Posts by: queen of comps

February News

I’m feeling a little old today.  My little girl – Angela, the Frugal Princess – is turning 50 today.  However, I can handle that easier than accepting the fact that she is now a grandmother, pushing me up into the great-grandma category!

Now for February casino talk.  Watch for promotions for the 14th, Valentines Day, and for the 18th, Presidents’ Day.  And a reminder that you need to check casino websites EVERY month.  Some casinos regularly change out their promotions each month, but often “on-going” promotions are changed or even completely stopped.  Here are some changes I found:

STRATOSPHERE (and other Golden Entertainment properties)

A major change, from a press release:

On Sunday, Feb. 3, the Stratosphere, Casino, Hotel & Tower will begin its transition to The STRAT Hotel, Casino and SkyPod, a rebrand that embodies the revolution of the iconic property since Golden Entertainment, Inc. took ownership in late 2017. Two commercials will air during the Super Bowl: “Strat Rising,” announcing the rebrand, and “Take the World for a Spin,” showcasing the property’s award-winning Top of the World restaurant.

The STRAT will be the first of Golden Entertainment’s properties to introduce True Rewards, a comprehensive gaming rewards program that will soon be available at 130+ locations, including: Arizona Charlie’s Decatur and Arizona Charlie’s Boulder in Las Vegas; Aquarius Casino Resort, Colorado Belle Hotel & Casino Resort and Edgewater Hotel & Casino Resort in Laughlin, Nev.; Rocky Gap Casino Resort in Flintstone, Md.; Pahrump Nugget Hotel & Casino, Gold Town Casino and Lakeside Casino & RV Park in Pahrump, Nev. True Rewards will also replace the current rewards program at all of PT’s Entertainment Group’s 60+ taverns, including PT’s Pub, PT’s Gold, PT’s Ranch, PT’s Brewing Company, Sean Patrick’s, Sierra Gold and SG Bar; as well as at all Smith’s and Albertson’s in Nevada, which are operated by Golden Route Operations, Golden Entertainment’s distributed gaming division.

 

CAESARS ENTERTAINMENT

On February 1 Caesars changed the name of its players club from Total Rewards to Caesars Rewards.  They did not change the basic structure of the program.  You keep your same account number, the tier system stays unchanged, and you can earn the same daily tier bonuses.

They have added a couple of new benefits: Diamond and Seven Stars members will receive 2 free nights at the new Caesars Palace Dubai destination. And after many years of automatic comped rooms for Seven Stars and then last year with no specific comped room benefit at any level, players receive 1 free night in Las Vegas or Atlantic City for every 5,000 Tier Credits earned in 2019, up to 7 nights.

The CET website is very hard to navigate and find details of all their programs – a real game of “follow the links.” For benefits go here  and read every word, including those tiny-print notes at the bottom of the page. For current and on-going promotions go here  So many special requirements and restrictions.  Many times you will need to click on the many “Learn more” to find out the necessary details.

 

PALMS

Palms players are in a major state of confusion.  Their February mailers have ZERO bonus multiplier days. When they check the Stations website for February promotions, they find that the Palms is almost completely left off the list where each promotion is going on.    No Military Mondays or My Generation.  Is this a first – a casino that doesn’t want any kind of gamblers?

The Palms is even left off the list in the full-page Stations ad in today’s paper, promoting the Monopoly Mania Kiosk Game.  That ad is very tricky since it is describing TWO Monopoly promos.  The bottom of the ad (the smaller part) is promoting the Monopoly Big Time Bonus, that jackpot that hits every once in awhile at each of the 10 properties.  The Palms IS listed there.  However, the biggest part of the ad is for the Monopoly Kiosk game and at the end of the details for that there are only 9 properties listed.  Which one is missing?  The Palms, of course.

Have I said this before – I just don’t understand casino marketing these days.

Info for Caesars Players

Here are some details I have gathered – from my own experiences, from conversations with other players, or from Internet sources.

  • The current list of Diamond and Seven Star free and discounted show benefits can be found here.
  • The “automatic” guaranteed comped room benefit for Seven Stars was discontinued last year because of wide-spread abuse. People would earn the high-tier status early in the year and then not play any when they got comped rooms  the rest of the year. However, 7 Stars who play regularly at their usual levels are generally not having any problem with a host giving them comped rooms.
  • Read the rules carefully for any offer, especially the fine print. Here are the rules for the Atlantis, Paradise vacation offer:

 Offer is valid 1/16/19 to 10/31/19. Blackout dates: 3/8/19-3/23/19, 4/15/19-4/27/19 & 7/1/19-7/5/19. Complimentary offers are based on your previous level of casino play. If you redeem this complimentary offer, you are expected to play to the same level of casino play or greater. If you do not play or show reduced casino play, you may be charged for some or all of your upfront complimentaries including rooms, food & beverage, limos, etc.

