Harrah’s Cherokee Trip Report – Part 3

Posted on April 23, 2021 by queen of comps

Okay. Time to give you the casino-play details for which you’ve been waiting.

All five in our family group hit the casino, but with various goals. Steve and Kaitlynn roamed around together, tracking down the penny slots that look like fun, playing one until they hit a fair-size jackpot, then going to another. Frugal Kaity, who is saving for her Appalachian Trail adventure, had budgeted $40 and she tried to stretch it out as long as possible by playing the minimum bet per hand. However, when her bankroll was gone, Steve financed their fun with his larger one.

Angela sometimes caught up with them in their hit-and-run slot activity, but she also liked to join me at the video poker machine, where we took turns playing. I kept a close watchful eye when she played, slowly; she wasn’t familiar with the strategy and we were playing at a high denomination on my bankroll!

The three of them spent a limited amount of time in the casino, mostly in the evenings. When it was warm and sunny in the daytime, they preferred to be outdoors enjoying recreational activities.

My goal was different from theirs. I also wanted to have fun, but my “fun” was going to be tackling advantage video poker, something I’d done for many years, but not for a while. I was definitely excited to be back to it.

I knew in advance that Brad would no longer be able to join me much in this endeavor. He is very frail and spends much of his time napping. He did enjoy Steve pushing him around the casino and watching slot play, but his cognitive skills are in just too much of a decline to process complex thoughts like video poker strategy. That said, one time he was able to sit at a VP machine with me and play for a short time. Although his short-term memory isn’t good at all, I was surprised how his long-term memory kicked in and how well he played, actually quite fast just like he used to. I only had to correct his holds a few times. But after about a half-hour, it seemed his brain got tired and he said he needed to go back to the room to take a nap. And he showed no interest in doing this again the rest of the trip. He seemed very happy to peacefully spend most of the time in his comfy hotel bed.

Since Harrah’s Cherokee is a CZR property, I decided to use their players club to organize my video poker game plan. Brad was in the Diamond Elite tier and was the one who got the comped room offer for this visit. Because of the way offers come – we didn’t always get the same one – we had played a good promotion heavily on his card the last time we had visited a CZR property. I was only Platinum, since I had less recent play. Knowing Brad wouldn’t be playing in the future and I might be, I played enough to get me to Diamond and probable better mail offers.

One advantage technique we’d used for years at CZR was timing our play to maximize their tier credit bonuses. You can find details about the tier levels and the benefits of each on their website, as well as the bonus information I have given below:

There are four levels of Tier Credits bonuses. These bonuses are based on the total number of Tier Credits you earn in one day.

  1. Earn 500 Tier Credits and get an additional 125 Tier-Credit bonus
  2.  Earn 1,000 Tier Credits and get an additional 1,000 Tier-Credit bonus
  3. Earn 2,500 Tier Credits and get an additional 5,000 Tier-Credit bonus That earns Platinum status in one day!
  4. Earn 5.000 Tier Credits and get an additional 10,000 Tier-Credit bonus That earns Diamond status in one day!

Since I chose to play a $5 VP game, at just a medium pace to be sure of best accuracy, I could earn 2,500 tier credits in about 2 hours. That’s what I did the first evening, since it was a travel day and I was tired. The next 2 days, I got 5,000 in about 4 hours each day. This gave me a total of 12,250 earned credits and the max allotment of 24,500 bonus credits. This totaled 36,750, which got me not just Diamond, but to the next higher, Diamond Plus, level.

I hear your questions already: Why did you play at such a high denomination?
Several reasons:

  • I needed a denomination that would give me the maximum tier bonus each day and not tire me out. At 82, I don’t need to give an excuse for why I don’t have the energy to play for longer periods each day. 🙂
  • Higher tier levels will bring better future benefits.
  • I like the challenge of higher denominations.
  • Because of long-time frugal careful play, I have the bankroll to comfortably support play at this level.
  • And most importantly, this was the only denominational level where I could find the highest EV game – NSUD (Not-So-Ugly-Ducks) at 99.7%.

And the next question most of you want answered: Did you win?

