Posts by: queen of comps

Cherokee Casino Surprise

After dealing with casinos for 36 years – and coping with the constant changes, especially the last five or so years of major downgrades – you would think I wouldn’t be surprised when I’m faced with a new negative casino wrinkle.  However, I must confess that when I checked my e-mail in the car on the 4 ½-hour drive to Cherokee and read that the casino had just done some major downgrading – blackjack under $15 gone to 6/5 and tier requirements seriously bumped up for play on their best VP games – I was a bit jolted for the moment.  But then I quickly came back to reality – this had been perhaps the best advantage play in the whole Caesars Empire for quite a few years; it was really surprising it had lasted as long as it did.

So…as I have done hundreds of times over the years when one casino advantage opportunity disappeared, I sat down when we arrived at the casino and starting figuring what our next best move could be.  Fortunately, this would not be a hard decision for Brad and me this time.  We had already decided, especially after Brad’s recent medical problems, that we were going to phase ourselves out of CZR after this Cherokee trip.  So, we would just call it quits a little earlier.

However, since we were already in Cherokee, we would keep this Seven Star retreat reservation, a benefit we had already earned.  In the past, we had always been careful not to “burn our bridges,” giving at least a little play whenever we were taking advantage of a casino benefit.  However, this time we weren’t going to worry about our “reputation,” having decided we weren’t interested in having any future offers anyway.  We were not going to play at all!

It was relaxing – Steve and Angela and we just using our $500 folio for lots of good food and in the retail shops looking for educational toys for our three great-grandchildren.  We had a nice balance of accumulated Reward Credits that we could turn into cash, something we couldn’t do at other CZR properties.

We all four had a bunch of coupons good for free play, including $40 for taking advantage of their no-housekeeping program, those from monthly mailers, and about $1100 in airfare reimbursement.  Angela and Steve got lucky on the slots and hit a jackpot that almost doubled their free play amount.  Brad and I used ours on electronic blackjack and felt lucky that we got back the full free play amount. None of us were interested in doing recreational (non-advantage) play after we had run our free play through the required one time. We all decided we would rather use our money later for other entertainment choices.  It was going to be so much more fun to come home from a casino with a fatter wallet!

This Cherokee experience also did something really important for Brad and me – and it may explain to some who have questioned why we are retiring within the next few months. I’ve already detailed the health reason, which is very important.  But there is another – one about which Brad and I weren’t yet 100% sure.  Was this something we really wanted to do?

But when we got the news about the Cherokee downgrades, instead of feeling sad and disappointed as we have reacted in the past, we both felt…. well… RELIEVED.  We have 36 years of gloriously happy casino memories – but smart gambling is “work” as well as fun.  We are ready to stop working!

Off to Cherokee + CZR Benefits

Emergency rooms, hospitals, endless medical testing – unexpected activities this last week during our GA vacation when Brad’s 87-year old plumbing and cardio systems decided to break down.  But I am happy to report that medical science knew how to make repairs and he is now home – home for the present being the big house of daughter Angela and Steve, who have been such appreciated major support during this emergency time.

Here is a picture of Brad being transferred from the military hospital at Fort Benning to a civilian one in Columbus, the latter one having a better cardiac department.

Brad is still a little weak, but with strong meds kicking in and the help of a walker (and a wheelchair which is complimentary at the casino), he feels he is up to a short 4 ½-hour road trip from Columbus, GA to Harrah’s Cherokee, with Angela and me and tough ex-Ranger Steve as his “nursing assistants.”

This trip is my Harrah’s 7* retreat that we had to cancel for last weekend.  So, for those of you on property this weekend who might want to stop and chat, we will be on the casino floor or at the buffet or the Laurel Lounge (Formerly called the Diamond Lounge) on this Friday evening (20th), off and on all day Saturday, and Sunday until early afternoon when we will be driving back to Columbus.

I don’t want to clutter up this blog with personal details but if you want to follow more of our “real life,” as opposed to our casino one, you can join us on my Jean Scott Facebook page for updated news.  I’ll be happy to friend you if you are not there already.

Now for some details for those who don’t know much about this beautiful Indian casino, managed by Harrah’s.  We have visited here once or twice a year for many years.  In my opinion it is located in one of the prettiest areas of the U.S, the Smoky Mountains.  (Tied with Lake Tahoe at the top of our casino favorites.) We especially like to visit in the fall to see the leaf-changing spectacular – something we miss in Las Vegas.  And it is always a good place to take the family, with many non-gambling options, like sightseeing, hiking, and fishing.  It also has our very favorite casino buffet, bar none.

