Posts by: queen of comps

The 24th Annual Blackjack Ball

Some weeks ago I promised that I would write about this event, but I have found that it has been difficult to even start thinking about this as a subject for a blog.  The pandemic has turned the world upside-down. Not only don’t we do most of the things we used to do we don’t even think the same way.  Our interests, our priorities, our actual thought processes have gone through radical changes.

Our trip back to Vegas for the BJ Ball seems like it was in a different lifetime, although it was just a little over a month ago.  It will go down in our memories as the last big good thing before the virus war began.

It was a wonderful experience.  We knew it would very likely be the last time we would be in our favorite city, a place which had provided for us an amazing almost-fairy-tale life for almost 36 years.   We could once again experience the excitement of the bright lights that always beckoned with their message of countless possibilities.

Most of all, we felt honored that we were invited as special guests at this get-together of distinguished gamblers. It was like the cherry-on-the-top as we were retiring at the end of our long frugal casino journey.

It had been many years since we attended one of these gatherings, in fact not since back at the very beginning of the BJ Ball in the late ‘90s.  And being at this one became especially memorable since this year my “boss,” Anthony Curtis, was voted into the Blackjack Hall of Fame.  Brad and I and Anthony had all three been at those early get-togethers, and now here we were together again, celebrating Anthony’s high honor.

For those who want more details about this year’s Blackjack Ball and perhaps learn more of its interesting history, I am giving below some links to articles about this event, some of which are extremely detailed.  And just to answer one question I often get, “No, although it is called a Ball, it is not a dance.”  I find most professional gamblers are the last persons you would find on a dance floor! (Although Brad and I were avid ballroom dancers for many years!)

https://www.blackjackreview.com/wp/2020/02/28/the-24th-blackjack-ball-2020/

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sports/betting/blackjack-ball-brings-worlds-greatest-gamblers-to-las-vegas-1969539/

https://www.lasvegasadvisor.com/gambling-with-an-edge/the-24th-annual-blackjack-ball/

https://www.888casino.com/blog/tags/blackjack-ball  – 4 articles detailing 2018 and 2019 Balls

Keeping our Balance during a Crisis

Everything is relative these days.  I battle allergies every spring – and that hasn’t changed with our move from Las Vegas to GA.  That same yellow pollen covers our car and the table on our porch.  I go from sneezing and coughing and runny nose to a sinus infection that goes to a sore throat and an inner ear problem that causes dizziness.  What is different this year is my reaction – and my attitude:  I don’t complain as much – I feel grateful that at least I don’t have the Coronavirus.  (At least I don’t think I do!)

For years I have talked about balance in one’s life, particularly for regular casino gamblers, which we were for many years before we recently retired.  I always reminded people that there is a danger if your gambling negatively affects the other parts of your life or makes you self-centered and uncaring for those around you.  I wrote how Brad and I down through the years, until we had to deal with failing health concerns, were active in volunteer activities.  And maybe some of you got tired of hearing me talk about our children, and grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.  But our family was always our first priority – and we wrapped family activities into our casino activities constantly.

So now, I was wondering what I should write in this blog.  Some would say that with the seriousness of this pandemic people shouldn’t be thinking about gambling at all, that they should be concerned about serious medical subjects.  But I go back to my belief in balance in life.  You are heeding the advice to stay at home, but that does not mean you need to just sit around worrying.  That is not good for your mental health.  The TV is sending out tons of information about how to keep yourself and your family occupied.

Each person has special interests that can keep them from dwelling on the negative.  For some of you, reading about gambling subjects can be your way of coping with this crisis.  So that is why I will try to keep writing this blog.

We need to keep the faith that life will eventually go back to “normal,” although it may be a “new normal.”  If you were a VP player and casino visits were an important part of your life before, then I see no problem with you doing things that will help you be a smarter gambler when they re-open – whenever in the near or distant future that will be.

We have no idea what casinos will be like for the VP player when they re-open.  Some of the extreme tactics they used during the last recession seemed to hang on, like downgrading VP paytables and cutting comps.  That may happen again – but on the other hand, they may need to make some positive changes to get players back.

I predict that they will need to run more and stronger promotions.  With that in mind, now might be a good time to expand your skills.  Learn a new VP game.  Maybe you said you were sticking to Jacks or Better because that was the only game for which you knew the strategy.  Get a software training program and learn NSUD (Not-So-Ugly-Deuces) which was probably the most common “good game” when the casinos closed.

