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!

Q:  Did you and Brad sell that “condo-that-VP-built” you had for so many years – or did you save it for future Vegas visits.

A:  We did sell it – and thanks to a rising housing market we were pleased we got almost double the price we paid in 1999.  Because of Brad’s failing health, we do not plan for a lot of air travel in the future, and we are trying to simplify our life, shedding all the responsibilities of property ownership, including also a couple of rentals we had.

I’d like to give a shout-out to our super real estate agent, Lisa Skurow (702-203-3826).  She gives such warm personal service and has a stable of ready buyers and sellers: our condo never had to be listed because she had a buyer waiting.  If you are in the market, tell her we said to give you a frugal price!

Q:  You talked about the disappearance of full-pay Deuces Wild in your last blog.  I hadn’t known about that – and I wonder how you found that out since you live far away in Georgia?

A: For 20-some years I have been writing about casinos in Las Vegas and all over the country, including information about many that I had never personally visited.  How did I do that?  Research, research, research! And although Brad and I have retired from casino gambling, I still daily browse the Internet – checking out the gambling forums and keeping up with Las Vegas news.  I still get e-mails from readers sharing their gambling experiences and talk with friends who readily complain about machine downgrades.  Although Brad and I are quickly picking up other activities, with family and new friends, I can’t visualize a time in the future when frugal gambling would have no place in my interest or thinking.

Q:  Many have asked how Brad and I are adjusting to this major change in our life.

A:  Right now it is too soon to discuss this subject since we are still in the organizing and home decoration stage.  I am spending lots of time on Amazon.com. I couldn’t believe how many shower-curtain choices I had for my one elephant-themed bathroom and the other dollar-bill-themed one.  Endless decisions for every room.  Fun but it keeps us very busy!

However, there is one part of our family that doesn’t seem to be adjusting to this move.  The GPS in our Encore SUV caused me a major driving problem a couple of days ago while we were in an unfamiliar part of town.

“Navigate to Home,” I instructed.

I started following her orders and got on the designated freeway.  It was 5:30 and heavy rush hour traffic, and I was concentrating on being in the correct lane on the unfamiliar road.  But then I noticed the signage and I realized that instead of heading to our apartment on the east side of town I was going west on the road that would cross the river and we would soon be in Alabama.  I immediately started moving several lanes to the right, finally in a position where I could exit and find a quiet place where I could argue with Ms. GPS.

For some reason she couldn’t explain why “Home,” which had been programmed with our new address, had reverted back to our Las Vegas one.  I guess our little red SUV just got homesick!

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.

However, before we can leave town on December 27, we are knee-deep in packing, getting rid of “stuff” we collected for the last 20 years here.  We are taking some of our possessions to GA, but everything that will not fit into the two “moving pods” we have reserved is being given to friends and charity. No garage sales allowed here in our condo complex – but we wouldn’t have the energy to run one anyway! I am so grateful that daughter Angela is able to take off a couple weeks from her work to come early and help me – a big part of the moving stress is making decisions about what to take or what not to take! She is good at brutal honesty opinions!!!

Angela, Steve, and Kaitlynn will all be here by the 24th of December and we will celebrate Christmas Eve with my sister Starr and her husband David that morning. Then Ang and Steve will take our Encore SUV and start the road trip back east. Brad and I will stay in Vegas to tie up last-minute business and then fly to San Antonio on the 27th where Ang and Steve will meet us. Brad was in basic training there, at Lackland Air Force base, 70 years ago and we look forward to spending a couple of nostalgic and sightseeing days. Then the four of us will continue the road trip together for the 3 days on to GA.  On January 3^rd we get the keys to our 2-bedroom apartment in a beautiful lakeside complex, just a few minutes down the road from where Ang and Steve live.

I will continue to write this blog through December and perhaps into January.   I was thinking this might be a good time to give you readers a chance to ask some questions before I retire from this almost 20-year activity.  (In April of 2000 I started writing “Frugal Fridays,” which then morphed into “Frugal Vegas.”)  Send me your questions at queenofcomps@cox.net and I will try to answer them in upcoming December blogs.

——– 

“When to Walk” –  from 1999

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

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

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

Math Tells You to Walk

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

Common Sense Tells You to Walk

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

Emotions Tell You to Walk

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

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

Recently I heard from one reader who told about a good June promotion at the Vegas downtown Four Queens Casino.  Unfortunately, they don’t put details of their promos on their website, but you could have found them if you had regularly checked this Vegas Values one I highly recommend.   The Four Queens is not a fancy place, but a top choice if you are looking for reasonable room rates, with NO resort fee; some good restaurants, including the classic Hugo’s Cellar; a nice selection of good VP; and free parking for hotel guests and free validation parking for players and restaurant customers.  Here at the LVA website, it is one of their TOP TEN bargains – and very high on my frugal list.

