Well, I have more leisure time now.  And for a couple of nights I have been staying up half the night to catch up on this new-to-me writing.  I am blown away by it.  Perhaps partly because I am so familiar with the subject material – I have been to or heard about or even written about most of the subjects.  But most of all I am in awe about a writing style that grabs the reader by the neck – and never lets go.

I long to write like that.  But my work will never be described as edgy.  For over 20 years I deliberately tried to avoid as much as possible pointing out the negative aspects of Las Vegas and casinos, concentrating on giving positive advice on how to cope with the reality.  I took the little-Miss-Sunshine role.  And to be absolutely frank, at times I didn’t name names because I wanted to protect my own hunting grounds!

In the last couple years or so, I did begin to point out areas where I thought casinos were being unwise.  I never blamed the casinos for not wanting people like me who were negatively affecting their profitability (even though I thought they were overreacting to an extremely small issue) but I saw and wrote about those draconian actions that were negatively affecting all their customers.

I thought about the comparison between “VitalVegas” and this blog.  Probably the most common adjective readers – even my most loyal fans – would use to describe “Frugal Vegas” might be “sensible” (like sensible shoes – not very fashion-forward but more comfortable).  I wondered if I could make this blog a little more edgy, a little more in-your-face.  I could try – maybe?

But I did think of one possibly more forward-thing I could do – I could start taking and posting selfies.  I have always considered them in the realm of anxious middle-school girls who lack self-confidence – and, not surprising, many of their male counterparts (most who have temporarily dropped out of the human race to become monkeys who are fixated on their private parts). However, sadly, also the adult realm seemed to be crowded with narcissism. So I tried to stay out of that realm.

But yesterday Brad and I was sitting on the beach at our apartment complex lake, not near anyone else so we were observing proper social distancing, and a new thought popped into my head. Time to try something new – and besides I wanted to show how a faux palm tree, with colorful coconuts, could lift one’s spirits – at least temporary – in this dark time.  Here is my first selfie:

NOTE: I will unfriend or de-friend anyone who comments that I am looking good. I don’t look particularly good at all. I haven’t put on makeup or curled my naturally straight straggly hair for weeks – and I don’t plan to do so for at least a month – and maybe longer.

Here is my second selfie:

You may comment on the second selfie if you don’t gush – the longer I don’t cut Tom’s hair, the curlier and thicker it looks, which seems a little unfair to me.

I’m not sure if I will ever take another selfie.  It didn’t seem to inspire me to write edgy words and I don’t feel like addressing anyone right in their face.

I may just have to continue writing sensibly until I can find a new and comfortable style.  Hang on, readers, who knows what the future holds here.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

If we didn’t have a dollar to our name, we would be super rich in friendships!

Many of you have responded to my call for questions you’d like me to answer before I close out my blogging here.  One friend who has kept track of our families remarked that I hadn’t posted a recent picture of my sisters.  Well, here is one that was taken recently when middle sister, from North Carolina, came to visit the two Vegas sisters and we were able to have one of our every-five-year pictures taken.  Here, right-to-left, is Starr, 70, then June, 75, and finally the 80-year old!

Others have asked questions about Brad’s health, with those seeing him in person remarking that he is “looking good.”  And he does get around pretty well, mostly with a cane and only using a walker when there are longer distances.  He has recently been diagnosed with the beginnings of heart failure (a heart pumping problem) and with vascular parkinsonism,  in which parkinsonian symptoms (slow movements, tremor, difficulty with walking and balance) are produced by narrowing or blockage of blood vessels, rather than by gradual loss of nerve cells as seen in the more typical neurodegenerative Parkinson’s disease. This is on top of his previous long-time heart problems after a heart attack in 2003 – A Fib and coronary artery disease – but thankfully modern medicine has had many answers for him – a pacemaker, 7 coronary stents, and an extensive menu of meds.  He is slowing down – but with lots of naps, he continues to get out and about.  As he says, he is probably doing better than most men coming up on age 88!