Voucher holder is responsible for hotel resort fee and maid gratuities, approximately $65-$75 per night.

At least they mention play requirements, albeit without specific numbers.  You should check with a host to learn about your personal “level of play.”  You always have to be careful about any “pre-comped” cruises or vacations.  Some don’t mention play requirements, but many players have been blindsided by big bills at the end of the trip because “they didn’t play enough.”

  • I read a report of one CZR property charging high fees for cashing a check or withdrawing money electronically, even for high-tier players who in the past had this done free as one of their benefits. One needs to verify every casino benefit, especially at the beginning of the year. Cuts are coming in all area!
  • You will find that the alternate benefits have been changed greatly if you can not use your Seven Star retreat benefit. Brad and I found we would be unable to travel out of town before my retreat benefit expired this month. We found out too late that if we had stayed in a Las Vegas CZR property in December we would have been given $900 in free play as an alternative – a short-term special for a slow period, I guess.   New rules (which change frequently I was told), beginning this January, will simply give us 50,000 in Reward Credits, put on my account, and doesn’t require a hotel stay. Since we don’t need any comps, the final alternate benefit for us will be $250 in free play.

If you find yourself in this situation, you need to talk to a host and see what he/she can offer you.  There might be good short-term  offers, and there may be different options at different properties.

I also heard – but can’t verify – that the program which gave you free play instead of airfare if you wanted to drive to your destination casino or stay locally is no longer available.  And I’m not sure if there is a property-wide policy about using the retreat benefit at a local or your “home” casino.  Again, you need to get specific and up-to-date information from a host.

  • A personal note: After many many years of both of us being Seven Stars, Brad and I are in the process of dropping out of CZR.  Brad is no longer Seven Stars as of January 1.  I am Seven Star for 2019 but will not play for that level after that.  It had gradually become a marginal play for several years, but we found good value using the comp system to the max, letting us host wonderful vacations and providing unending meals and entertainment for family and friends.  However, health issues  are now limiting our casino and travel activity. Combine that with the unending downhill march of benefit cuts and sadly we have to scratch off another name on our personal list of “Good Casinos.”

PROMOS AND WHATEVER

First, a happy birthday to Brad, who turned 87 today – and is still loving and enjoying this casino gig we do!

Stations

Wonder if business is down for Vegas casinos?  Full-page Stations ad in the R-J for “Bonus Multiplier Days!” Friday (today), Saturday, Sunday, and Monday (MLK holiday).  10x on slots (with no “up to”) and 6x WITH “up to” on VP.

Silverton

Silverton wants to attract customers but only those that play slots, according to their newspaper ad.  They title it “New Silverton Rewards Club” and list $1=1 point on reels, more multipliers, and less points required on promotions.  But there is no mention that it now takes FOUR times more coin-in for a VP player to earn a point: $4 = 1 point.  They do offer 2x points for VP on MLK day, but that is still a double cut from their previous rate.

One bright spot if you like their buffet is that they are offering BOGO for it for all card tier levels on January 21.  And if you play slots, you can enjoy 10x points that day.

Palms

The weirdness continues here.  I guess I’m just not artistically cultured enough to appreciate the finer things of life.  A dead fish cut in three pieces hanging from the ceiling costing I forget how many million.  Now they paid $14 million for a 60-foot-tall bronze sculpture of a naked, headless ogre who will grace their new pool.  I just wonder how much they will make on visitors who come to see these oddities and possibly will drop a few dollars in the slot machines but will never visit the Palms again.

What if they used these millions to put back in 9/6 Jacks of Better video poker machines – and floods of previously-loyal locals would come back to regularly play.  Maybe the casino wouldn’t make a lot of profit on their play, but it would be steady – and they would bring their friends and relatives who often play the games that are more profitable for the casino.  And they would eat in the restaurants and drink at their bars.

And many are seniors so they would fill the casinos in the daytime when the millennials are sleeping in or maybe some are working.  They would leave before dark – they don’t like to drive at night – so would not crowd out the younger kids who actually might leave the Strip to see a dead fish cut in three pieces or a naked monster and then stay to buy overpriced drinks and party down.