Cherokee has many advantages for those in the Harrah’s 7* players club tier.  Unlimited comped movies.  Free Internet access for 5 devices.  Large selection of free beverages at check-in.  Opt out of daily housekeeping and get $20 free play per night stay.  A special set-aside room in the Laurel Lounge, with additional food selections.  And very valuable, you can get cash instead of free play when you cash in your Reward Credits.  If you are on your 7* retreat, you can use your $500 folio money in the many shops, not just for food and beverage.

A friend recently sent me this good hint, one which I didn’t know:

You can use Celebration “vouchers” for room service.  Before we used ours, I checked at the Rewards Center and was told that I could use the voucher for room service, but I needed to tell the room service people when I placed our order.  I did and it worked perfectly.

Perhaps this will work at other CZR properties?  You could check.

If you want more hints about this property and extra benefits, go to the Seven Star Insider,  where you will find tons of very detailed information about Cherokee and all other CZR properties.  Although this website zeroes in on 7* benefits, there is much information that would help lower-tier players maximize the value of their play.

The main drawback for many VP players is that there are not good paytables at the lower denominations.  The best ones are at the $5 machines.

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If Brad continues to gain his strength back, we plan to return to Vegas on September 28th – and I can be back here with more Las Vegas casino frugal information.

Pop-up Promotions and News

I must continue to alert advantage-searching players that you can’t just depend on first-of-the-month mailers and research.  Gold Coast is a good example, with a bonus promotion rolled out the second week this month: 11x reels and video poker every Sunday through Thursday in September. This was not mentioned in the regular first-of-the-month September mailer you might have received or on their website if you checked September 1.

So how would you find out about it?  Well, although I am in GA on vacation at the moment, I always read the posts on the vpFREE forum and someone shared that info there. They also posted a special link, which was good info because it didn’t seem to come up under the regular promotional list on their website. Others saw it announced on the big marquee in front of the casino. And finally, wise scouts found it because they check Scot’s bonus point list often, where there can be updates all month as more players send in scouting reports.

Here is other news I have found by sitting at my computer, scouring many sources I have been recommending for years.  Some of this may be new information or just new to me – and perhaps to you.

Boyd Gaming – New terms and conditions in their players club rules specify that after 6 months of no activity all your B Connected points will disappear.  This is an important warning for those out-of-towners who don’t come to Las Vegas often or don’t play at Boyd properties regularly: Don’t try to stockpile your points!  You need to check the expiration rules at all the casinos where you play.

The STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod, formerly the Stratosphere, Casino, Hotel & Tower – A new-member sign-up bonus.  Earn 300 points within the first 24 hours of membership and receive one buffet voucher.  Earn 600 and get a second one. Promotion good through the end of the year. (Hint:  when a casino changes ownership or introduces a new players club, this is a good time to check for new promotions.)

South Point – Seniors 50+ can get $4 movie admission all day on three days: Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday – not just on Senior Mondays.

Sahara Casino – After 5 years of being named the SLS, that good old name is back!

Technical note:  Some are still having problems subscribing to this blog.  We are still working on it and hopefully will have a good fix soon.  I’ll let you know.  In the meantime check the LVA homepage frequently.

Technical Fixes and Blog Recommendations

If you’ve been a subscriber to this blog, you probably noticed that for the last several weeks, you haven’t received an email notifying you when I posted a new one. Why not? Internet gremlins working overtime! But the techies at LVA have overcome the problems and hopefully things will run more smoothly now.

However, we had to dump the whole corrupted subscription list. (Just the list was corrupted; you cherished readers are the best people in the world!) But what this means is that if you want to be notified when I post a new blog, you’ll have re-subscribe. Take heart! It’s easy to do: Just go to the sidebar on the right.

Actually, while we’re on the subject of blogs, I want to recommend some others you may have missed here:

  • If you’re a VP player, you probably already check the one written by Bob Dancer each Tuesday. He covers a far-reaching range of VP subjects, some general that are helpful to players at any skill level and some more technical geared to those at the more advanced levels.
  • One of the more recent blogs that has been very informative for me is “Living Local” by Jeffrey Compton. This has valuable details not only for those of us who live in Vegas, but also for those who are thinking about moving here.
  • Another new blog is “The Travel Game.” You can access it from the bottom of the homepage. It’s chock full of detailed information on how anyone who travels get the most value out of airline miles, hotel points, credit-card promotions, and other travel deals. Casino customers who want to combine their frugal gambling with frugal traveling will love “The Travel Game.”