Short answer: I lost, but I felt like a winner.

That’s an answer that takes a lot of explanation. In fact, I will need a whole post to describe my rollercoaster ride. While you’re waiting for that in Part 4 of this series, you might have some questions of your own you’d like me to answer about this trip. Put them in the “Comments” or shoot me an e-mail at [email protected]. I’ll be glad to answer them in future blogs.

Posted in Advantage Play, Bankroll, Caesars, Casino Promotions, Cherokee Casino, Family News, Gambling Resources, Non-gambling Activities, Non-Vegas Casinos, Online, Slot Clubs, Slots, Video Poker, Web Sites | 7 Comments

Harrah’s Cherokee Trip Report – Part 2

Posted on April 16, 2021 by queen of comps

In my last blog, I talked about the preparation for our recent Cherokee trip, but if you read it carefully, there were many details about other subjects than gambling. I considered this a “vacation,” not a “gambling” trip, in fact not specifically even a “casino visit.” Those are three important distinctions that have characterized our activities for the last 37 years.

When we lived in Vegas, our main activity was playing video poker locally. (A note here: I rarely described it as “gambling,” because so many “outsiders” considered it as a negative – that is, losing wasteful – activity. But for this blog, I will make video poker play a “gambling” category.) And as a frequent player, it definitely was in the category of “casino visits,” with many other activities besides gambling taking place there: entertainment, dining, meeting up with friends. We didn’t consider this a vacation, but a regular routine part of our life. However, whenever we took a trip away from our home in Vegas, we considered that a vacation, although most of our vacations were to locations where we could enjoy a casino visit and do some gambling.

Down through the years, many many of our vacations involved getting together with family, mainly due to the fact that we had so many extra comps to share. These family vacations often took place in a casino where we – and some of them – could do some gambling. It varied whether family or casino activities were the major emphasis of the vacation.  Most of the time they overlapped; casino doings were not just gambling, but dining, shows, and comped outside perks like cruises. Even when we were at home and doing our casino play in town, we had a stream of family visitors who loved the luxurious vacations we could provide them during their stay, and again there was an overlapping of family time, casino visits, and gambling.

I gave this long introduction because I want to emphasize the fact that gambling was never the most important part of our life. Yes, we spent a lot of time in casinos, but it was just one part of our total lifestyle. Retiring from our regular jobs earlier than we might have otherwise, video poker gave us more time to spend with our families and the financial wherewithal to provide more gifts and luxurious and adventurous vacations for them than we ordinarily would have been able to afford.

This Cherokee trip is a perfect example of blended purposes. Most importantly, it was a family vacation, something we all needed after the seclusion of the pandemic. Cherokee is a wonderful place to take a family of all ages and interests, especially if you want your main recreation to be the outdoors. However, you should note that, although children of any age can stay in the hotel with you, the casino area is strictly for over 21. And since the food court is in the casino, that might be a negative for adults with children in tow.  However, several food options aren’t in the casino proper, including room service.

Our family group this visit consisted of all adults. Missing this time was grandson Zachary and his wife Taylor, who were staying close to home awaiting the very soon arrival of baby #4, another little boy to join two brothers and one sister. Son-in-law Steve and daughter Angela, who we needed to be our chauffeurs, were glad to take that job in order to vacation in one of their favorite haunts. Steve hit the trout streams immediately with waders and fly-fishing gear. Granddaughter Kaitlynn drove over from Atlanta where, after finishing her work-from-home job duties in the hotel room, she and her mother, Angela, hit the trails for some hiking and geocaching.

High point for our adventurous Kaitlynn was finding a special trail, one that made her very excited, because it was a tiny section of that granddaddy of all trails, the Appalachian. Next year around this time she will be beginning the great adventure of hiking this 2,180+-mile-long trail, the longest hiking-only footpath in the world, ranging from northern Georgia to Maine. She has been frugally saving her money while working as a video editor at WarnerMedia for several years, so she can take off work for the 5-7 months she’ll need to cross off this monumental goal on her bucket list.