Maybe turning 80 has softened my brain – but I am just not understanding casinos these days.

JANUARY PROMOS AND NEWS

The cuts keep coming.

SILVERTON

I should have known better!

When my January Silverton  mailer arrived the last week or so in December, I saw lots of dates with January 2x points on VP.  This from a casino that had excluded VP from multiple points for ages.   I thought, “Maybe a casino finally looked around and saw other casinos cutting benefits for VP players and decided to try a promotional grab for this large segment of local gamblers.”

Silly me!

I did have suspicions – I’ve been around the block enough times to watch for casino “tricks.”  But I had no letter promoting a “wonderful new players club,” I saw no changes on their website, and I heard no scuttlebutt on the gambling internet forums.  So I was looking forward to this new benefit.

But early in January the rumors started up and finally Silverton posted the scorched new data on their website:

$1 = 1 point on all video reels and slots

$4 = 1 point on video poker

$8 = 1 point on optimum play video poker

333 points = $1

Unless you were alert, you might have missed the change for VP players, since the point redemption rate hadn’t changed – you still get $3 free play or comps for every 1000 points.  However, now playing most VP games would take FOUR times the coin-in as in the past to get those 1000 points, dropping the VP earning rate from.30% to .075% (even lower for the few games they call optimum play).

This casino had already become a marginal option for many knowledgeable VP players.  Even though playing the best paytables, you would need to make several trips there a week and take advantage of every extra benefit/promotion/offer.  We had already crossed it off our play list since we don’t have the energy to chase extras like we used to.  I imagine more VP players may do so now since the downgrade may be too severe for even just recreational players.

They have also changed their FAB 50+ Senior Mondays program, details here.  I’m not sure if this is an upgrade or downgrade.  I would welcome any reader personal experiences to be described in the “Comments” section.

By the way, there does not seem to be multipliers – for slots or VP – for the general public.  Fine print on the mailer specifies multipliers are for “invited guests only.”

 

M RESORT

Change of owners brings a change in players clubs. Penn Gaming is phasing out Marquee Rewards at M and going to Pinnacle’s My Choice program.

We don’t play there so I don’t have personal experience about this changeover, but you need to check the website carefully because it seems to be a very complex and gradual 6-month process.  Some of your questions might be answered here.

Both programs will have the same tier point earning and benefits beginning January, 2019. All guests in Marquee Rewards and mychoice will also receive the same great benefits and all play at both Marquee Rewards and mychoice properties will count towards your 2020 mychoice status.

 

BOYD PROPERTIES

Check here for the new 2019 Young at Heart (YAH) rules for 6 non-downtown properties (now including Aliante and Eastside Cannery).  Most are the same – including that notorious “advantage player” one, but there is now a shorter time to collect your free play if you pick the right color in the Celebration Spin.

Check here for YAH rules for Boyd downtown properties.

A personal note: For the first time in I can’t remember how long – 20 years or more, Brad and I are no longer Emerald tier.  This is true for many of our former fellow Emeralds.  However, we have others, many who hadn’t played as much or as long, who were simply given extra tier credits the last few months – even as many as 10,000+ – and they are now Emerald for all of 2019.  Don’t ask me to explain this.  Actually, I know one person who had been designated as one of those notorious “advantage players” and had been no-mailed for the last year or so although he could continue to play and earn points and tier credits.  He was given around 10,000 points so he is Emerald for 2019 although he isn’t to get any mailed offers!!!!

Some Ruby’s have been given enough tier credits to put them to Sapphire – a welcome gift to them because they will start earning points on their play.  In all these upgrades, it was impossible to determine the reason why some got them and others didn’t.  There were some anecdotal details that perhaps these upgrades were for losers and not for winners, but even if that is valid information, no details whether this was determined for short-term or long-term look-back periods.

Like with so many of these recent drastic downgrades, not just at Boyd but at so many other casinos, people are starting to shake their heads and wonder if the powers-that-be have any idea how gamblers think. They might be surprised how many even avid casino players might decide that they can’t take all these cuts and start some cutting themselves, perhaps even looking for another entertainment option that doesn’t “cost so much.”

A Big Thank-You

I promised you a YouTube link to granddaughter Kaity’s video filmed at the Frugal Birthday Open House.  As you can see, there were lots of laughs and hugs and photos as about 40 guests made their way into the party room during the two hours of fun and food.  Make-your-own mini-tacos, sweet desserts, and punch were enjoyed but the most important activity was mingling – making new acquaintances and renewing old friendships.