—

Q:  Jean, have you taken advantage of the Atlantis Resort trip that Caesars offers to customers in their 3 top tiers.  I hear things are pretty expensive down in the Bahamas.

A:  Brad and I haven’t done this trip and all I know about it is from the Caesars website.   But I did hear from a reader who was looking for frugal hints.

The most common tip I hear is to find a cab from a good company and pick up lots of groceries on the ride from the airport to store in the fridge. I also saw some tips on how to cook on the room iron, but I don’t think we will go that far…

—

Q:  I’d like to get to the higher tier levels at Stations Casinos, like President or even Chairman, but I am losing too much money playing at the higher-level machines to get more points faster.  Any suggestions?

A:  I strongly discourage playing beyond your bankroll or comfort level just to achieve a higher tier level.  In almost all cases it would be cheaper to just pay for those higher-level benefits.  However, during your normal play you could choose to play on multiple-point days.  These extra points don’t up your tier score (which is based on “base” points) but you can redeem them for cash or free play which will cover some of your losses.  And here is one player suggestion on how to get to the higher tiers faster and have a vacation at the same time:

Your spending on rooms at Stations are 50X, cocktails at bars 30X, food at restaurants ranges between 10X at the cafe/buffet and 20X at steakhouses. That can add up fast. So, for every $100 you spend on rooms you earn 5000 base points. A nice $100 steak dinner, 3000 base points. That can get you to President quickly without putting a single dime in a machine. Use a staycation to boost your points and get some well-deserved rest.

—

Q:  Hi, as an out of towner coming to Vegas in July/Aug, I was wondering what newspaper and day I would look to see if there were any Boyd dining coupons that you mentioned for that time. Thanks.

A:  There is now only one newspaper in town – since The Sun is now a section in the Review-Journal.  But I can’t answer your 2^nd question, since coupons flyers are slipped into the newspaper on no regular schedule.  In fact, I can’t count on checking casino ads on any particular day.  Most often they are in the front section of the newspaper on Sundays, particularly early in the month, but I never can depend on that.  And, as I have mentioned before, sometimes an ad with a new promotion will pop up mid-month!

If you want casino coupons, your best bet is to subscribe to the “Las Vegas Advisor” here at my blog home and you will get a whole book of coupons free.  You can also buy the American Casino Guide which has 182 coupons for casinos all over the U.S, including over 100 for Vegas.

—

Not a question, but a comment.  A couple blogs ago I mentioned a July 4^th promotion coming up at South Point.  I had given the details (which are still correct) but stated these differed from past multiple-point days.  Scot Krause, who is always on the ball about promotions, said this one had always had the same details.  I think my 80-year-old brain may be getting a little tired!!!! 

—

I hope readers here regularly go to another part of my blog home – the popular QOD (“Question of the Day”).  That’s another place to get your burning questions answered – and sometimes the QOD guru asks for my input. As sometimes happens with all casino information, there are a lot of details and, in trying to summarize in a brief manner, we might miss some of them that would make the answer more complete.  That happened in a recent answer to a question about “crazy VP paytables.”  We mentioned my “Frugal Video Poker Scouting Guide” as a great resource to find the EV of almost 200 of the most common VP paytables.  I – and many other knowledgeable students of the game – won’t ever go to a casino without this small booklet in a purse or pocket.  But it should be mentioned that this booklet is not the only resource you need.  You might occasionally run into an unusual or rare “crazy” schedule that doesn’t appear in the “Scouting Guide.”  Then you need a second important resource – a software program that allows you to modify paytables AND, very importantly, provides a strategy chart so you can play any schedule accurately.

—

Down through the years I have tried to answer all of the questions players ask me, whether these questions are posed in the “Comments” at the end of each blog, in private e-mails, or in person.  Sometimes my answers will come to you in an individual e-mail or on an Internet forum.  And occasionally you will find answers in the QOD or in a blog like today’s!

This may be the longest time ever we have not been around casinos since we moved to Vegas 20 years ago.  Our vacations have normally been planned around casino offers and comps – free hotel rooms, free cruises – and then combined with visits with friends and family.  And some people, hearing that we will be gone for 19 days, have already been asking whether we are getting bored and antsy to get back to VP.  And my answer is indicative of our change of attitudes and interests as we are getting older.  Yes, no matter how much one enjoys vacations, you are always glad to get back to your own home and a routine.  But we have not missed our casino life at all.

