Comments on: I Am Not a Players Club Number – I Am a Person

By: Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 19:05:23 +0000

Re CET properties, CET has always been one of the most skilled operators at figuring the actual net gain to the casino from a given player’s activity and/or from a given game and then making SURE that the return from such activity is NEVER positive for the player. Other casinos from time to time create exploitable or “leaky” promos, but CET never does; they obviously are very sophisticated at determining “true” EV.
Jean has far more experience than I do in battling CET (sounds like trying to fight off a possibly fatal disease, doesn’t it?), since I basically threw in the towel on play at ANY CET properties about five years ago. Jean is a Plutonium player there and gets perks that we ordinary mortals don’t ever see. I do wonder what the actual value of all those cruises and goomay dinners is for her and for other recipients. Obviously, according to the Frugal mantra, the value of those perks must exceed her theoretical losses (since NO CET property has ANY +EV games)–but that contradicts what CET must think. The only way to resolve this dichotomy would be if CET’s costs in providing these perks were far below retail. For instance (and I’m just speculating here), they may have a deal with a cruise line wherein the tickets are provided at little or no cost, with the cruise line thinking that anyone who is 93 Stars or Palladium or whatever has enough cash to blow that their presence onboard will prove to be highly profitable, even if they paid nothing for the ticket itself.
It does seem clear to me that for the less-than-5K-a-day player, CET is best avoided, if for no other reason than that you have to kick it up to $1 denoms or higher to find even halfway decent games at most CET properties. Playing .25 7/5 Double Double Bonus won’t cut it.

By: john marley

john marley — Sun, 22 Feb 2015 04:05:59 +0000

kevin always hits the nail on the head. i would like kevin to explain to everyone how a person can play at a cet property and what small disadvantage would he himself be playing at? i would like an explanation from him on what a 7 star at harrahs would cost him personally (approx.)

By: Victor Zilinek

Victor Zilinek — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 16:14:27 +0000

Amen! Amen!

Every issue you eluded to has happened to me at one time or another at various casinos. The result has always been the same. I took my business elsewhere. Package all of the above comments and send them to every casino exec you know. I will certainly do my part. Hopefully, they’ll get the message.

By: Gerda Sisson

Gerda Sisson — Sat, 21 Feb 2015 04:54:31 +0000

I agree with Jerry McEwen . We too go to Biloxi often and are Video Poker players . Once the Nugget took over the Isle , freeplay could no longer be played on Video Poker machines . We played at the Beau for many years , actually since it opened , until without warning some years ago all machines went from good schedules to 7/5 with the exception of a bank of progressives and some in the High Limit area . That was the last time we stayed and played there . Last time we stopped by the Beau nothing had changed , but as long as people play those machines and they do , I doubt they will ever go back to 9/7 . So you might want to think twice before saying Hello to Beau Rivage . We still play some at the Nugget , but almost all of our play is at the IP . The Beau might have good Black Jack . Not a game I play or know much about .

By: Larry F.

Larry F. — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 21:15:38 +0000

Kevin Lewis hit the nail on the head !!

By: Mo LA

Mo LA — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 19:23:33 +0000

Unfortunately many businesses have a corner of a market and don’t care how they treat customers ( including employees called internal customers)They have an attitude “if you don’t like it go elsewhere”.
We do have the power and the HOPE that we can keep the world a place with a positive attitude with people who can share communication to make that happen!
Amen… Thanks Jean for being one of those people!!

By: Guruperf

Guruperf — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 17:38:47 +0000

To second what Mo LA wrote, I also got a response to a survey answer from Foxwoods after complaining about a 45 minute wait for a jackpot payout which caused me to miss the first 30 minutes of a Harry Connick Jr. concert. This was clearly due to understaffing (only 2 attendants on duty in one of the 3 main casinos) on a night that would be reasonably expected to be pretty busy, which I clearly, but politely pointed out in my comments.

An assistant slot manager not only acknowledged my frustration and apologized, but also offered a dinner comp on my next trip as a peace offering, if you will.

I felt good to be recognized as something other than a faceless cog on the wheel of profit, and hopefully my comments will factor into future staffing decisions.

And I would note that the “politely” part of one’s voicing of a complaint cannot help but have it more favorably received. No one, not even ‘heartless, soulless’ casino managers like to be yelled at 😉

By: Jerry McEwen

Jerry McEwen — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 16:16:55 +0000

Amen, Jean! We go to Biloxi often. The Golden Nugget and the Palace send us mailers each month with free play comps. We play video poker (I also play BJ) but never slots. Would you believe the free play CANNOT be played on the video poker machines where we earned it! As a result, those two casinos are getting much less of our play. Why do they do that? Hello Beau Rivage and IP.

By: Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 05:45:41 +0000

I can’t “amen.” To them, we are disposable, infinitely replaceable money generation units. Human beings? HA! If they gave a crap about how we felt, would they keep on reducing, reducing, reducing player benefits and comps; downgrading, downgrading, downgrading their games; and increasing, increasing, increasing the price of everything (especially with hidden fees and charges)? They KNOW that this sort of garbage drives away many players, never to return. They have obviously calculated that the gain from screwing the players that remain more than offsets the loss from driving US away. In other words, we are expendable–and we always will be as long as there exists a vast pool of idiots willing to pay resort fees, sit down at 6:5 blackjack games, and eat $55 buffets. The recession being over (or “over,” depending on your data), there is an ever-expanding sea of ploppies, wads of hundreds clutched in their sweaty palms, just waiting to fling their money at the casinos. In this context, do those of us who care about and seek out value matter? Not one tiny, tiny bit! In fact, they WANT to be shorn of us once and for all.

By: Dan Sowards

Dan Sowards — Fri, 20 Feb 2015 03:45:54 +0000

Harrah’s (Caesar’s) often sends me emails (Vegas) and mailers (New Orleans and Tahoe) that have fairly short time limits to take advantage, including free air. Even though I’m semi-retired, I can’t just jump on many of those offers unless I have enough time. It would also be nice if they sent mailers/emails that had multiple dates for the offers. They often do for free play offers (say, the month of February), but many of the other offers are for very specific dates only…and often less than a month away. Flying from Austin isn’t cheap, so the more time I have to book the better it is.