Click on “Blogs” in the top navigation bar of the LVA.com homepage to see these and other blogs that might appeal to you.

And in the same sidebar where you subscribe to my blog, you can scroll down to “Join LVA’s Mailing List.” There, you can check those that interest you, including “LVA Weekly,” a weekly e-letter with highlights from the Las Vegas Advisor’s blogs and website pages.

When To Walk

In a recent Bob Dancer blog about staying secure with your money in a casino environment, the comments veered into a discussion about “locking up wins” and changing machines.  It gets a bit technical, but it reminded me of an article I wrote for Strictly Slots about 20 years ago.  Since I still get the same questions I fielded back then, I decided to share this old piece pretty much not updated  – for example, I didn’t take out reference to coin-feeding machines.  So it will be a bit of nostalgia plus some helpful basic concepts that will never grow old.

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“When to Walk” –  from 1999

Strictly Slots, among other periodicals and books [and now the Internet], is so full of detailed information about slot and video poker machines that I keep expecting people to have very complex questions for me — about random number generators or theoretical win percentages or some obscure video poker strategy. However, the question I’m asked most frequently is a simple one: How do I know when it is the right time to quit playing a particular machine?

Although it’s a basic query, the answer is not so straightforward. For years I’ve been compiling a list of answers to the question of “when to walk.” I find that they fall into three main categories: mathematical, common sensical, and emotional.

Although the following guidelines are more for the casual recreational player than the serious gambling student or  professional, many of these considerations are the same for both groups of players

Math Tells You to Walk

  • when you’re playing a negative-expectation game (one in which the casino has the edge and over the long run you’re mathematically guaranteed to lose). Serious students of gambling and professionals, whose main interest is profit, will tell you to walk away from that kind of game even before you drop in a single coin. However, the goal of casual players is entertainment; they’re looking mainly at the fun factor. They want to play a variety of machines and they don’t want to learn complicated strategies. They’re hoping for the big win and are depending on luck. However, math can still be their ally. They can “walk” often, bouncing from machine to machine with wild abandon. The more time they spend changing machines instead of actually playing them, the less they will lose. The money they don’t lose is money won!
  • when a promotion — one that made a bad or so-so play a good one — ends. We’ve played many negative-expectation games when a promotion transformed the casino edge into an advantage for the player. One example of this would be when a slot club offers triple points during Monday Night Football. However, when the triple-point session is over, we’re out of there faster than you can say, “From all of us here at ABC, goodnight.”

Common Sense Tells You to Walk

  • when you’re hungry, tired, or need a bathroom break. When you haven’t eaten for a long time, your blood sugar drops and you can’t think clearly. When your eyes start to blur from staring too long at a video screen or spinning reels and when your shoulders, arms, and back start to burn from sitting too long in the same position, you will not make wise decisions. Interestingly, a hotel doctor in Vegas whose practice caters mostly to tourists tells me that one of the most common conditions he treats is urinary problems caused by people refusing to leave their machines often enough to answer the call of nature.
  • when the environment is not pleasant, comfortable, or healthy. I often have to change machines when the air-conditioning is blasting Arctic air directly down on my already-aching neck and shoulders. Another typical “move” situation comes when the smoke from the cigarette of the person right beside me is drifting straight into my poor allergy-suffering sinuses. You may want to move if the seat is uncomfortable or your chatter-box neighbor is a whining pessimist or a constant complainer.
  • when the machine you’re playing has a fuzzy or jumpy screen that gives you a headache, or the bill acceptor doesn’t work and you hate to feed coins, or there is a sticky video poker button that causes you to make mistakes on your card holding.
  • when you’ve lost the money you budgeted for that particular gambling session. In this instance, walking means straight out of the casino, into your car, and out of the parking lot – or straight to your hotel room – or a quick casino exit out into the fresh air. There should be no side trips to the cage to cash a check or to the ATM machine to lay your hands on money that you had earmarked for other purposes.
  • when your partner wants you to quit and join him or her in a non-gambling activity. I don’t have exact statistics on how many relationships break up in a casino, but I suspect there are many. Try to consider these “interruptions” as desirable breaks from the intensity of gambling. Besides, even gamblers need to stop and smell the roses.

