This blog has been delayed, mainly because of work on my tax book update. Russell Fox, my new professional collaborator for this essential revision, and I have been scrambling to get this out ASAP so gamblers would be aware of the myriad and oh-so-complex changes that they will face when they start to fill out their 2018 tax returns.
However, although the text is now done, the project has come to an abrupt stop – and you can blame the government for this delay. The multitude of tax forms that needed to be changed after new legislation passed by Congress at the end of December 2017, the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) informally called Tax Reform 2018, is proving to be impossible for government bureaucracy to handle in a timely manner. We can’t bring out the book until we have the much-changed new sample forms to include, as we have done in past editions – and it seems these forms won’t be available until after the first of the year at the earliest.
Sooo…. we can’t promise a firm date when the 4th edition (2019) of the eBook Tax Help for Gamblers will be available for download, but I will keep you informed of the progress. Hopefully it will be soon enough to give you much-needed help well before the April 15th deadline.
There is another reason for this blog delay. I am getting news here and there that Boyd Gaming may have heard the roar of customer complaints about their new “not-improved” and “not-amazing” players club. Many players are reporting that suddenly their tier score is going up – often citing big numbers – and they have no idea what they did – or didn’t do – to make this happen. So, I was waiting to see if I could find out some positive facts about all this before I wrote about it. I hate writing about something I don’t know anything about! 😊
However, all I have is anecdotal info players have given me, with no explanation or understanding of the why and certainly no how others might get this benefit. I have no personal data on this phenomenon – Brad’s and my tier score is still pretty much in the casino basement since it was slashed during the changeover. Our occasional play scoots it up at a snail pace. So, all I can say here is that I will try to do more research and when I find out more, I will certainly write about it in a future blog.
In the meantime, here are a few promotional changes or possible future changes I have come across.
- South Point still has 50+ Prime Time Mondays, but they have discontinued the senior tournament. They still offer $4 movies that day – and 50+ seniors also get that $4 price on Wednesday movies.
- Palms temporarily had a small-wheel check-cashing promotion with limited benefits but now they have discontinued that, offering you only a 2-for-1 buffet or a drink coupon. All the other Station casinos have a check-cashing wheel with a variety of benefits, some quite substantial.
- Still no senior benefit program at the Palms like at all the other Station properties. VP inventory is better at any other company property and at nearby competitors. With all the construction going on that will keep some visitors away, you would think that they would add promotions to keep up the visitor count, not downgrade right and left. I hate to be critical, but I just can’t understand the Palms policies these days.
- There seems to be a new comp policy at Station casinos. I think this has varied in the past, depending on the particular property. But I was informed by a casino executive that there is now a policy company-wide that a host can not issue a “discretionary” comp if you have available comp dollars in your account. It was suggested that you first redeem points (for cash or free play) before you ask a host for any comp. (This seems to be patterned after the policy most Strip properties have.)
- Watch for changes in players clubs, especially if a casino changes owners. The M casino has announced a new club coming the first of the year. Hard Rock will be introducing a new club.
I hope I can write a more positive blog next week!
I just got an e-mail alert from Boyd with some more but still sketchy details about carryover tier credits. It appears you can now carry over tier credits in excess of your current status minimum, up to some arbitrary maximum for each level–if that’s not confusing enough.
For example: if you are a Sapphire at the end of 2018, you lose the 750 credits it took to make Sapphire, but would carry over credits in excess of 750, up to a maximum of 500. Thus if you had 878 tier credits, you would lose 750 and carry over the remaining 128. If you had 1250, you would lose 750 and carry over 500. But if you had 1500, you would carry over only the maximum of 500 for that level, losing the extra 250–if that’s not confusing enough.
Emeralds can carry over up to 5,000 credits; Onyxes, up to 20,000; and Titaniums, up to 50,000. It also states: “Please note that your balance will be set to zero on January 1, 2019, and Carryover Tier Credits will be awarded no later than February 28, 2019.”
Disclaimer: this is my own interpretation of the information in this email, and I could be wrong.
I’m planning a visit just after the first of the year, and will probably play a little if only to reset the bonus points for six months–but we’ll probably have to wait until March to find out for sure.
And so far, there’s nothing about excludng you from the carryover if they determine (in their sole discretion) that you are one of those hateful, despicable, miserable, bottom-feeding “Advantage Players.” But stay tuned….