Here are some of the other ideas you might consider:  You may get out those gambling books you have in your personal library – some you never read or some you may decide to re-read to refresh your memory.  You may want to order some new titles.  Here on this website many of them are available at a discounted price.  If you are a newbie VP player, you might want to go back and read some of my blogs of the last couple of years since I have been covering the changing VP scene.

There is another resource I want to suggest, for all skill levels and all games – “Casino City Times.”  They have a ton of information on their site, much from old files, but there is also up-to-date writing, by many of the experts in the gambling field.  I especially recommend the writings of John Robison, who covers both slots and VP as he relates many of his own gambling experiences.   A very good up-to-the-minute article, covering some of the same things I am discussing in this blog for gamblers to do, is by Gary Trask.

Social distancing doesn’t mean social isolation.  We can still reach out to each other virtually if not physically.  Feel free to use the “Comments” below to share:  your fears, your hopes, your desire to stay connected.

A New Kind of Life with Corona

Yes, Columbus, GA, may seem like calm backwater South compared to bustling cities like Las Vegas, but there is still fear and uncertainty as to when the virus will come to attack here.  “Will come” – not when it might come, for the prediction is that no area in the world is absolutely “safe.”

Obviously, Brad and I realize our added risk of old age and, with Brad, underlying medical problems.  So, we do not plan to gather with large groups.  I did go to our nearby Wal-Mart yesterday to do some stock-up shopping so I wouldn’t have to go out so often in the future.  It was extremely crowded, and the sign I was definitely in the South – can you guess which shelves looked the emptiest?  Grits!!!

Unfortunately, last night we had to go to the one place a person doesn’t want to be to avoid bugs of any type – the hospital emergency room.  Some routine blood work Brad had in the afternoon turned up a dangerously high potassium count that required immediate attention that evening. Thanks to our wise decision to move close to family, we had a convenient ride to the hospital, with Angela and Steve being Johnny’s-on-the-spot.  I have taken over driving responsibilities since Brad gave up his license, but some vision decline makes night driving unsafe for me.

Hoping to have a short waiting time with a roomful of sick people – and only some wearing masks – did not come to pass.  It was over 3 exhausting hours until an emergency room curtained-off cubicle became open so Brad could lie down.  The delay wasn’t because of coronavirus fears and people with symptoms wanting to be tested – seemed to be none of that.  Actually, it seemed to be due to gang violence – there was at least one gunshot victim, police all over, and the hospital was put on lockdown – I guess in case that violence would follow into the emergency room.

We didn’t know many details, but the guy in the cubicle across from Brad seemed to have a foot injury and there was a cop sitting next to him at all times.  When he was finally leaving, limping, escorted out by two cops, a medical supervisor asked, “Can he take crutches?”

“Not where he is going,” snapped one of the cops.  Oh, he wasn’t the victim of the violence but a perp that was shot by the police.

Actually, all this drama made the visit a little interesting.  However, it majorly delayed getting to Brad’s problem.  But after an IV and multiple blood tests and long waits, good news came back.  His potassium level was normal – maybe the earlier high one was a mistake??

At 4 a.m. we quickly passed through the still-crowded waiting room to go out in fresh warm GA air while we waited a few minutes for Steve to pick us up.  We were ready to go back to our cozy apartment and be hopeful that we hadn’t picked up any bug – Corona or otherwise!

Taking Advantage of CZR Benefits

Last week I told you about our “surprise” trip back to Las Vegas.  People were surprised to see us there, and honestly Brad and I surprised ourselves with this trip so soon after we had made the permanent move to Georgia.  For one thing the move was extremely hard on both us, especially for Brad who is quite frail health wise, and we weren’t sure we had “recovered.”

However, we were pretty well settled into our new apartment home thanks to a lot of family support – and hopefully feeling strong enough for those long flights. And we really wanted to attend the Blackjack Ball on Feb. 22, to which we had been invited as special guests.  I’ll talk more about that fascinating event in a later blog, but today I will talk about something that made that trip very tempting.  Maybe you can guess why?  It would be FREE!!!!!

We may have retired from frugal gambling but not from frugal thinking – and we still had a lot of comps left back in Vegas.  Everyone knows how I hate to let valuable benefits expire and go to waste!

I’ve written a lot of negative things about CZR down through the years, and the future seems to look bleak for educated players as it is being taken over by El Dorado.  But for the moment, we enjoyed a surprise new benefit that CZR just introduced late last year. (I wrote about this in a Nov. 21st blog.)  Starting February 1st, 2020, they added a $600 travel benefit to Las Vegas for Diamond-tier players who had climbed up to 75,000 tier credits from the base requirement of 15,000.  What was surprising about this advanced tier benefit was that it was based on your entire 2019 play.  This backdating let us include our only play in 2019, which was early in the year before our decision to cut play at CZR and several other properties.