I would like to give a big shout-out to Lindsey Trujillo, the General Manager of the Tuscany Pub 365, who was a super party planner for this get-together in the adjoining event space. She suggested and organized the food and drink menu and worked with my daughter Angela to provide a beautifully decorated room. I would recommend her to plan any private event you might have in this multi-purpose room.

I want to thank everyone who came to the Open House and for the many cards they brought, with such thoughtful notes enclosed.  Those birthday messages plus so many that came via the Internet have blessed my heart – and will probably delay my retirement for umpteen years.  As long as people say my words are a big help to them, I’ll probably keep writing them!

P.S.  You probably won’t be surprised by this little note:  Yes, we could use the $1500 comp balance we had been carrying here for years even if we don’t play there regularly anymore.  Nothing like a party that was mostly comped!  (Be sure that you don’t lose any old comp balances at casinos where you don’t regularly play.  Check the club rules – but you usually need to put on at least a few points every 6-12 months so balance don’t disappear.)

An Eventful Final Week of 2018

You may be resting today, January 1, as Brad and I are doing, recovering from a busy holiday season.  We had an especially eventful week, with a visit from the Frugal Princess family – daughter Angela, son-in-law Steve, and granddaughter Kaitlynn – who were determined to make my 80th birthday a major multi-day celebration. So there were parties and activities every day.

And when you are running around town with younger generations, the key part of “activities” is “active.” First there was a retro trip to the Pinball Hall of Fame where Brad and I discovered we hadn’t lost all our skills at a game we hadn’t played for decades.  I really recommend this amazing place, with hundreds of working games, many of the simple old classics as well as the more recent complicated options.  No admission charge – just put a bill in the money changer and grab a plastic container to fill with lots of quarters!

Next there was birthday party #1, a joint one  thrown by our daughters, for my best friend Wilma and me – we both turned 80 just 3 days apart.  Some stodgy old-lady celebration?NOT!  It was held at a party room at the Twilight Zone Miniature Golf indoor venue at Bally’s Casino.  Playing in the neon black-light, the competition between the 20-something grandchildren and the oldsters was intense.  A fun place to party.

Then we took a break from birthday partying to celebrate a major milestone for granddaughter Kaity – finishing 19 ½ school years, with her master’s degree in Film and Video Production from Georgia State University.  We met at the Bacchanal Buffet at Caesars Palace, one of her favorite restaurants.  Everyone was happy we could use the Seven Star line, with only a short wait for our large group.  We were told that those in the regular line were facing a FOUR-hour wait!  The town is packed during the holidays so one must remember to adjust schedules for the crowds everywhere.  Below is Kaitlynn opening graduation gifts.

That evening we all went to the show “WOW!” at the Rio.  And all I can say about that is “Wow,” an amazing production.

And then the final blow-out celebration was the Frugal Birthday Open House to which everyone here and friends with Jean Scott on Facebook received an open invitation.  I know many of you wanted to attend but weren’t in town – and I appreciated all your birthday best wishes in the Comments here.  But many were able to attend, including not only locals but those from far away, even from Canada and Australia.  And it was great to get together with many friends we hadn’t seen for years and meet those we had known previously only online.  Kaitlynn was filming all during this party and when she gets the video edited, I will post the link here so everyone can enjoy the celebration even if not in person.

So now our family has flown back to Georgia – and Brad on the couch and I in my recliner have collapsed.  It was a wonderful week, but we need to recover from all that fun!

Some may wonder why I haven’t mentioned one member of the Frugal Princess family.  We really missed having grandson Zachary and his family here.  But you can blame Uncle Sam. When Zachary finished college, he became a police officer in the family hometown of Columbus, Georgia, but he also was a member of the Georgia Army National Guard.  And his unit was activated to go to Afghanistan.  🙁   He was able to spend Christmas with his family but is now at Ft Steward, waiting to deploy.  I am hoping that the up-in-the-air troop withdrawal plans of the President will happen sooner than later!  But in the meantime, Taylor is learning to be the strong military wife – as Angela was for so many years – and take good care of our 3 precious great-grandchildren – Asher, 4; Bowen, almost 2, and their little sister Cooper who arrived in November.

Stay tuned for another blog entry soon when I will have researched the January promotions and changes for the new year.

Promotions and News

GOLD COAST CORRECTION

An important detail I didn’t realize about the “Play & Earn” gift card promotion December 14-25 at the Gold Coast that I mentioned in my last blog.  I just found out this was not open to everyone but just to those who received the local mailer.  So sorry if some of you made a special trip in vain.  I know that some multiplier days are only for those who receive a mailer but I hadn’t come across a major promotion before where this policy was in effect.