Emotions Tell You to Walk

This consideration is much harder to pin down — temperamental factors do not worship at the altar of mathematics and are usually unconcerned about good sense. This is a very personal category. The following aren’t universal “reasons,” because they’re often unreasonable to other people. But it is often a good idea to walk

  • when you reach your personal win/loss limit. There is no absolute mathematics rule here. But say you previously decided to change machines when you won $100. You win the $100 and you not only don’t quit, but you subsequently lose that $100. You’ve launched yourself into that “if-I’d-only” territory that is so internally disquieting. Quit when you win that $100 even if you just move to the next machine that looks exactly the same. You may lose the $100 at almost the same rate, but that internal broken record playing “if” in your head won’t drive you quite so crazy.
  • when you’re losing AND it’s getting to you. A slot player on “tilt” is tempted to chase his losses by increasing the number of credits he plays per hand, becoming even more frustrated as he loses even faster. A video poker player may sacrifice the advantage of the “long-term” and deviate from the computer-prescribed strategy to hope for short-term success. Even pros and frequent players, who understand volatility and have learned how to take the ups and downs of gambling, will change machines if they get psyched out by a long losing streak that starts to affect accuracy and speed. A “fresh start” on a new machine gives video poker players a chance to take a break, stretch their bodies and rest their minds; feeling better emotionally, they’ll again be able to play faster with less likelihood of making errors. Slot players as well can benefit from a refreshing break before jumping back into the fray.
  • when you’ve been up and down for a long period of playing time and finally get even or up a little. Being on a gambling roller coaster is an exhilarating but exhausting ride, and sometimes Brad and I choose to quit a session when we have finally achieved a small win. Sometimes leaving even, or even with a small loss, makes us feel like a big winner, especially if we’ve climbed out of a deep hole dug at the beginning of our play that day. I often say, “My nerves just cannot take another elevator ride to the basement today.”
  • when you win a jackpot. However, this is not for the reason that most people give when they do so: “Now this machine won’t be due for another jackpot for a long time.” Remember, there is no little computer chip that tells the machine not to give a another jackpot right away. The machine has the same mathematical chance to give a jackpot on the next hand as a week later. However, there IS a valid psychological reason for many people to walk after a big win: It’s fun to CELEBRATE! Playing a slot or video poker machine always involves a considerable period of time filled with losing streaks — for the pro or the recreational gambler alike. The joy of winning is a universal human emotion. What we are all looking for is the jackpot! There is no bigger thrill for the machine player than a royal flush or the top-of-the chart payoff. Stop and savor the feeling. Go somewhere to eat with your partner and talk about every little detail that led up to this jackpot. Go shopping and splurge with a little of the jackpot money. Even if it’s not a large life-changing win, stop and take a little walk and smile at everyone to share your happiness.
  • when you’re getting bored or you just aren’t having fun. The tiny group of pros who make their living at the casino machines may have to put in their eight or ten or twelve hours a day, seven days a week, whether they’re enjoying or hating every minute of it. But for the rest of us, gambling is entertainment. And when we aren’t having fun at our machine, we need to walk.

Leaving LV – the Rumor?

Sometimes factual nuggets can be found in some rumors.  Yes, Brad and I have tentative plans to move to Georgia, but details are still very sketchy and no time frame is yet set.

Most everyone is surprised by our decision. Won’t we miss gambling? How will we spend our time with no casinos around?  Won’t we get bored?

I can explain, with so many reasons and factors.  Our ages – 80 and 87.  Our energy levels, decreasing at a fast pace.  Health issues – Brad especially has been dealing with serious medical problems.

However, family is a major consideration.  Angela, the frugal princess, and her hubby Steve want us to be nearby so they can help out whenever we might need any kind of assistance. And we would like to be able to see more often our grandchildren and great-grandchildren.  This picture shows Grandson Zachary, just back home from a National Guard deployment to Afghanistan, with 3 of our important “little” reasons for wanting to be in GA!!

As far as missing gambling, video poker just doesn’t have the appeal to either of us as in the past.  After 36 years of playing the frugal game in Vegas, we both are ready to retire from chasing positive value. Even Brad, who has been gambling at something for 83 years (started when he was 5), says he is ready to “rest.”  Many people won’t understand this, but serious gamblers will – successful gambling takes a lot of “work.”  And this “job” is getting harder and harder.  “Retiring” sounds very relaxing to both of us.

