Some people have asked whether we play differently if we are using Free Play rather than cash out of our pocket since it is the “casino’s money.” Do we ever “take a shot” at a machine we wouldn’t normally play because it is “free” play.
First of all, we don’t consider Free Play the “casino’s money.” Once it is in our mailbox or loaded on our account, it is our money and we don’t look on it as something we can waste. During the required first play-through, the casino does have some control over that money and we are bound by some of their restrictions, i.e., what games on which it can be used. We have enjoyed some different and fun experiences when it can be used only on slot machines and not video poker.
Once you finish playing it through once, however, you do not have to let the casino decide what to do then. Don’t fool yourself; it is now your money and it becomes a part of your bankroll.
We make it a habit to play Free Play through more than once ONLY if the rest of our play after the first run-through is a “good” play. In some cases, we are going to play more anyway because we need the points to reach some weekly, monthly, or quarterly goal. And there can be another reason we don’t cash out immediately: some casinos will “punish” players who pick up Free Play with no additional play. So in that case we will do at least a little extra play to keep the casino offers – including future Free Play – coming. But in many cases, after the first run-through, the play would have a low EV, below our standards of a “good” one, so we would cash out and “run.”
It takes a lot of self-discipline to make the right play choices, no matter where the money you are playing came from. But if you use your Free Play wisely, just as you do any part of your bankroll, you will have better long-term results.
Enjoy your blog Jean and use your tips and trick religiously! Anytime I receive “free play”, whether it $5 or $50+, I play VP with it. You were the one that taught me that! I carefully figure out the number of points needed to wash the play and cash out once my countdown reaches the points needed. I have always been successful at being about to cash out at least half and a lot of the time more of the amount of free play that was offered.
Hope I run into you one day, you are a true genius with this stuff! I’ve learned so much from your tv interviews, books and postings.
I consider free play to be the exact equivalent of plain old money, in the amount of (EV of the best game I can play it on, expressed as a percentage) x (face amount of the free play). So even if I’m playing in the worst casino in Vegas for VP, the nominal value is still 96%, at least, of the face amount.
My goal is always to play the minimum number of hands to launder the free play and then cash out immediately, and I am hoping to cash out the face value (which would be a small victory). I have found myself playing Bonus or JOB rather than a better game on occasion while doing the free play laundry, jut because it bothers me to lose, say, half or more of the free play on a volatile game that I wouldn’t otherwise play.
And by the way, I hear variations of “it’s the casino’s money” all the time–one of the stupidest things you’ll hear in a casino. If you can bet it, it’s YOUR money.
I agree with you Jean.
I always use my freeplay as a “cashback”, because most times the free play isn’t available on a day with any “perks” (point multiplier, drawing multiplier, etc.)
It is ABSOLUTELY difficult to STOP after the freeplay has been “washed”..especially if you had $200 freeplay and after “washing” it only ended up with $178.25…you really get the bug to either go up to $200 or down to $150…
Jean, some of you players may not realize that once you have “played the free play through once” you can cash out! That, as you know very well, means that if you have a $100 free play coupon on a standard dollar VP machine, once you play 20 hands, whatever credits you still have can then be cashed out. THEN you can take that “ticket out” and go to any machine on the premises you wish, or you can take it to a ticket machine or the cashier and get cash for the residual from that free play.
You may be able to do a better job of articulating this point than I, but again I’ll bet some of your readers didn’t know this/didn’t understand.