Many of the questions pertain to our future.  I have already mentioned that I will continue this blog through December and into January.  I may want to do some other writing but I don’t know what form that might take – I do love to write.  I will probably continue to read and contribute to the vpFREE forum whenever I come across helpful gambling information.  And I definitely plan to use my Facebook account to chat about Brad’s and my future activities.  Search for “Jean Scott” and ask to be my friend if you aren’t already.  But one thing I am pretty sure about:  I won’t tackle writing another book or take any writing assignment with a deadline.  I am retiring from stress!

And probably the most frequent query is about what gambling we will do once we leave Las Vegas.  And most people don’t believe this answer – very little if any!  It is hard to explain – but we almost never gambled in a casino just for fun after our first trip to Las Vegas in April 1984.  After that trip, we decided this was the fun-est time we had ever had, but we knew we wouldn’t be in a financial position to lose $3000 very often– as we had that time – for this kind of vacation.   So, I went to the library to start studying how we could have this fun without losing money.  And the rest is history.

Actually, we have been “practicing” for our retirement from casino gambling these last couple of months in Vegas.  First, we were learning to accept the reality that physical and mental limitations would majorly cut down on  casino visits.  And then, it had been very obvious for a long time that there are very few advantage plays that don’t depend on future benefits, like mailers with bonus-points dates and free play. So, we have played a few times just for fun since we would not be here to collect those future benefits.  For example, instead of playing the higher EV but more boring single line NSUD video poker game, we would choose an 8/5 Bonus Poker game on Spin Poker, with a lower EV but  more fun for us.  We never had played the very exciting Ultimate X at the higher denominations in the past because we didn’t want to study a new very complex strategy.  But finding it at 10-play nickels – or even pennies – paytables be damned – sometimes has provided us an hour or so of fun with just a small “entertainment fee.”

The closest casinos to Columbus, GA, are Harrah’s Cherokee and Biloxi, both a 4-5-hour drive away.  We probably wouldn’t make a special trip that far just for fun play, and with no comps.  Flying is getting very difficult for Brad so that rules out a trip to Vegas or any other casino city just for fun.  We’ve had about all the fun we can stand in the 35 years visiting casinos.  If we just happen to be in a casino sometime, perhaps on a family vacation, we probably would give the grands a few bills and watch them play the slots.  Or, we might find a new VP game that looks interesting in which to invest some of our fun money.  But we are definitely retiring from advantage play and leaving the casino lifestyle.  And with no regrets – it’s been a fantastic life that will give beautiful memories forever.  But now we are ready for a new  adventure – just perhaps one a little less busy and more peaceful.

Next week I’ll answer more of your questions.  Fire away!

And by the way, if you want to have a book autographed or just want to say good-bye, Brad and I will be at the Gold Coast on Wednesday, December 18, between 4-5 p.m.  We will be in the drawing area.

First, I want to thank everyone who gave greetings on our recent birthdays – Brad’s #86 and my #79.  Don’t worry if you missed mine – I plan to stick with celebrating #79 on December 29 every year for many years to come.  The seventies just sound so young these days!

Next, some comments about the “Comment” section here on my blog page.  Although I welcome many different viewpoints and encourage details from players from all denomination levels and varied goals, I do occasionally have to refrain from “approving” a comment and it will not appear.  I will not tolerate uncivil discussion.  I do often approve remarks with which I do not fully agree –  and readers must remember that they are the opinions of the commenters and not necessarily mine – when I feel they will generate some helpful information from others.  I cannot approve comments of an extreme political or religious nature since they often would plunge us into a chaotic argument that takes us far away from the spirit and purpose of this blog.

Now on to your questions.  Frequently someone will ask, “Why do you play at XXX casino; I can’t find anything good to play there?”  I have addressed this issue many times down through the years, emphasizing that not every casino gives every customer the opportunity for a “good” – that is, an advantage play.  Perhaps these good plays are at higher denominations that would not fit a lower-level player’s bankroll.  Or alternatively, good lower denomination inventory may not be attractive for those who can find options for higher level play with the potential for bigger profits.  Location plays a big part in choosing good VP plays; many serious players must travel far and wide if there are no good options locally.  And sometimes – actually almost always – much of the EV (expected value) of a play is made up of extra benefits and you rarely know how much a player is getting just by a casual look at “what they play.”  You don’t know how much coin they play through, how much free play they get in their mailers, or what special-promotion invitations they receive.

