Comments on: Choosing to Play at a CZR Property

By: Tammy

Tammy — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 21:21:43 +0000

I disagree with Kevin. I KNOW that Caesars’ properties ha e given us way more than we deserve.. hope it continues for my 60th birthday trip in November! Thanks for everything, Jean.

By: Jerry patey

Jerry patey — Thu, 17 Jun 2021 17:26:20 +0000

I checked n c Cherokee and found NSUD only at 5 dollar level. That means a big bankroll. How many people play at that level and thus how many does the article really apply to. – not many. Obviously when you factor in comps of various types you could break even or maybe get ahead. Maybe I play better than I thought. I play at Boyd properties and sometimes go home with a profit , sometime bring even and sometime lose couple of hundred. Cost of food is zero as I use points. I have a 5 day offer for July. Is it really worth the hassle to know all details of the Botd program to milk a couple of hundred dollars. You are able to because you prob play at 5 dollar level. I don’t. I am playing with Dane bankroll for the past 15 years playing 1 dollar or less. Too me just not worth the effort. Full pay games are basically hx. Is it worth the extra time studying probmotions and running from one casino to the other. For high roller prob yes. Ordinary players prob no.

By: Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis — Sun, 13 Jun 2021 16:22:25 +0000

Just to clear up any misconceptions: EV, or expected value, is expressed either as a percentage or in relation to 100 percent. For instance, fullpay deuces wild has an EV of +0.76, and returns 100.76%. 9/6 Jacks has an EV of -0.46%, and returns 99.54%. (Those figures assume perfect play.)

Theo is (the total amount you play) x (the EV of your play). It’s usually expressed as a negative number; thus the term, “theoretical loss.” For instance, you play the abovementioned 9/6 Jacks for a weekend, ultimately with a coin-in of $25,000. Multiply that by the EV of -0.46% and you get a theo of -$115 (any such figures should be expressed as a negative number if the EV is negative). Using the standard calculation used by many casinos, you could expect to earn $23 to $46 in comps.

Therefore, if you’re going to play a -EV game, you need to calculate your theo (expected loss) and after the fact, compare it to the value of the comps and offers you receive as a result of your play. If you don’t get back more than your theo, you’re playing a losing game.

By: Spartan Buckeye

Spartan Buckeye — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 18:24:07 +0000

Don’t confuse theo with EV. It is still possible to find opportunities where the two are not in sync. As a representative example would you rather play 9/6 Jacks with 0.8% Theo or 7/5 Super Aces with 5.2% Theo?

By: Maureen+(Mo)

Maureen+(Mo) — Sat, 12 Jun 2021 03:36:58 +0000

Thanks Jean,
Anthony Curtis has quite a bit to say in his latest update on “people flocking to LV’ and the gambler attitude about the tightening of comps etc.

We will see how these trends will develop over the summer, and I will definitely have time to carefully read the links and your suggested reading list… (Vegas in September)
LOL I reminded my granddaughter that back in the day, we would have a summer reading list sent home with our final report card……. Thanks for the summer reading info !!

By: Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis — Fri, 11 Jun 2021 14:49:55 +0000

CZR (in its present and past incarnations) is exquisitely skilled at figuring out what a player is worth to them and then carefully modulating what that player receives in return, making sure that the transaction is profitable. They were the first in the industry to use accurate player (and game) metrics. With CZR, there are no “Turning the Tables on Las Vegas”–style incidences of a player giving tons of action, but with a very low theoretical loss, and then being lavishly rewarded. If you put $10 million through the machines or tables at a CZR property, but the reality is that your expectation is only -$20, you’ll get a comped doughnut–maybe. No free rooms, no lavish meals, no sedan chair to carry you from the airport.

Other casinos large and small are catching up to CZR in this regard, and the overall tightening of comps is happening everywhere, but CZR is still the pro at not giving you any more than you’re worth to them. In fact, the research I’ve done–admittedly incomplete–shows that they’ve fine-tuned things so that you get back 20-40% of your theoretical losses–“theo”–in comps: no more than that. You can’t game the system at CZR.