You can read more about these advanced Diamond benefits here.  Unfortunately, the details are a bit vague.  For example, since it mentions a flight to Vegas, what substitute benefit would a Las Vegas resident have?  Perhaps one of those would share their personal experience about this in the “Comments.”  This benefit is not as good as the Diamond travel perks of several years ago – but to have a new benefit of any kind from CZR was a welcome surprise.

In addition to having free airfare for the trip back to Vegas, we had another surprise.  Although this new Diamond travel perk did not come with any room comp, our long-time NCM host, who knew our history of heavy play, obtained 5 free comped hotel nights for us although we hadn’t put in any play for almost a year.  True, it was at the Rio, a neglected CZR property that hasn’t seen upgrades for years – and probably won’t until the new owner decides what to do with it after CZR management ends in two years.  I think they are just glad to get warm bodies in the rooms and hope they will wander down to the casino and do some play. However, it was large – all suites there – and clean and we don’t need fancy digs – we’ve had enough of those for 35 years to satisfy any long-ago enthusiasm for luxury.

With the basic expenses covered, we spent 5 days roaming around Vegas “burning comps.” We turned as much of our benefits as we could into Free Play.  Then comp-only balance would cover all our snacks and meals, but there was still so much left.  So, we treated family and friends to meals and movies and shopping in casino gift shops – that last one an only-option choice trying my frugal soul with their jacked-up high prices.  We bought candy for our great-grandkids Easter baskets.   And when we couldn’t think of another thing to buy, we passed out gift cards that weren’t in our names so they could be used by others in the future.

We got the job done!

“You Aren’t Supposed To Be Here!”

Yes, I heard that for the last few days while we were in Las Vegas.  “I thought you already moved to GA.”

Yes, we did move to Columbus, GA, in early January. But we did make a quick trip back to our old Vegas stomping grounds last week. The main reason was to attend the 24th annual Blackjack Ball, to which we were invited as special guests.  Actually, we had attended this gathering of gamblers back in the late nineties, at the first 3 of these. But as we were switching from BJ to video poker as our primary game, this annual event was growing so large that the guest list had to be limited mainly to active BJ players.  Although BJ is still the main “glue” of this get-together, many of those early expert players have retired or moved into or added other areas, like the stock market or cryptocurrency.  And many have added new casino games, like VP or live poker, or look for good tournament plays in any game besides blackjack.  And many players have also contributed to gambling education in the media, writing articles and books about BJ and other casino games.  This is category in which I fit.

I will write more in future blogs about this Blackjack Ball and the rest of our activities in this 4-day stay in Las Vegas. I will probably surprise you with details about how much we played and what games we chose.  I probably won’t surprise you with the details of our couponing and “burning comps.”

But right now I want to give you details about a promotion that is time-sensitive.  Being among so many top-notch big-time successful gamblers at the BJ Ball once again emphasized to me how important it is to diversify your gambling choices, especially in this time of dwindling good opportunities.  The big-money players are doing it – many are flying all over country – and some all over the world – to find advantage plays.  And many wise “little” players are doing it also, albeit on a smaller scale.

So, I came across this up-coming BJ promotion at the Rampart Casino in Vegas that might interest some VP players who might want to step into  and perhaps add the game of blackjack.  And it is also another example that shows how important it is to check many resources.  I got this information from Scot Krause’s Vegas Values.  This is a weekly report that every Sunday gives you details on the best Las Vegas casino deals.

Rampart: National Blackjack Day March 2nd.

This fun day was created to bring attention to one of the most popular casino games – Blackjack. The day brings attention to not only the game, but the declining number of casinos who still offer a 3:2 payout – hence the day falling on March 2nd (3/2)! Guests can join the team at Rampart Casino who will be offering the following to celebrate National Blackjack Day:

Free Blackjack lessons throughout the day: 8 a.m., 10 a.m., Noon, 2 p.m., and 4 p.m.

The casino bars will boast the Jack in Black cocktail for $3.20 – a mix of Jack Daniels Old No. 7, coffee liqueur, and cola.

Clubhouse Deli will feature the Double Down Burger for $9.99 featuring two all-beef patties, special sauce, lettuce, cheese, and pickles on a toasted sesame seed bun. Served with French fries and a soft drink.

The 2020 Blackjack Bonus throughout the day (beginning at 10 a.m.), will reward any Blackjack player that hits a $10 Suited Blackjack (minimum $10 bet), a bonus $20 free bet. (Must be a Rampart Rewards club member.)

