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. 21^st blog.)  Starting February 1^st, 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!

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!

VETERANS DAY – Monday, November 11

Boyd Gaming is offering a 11x multiplier for all players with a Sapphire tier card and above.

Silverton is offering 10x on reels and 2x on VP.  They are also advertising a BOGO buffet that day for all players club members.

Many casinos will offer a free buffet for military members and veterans on this day. Most require a players card and verification of their status to be shown at the cashier, with military ID, VA ID, or a DD-214.    This includes the Rampart, South Point, Silverton and Boyd Gaming properties.

The Station casinos also offer a free military buffet, but the procedure is a bit different. You have to swipe your military Boarding Pass at any kiosk to redeem voucher.  If you don’t have the military flag on your card, you can take your official documents to verify your active or veteran status to the players club and get that military card.  (That will also qualify you for extra benefits for the on-going Military Mondays promotions.)

South Point’s offer is the plum one since the buffet freebie is not only for the qualified person but he/she can bring a guest who can also eat free.  The lines are long at all the casinos offering this free meal, even at those who have separate VIP lines, but you might find the wait at South Point excruciatingly long all day long – there doesn’t seem to be any “off time.”

There is another plum offer for all active or retired military personnel with verifying credentials but it involves a bit of a drive for Las Vegas residents, about 90 miles.  The Virgin River and Casa Blanca casinos in Mesquite are offering free buffets all day for both the qualified person and guest.

No free buffet at the El Cortez but you might not have to waste time waiting in line that day to eat – free White Castle hamburgers will be passed out to the active players on the casino floor, both at the tables and the machines.  And you don’t have to even be military or a veteran!

THANKSGIVING DAY – November 28

Boyd Gaming is running their 11x multiplier all day – and as usual only Sapphire tier and above can take advantage of this bonus.  So sorry, Ruby players.

South Point is running a Hot Seat promotion from 8 a.m. until midnight Nov. 28.

And almost every casino restaurant is serving a special Thanksgiving menu.  The lines may be long everywhere – I think very few in Las Vegas cook a holiday dinner at home!

MONTH-LONG PROMOTIONS

Here is a newly-released promotion, one which was not mentioned in the monthly mailer but which I first learned about from an ad in the R-J.  The Gold Coast is continuing their mid-week multipliers for all of November:  11x all day Monday through Thursday.  Check Scot’s player club bonus list for the varying multiple-point days for other Boyd properties – they are not all the same!   The same warning for Station Casinos:  The Fiestas and the Palms often march to different orders!

South Point is running their popular 1/2 -price player club point “sale,” this month for Amazon gift cards.

Tuscany is having a “Play and Win” promotion:

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An important note for all players who are looking for extra value: Always check out possibilities for double-dipping, combining monthly and holiday promotions.

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And finally, a hint for getting around during the Las Vegas Marathon coming up later this month:

Once again, the Las Vegas Monorail will be the only Strip transportation option available during the 2019 Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & ½ Marathon. The Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & ½ Marathon event gives participants a one-of-a-kind nighttime running experience as the only private event to close Las Vegas Boulevard at night. The largest event on the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon Series tour will take place on the Las Vegas Strip at night on Saturday-Sunday, Nov. 16 – 17, 2019. Year after year, thousands of runners and spectators attend the Humana Rock ‘n’ Roll Las Vegas Marathon & ½ Marathon and its four days of events, relying upon the Monorail for getting to and from the start and finish lines of the weekend’s races. The Monorail also has a station at the Las Vegas Convention Center, which is the site of the events three-day Health & Fitness Expo, held on Thursday – Saturday, Nov. 14 – 16.

Now I’m not saying the casinos are going back to those glory days of generous free play, easy comps, and good games. But I am seeing some positive moves.  Wynn/Encore have dropped all parking fees, even for valet.  It hasn’t happened yet but there is now talk that perhaps high and too “hidden” resort fees should be adjusted to attract those that are cutting down – or completely cutting off – their trips to Vegas casinos. And although it doesn’t seem that Boyd is thinking about getting rid of some of the onerous parts of their new players club – like Ruby players not earning points or being eligible for most promotions that are based on point earnings – there are some signs that they are trying to win back some of the customers that have fled.  Must have been a lot of them at the Gold Coast because they have been adding extra bonus-point days for the last few months – in October this runs for four days each week, 11x Monday through Thursday. (Remember, this is like 5.5X for VP players since it now takes $2 VP play to earn one point instead of $1 like under the old club program.)