As I said at the top, we are still in the planning stages.  There may be a transition period when we keep our home in Vegas and spend longer periods in GA. In fact, we are leaving  for GA soon, staying for several weeks.

Furthermore, we aren’t leaving gambling completely right away.  We still have at least one comped Harrah’s Seven Star trip on tap that we will use on this next GA visit.  Angela and Steve like to take us on that 4 1/2-hour road trip from Columbus up to beautiful Harrah’s Cherokee. And when we are back in Vegas, you might see us at times taking advantage of a multiple-point day at a local casino.

And don’t worry about not hearing from me – I will continue writing blogs as long as I find useful hints for frugal gambling and my fingers can still work a keyboard.

The Stations Reverse Course

From the Stations website and from an email blast to many players:

JUST ADDED

Bonus Multiplier Days In August

10x Points On Slots Guaranteed

6x Points On Video Poker Guaranteed

No Limit! On Many Of Your Favorite Games

Every Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday
Red Rock, Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Texas Station, Santa Fe Station, Sunset Station, and Boulder Station.

Every Monday & Wednesday
Fiesta Henderson & Fiesta Rancho

Why the sudden reversal you ask?  Who knows! Maybe one of the powers-that-be noticed  there was a scarity of customers on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday last week.  Maybe someone felt bad about the customer inconvenience because of incorrect promotion information on their website for the first 4 days of the month. Maybe a casino sometimes really understands and cares about their customers.

Maybe the why isn’t important when you hear happy news.  Don’t analyze.  Just enjoy it!

 

Some Immediately Important Information

I try to keep readers here up on current changes in casino conditions, especially in Vegas. Usually I gather up the information all month long and then put it in a blog at the beginning of each month. However, sometimes some of it is so important that I discuss it in mid-month blogs. And then occasionally something comes up that is immediately crucial and, like I am doing today, the information needs to shared right away to keep players from wasting their time.

The Stations Debacle

The Stations conglomerate really made a lot of players mad early this month. On their company website they spelled out their usual multiple-points under Gaming Promotions for August– Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays they would offer 6x/10x. So many local players made up their August casino calendar to include those days. Also, some out-of-towners planned an August vacation in Vegas to include those days.

However, starting August 1, some players starting questioning their local casino host or the players club management, wanting to verify this information because their mailers did not show this promotion on their mailer calendar, as usually is the custom. I got e-mails asking if I knew the situation. It was discussed on the gambling forums. But no one seemed to know a firm answer and the information remained on the company website. Finally, on Friday evening one player reached a playesr club manager who seemed to be sure of the situation. She said that promotion was NOT going on in August as it had been for many months. She said she would notify corporate about the mistaken entry online. Of course, whoever was in charge of that department probably was off on the weekend. (Wonder if he/she will still have a job?) So, it was not until Monday morning (or afternoon?) until that incorrect information was taken down.

In the meantime, many people had driven to their usual Station property that Monday, planning to play and get those bonus points. If they were lucky, they swiped their card before they started playing and noticed that promotion wasn’t listed on the kiosk. However, at Stations properties, you aren’t required to swipe before you play (like at Boyd ones), but could do it after your play was finished for the day. Those people who had waited until the end were not happy campers!

So hopefully this blog will keep some players from this disappointment in the upcoming days. Actually, the two Fiestas DO have this bonus-point promotion on Mondays and Wednesdays – the Fiestas seem to be a property category on their own for some promotions. And if you are 50+, there is STILL these usual multiple points and usual benefits on senior Wednesdays. Palms has never been included in those company-wide multiple-point promotions although they sometimes do have one of their own. This month it seems the only ones are for those who have one listed in their mailer. Other than those exceptions, do not plan to get bonus points at a Station property on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesday as you might have been accustomed to do in the past.

Arizona Charlie’s

Here is an example that shows you must watch for promotions that a casino might change, in this case overnight. Arizona Charlie’s gift card promotion (both properties) now has the limitation that you can earn only one card per day – although they have not added that fact online.

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Keeping up with casino promotion details and changes is not an easy job for me and especially not for Scot Krause who tries to make his bonus-point list here on this site as accurate as possible. Although he constantly “bugs” the casinos to keep him updated, they are sometimes slow with this. We are both grateful when players let us know about changes by reporting them on the gambling forums which we both follow daily.