There’s so much to do in this beautiful Smokey Mountain area. On past visits here, we’ve taken day trips to various scenic areas in the region, including over the mountain to Gatlinburg. Also, I especially recommend the summertime outdoor Mountainside Theatre, where the drama “Unto These Hills” tells the powerful but sad story of the Cherokee tribal history.

The casino-hotel is a beautiful but sprawling building, so take your walking shoes to navigate the distance between the hotel and casino. We were glad to check out from valet one of the free larger wheelchairs for Brad to use, instead of our own smaller one. We missed the buffet, one of our favorites, but found the breakfast/lunch coffee shop, Selu Garden Café, a perfect place for a late brunch. After that, when we were hungry, we usually hit the food court the rest of the day, a welcome change from fine dining every evening in our senior-living home. Sometimes you just crave not-so-healthy fast food!

I’m temporarily out of energy and space. But it’s not really an accident that I’m delaying  the gambling part of this series. I feel that sometimes in the past, I put more emphasis on the video poker part of our life than the parts where our hearts reigned. This trip was so much a symbol of how we could integrate the many facets of our wonderful happy life.  Yes, the math rules in the casino, but love trumps everything else.

So stay tuned for Part 3, where I will finally give you all the monetary details — and the results for which so many of you are clamoring.

Posted in Cherokee Casino, Comps, Family News, Non-gambling Activities, Non-Vegas Casinos, Video Poker | 8 Comments

Harrah’s Cherokee Trip Report – Part 1

Posted on April 4, 2021 by queen of comps

Yes, it was a wonderful trip – our first to a casino since we retired in 2019. Many people had predicted that we could never stay retired, but the pandemic reinforced our belief that our plans would be permanent. We were settled and very happy in our non-casino life here in Georgia.

And then it happened. A couple of months ago, casinos “found us” here and started sending invitations full of perks. As I chronicled in my last post, these mailings stirred up feelings just like back in the days – over 30 years ago – when we planned frequent vacation trips from Indiana to Las Vegas. This was a different feeling than we experienced after we moved to Las Vegas. Our 20-year period as Vegas locals was a wonderful time that we enjoyed to the fullest, but at the end, it had become more of a grind. That fact and declining health issues led to retirement plans that didn’t include casinos.

However, in February when the CZR casino mailings started coming in, it sparked that old excitement and I began some early research and pre-planning, something I’d done for 35 years. We never ever went to a casino on the spur of the moment. True, our plans for that first trip to Vegas in March 1984, long before the internet, was based on very limited information, but I did do phone research and found that a travel agent’s flight-and-room combo package seemed to be the most frugal option. Our second Vegas trip came as a result of a Westward Ho mailed come-back invitation and I immediately realized that pre-planning skills were the key to more future opportunities.

So now, what kind of pre-planning could I do for this trip, drawing on everything I had learned – and shared much with all of you – for 35 years? To the computer I went!

First, I went to vpFREE2 to check out the VP inventory at Cherokee. I was pleasantly surprised to find that the good VP machines that we’d played in the past were still there. No pandemic cuts like I’d been hearing about in many Las Vegas casinos.

Then I went to the vpFREE forum, asking if anyone had up-to-date information about the casino. I wasn’t sure if I would get much of a response, since the chat on this forum hasn’t been as active since it changed its internet location, plus many members haven’t yet gone back to casinos since the pandemic hit. But I was pleased to find that, just like old times, several players kindly responded, either on the forum itself or in personal e-mails and phone calls. Their information was invaluable, including complete details about the pandemic restrictions and the VP scene. They gave me specific machine location changes. One person even told me which set of machines had sticky buttons and where the quietest games could be found. Cherokee is a huge casino and all this information saved me hours of scouting.

Next, I went to the CZR website to check the details of the players club system since the sale to Eldorado. I was happy to see that not too much had changed and I was very pleased to learn that they’d made some positive pandemic adjustments: importantly, extending player tier levels for another year without additional play. Some casinos don’t have enough detailed information on their website, but many, like CZR’s, give you plenty of usable specifics.