A related question Brad and I get: “Why don’t you play at XXX casino; they have good games there.”  Some of the explanation in the above paragraph applies.  But there is a bigger factor here for us.  We just don’t have the energy to “scramble” as much as we used to.  We are most comfortable with a casino schedule that includes several “days off” a week. Right now we play regularly in only 3-4 local Vegas casinos, all off the Strip and fairly close to where we live.  There may be other good plays in far-away areas of town, but unless we lose some of the nearby ones, we choose to avoid the horrendous time-consuming Vegas traffic whenever possible.

And related to the above discussion, there is one question I have been avoiding answering: “You said you were going to write a book containing yours and Brad’s personal life story.  When is that going to come out?”

I really did have a firm plan for this and actually had spent many days and weeks gathering and organizing years of notes.  But a couple months ago I suddenly “woke up” with the realization that I was tired of being on a never stopping merry-go-round, with another deadline looming when I finally met the previous one.  I love to write and will continue to do short pieces – like for this blog.  However, a book is a major project and tends to monopolize and overwhelm the author’s whole life, seeping into every spare hour and pushing out even more-loved druthers.

So, this planned book is now on my not-to-be shelf.  But don’t worry missing stories about our personal experiences, both in and outside the casino world.  I will continue to include them, as I always have, here in this blog.  Some of you will remember the 17-part series I wrote several years ago, telling the story of Brad’s gambling path that began when he was 5 years old.  If you are a newer blog reader, you can go back in the archives (Search “Brad Stories” under “Category” on the right side of the blog home page) and find that.  Actually, those archives go clear back to April, 2000, with the first article I wrote for “Frugal Fridays” and then continue every year until it morphed into the “Frugal Vegas” blog, telling of our gambling journey over the last 17+ years plus some personal details of our pre-casino life.  (You need to sometimes click on “continue reading” to get to all the articles for one particular month.)

In future blogs I will continue to talk about current subjects but occasionally I will reach into my notes and dig out some of the stories that go back 75-85 years, ones that I haven’t shared before.  Did you know I heard the word “discount” on the day I was born?  That will be the beginning of one story I am anxious to share!

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Writing about casino gambling is never easy. A gaming writer has to be so careful. I go to Herculean lengths to write as accurate information as possible at all times. But despite my best efforts, I face some real problems in getting you up-to-date and accurate casino and gambling information. I thought this month I would share with you some of these problems. I don’t want your sympathy, but perhaps this will help you understand why you might sometimes question something I (or other gaming writers, who have the same problems) have written.

NEW INFORMATION

Sometimes you get more and better information after you write about a particular subject. Reader input is powerful! For example, in a recent column here I wrote that I knew of no casino that has a written policy on what happens to unredeemed slot club points and unused earned comps when a person dies. Fortunately, a slot club expert reads this column — Jeff Compton — probably one of the few people on Earth who has joined more slot clubs than I have. He e-mailed me some additional information.

Yes, some slot clubs do have a written policy on this. In fact, when he works with a casino that’s starting or changing their slot club, as he sometimes does when he puts on his casino consultant hat, he suggests that they write up a very detailed policy on this. Why? Some casinos without a written policy have had some not-so-pleasant dealings with divorce lawyers who are representing couples with joint slot club accounts. (See — another reason, albeit pessimistic, for ALWAYS having your own slot club account and not letting your points build up too high before redeeming them!) He recommends that casinos include some rather strict guidelines in this litigious environment, with the understanding that a host can waiver or give a lot of leeway on a case-by-case basis where good will can be the deciding factor.