And I appreciate the personal e-mails giving valuable information and especially the comments here on my blog. But I do need to remind you that no comment is posted until I read and “approve” it. You wouldn’t believe the spam I have to delete. However, I don’t “live” at my desk computer – although sometimes Brad says it seems that way! 😊 I do try to get to blog comments almost every day but there will 24-48 hours delay at times before I can “approve” them. I ask your patience!

AUGUST PROMOS AND NEWS

I have waited to write this report, hoping I would have more good details for players who are looking for better opportunities. But conditions remain pretty much the same – or worse.

DOWNTOWN GRAND

This former Lady Luck Casino seemed to be a suddenly surprisingly good play – full-pay deuces wild – for a short time in July, but alas, to no one’s surprise, it disappeared fairly quickly.  If you are interested in all the details, go to Bob Dancer’s July 30 column.  Take note: they no longer give any points for video poker play.

 

BOYD GAMING

Things here continue to be in a state of confusion.  On July 23 a planned software update for all of the original Las Vegas casinos took place but since then the players club program has not been working properly.  My experience was only with the Gold Coast, but I was told there were problems all over town.  For a week or so no information came up on machine card readers.  You could swipe your card at the kiosk and qualify for bonus points, but did not know if your points were accumulating properly as you played.   (Employees said they were but I have trust issues on this!)  Finally, this last Wednesday, the last time we played at the Gold Coast, the points were accumulating on the card reader but there was no information to be had at the kiosks, as to how many points or tier credits you earned or your account balances.  In the last few days I finally could get that information online.  Fortunately, the kiosks were working properly to give you benefits you earned, such as those senior Wednesdays perks.

Speaking of Young at Heart Wednesdays, I do have one little frugal hint that I only recently discovered.  The coupon for a free breakfast or lunch (or $5 off another food outlet) that you can get after earning one tier credit has a generous 48-hour expiration time.  So perhaps you don’t play until after 3 p.m. on that day so you think you have missed the 3 p.m. lunch closing deadline. Remember you could use it at those buffets on either Thursday or Friday!

There is some good news for some Boyd players, including myself (but not Brad).  We are getting notice of a “loyalty gift,” a tier bonus that puts us into the next tier level – from Sapphire to Emerald in my case.  Don’t ask me how you get this.  No one knows.  Some players who played little after the players club change got a bonus.  Some who played a lot got it.  But not everyone in either of those categories got it.  Who knows????  Do you think the powers-that-be are trying to do a little something to woo back the hordes of players who have left?

Not sure if anyone in the Ruby tier got this bonus.  But if you didn’t, you are still in that sad case of earning no points until you reach Sapphire.   [Correction here:  Ruby does earn tier credits, just not spendable points.]  Do you think the powers-that-be might be thinking that this was a terrible part of that new “improved” players club?  I try to be optimistic – but it isn’t easy here!

GENERAL NOTE

I have written in the past that some casinos (particularly Boyd properties) offer multiple-point days in their mailers that are only open to those who get the mailer, not the general public.  This month I noticed that my Station mailer (from Palace Station) did not mention their usual Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday multiple-point days (it did mention their senior Wednesday multipliers).  But then I noticed that those days did appear in Scot’s Bonus Point List.    Was that just an oversight on the Palace mailer and perhaps on all Station mailers? Anyway, just another reason to always check Scot’s list.  I am figuring there might also be an ad in Sunday’s paper about these multiple-point days.  We’ll see.

 

MGM Properties

Just read in the vpFREE forum that MGM, which usually had a standardized comp schedule for most properties, is starting to change to one that varies the earning rate depending on the game you play.  Oops – fewer comps for those playing the better-EV video poker games!

The downward trend continues!  🙁

 

Food for Thought

I am going to hijack the saying “Man can not live by bread alone” and revise it for the subject of this blog: “You can not gamble in a casino 24 hours a day; you have to stop and eat once in a while!”

It’s not that I haven’t talked about food in previous writings.  I have given many frugal hints for getting good value for casino eats, like scheduling late buffet lunches, with their lower prices, that often spill into the availability of higher-level dinner selections.  But in this blog, I am going to talk about Brad’s and my personal eating habits, mainly because I get so many questions about this subject and realize many people have false ideas about our Vegas life.   They often compare it to their routine  when they come to town for a vacation and stay in a casino for several days.