Yes, we will be back “in action” in April, but at the slower pace we had already embraced before this trip.  We no longer go out to a casino every day –just 3 or 4 days a week.  Of course, part of this is because of the decrease in good advantage-play opportunities, but more is based on our reduced energy level.   The days we do visit a casino our sessions are usually just 2-3 hours.

Now for answers to reader questions and some tidbits of information that I have found as I have had time to go through my files.

Q: My concern is a tax diary for my daily trips. Any chance maybe you and Bob Dancer can get together and collaborate on a diary to sell? At least we know it’s coming from highly reputable sources.

A: Thank you for your kind words! It would be hard to standardize a diary that would fit all gamblers’ need.  I put a couple sample diary forms in Tax Help for Gamblers, one an electronic example and one a hard-copy version.  If you aren’t skilled with electronic record-keeping, I think nothing beats a little calendar notebook in which you can, after each session, jot down all sorts of info you need/want to remember.

Q: Have you and Brad stopped playing blackjack?

A: We rarely play BJ unless we come across a coupon play or we are on a cruise ship and want to join friends in a purely social entertainment environment.

BRIEFS

I like it when casinos give detailed information about a promotion.  Here was the explanation from an Arizona Charlie’s about bonus points:

     7X Bonus Points: Every Sunday and Thursday in March, all players club members will receive 7X points on all same-day base slot points earned. All players club cards must be removed and reinserted no later than 11:59 p.m. on each promotional date to receive credit.

This is something you need to watch for.  At some casinos, when you are earning drawing entries, you need to remove your card before the stated deadline when the drum will close so your current play will count in figuring your virtual ticket total.

Something I don’t like casinos to do.  Give incomplete promo details that make you feel “tricked”:

SWIPE N’ WIN: Win up to $100 Free Slot Play!

And you win a scoop of gelato!

Frugal transportation hint:

Discount tickets for Nevada residents are available at all of the Monorail’s customer service ticketing offices upon presentation of your valid Nevada driver’s license, State of Nevada government-issued identification card or Nevada Sheriff Card. Local fare is $1 per ride.  Maximum purchase: two single ride tickets per person per day OR one 20-ride ticket no more frequently than every ten days.

Looking to learn how to play a new game?  Many casinos give free lessons, often during not-so-busy daytime weekday hours.  Here is a good one if you are in downtown Las Vegas:

Learn to play a new game or perfect skills with Golden Nugget’s free daily gaming lessons. Lessons are held on the casino floor.

• Three Card Poker, Crazy 4 Poker, Let it Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’Em and Mississippi Stud Poker

Daily – 10:00 a.m.

• Craps Lessons

Monday-Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.; Thursday-Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

• Blackjack Lessons

Daily – 11:00 a.m.

• Roulette Lessons

Daily – 11:30 a.m.

And in the I-hope-it-happens-but-I’d-bet-against-my-living-long-enough-to-see-it department:

The AGA (the American Gaming Association, which lobbies for the gaming industry ) recently highlighted six key policy areas that they were working on, one of which was “updating gaming tax policy, including an increase to the jackpot reporting threshold from $1,200 to $5,000.”

Sometimes a question is so general or covers such a broad subject that I can’t give a short answer.  I then often refer them to one of my books where I have spent many pages covering that topic extensively.  An example of this is the numerous questions I am getting about how to handle gambling taxes.  I understand the concerns people have since the new tax bill kicked in on January 1, with major and dramatic changes for all taxpayers and especially for many gamblers.  I can still recommend, to learn the basics, the present 3^rd edition (eBook only) of Tax Help for Gamblers, rather than older paperbacks which are quite out of date.  However, I am working – feverishly I must say – on a brand new 4^th edition which Huntington Press is planning on bringing out at the end of this year so you will have complete information to help you with your 2018 tax returns.  I have asked Russ Fox, an enrolled agent who has been helping gamblers through the tax maze for almost 20 years, to come onboard this book project and help with this update.

In the meantime, there is another source that can give you current tax information – past blogs I have written.  I need to remind you of other valuable ways you can use my blogs in addition to merely reading them for useful hints as they come out.   When you finish reading this blog, go to the right-hand margin.  First, at the top, you will see the “Subscribe” section where you can easily sign up so you will be notified by e-mail when I publish a new post.  Handy for you, since I don’t have any regular schedule. (Handy for this slowing-down-because-I-can’t-seem-to-retire blogger!)

