Comments on: Boyd Gaming Changes

By: Mark

Mark — Fri, 21 Sep 2018 20:41:46 +0000

Maybe this explains why Santa Fe Station is so crowded lately. I had attributed it to the start of football season, but maybe not. I was there last Thursday afternoon and the place was packed.

By: ken orgera

ken orgera — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 15:24:03 +0000

my b-connected site, shows a Sapphire card at the top and a conversion to Ruby on the tier points. I assume I will have Sapphire benefits to the end of the year and if I don’t get the tier points to achieve Sapphire level, I will be Ruby in 19.

By: Toni Armstrong Jr.

Toni Armstrong Jr. — Sun, 16 Sep 2018 03:30:30 +0000

Looks like the handwriting is on the wall and many formerly loyal VP players will be leaving the Boyd system soon, saying, “Thanks for the memories.” Moving forward… For players like me who prefer to give all play to one system; who still want to stay downtown and to play Deuces Wild downtown – what’s the now-recommended best loyalty program, all things considered?

By: Teresa

Teresa — Sat, 15 Sep 2018 04:53:22 +0000

I will never make emerald. I lost a ton of points like everyone else. But I was sapphire before the change and am still sapphire. I was told by a Sam’s Town host that my points and tier credits are based only on my play this year in 2018 now. I was also told that the free rooms, dining food money and free play monthly offers will remain no matter what the card does. Those comps are from the casinos and dependent on my play, separate from the card. In fact I havent lost my monthly offers at all. This begs the question, why the cards points tier credits and all the hype? For me though, I play all the reels and also VP, Keno, and Bingo. I go to Vegas 2 times a year.

By: Lee

Lee — Fri, 14 Sep 2018 04:21:44 +0000

My points were converted at a rate of $30 in for 1 point. I just finished my trip to Fremont down my whole bankroll of $3000 and I earned less than 500 points for my video poker play and that is a really bad investment of not only $$ but also time. The misdeeds of Boyd for not explaining this new hyped up program to us loyal visitors and the lack of clearness is unscrupulous. Charlie B you are correct in saying that it is so wrong because a spade is a spade. Next trips anywhere else but Boyd properties.

By: Charlieb

Charlieb — Wed, 12 Sep 2018 21:47:26 +0000

So wrong. Only good for Boyd. Why change the program right now when we worked hard to get points only to see them all converted to nearly nothing. What a slap in the face. If certain people like to go to Boyd properties so be it, but for the knowledgable ones who want something for all the $$ they put into the tight machines – go somewhere else and run there! Boyd has not reached out to patrons to explain and slot players are cheated at $5 to 1 point and don’t even get started on how inhumanely low they have stooped to slam video poker players to the point of stupidity. Who is their right minds would play video poker to get points based on factors that cannot even be disclosed. Ludicrous! Be warned! Get out now!

By: Janet Steigerwald

Janet Steigerwald — Sat, 08 Sep 2018 20:16:03 +0000

I was at a high Sapphire level (over 170,000) tier credits the day before the change. I am now at a low Emerald level with a little over 5,000 tier credits. How does this happen? I finally talked to someone who explained this new system to me. I only play slots so this does not apply to video poker players. The new tier credits you see are only based on this years play starting January 1, 2018 to the present time at the ratio of $5.00 played equals 1 tier credit. According to the new play table, that would make me Sapphire. The reason I’m Emerald is they took into account my play the previous year (2017) and decided to be nice and give me Emerald (as a curtesy) instead of Sapphire. This will only last until the end of this year unless I earn another 10,000 tier credits before January 1, 2019, since “technically” I did not earn enough tier credits yet to be Emerald. It will end this year and I will have to start from scratch in 2019. If I earn the 15,000 tier credits needed to be Emerald playing in 2019, that status will carry over to the following year and so on from there. I hope this helps to explain what’s going on in this new system. As far as I can see, nowhere does Boyd explain that the current tier credits that you see are only from 2018 play. In the old system, your tier credits carried over and thus you were able to accumulate tier credits from year to year. It makes a big difference!!!!

By: William Wingo

William Wingo — Sat, 08 Sep 2018 16:58:04 +0000

We’ve been staying at Orleans and Gold Coast for many years. Orleans made a good first impression on us in 2007 when we went there with my mother, who was then 90 and mobility impaired. We were very impressed with the place–complimentary wheelchair, very nice handicapped room, etc.–and we’ve been going back regularly since then. Usually we stay at Gold Coast when playing in the WSOP at the Rio.
A few years ago I made Sapphire and have managed to maintain it, just barely. I enjoy the video poker at both places, although I don’t go at it as intensely as some others on this site. I rationalize that at least it maintains Sapphire status and keeps the comp offers coming. We also like the Orleans Poker Room and Ping Pang Pong at Gold Coast.
Now all that may be about to change. I haven’t analyzed the new point system in detail, and indeed for a VP player a complete analysis may not be possible at this time. I logged on to BConnected, and read some of the documentation linked here, and couldn’t figure it out even with a math major and two Masters’ degrees. But I agree with other posters that it doesn’t look good.
I think the simple solution is that as long as the comp offers keep coming, we’ll keep coming. If they stop, we might switch operations to South Point–which also has a nice poker room–or the Stations. The Palms might be a good alternative to Gold Coast for the WSOP.
We’ve enjoyed the Boyd properties, but if they no longer want our business, we can live with it. And if all of Vegas continues its long-term downhill slide, then there’s still Laughlin, the Phoenix-area casinos, and the California card rooms.

By: Jon McGuffin

Jon McGuffin — Sat, 08 Sep 2018 00:47:20 +0000

I’ve been going and staying at Sam’s Town since 1975…that’s over 40 years, long before there were points, ticket in-ticket out, and player’s clubs. Up until now, every trip (about four per year) would have a Sam’s visit to maintain Sapphire. I agree with Jean that these are businesses that want to make money…fine. We, the customer, want to find the better deals. It’s such a simple solution. When I return to Las Vegas in October, I will cash in my bonus credits, and walk out for the very final time.

I will go downtown where the D offers 8/5 BP with progressives (and now the Golden Gate as well). If I play 300 points on these machines (3K); I am given three free off-nights, $25 per month food credit, $20 per month free play and NO resort fee. Yesterday, I just received my first mailer from the Golden Gate (where I only played those new 8/5 BP machines) with the same offer for there place.

The Four Queens also have generous comps and cash for play on their 9/6 JOB machines, and now I understand it doesn’t take much play to get free rooms at the Grand (I hear they’re terrific rooms–Golden Gate not so much).

I will now focus my play at these casinos and Boyd..well…it’s been nice…

By: Susan Johnson

Susan Johnson — Fri, 07 Sep 2018 23:58:01 +0000

I find it hard to believe the ineptitude in rolling out this program. All the shouting about the all “new and better” but not being upfront about how the points were changing. Just look one morning and your points are slashed to smithereens with no explanation. Really bad marketing. Invite me to an Emerald party (we’ve been emerald for years now) and hype up the new levels only to make me a sapphire 3 days later. It was like a slap in the face as I don’t see how I’ll ever be emerald again.