After good reports about excellent anti-pandemic protocol, I was ready to make a reservation. Although all the earlier steps I discussed would be available for any player at any level of play, my next move was to contact a host and not all players have established this relationship. Because we have a CZR host with whom we’ve worked for 10 or so years, he comped us two rooms for the 3 nights. This was only possible because, in spite of the fact that we hadn’t played at this casino for over two years and ordinarily wouldn’t qualify, he knew our long history of heavy play. This is a big reason why I advise players to establish yourself with one casino or casino group and concentrate your play there until you’re at a level that you can access the services of a host. Scattering your play may deny you this valuable benefit.

Oops! At this point, I’m realizing that this trip report will need to be broken up into several parts. I have so much I want to share. I want to not only give specific details about the Cherokee casino and a connected family vacation in the Smokies, but also include information that might help you wherever you might play post-pandemic. I have specifics that can help both recreational players and those who want to always play with an advantage. And, of course, I know you want to know all about the gambling.

Here is a photo that might hold you over until I post the nitty-gritty details in future chapters of this saga. I’ll tell you all about the good, the bad, and even the ugly of VP volatility! Stay tuned.

Posted in Advantage Play, Caesars, Casino Hosts, Cherokee Casino, Comps, Coronavirus, Family News, Gambling Resources, Non-Vegas Casinos, Slot Clubs, Travel, Video Poker | 18 Comments

Back in the Saddle – Maybe?

Posted on March 19, 2021 by queen of comps

I ended my last post with a cryptic message and even though so much in the world and in my life is tentative, I’m ready to share the details.

As someone who wants – yeah, needs – to be organized, I always made plans months and months in advance. I strongly believe a be-prepared attitude is one of the basic foundation bricks needed for financial success in all areas of life and that especially included casino activities. So one of the adjustments I’m having to make these days is learning to accept the new need for just day-to-day planning.

When Brad and I decided to retire from our casino life at the end of 2019, I wrote that I didn’t think we would ever go back to it. I knew Brad’s health was never going to improve and then the pandemic restrictions came, making me realize that I would have to build us a whole new lifestyle that didn’t include casinos. There were adjustments to be made to be sure, but as we settled into our new home in Georgia, we were enjoying our more leisurely routine and the chance to spend more time with family.

About a month ago, we started getting mailings from various casinos. Other businesses might not be able to find you when your change addresses a couple of times, but casinos never seem to “lose” you! It was like the bygone days, when our mailbox filled up with casino offers from all over the country.

The main stream of offers came from various CZR properties. This was a surprise to me; we hadn’t played at any of their properties for almost two years. Although we figured we’d slipped down from our former higher tier levels, we were surprised that Brad, because of some heavy play on his card during our last visit to Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and the pandemic extension of tier levels, was still Diamond Elite. And he was getting some strong offers.

I was also surprised at my reaction to these offers. I had happily stopped casino play when we left Vegas and didn’t miss it. However, a juicy mailing from Harrah’s Cherokee suddenly aroused an interest, even enthusiasm, for a subject I’d considered long gone from my mind. Why was my brain giving me such a puzzle? Had the isolation of the pandemic influenced me more than I realized?

Then I suddenly went back some 20-30 years when Brad and I didn’t live in Las Vegas and didn’t have casinos just outside our front door. We lived in Indianapolis and had a happy but “regular” life. We liked to travel and eventually found that we enjoyed vacationing in casino towns, especially as we started finding out that playing smarter allowed us to spend less for those vacations. So for many of those early years, I spent much time putting together many mail offers and organizing a Vegas vacation every few months. My anticipation in the planning stage was almost as exciting as the visit itself.

Now I understood my surprising reaction to these current casino mailings. I was feeling that same excitement from our early days. Although we loved living in Las Vegas for many years, able to take advantage of so many lucrative casino plays, we had begun to lose our enthusiasm as the opportunities were rapidly shrinking. The fun factor was no longer dominant; it had become a grind.