However, the most common positive note for many casinos is that they are upping food comps. Every free or discounted meal you get, leaves you more money in your pocket.  Now not every casino is doing this increased food comp quite right. This has been a pet peeve of mine for 35 years.  A casino sends out a free-buffet coupon to – it seems – everyone who has ever been a player club member, some who haven’t played there for years and even some who can’t participate because they are dead!

Are you listening, Palms?  Does anyone from the ivory-tower offices in the sky ever come down to the casino floor and see the lines (both VIP as well as the regular one) snaked an unbelievable distance all over the place.  Do you see the tired, disappointed, and often angry looks on the faces of people in those lines who know they are looking at probably more than an hour of boring wait time?  When they finally do get seated and then finish their meal, how many are so mad by that time that the last thing they want to do is go to a machine or a table to gamble.  A food comp is supposed to be something that makes a player happy and glad to be in the casino – not something that makes them mad at a company that doesn’t use good sense in their marketing tactics.  Why can’t they spread out the dates for these coupons?  We no longer even try to use all those free buffet coupons we are getting in the mail; Brad, like many other seniors, just isn’t able to endure such a long wait.

Related to this food gripe, is the gift-giveaways.  These seem to be on the increase and I guess this is a popular perk for many players.  Not my favorite and probably not for many of my fellow seniors – we are trying to size down, not collect stuff.  It would be nice if there was an alternative free play choice.  For years in some casinos we would schedule our time to pick up gifts for late in the give-away period, knowing that if they ran out of the advertised gift, we would be given a gift card or extra free play.

There is also the same long-line problem during gift-giveaways I discussed earlier.  These often take place in cramped crowded areas and the lines have to snake through crowded slot machine aisles.  This should only happen once in a casino.  Someone in authority would see the problem and the next time it would be moved to a less crowded part of the casino and there would be enough staffing that long lines would not develop.  And a personal wish: They would train the employees to smile and act friendly when they are checking in the players and/or giving out the gifts.  So often we feel like these employees actually hate that we have shown up to ruin their day!

End of rant and a last technical note:  Some people have told me that they can’t subscribe to this blog.  We did have some problems with this earlier, but they have been resolved.  So, you might try again.  If it still does not work for you, drop a note to promotions@huntingtonpress.com  and we will subscribe you manually.

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!

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 (20^th), 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.

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!

As I have mentioned in past blogs, we are planning to phase out our play at CZR, but it is a slower process than we expected.  They keep sending us good offers!  First, we had a monster offer in April from Harrah’s Tahoe.  And then we got a good offer if we checked into a Vegas Caesar property in May or June.

We hadn’t stayed or played locally for several years, so decided to choose the Cromwell, an old haunt of ours back when it was called the Barbary Coast.  We did have a room there once when it was first bought by CZR and renamed the Cromwell, and I had written how the rooms reminded us of a stately old library that was the scene of an English murder mystery – dark, with heavy old furnishings.  That was still our impression when we walked in our room this time, much the same historical romantic mysterious atmosphere of that old Barbary Coast.

We had chosen the Cromwell over other local CZR properties because it is easy in- and-out self-parking and you didn’t have to walk a mile to check-in and then to your room.  Brad and I are both having trouble walking long distances these days, a major change in our lives from when we would take long power walks up and down the Strip.  However, we had forgotten that going through and between casinos is always a longer distance that one expects.  So, our plan to walk down to Harrah’s for dinner and a show became a stop-and-go experience as we would grab an empty slot machine chair for a rest period every so often!

We enjoyed a return to Harrah’s buffet, one that we had visited many times in the past but not recently.  Not as fancy as some, but with a large selection of food we liked – as Brad remarks when we visit some of the new buffets and restaurants around town, “No weird food.”  The only lack for me was no-sugar-added ice cream, but they did have other SF desserts.

We rarely take advantage of shows in Vegas these days, even when we could have them comped.  After 35+ years we have seen most of the on-going big productions, and many of the new shows feature modern music that is not to our tastes.  We miss our “oldies” music, with so many of the stars we loved passing on.  But sometimes a “tribute” show can bring back some happy memories of by-gone days, and so we used the monthly free-show Seven Star benefit to go see the new Harrah’s show called “Heartbreak Hotel.”

