtown; the other direction goes to the South Strip terminal (good for those transferring to #301/#302 for South Strip destinations, such as the Mandalay Bay area).
Bus fare is still $1.25 (60 cent with senior/disabled ID) everywhere except the Strip, where it’s $2 (less for sr/disabled). Driver sells 24-hour passes for $5. DTC (Downtown Transportation center) sells tokens (40 for $20, makes ride cost to $1 except Strip), and monthly passes $30 (less for disabled).