So here I am looking at the good offer from Harrah’s Cherokee, fortunately the closest “good” casino near our home, just a bit over a four-hour drive. Angela and Steve are offering to be our drivers, not a hard choice for them, as they love the mountain hiking and Steve is always looking for a place to catch some trout. Cherokee has, to my knowledge, perhaps the best VP schedules available at any CZR property and a chance for me to play our favorite game, NSUD, at the higher denominations I like. Thanks to our long history of heavy play at CZR properties, our long-time host was able to get us two comped rooms for three nights.

No wonder I was feeling an enthusiasm I hadn’t felt for a long time. I was ready to start planning.

But there were important considerations. All four of us have had vaccine shots, but we had to be convinced this would be a safe place for us. I checked with a doctor friend who had been to the casino recently and she said the casino is doing a great job of enforcing strict pandemic protocols: no smoking anywhere in the casino, social distancing everywhere, and masks. She commented that if you didn’t put your mask right back on after taking a drink, the eye-in-the-sky sends a security person to remind you.

Then there’s Brad’s health. He’s frail, but can navigate with a walker for short distances. When he gets tired, his hybrid walker can be turned around into a wheelchair and there will be three of us for pushing duty. He does take a lot of naps, but he’s always liked comfy hotel beds. His decrease in cognitive skills will keep him from the VP machines, but he’ll enjoy accompanying Steve on an occasional short slot machine foray while Angela and I attack video poker. And although his short-term memory fades fast, he does remember much from the past. So I hope this trip will kindle many happy memories about the many visits here that we shared with family members down through the years.

All plans are tentative, but if everything continues to go well, we’ll make the trip to Cherokee on March 28, staying three nights. It would be nice to see some of our fellow frugalites. That’s something we have been missing. If you happen to be there during that time, drop me an e-mail at [email protected] and perhaps we can arrange a time to get together and talk shop.

And yes, if this plan happens, I’ll certainly write a full trip report here, hopefully with some frugal hints for your future post-pandemic casino visits.

 

Posted in Caesars, Cherokee Casino, Memories, Non-Vegas Casinos, Public Appearances, Slots, Travel, Video Poker | 21 Comments

More Q+A and This and That

Posted on March 5, 2021 by queen of comps

Q:  In all the writing you have done over the years, I never heard you refer to Las Vegas as “Sin City.”  Why not?

A: I dislike judgmental nicknames for anything – people, places, ideas. Almost all of these negative names are either a putdown or referring to a minority number of people.  Gambling used to be considered a “sin” by the majority of Americans, but that has slowly been changing with the spread of casinos around the country. Now a wide majority of the population consider it an acceptable form of entertainment. Despite slogans like “What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas,” I don’t believe most visitors  lower their moral standards when they hit the city limits. They can do just as much “sinning” back at home if they want to. And I never saw fewer moral standards in the locals than you would see in any community.

No, I’m not promoting a return to a more family-friendly environment.  It’s all right to consider it primarily a good adult vacation spot. But it’s time to drop the “Sin City” label!  Let’s call it “Fun City.”

—

I have been repeating for years that I can’t answer most tax questions because most answers depend on individual tax and financial details. However sometime a question is general enough and is specifically addressed fairly clearly by the IRS. Here is one of those, with the answer taken from Tax Help for Gamblers that included some text from IRS publications:

Q:  I have a question about table game progressives. When you hit one, do they treat the win the same as a slot progressive and tax you immediately?

A:  The most common W2-G situation and the one with which most casino gamblers are familiar is when someone hits a jackpot on a machine (slot or video poker) that is $1200 or more.  However, most players don’t know that there are different rules for when a W-2G must be issued, depending on the form of gambling.

W2-G’s are rarely issued to table-game players.  They would only receive one if it was for a single winning table-game bet if both of the following apply:

1. The payout is $600 or more and

2. The winnings are paid at 300-to-1 (or higher).

This usually happens only when a game has a progressive or big bonus feature, like progressives on Caribbean Stud and Fortune Pai Gow and some bonus bets on Let It Ride.

Of course, I always need to add that all gambling wins are required to be reported to the IRS whether you get any paperwork or not!

 

Q:  I have a climate question. Having lived in IN, NV, and now GA, which do you prefer?