There are other sections you might use for other purposes but the one I think is really neat is “Categories.”  I actually use this myself since I routinely forget what I wrote and when.  Let’s say you want to see what I have written about taxes.  Scroll down and click on the subject “Taxes” and everything I have written about this pops up.  The most recent blogs on a subject come up first – and so you can find out what I wrote about taxes since the new Tax Reform 2018 bill was approved in late December of 2017.

This feature can lead you back to blog entries I wrote many years ago.  Dang, I can’t believe it – 18 years of my rambling writings!!!!  Obviously, many of my old Frugal Fridays articles and then my Frugal Vegas entries have outdated information.  But it always amazes me how the basics I discuss are often just as true today as they were so long ago and would be helpful for newbie gamblers.  And some of the timeless “stories” I told will take some of my long-time readers through a fascinating trip of memories.

There is one other reason why I might not answer some of your questions: I DON’T KNOW THE ANSWER!  And that is why I can’t address all the questioning chatter about the new B Connected players club that Boyd Gaming is introducing.

Brad and I went to a “launch party” at a large banquet room in the Orleans Arena. The kiosk where we had to sign in to activate for the drawing (if we hadn’t already swiped at a Boyd casino that day) was very slow – I felt right at home immediately for a Boyd event!   There was a photo opportunity in front of a wall covered with Boyd logos, with an employee ready to take your picture if you gave her your phone that had a camera.

Here is ours, trying to look optimistic:

The finger foods and drinks were spread around in many areas around the room so there weren’t any long lines – that was a plus.  There seemed to be more people than chairs at tables, but we finally found seats – so that was good.

We were given an “Emerald” brochure when we entered, telling about a new annual cruise benefit for the Holland America line.  I saw some details, including “Interior cabin only” and multiple fees not covered by this “free” benefit, not all of them priced out.  Very few details were given about an annual stay at the Baha Mar in the Bahamas. Also, some details were given about a quarterly Las Vegas trip, with $75 in food credits. (We later were told that Las Vegas residents could use that benefit at the IP in Biloxi, Mississippi.)  We were told that there would be a new top tier added – Onyx – but no information about how to reach it.  We will need so many more details about all these benefits.

I am trying not to be cynical but I hope they were not trying to get us excited about these new extra perks so when we found out later we would not be upset if the nitty-gritty details – which were not mentioned at the party – showed a major overall decrease in player benefits.

We went to this event with few expectations and therefore were not surprised at the lack of specifics. Now we wait for solid information – tier structure, point value, cashback/free play requirements, etc.  – so we can evaluate the total program.  Unconfirmed rumors on the Internet and pessimistic guesses are not helpful.  Hopefully we will find complete in-writing details on their website by their official launch date, August 27.  We each have different standards which we use to decide whether a casino is a good place for us to play, but we need comprehensive information about all the features and benefits so we can make this decision based on the total picture.

Q:  Do you know anything about bus transportation between Las Vegas and Laughlin?

A:  This seems to be a very fluid subject. I remember taking free bus day trips from Las Vegas many many years ago that usually included a sightseeing feature or two on the way down and a free lunch buffet after you got down there. I have heard of several such programs down through the years but don’t know if any are running now.  And sometimes I’ve heard of inexpensive bus schedules both ways.  Best advice is to google for current info.  Someone recently mentioned a Silver Rider bus and I found this phone number on their website where you might get more information – 702-298-4435.  If you have taken one of these bus trips recently – free or with a paid ticket, it would be great if you could put details in the “Comments” section below.

Q:  You often mention promotions or information you find in the local Vegas newspaper.  Do you think that I should subscribe to it even if I am an out-of-towner?

A: Although as a local and a person who reads “The Review-Journal” daily, and I do find out some helpful information this way, there are almost always online resources where this same information could be found for free.   Here are the ones many people check frequently:

• Individual casino websites
• Scot’s Bonus Point List
• The ACG’s “Vegas Values,” a weekly report that gives you details on the best Las Vegas Casino Promotions.  
• Then there is this blog, where I scour many other sources and try to fill in with details that might not be given in other places.

Q:  Was there a Blackjack Ball this last year?  I didn’t read any reports about it.

A: Yes, although the usual date in January was changed to April this year.  Henry Tamburin attended this event and wrote a detailed description of all the action.  Part 1 of the “Inside Scoop on the 2018 Blackjack Ball” talked about the famous and always insanely difficult test that the attendees faced.  Part 2 gave the answers to that test and named the winner who gets bragging rights as the “World’s Best Blackjack Player.”

Smile of the Day

I love schoolteacher jokes and here is one that made this English teacher chuckle:

Q: What do you say to a crying grammar teacher?

A: There, they’re, their.

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!