Questions – Answered and Unanswered

I love to answer reader questions, but I am getting some this month – as I do every year during tax season – that I cannot tackle.  I would like to give you specific answers you may need as you start working on your tax return, but I just can’t – and for so many reasons.  Tax issues are so complex, and specifics depend on the individual’s total financial situation – there is almost never a one-answer-fits-all question. And to make matters worse there are so many gray areas for the gambling taxpayer.  So many answers would require long discussions about the exceptions, the varied opinions, the it-depends.

That is why Tax Help for Gamblers was born so many years ago.  And because there have always been constant changes in the tax world, that early “baby book” has had to “grow up,” and along the way I have had to bring on expert tax professionals to help me “raise” it to adulthood.   The latest edition, with up-to-date input from Russell Fox, who has personal gambling experience as well as long-time experience in tax preparation, will be the one place you can find the accurate details to help you with most of your gambling tax puzzles. Many do-it-yourself gambler filers consider it their bible.  And many use the book to guide them in their record-keeping all year long and then give it to their tax preparer, especially if he/she has little or no experience in dealing with gambling issues.

A personal note on our tax situation:  We were spoiled by having no state income taxes in NV.  Extra paperwork this month to start having Georgia state tax withheld!

Now for some questions I can answer:

Q:  Why don’t you use a map to get around Columbus if you are having trouble with your GPS?

A:  Thanks for reading my last blog and offering some advice.  Actually, I was a super navigator for some 35 years while I rode shotgun with Brad all over the country – and a map was always in my lap – or close by.  But when he gave up his keys last year, I had to shine up my rusty driving skills – I had driven probably no more than a dozen times in the last 20 years.  However, starting back to driving in Vegas wasn’t too hard for me – and I didn’t need a map.  I knew every route and every shortcut, without ever trying to learn to use the GPS in our car or on my phone.  But when we moved to Columbus, I realized that I needed my full attention on the unfamiliar streets, and so – checking to be sure she is programmed correctly – Ms. GPS will be my best friend for some time!

And speaking of driving:  This is the first time in 65 years that Brad doesn’t have a driver’s license.

Q:  What change in your life do you notice most since your move from Vegas?

A:  There have been so many major changes, but I guess the one that comes up most often is that we have to pull out a credit card ALL THE TIME.  We miss comps!

You Asked

Good morning, Las Vegas, from sunny GA – a welcome change from, what the locals say, has been an unusually rainy winter spell.  We hope it ends soon!  Now time for some Q+A.

Q:  Did you and Brad sell that “condo-that-VP-built” you had for so many years – or did you save it for future Vegas visits.

A:  We did sell it – and thanks to a rising housing market we were pleased we got almost double the price we paid in 1999.  Because of Brad’s failing health, we do not plan for a lot of air travel in the future, and we are trying to simplify our life, shedding all the responsibilities of property ownership, including also a couple of rentals we had.

I’d like to give a shout-out to our super real estate agent, Lisa Skurow (702-203-3826).  She gives such warm personal service and has a stable of ready buyers and sellers: our condo never had to be listed because she had a buyer waiting.  If you are in the market, tell her we said to give you a frugal price!

 

Q:  You talked about the disappearance of full-pay Deuces Wild in your last blog.  I hadn’t known about that – and I wonder how you found that out since you live far away in Georgia?

A: For 20-some years I have been writing about casinos in Las Vegas and all over the country, including information about many that I had never personally visited.  How did I do that?  Research, research, research! And although Brad and I have retired from casino gambling, I still daily browse the Internet – checking out the gambling forums and keeping up with Las Vegas news.  I still get e-mails from readers sharing their gambling experiences and talk with friends who readily complain about machine downgrades.  Although Brad and I are quickly picking up other activities, with family and new friends, I can’t visualize a time in the future when frugal gambling would have no place in my interest or thinking.

 

Q:  Many have asked how Brad and I are adjusting to this major change in our life.

A:  Right now it is too soon to discuss this subject since we are still in the organizing and home decoration stage.  I am spending lots of time on Amazon.com. I couldn’t believe how many shower-curtain choices I had for my one elephant-themed bathroom and the other dollar-bill-themed one.  Endless decisions for every room.  Fun but it keeps us very busy!

However, there is one part of our family that doesn’t seem to be adjusting to this move.  The GPS in our Encore SUV caused me a major driving problem a couple of days ago while we were in an unfamiliar part of town.

“Navigate to Home,” I instructed.

I started following her orders and got on the designated freeway.  It was 5:30 and heavy rush hour traffic, and I was concentrating on being in the correct lane on the unfamiliar road.  But then I noticed the signage and I realized that instead of heading to our apartment on the east side of town I was going west on the road that would cross the river and we would soon be in Alabama.  I immediately started moving several lanes to the right, finally in a position where I could exit and find a quiet place where I could argue with Ms. GPS.

