Hummmm…. I really thought you all would give me some help with some hints on how to keep on the good side of casinos as long as possible. Okay, I’ll just have to rack my own brain.
- Don’t do things that are definitely against casino rules. That means you don’t round up the homeless and/or all your non-gambling relatives and have them join a slot club – and then you play on all their cards and collect the new-member bonuses and/or monthly free play. You don’t form your own “company” and pay people a salary for doing nothing – and then give them money and sit beside them and tell them how to play until they hit a quad hand that pays a check-cashing bonus, from which you collect from them a big percentage outside in the casino parking lot.
- You might try to expand your casino choices so you don’t spend too much time in one casino, especially if you play the same “good” machines all the time. This is especially a good tactic when you have been extra lucky and hit a lot of jackpots that make you very noticeable. Take a “vacation” away from that casino for a while.
- Play a little more than required for a particular promotion, mailer, or other benefit. And/or, play a 2nd best game sometimes instead of the same “best” VP game in that casino. Or, even play some slots occasionally. Naturally, you can’t do this too often or you lose your advantage. But sometimes the EV you lose is made up with better mailers.
- Be a reasonably generous tipper. Stiffing the front-line employees will generate complaints that eventually will get up to the upper-management who have the power to cut your benefits. And being nice to all employees, from the porter to the floor supervisor, and especially to the hosts, will not only make your playing time more enjoyable but in many cases will help fend off negative actions.
I’m sure there are more good ideas out there – and I’m hoping some will soon appear in the Comments section. In the meantime, I will continue on this general topic in the near future, giving examples of how we and other skilled players are coping with the changes in playing opportunities.
i travel to vegas 2 maybe 3 times a year. yes i get the mailers but i normally don’t use them. the dates are never when i want or can go. i call a slot host and she covers my room and meals and i am happy with that. i don’t want the casino’s junk either. i think the casinos need to eliminate this junk and leave the pay tables alone. with this said i am comfortable with my winnings and losses. it is the people who think the casinos own them something that is ruining it for the average gambler. as gamblers we have the choice of where and how we gamble. if we don’t like what a casino has to offer then we can go else where.
Jean, I visit LV a few times a year. I like to think that I’m the person that the casinos target their benefits at. I know how to play the games, but I’ll never play them hundreds or thousands of hours a month, every month, every year. I’ll never win free trips or storage lockers full of casino junk. A free meal every now and then is fine for us.
I’ve bought your books and I guess I’ve been guilty of vicariously following the exploits of you and the other pros. But still, I always wondered when the casinos would come up with a way of shutting down the ability to “game the system” – using it in a way that it was never intended to be used – without affecting the low-level enticements that they offer me.
I think I’ve decided that I’m not really sorry for you folks. In the process of trying to limit their losses to pros, the casinos are punishing all of us. Every time I see 6:5 BJ or a lousy VP pay table, I feel like I’m being punished for your success.
As far as I’m concerned, they could put more sensible limits on the comp systems, and level the playing field. The tourist will still lose most of his money. And pros can play against the true EV of the games but should not expect to use the comp system to push himself into a profit situation.
I have seen a couple of fpdw players sit between two machines playing both accurately faster than I can at one machine (not that I play that fast). If your trying to stay under the radar I would have to think this is not the way. By the way have not seen either one for a very long time.