CAESARS

Total Rewards players club is changing its name to Caesars Rewards. You’ll be able to pick up your new Caesars Rewards card beginning February 1 at any Caesars Rewards Center. Click here to find out all the details, including some new benefits.

In other Caesars news, I have just found out a new way – at least to me – to use your Seven Star annual retreat benefit, if you don’t want to fly to a casino outside your local base.  I have that benefit to use before the end of January but right now Brad is not feeling strong enough for a long trip.  So I talked to a host and found out we could stay at a Caesars property here in Vegas for up to four nights, have my choice between $900 in free play or 1200 in Reward Credits, and have my $500 folio available.  I was also told that this folio credit could be used not just for the usual food and drink charges, but in the spas and in any gift shop that would accept room charges.

This confirmed some of the reports on the gambling forums that Vegas properties were expanding this folio benefit.  However, it pays to check in advance because the information is not always readily available as to which outlets do or do not qualify under this benefit.

SEASON’S GREETINGS

We MUST get a new Christmas greeting pic!  But the message is still the same in 2018.  Happy holidays to all!

Mid-December Promotions and News

The Rodeo ends tonight and all the cowboys are headed back to the ranch.  And now starts the “bowling days” in Vegas – you could roll a bowling ball down many casino aisles and not hit a customer until New Year’s Eve weekend!  It is one of my favorite times of the year; many casinos pull out all the stops in their promotion programs.

Check the websites for any casino you would like to visit if they have a special holiday promotion.  Here is just a sampling that bargain-hunter players might enjoy:

  • South Point offers “Pay Less with Your Points” December 16-24 – 50% off most anything you might be paying for in the casino: food, drinks, hotel rooms, liquor store and gift shop purchases, spa, showroom and New Year’s events, movies, bingo, and bowling. 2x points Christmas Day.
  • Gold Coast is running “12 Days of Giving” December 14-25 when you can earn gift cards. Look for Brad and me there on the 19th when we can double-dip Young at Heart benefits with earning gift cards. 11x points Christmas Day for Sapphire tier and above.
  • Stations have multiple- point bonuses the 15th+ 16th – 10X Points on Slots! Up to 6X Points on Video Poker!  Kiosk game daily through the 21st.  Holiday pull-tabs Dec. 23-Jan. 1; regulars will get them free in the mail but anyone can get one for 100 base points,
  • Tuscany is offering special room rates for seniors in December.  They get flat rate of $39 on weekdays & $65 on weekends. Resort fees are waived. With valid Players Club ID. Blackout dates apply.  And watch for new players club tier system coming in January, with a promise of new promotions.

As usual, you need to check at the casino website and/or at the players club for details of any promotions I mention.  Remember my warnings about the dangerous fine print!  The devil is in the details, as they say.

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A Personal Note:  I want to thank everyone who have sent early birthday greetings with their regrets that they won’t be able to come to the Frugal Friends Open House Birthday Celebration.  You are saying such nice things!  Brad and I are SO SO appreciative that we have so many wonderful friends!

Remember you don’t have to RSVP for this Open House.  Just pop in!  And if you missed the invitation earlier, here it is again.

 

December Promos and News

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!

Invitation to a Birthday Celebration

An Invitation from Angela, the Frugal Princess

On Saturday, December 29, 2018, believe it or not, my Mom – Jean Scott – is turning 80 – and that is an occasion to celebrate!

As you can imagine, a gambler who has been chasing casino promotions for 35 years doesn’t need any birthday presents!  What she REALLY wants more than ANYTHING is to visit with friends and with those who enjoy what she loves – the frugal casino lifestyle.

So, my husband Steve and I and granddaughter Kaitlynn want to invite you to join us at the Las Vegas Tuscany Casino, in the party room at the back of the Pub 365, for a Frugal Friends Open House on Saturday, December 29, from 2:00 to 4:00 pm.

There will be laughter, reminiscing, and story-telling with The Queen of Comps and, of course, with the King of Kindness (Brad), who is always by her side.  Jean would be so happy to see long-time friends, and especially old video poker cohorts that she rarely runs into at casinos anymore.  And she would love the opportunity to meet in person the many fellow casino frugalites that have become Internet friends through the gambling forums and her blog.

You don’t need to RSVP – just pop in anytime between 2 and 4 p.m. to join in a birthday celebration of friendship!

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