For some reason she couldn’t explain why “Home,” which had been programmed with our new address, had reverted back to our Las Vegas one.  I guess our little red SUV just got homesick!

A Deuce Requiem

When I recently heard that the classic FPDW game (full pay Deuces Wild) had been pulled from all the Station properties in Las Vegas, a feeling of sadness came over me – and a rush of memories filled my thoughts. Yes, Brad and I have moved away from Vegas and this game disappearance doesn’t impact us personally.  In fact, we hadn’t played this game for many years even though we were living in Las Vegas, near to a casino property that offered it. But because that 100.7% pay table was only offered on low denominations, mainly quarters, we had been finding other positive plays at dollars and above.  However, we had always been very happy to find these on a good deuce game, albeit one with a lower-EV pay schedule but connected to a good promotion or players club benefit to put it in positive territory.

FPDW was our exclusive game choice for many years.  In fact, it was the game that lured us away from the blackjack tables where we had started our frugal gambling casino adventure.  I’ve often told the story about how, on December 31, 1991, Brad and I walked from the Westward Ho to the downtown Gamblers Book Club to get Lenny Frome’s book that contained the FPDW strategy.  Then we started playing those old coin-dropper quarters at the Ho, Brad hitting the buttons as I kept checking the strategy chart to be sure we were being accurate.  I finally got tired and left for the room, leaving the strategy book with Brad and admonishing him to check if he had a puzzling hand. Of course, this had a storybook ending:  Brad hit a royal (our very first) just before midnight, and came back to the room and dumped the whole $1000 in cash on the bed!

In 1995, we got brave enough to leave the quarter machines to go up to playing dollars and that meant learning and choosing other games.  But we continued to find some FPDW in 50-cents and occasionally in dollars up through the summer of 1997.  After that I never played it, but Brad would sometimes kill time at the Palms, waiting while I got my nails done in the salon, playing the quarter progressive FPDWs.

I see vpFREE2 has FPDW listed only in one casino – Sam’s Town in Vegas.  Whether there are others in “secret” locations that players don’t want to reveal – in Las Vegas or any other place in the world – I don’t know. But I do know that losing this game will have negatively affected many skilled advantage players who wanted/needed a lower-level denomination and were willing to spent many hours grinding out a small but steady profit.

Actually, with all the VP pay-schedule downgrades for many years, I am surprised that this game lasted as long as it did. But now it seems like the sad End of an Era!

Surviving a Major Move

Hello – finally – from Georgia!

I knew this move would be a lot of work – but it has been more exhausting than I expected –  and taking us longer to get settled .  I guess we had more energy at 60/67, back when we moved from Indianapolis to Las Vegas 20 years ago.

But we are happy to be in our new Georgia home, albeit surrounded by unpacked boxes.  I love apartment living already.  Toilet won’t stop running – call maintenance. Door sticking – call maintenance.  They cheerfully fix, change, or tell us how to operate anything.  However, one thing they can’t fix is the weather. Our umbrellas and raincoats are getting a heavy workout.  It will take time to adjust to heavy humidity!

It is great to be near family.  These three great-grands will keep us young – if they don’t wear us out first!  🙂

We haven’t had time to miss Las Vegas or gambling yet – too busy getting settled. But I just heard something on the news that I just couldn’t believe.  All the state political talk  here is centered around whether Georgia will finally legalize gambling, with the push for a casino in Atlanta.  But then I heard the governor speak about this subject and he said that other cities around the state were interested in also having a casino.  Then he went on to mention that an official from Columbus told him their city definitely wanted to be included on that casino location list.

Hummmm….wonder if he had found out the Frugal Gamblers had moved to Columbus and might give a casino here a big boost.

Naaaaaw…

Learn Something New about Jean Scott

Learn Something New about Jean Scott

Editor’s Note: Jean Scott (along with Brad, Angela, Steve, and Kaitlyn) is up to her eyeballs packing boxes, moving furniture, and generally feeling harried and frazzled in preparation for her imminent relocation to Columbus, Georgia.

Besides, she’s too modest to point even her most loyal readers to a feature story written about her.

Still, the LVA editors thought that you might like to spend a few minutes perusing the article, if only to see if the excellent reporter, Mark Gruetze, came up with anything you didn’t know about her background, or to get a view of her through the eyes of her long-time publisher Anthony Curtis and long-time editor and friend Deke Castleman.

Here’s the link — and enjoy!

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