Comments on: Finding Good Plays

By: jack potts

jack potts — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 02:45:54 +0000

Steve It was a nice gesture but being cynical expect MGM to tighten the slots and charge u for using the bathroom.

By: Steve Kallis

Steve Kallis — Sun, 15 Jan 2012 00:38:41 +0000

Jean,
I agree that casinos are “pinching” their payouts but everyonce in a while, they show their generousity. Today at MGM Detroit a suspicious package was found in the parking structure. Reacting quickly, no one was allowed to enter or exit while the bomb squad was called.

No announcements where made over the PA, rather security just quietly told anyone that tried to exit, to have a free lunch buffet. This buffet is awesome and usually costs $24 per person. A couple of hours later the package was deemed harmless and everyone could come and go as they please.

I’m sure this free lunch cost MGM a lot, but it showed me what a class operation they are!

By: Larry F.

Larry F. — Mon, 09 Jan 2012 21:46:22 +0000

Jean you are correct in advising players to be flexible in choosing the best casino and game;or even to look for a different hobby ! What bothers me is the more frequent postings of people on VP internet sites who are playing poor paytables because that’s the best that is offered at the casino THEY want to play in ! All they’re doing is reinforcing the casinos’ downgrading policies !

By: Dave H.

Dave H. — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 15:11:24 +0000

A guideline for resort fees can be found at http://www.lasvegasdirect.com/las-vegas-hotel-resort-fees.html. It also has a list of resorts that do not charge a fee. For accurate updates you would have to double check before booking. Good Luck!

By: Hal Bochin

Hal Bochin — Sat, 07 Jan 2012 00:14:51 +0000

It would be very helpful if you would post a table of what various casino-hotels provide for their resort fees. The Palms, I discovered recently, wants $16/day, but does not include wifi, newspaper, or use of the gym. They will, however, give you coupons for drinks on the main floor, passes to elevators that will take you up to the even more expensive bars, and free valet parking! They will also allow you to upgrade a free room for thirty dollars. When I asked what the more expensive room had to offer, I was told it had larger beds and a flat screen TV instead of the “old-fashioned” kind. I declined paying $46+ for my free room.

By: Dan Sowards

Dan Sowards — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 13:36:02 +0000

Jean, as an out-of-towner, and a Caesar’s Diamond card holder, I use my host, reel rewards, coupons, free shows, Diamond Room, and other perks to at least recover some of my losses and actually come home occasionally with more than I took with me. I also check out the VP and free play/free meals at Terribles, the great comps at Casino Royale (and not bad VP schedule), the rebate at the Westin, and others to pad my pocket. Coupons from the Las Vegas Advisor and from other sources are also used when the situation is right. I may not always play the best machines, but I feel that I do everything I can otherwise to win and/or enjoy myself.

So, the combination of reading your books, savy play over the past 30 years (began at Lake Tahoe in 1980), and simply using my noggin despite worsening VP schedules, still allows me to have fund and occasionally win. I also have my favorite slots I play as well and have been lucky enough to win at these even more than at VP.

By: Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis — Fri, 06 Jan 2012 08:49:37 +0000

The definition of “good” is in itself flexible, and depends on whether you are a local, a frequent visitor, an infrequent visitor, etc. It also depends on whether you intend to maximize EV, maximize profit, or maximize enjoyment. It further depends on what your monetary goals, limitations, and psychological outlook are. There are plays that offer a significant profit but dictate highly accurate play, a large bankroll, and significant risk tolerance. There are plays that offer a steady, small profit with minimal risk. There are plays that depend on high-variance results for their “good” qualities (such as earning tickets for a +EV drawing). And then there are plays that are only worthwhile for visitors, such as -EV play that generates room offers worth substantially more than the expected loss. So when someone asks for a “good play,” I’d have to ask them what their situation and objectives are. In a VP weekend, person can have a whale of a time with a $100 bankroll, can throw in $5000 coin-in and generate room offers, or can hit some +EV $1-and-up opportunities and realize a theo of +$2000 or more. It all depends on what a person wants out of his/her VP experience, and (significantly!) how much effort he/she wants to devote to being one of the tiny, tiny minority of people who win.