Most Vegas locals eat about the same way they would if they lived in a non-casino town.  They do not eat in a casino every day but regularly cook meals at home.  However, like people everywhere, they do eat out frequently and, especially if they gamble at all, they often choose a casino restaurant where they play.  And even non-gamblers often look to casino eateries because of the wide choice of high-end and famous choices.  The picture changes a bit if you look at those local gamblers who are earning comps. Obviously, those people will be eating at the casino more often – how often depending on their comp level.

Brad and I did eat in casinos a lot after we moved to Vegas 20 years ago – even almost every day – because we were playing frequently and heavily and earning more comps than we could eat up!  We made a big effort to find friends and relatives to help us with this “task.” But we were never foodies and, even then, much preferred buffets, delis, and coffee shops over gourmet restaurants.  For years we would have hosts who would beg us to let them write us a comp for their top-level epicurean offerings – and they would just shake their head in disbelief when we turned it down.

Things are so much different these days.  First, all casinos have made significant cuts to their comp benefits.  This is true at every level – from the fanciest Strip properties down to the smallest local joints – hitting both visitors and locals. And, for us personally, we do not have the energy to play as much as we used to.  We go to a casino 3 or 4 days a week and are usually able to play only two-or-three-hour sessions.  Therefore, we do not have the flood of comps as in former days.  Believe it or not, my cleaning lady doesn’t just have to dust my stove; my return to some cooking after 35 years gives her some grease to remove!

But all that said, you will still see us eating in a casino fairly often.  You would never catch us eating one of these giant stacked-high-with-whatever “gourmet” hamburgers that seem so popular these days.  We aren’t big beef eaters in the first place, but we would always prefer a single-patty with cheese; Brad wants nothing added but pickle and onion and I would add just lettuce and tomato.  We like those at Steak’n Shake at South Point, combined with half-price milkshakes between 2-4 p.m.  We do hit other casino fast-food places occasionally.  Love the hot dogs at South Point and sometimes stop at the hot-dog cart or Subway at Gold Coast.  We like the sugar-free butter pecan ice cream at Java Vegas Coffee at the Gold Coast or at Kate’s Corner at South Point.  And we can grab a pizza slice at Little Tony’s near the sports book at Palace Station or have a great spaghetti meal to eat there or carry home.  (Stations run a senior special on Wednesdays with discounts on restaurants that vary from month to month.  Check these out on their website and watch for 50% off your favorite place to eat.)

We are a bit picky about buffets.  When we have comps, we take our out-of-town visitors to the widely publicized Caesars Palace Bacchanal over-the-top buffet, but we never choose that just for the two of us even if we have comps.  We aren’t big eaters and just don’t need so many “exotic” choices.  We like comfort food.  The Orleans and Gold Coast are good choices for us, especially their special weekend brunches.  We have mixed emotions about the new buffets at Palace Station and the Palms.  They both usually have sugar-free brownies and good soup selections so that keeps Brad from complaining too much about “weird food.”

Recently we have found a new meal idea that appeals to us even though it involves gourmet restaurants which we eschew.  Going to the Cornerstone lounge at the Gold Coast during happy hour – 4-6 p.m. – has become one of our favorite activities.  We like the idea of sharing small plates which gives us variety even though we are light eaters.  Many steak houses and other upscale restaurants run these with very reasonable prices on both food and drinks in a relaxing comfortable but still “gourmet” atmosphere.  Check  out this frugal option at your favorite casino’s fine restaurants!

Obviously, we eat in other places than casinos.  We always eat breakfast at home – and always the same menu for many years:  Hot oats, with walnuts and flavored with dark chocolate mix, a daily coco extract supplement that has proven to reduce inflammation in the body.  We drink green tea and V8 juice – low sodium – and add fresh fruit, like bananas, oranges, or berries.

Lunch is light – sandwiches or soup.  If we are out and about, we might stop at a fast-food place.  Our favorites include Wendy burgers or chili, Mexican pizzas at Taco Bell, and hot pretzel sticks and  sugar-free Dilly Bars at the Dairy Queen.

If we are having dinner at home, it is often left-overs brought home from a casino or a Nutrisystem selection.  If I am cooking, it is usually a one-dish meal like stir-fry.

We try to eat healthy as much as possible wherever we are.  More fruits and vegetables.  Less sodium. Very little red meat – more chicken.  We take some vitamins and supplements.  Nothing different than if we lived in a non-casino atmosphere.  Brad doesn’t gain weight, but I am always trying to watch mine.  And that is a problem in Vegas – buffets can jeopardize any healthy diet unless you have strong self control!

 

 

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