I hate to review a show really, because it is like trying to recommend a restaurant.  So many different tastes!  But I really enjoyed this tribute to Elvis.  It was high energy with a live band of six guys and 3 gal singers – all very talented!  It concentrated first on Elvis’ early life, with biographical narrative and photos on 4 huge LED walls in-between the performances of his early hits, then covering many of his most well-known songs.  Here is a review that gives more details about the performance.

I talked earlier about the old-fashion atmosphere we liked about the Cromwell room.  So why am I writing this blog tonight from home when we are checked into the Cromwell.  Well, it’s hard to explain.  Maybe it’s because we are old – or maybe just jaded?  We have enjoyed staying in fancy casino hotels for 35 years.  But with this offer we could do just “down the street” we decided to skip the packing and lugging the CPAP machine. Just go for the day and do the little bit of play we needed to do, eat, and see a show.  Mess up the bed and gather up all the nice toiletries, and then return home to sleep in our own bed.

Some of you might understand.

STATIONS

Some good news to report here. After months of decreasing promos, including the recent disappearance of any multiple-point days, the Palms has finally been folded into the Stations bonus-point program.  This was not mentioned in the master chart of Multiplier Days listed in our April Palace Station mailer, and I didn’t see it the first time I checked the April 1^st full-page Stations ad in the Review-Journal. (I always check for that early each month.)  But I didn’t remember my own persistent advice to read all promotional details carefully and not assume everything will always be the same as in the past!  But after a friend alerted me, I went back and there was the “PALMS” (in bigger print no less) that had been added to the “Guaranteed 10x/6x” for Mondays, Tuesdays, and Wednesdays in April!!

The Palms still does not participate in the “My Generation Senior 50+ Wednesday.”  They still don’t “get” that we oldsters would still like to play there in spite of it going “pop art” – and I don’t think the youngsters would mind some gray-haired company if they happen  to wander from clubbing to a machine.  And besides, we probably have more discretionary money than they do to feed them.  Let the kids have the evenings and the nights.  We don’t like to drive after dark anyway.  We could fill the casino in the mornings and afternoons when they are in bed recovering from a night of partying.  Just saying…

The Palms also does not participate in the Monday Military promotion.  At all the other properties, there are food and drink benefits you will see (if you have once registered at the players club) listed at the kiosk.  Be aware that the 2-for-1 buffet will show up only once a month.  Once you use it, it will not appear again until the next month.

If you are confused about which promos are offered at which casinos, go to the Stations website and click on “Promotions.”  In most cases, there is a list (often in fine print) of participating properties for each promo.  The only exception I found was that there was no list for the “My Generation Wednesday” so you would not find out there that it is NOT at the Palms. (There IS a list of casinos with this senior promo in my April mailer and it does not include the Palms.)  Do be sure to check each Station promo monthly, including the senior Wednesdays, since some of the benefits (especially the food discounts) change from month to month.

BOYD PROPERTIES

We are still “blue” about the downgrades here – literally!  Now having blue Sapphire players cards, we miss the green Emerald ones and those benefits we had for years. Brad never did like to wait in long lines, but now is unable to do so because of crippling hip pain.  Most of the time we can use a shorter handicap line, but we found, for some unknown reason, the Orleans buffet doesn’t have a designated one. And since handicapped parking spaces are often full, we miss the closer location of Emerald parking.

We still play at the Gold Coast occasionally on 11x days since we live very close, but probably will not ever play often enough to get to Emerald again unless they revamp their tier system to be more appealing to the average local player, especially those who prefer VP to slots.

One negative about their new players club which you must keep aware of.  Whenever you take your players card out of the machine, the tier count-down goes back to zero.  This is especially a problem for VP players since it takes a lot of play to get one tier credit.  If you like to jump around looking  for hot machines, your tier credits may accumulate very slowly.  This is also a problem if you need to take out your card often for a promo (like the Main Street scratcher) or qualifying for a drawing.

SOUTH POINT

No multiple-point days here this month, but they are running a pretty good food comp. especially if you earn it on the best VP paytables.  You can earn free buffets every Monday thru Thursday.  Check their website for the rules to earn a comped lunch and/or dinner.  No redeeming of points – you keep the points you earn for this comp.

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Note:  Brad and I don’t play at or get mailers from as many casinos as we used to – so I don’t cover as many.  But I encourage readers here to use the “Comments” to share info about good promotions you are coming across and the little details that may help other players in their search for added value.

• 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.”