WRONG INFORMATION

Sometimes people give you the wrong information. I know this happens in all areas of life — but it seems, for me, that I get more bad information from casinos than from any other business. “Yes, we will have double points next month,” says the slot club director I had just phoned on June 29. So I go to http://www.lasvegasadvisor.com  and under Slot Promotions for July add that fact under Casino Change-A-Lot. Someone e-mails me on July 1 that they went to Casino Change-A-Lot and played and did not get double points. I call back the slot director. “Oh, we were going to give double points, but at the last minute we decided to have a drawing promotion instead.” So there’s a big fat lie on MY list that I try so hard to keep extremely accurate and up to date. How many people drove clear across Las Vegas to Casino Change-A-Lot, in the horrendous traffic, to take advantage of this non-existent promotion that I had touted?  [Scot, will you ever forgive me for turning this nightmare over to you!]

DIFFERENT OPINIONS

Sometimes — yes, often — there’s more than one point of view. Obviously, not everything I write is pure fact; some has to be personal opinion. If I say, “Casino A gives .5% cashback,” that’s a fact that can be verified. If I say, “Casino A, therefore, is better than Casino B…” that’s not a fact, but an opinion. And then I get e-mails that strongly debate that issue, even if I have added, “…better for Brad and me.” They tell me that they’re more interested in finding a casino that will give them free rooms and meals and luxurious perks for their play, something they can’t get at our “good” Casino A.

Often, even facts are colored by the kind of glasses the fact writer wears. I try to not be too dogmatic in my writings. When I’m taking about what “Brad and I do,” I often add qualifiers — “Not everyone will want to do it this way,” or “This may not work for every gambler.”

However, there’s a tone in all writing that sometimes shouts louder than the actual words. I’m accused sometimes of writing about video poker in a way that makes it sound like it’s an easy thing to reach the winning long term. I don’t ever mean to convey that idea, but I seem to have been born to teach and I get excited when I talk about the rosy possibilities that can be achieved when a student studies hard. As a reader, you need to watch that you don’t interrupt enthusiasm as a magic bullet.

EXCEPTIONS TO THE RULE

There are always exceptions. I sometimes feel my writing gets boring, because so often I have to use the same words — usually, almost always, probably, most of the time, in most cases — all those boring qualifiers instead of lively positive words that can stand alone. Can I say, “You can depend on slot clubs to give you points based on your coin-in? No. Instead, I have to say, “Most slot clubs” and name the few that don’t. I once made a strong-sounding statement that I was sure was true, that you NEVER have to pay to join a slot club. Then I heard of a small Native American casino in the woods somewhere, in Michigan or Minnesota or somewhere I knew I didn’t want to be in the winter, that charged $10 to join their slot club. I heard later that they dropped the fee, but I’m scared to make that absolute statement even now. As soon as I do, some casino will decide to make a liar out of me!

CHANGE

And lastly, there’s change. Sometimes I change my mind about things. Getting old will certainly do that to you. You no longer hear me talk about spending hours riding free shuttles from casino to casino to redeem coupons. Re-reading some of Brad’s and my gambling adventures in The Frugal Gambler makes even me tired these days. (Although you young just-starting-out-to-gamble whippersnappers might remember that the reason we don’t have to squeeze every penny out of a coupon these days is due to those early frugal practices!)

Sometimes circumstances change. Moving up from quarter video poker to dollar play opened up a whole new wealth of casino information for me. What I wrote about casinos when we played only quarters was accurate, but certainly not as complete as it is now. With the plague of age comes the wealth of experience.

Casinos change. Notice I didn’t preface that sentence with “sometimes.” Casinos change perhaps more often than any other businesses on Earth. I figure there’s at least one casino somewhere changing a policy during every sentence I write. When I get an article finished, I just hope I can get it to an editor before some piece of information I’ve written is no longer valid. And I know that there’s no way to solve the problem of those necessary but dreadful deadlines — five to six weeks before publication — the enemy of completely accurate up-to-date information. [That’s the beauty of this blog – immediate information and the ability to change your words!]

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Yes, I have some problems in writing about casinos, but I imagine I’ll keep doing it as long as I have strength to sit at a computer. I keep threatening to retire, but I think I love writing more than I’m willing to admit.  [Have I really been threatening to retire for TEN years?]