Me again — a 40+ year Boyd player and averaging over $1M in craps and video poker action to them each year. A few comments… (1) I think Boyd is freaking crazy just giving random upgrades of ratings to various players. Even the so-called bonus tier credits being given are of various sizes and it makes no sense. They must be stupid or something. (2) The new wrinkle of provided tier credit rollovers is also crazy. Look at the example on their website. Why are the two examples being given rollovers at different %ages? Again it makes no sense. (3) and I just was there for 3 whole days at a Boyd property. I think I am still getting screwed royally at the craps tables relative to the tier points I am awarded. And again, their math is way the hell off!! Based on my coin-in count, and my hours played on video poker, I played for a whopping total of 75 hours over the 72 hours, 3-day period. What the hell is wrong with their math??!!
Update….(I also posted this in the forum, but think it’s worth cross-posting). Two of my friends were with me in Vegas last March and also stayed at MSS. One was a net winner at video poker after hitting a royal flush. He hasn’t been upgraded to Sapphire. Both the other guy and me were net losers at VP and we WERE given enough tier points for the Sapphire upgrade. I realize this is a very small sample, but just wonder if others have similar circumstances.
I’m an ultra-low roller, and just noticed I was upgraded to Sapphire from Ruby. Weird, but I’ll keep playing at Boyd property if I’m at least getting comp points. I just hope they don’t start reducing pay tables to compensate.
We’ve played only at Green Valley and I’m now Platinum. We live in the Kingman area of Arizona so we’re not considered locals. We wanted to have a change of scenery and contacted Palace Station to see how much coin in to get a comped room for the 12th and 13th of this month. The host that contacted me comped the room for two nights and said we could have a third if we wanted. We have never played there and she comped the room based off our GVR play. Just saying that at least one host has the ability to offer discretionary comps. Our combined point total is over 200,000 and was never mentioned. May the royals be with you and hope your birthday celebration is the best ever…..Rich
I have been coming to Vegas four times a year from the northeast and have always stayed at Boyd’s . I keep the majority of my play in my “home” casino. I would assume this is loyalty. Yet I have received no letters or boost in my tier credits thus reducing me from emerald to sapphire for 2019. I am wondering how they are determining who gets these bonus boost ?
I have walked away fr Boyd Properties. They still send me some free buffets. As for Southpoint good play for VP bus as I have before lousy buffet and coffee shop.
Does anyone know why South Point stopped their Senior Tournamanet?
I was an Emerald at Boyd and had 242,000 points until they switched. Then I ended up with 7800 and I didn’t figure I had a chance in hell to get to 15,000 because I played VP and you didn’t rack up points playing that game. I stopped at Blue Chip in Indiana, a Boyd property and spent a couple of nights to see just how many points I could get. The day we were going to leave, we were at the bar talking to the bartender and she was saying a lot of players were already getting their Emerald cards through 12-19 even though they didn’t have enough points. She told me to go get my new card and see for myself. Well, first I checked at the kiosk and I had a little over 11,000 and no, my new card said it expired at the end of December this year. When we got home, I was looking for rooms for when we go to Las Vegas for NYE, and I’ll be darned if on the b-connect web page it said I was Emerald through Dec. 2019. So maybe they are grandfathering in players before they lose them all.
Just saw my wife’s Ruby was upgraded 500 tier credits to put her @ sapphire for 2019. I am still @ sapphire with no upgrades. Thinking some Ruby’s will be upgraded. Check your accounts.
Patrica and Jean,
My husband and I are still trying for last minute airfare deal and should arrive Tuesday or Wednesday and we will check out the newest news on Ruby benefits.
I hope at latest get there by Wednesday for some Senior stuff.
Thanks jean for the link.
MO
Hi, Maybe I missed it, but did ‘ALL’ Boyd and Station buffet prices go up during the last 8 months???
If a person is a boyd customer and is not unhappy with the new boyd system they are an idiot PERIOD!!
I’ve been told by several Boyd boothlings and a couple of slot floormen that the new policy of giving NO points (other than those spurious “tier credits”) to lowly Ruby players has infuriated thousands of players who have walked away, vowing never to return. It’s possible that they’re trying to stop the bleeding somehow. I wouldn’t be surprised if whoever’s brainchild this fiasco was is now in a position akin to that of the people who introduced the Edsel and New Coke. Boyd is a megacorporation, so they probably wouldn’t use the Benny Binion cement-overshoes approach, but a LOT of people are going to find themselves working at Starbuck’s.
A friend, who had been “given” 12 or 13000 tier credits which brought her to Emerald status for 2019, received a letter to the effect that this was given to her because of her “loyalty”. I assume others will receive similar treatment
Heading to Vegas on Monday, maybe we will be lucky again and run into you and Brad like our last trip:)
Boyd is doing tier credit carryover now.
Just noticed this the other day, select properties.