A:  Part of that question is easy to answer. One of the big factors, out of many, for our move from Indianapolis to Las Vegas was our desire to leave the cold winters in the north. Moving to GA had to do with health concerns and being with family, so climate wasn’t a factor. However, I sometimes do tire of Georgia rain and humidity and miss the dry desert air, even when it was fiery hot.

 

Q:  Where did you get the matching sleepwear your family was wearing in the Christmas photos, especially the dinosaur tops?

A:  My Amazon-crazy daughter buys “everything” online and she said she bought them in several places, but she thinks the guy tops were from the Children Place – though they’re probably out of stock now.

—

I would like to recommend what I found to be a very interesting and well-done interview on the podcast “Risk of Ruin.” Called “Two Hustlers,” Mickey Crimm and Bob Dancer shared some of the fascinating information about their early days of advantage play, taking widely different paths but both achieving great gambling success.

Finally, you might want to be sure to tune into my next blog. I have some possibly surprising news for you all. Actually, I have actually surprised myself with it. Have to wait to see how the pandemic restrictions are going …

Posted in Advantage Play, City News, Podcast, Q+A, Taxes, Video Poker | 3 Comments

Questions and Comments

Posted on February 19, 2021 by queen of comps

Time to dip into the virtual mailbag and comment file.

Q:  What do you think about all these new quick ways you can get money to gamble with when you are in a casino? Sounds dangerous to me.

A:  It sounds dangerous to me too! Some people aren’t able to manage their money well, especially their gambling bankroll. They find it difficult when they’re on a losing streak to resist the temptation of accessing more money while they are in a casino, money that had been earmarked for necessary life expenses. If this happened back in the “olden days,” they would need to get up from the table or machine, and walk to an ATM. This would give them a little time to think about the ramifications of their decision, and perhaps good judgment might prevail.

With the pandemic pushing the use of digital-money processing system, more sanitary cashless gaming might make it too easy for many to avoid regulating their gambling spending. Couple this with the surge of online-gambling opportunities, available 24/7, I’m afraid we will see a major escalation of problem gambling.

Q:   You rarely talk about free drinks being a major comp available for casino players. Are you and Brad teetotalers?

A:  Actually, we have been for the last 15-20 years. But this has not been because of moral or religious issues. Brad had been a social drinker until his heart attack in 2003 when being on many meds changed that. I’ve always hated the taste of beer and wine, and fruity mixed drinks cause serious side effects because of my extreme sugar sensitivity.

After Brad’s heart attack, the doctor did suggest he drink one glass of wine a day. Brad used to joke, “I bet I’m the only husband in the world that has his wife send him out the door mornings, telling him to go gamble and drink!” After a few months, I did continue to send him out with a casino assignment, but he’d now been diagnosed with A-fib, so no more alcohol instructions. But we never wasted all the wine and liquor comps we got; we kept friends and neighbors well supplied. And sometime so much we couldn’t carry it all to the car, and it went to casino employees and even strangers in line!

(I guess this is the reason why I haven’t written about the recent trend of casinos keeping track of your play, with no chance of a player tipping the bartender to be more generous. Nor – horrors – that the drinks are being “watered down.”)

From the “Comments”: Good hint in a trip report by a frugal fan: “I like to straddle months to take advantage of double comps!” That reminded me of the powerful frugal technique we used often in the early days of our play before we were Vegas residents. Whenever possible, I planned trips from Indianapolis to start at the end of the month and go into the next month. An example of double dipping, like finding a casino having 2 promotions at the same time!

Q:  With all of the video poker and table-game filming on YouTube and other media sites, do you feel like you should have embraced this type of promotion in your career?

A:  Brad and I did appear in quite a few TV segments in earlier years. And I did some interviews for various media sites.

But I never felt that I was savvy enough to learn the technical details for that kind of promotion on my own. Besides, between our personal gambling schedule and my heavy writing projects, I never felt I had time for more promotion efforts. Plus, for years I was trying – but never quite succeeding – to “retire.”  Cutting down was the best I could do until health issues forced the decision.

Q:  Are you as frugal as you used to be?

A:  I am loosening up a little in this area, maybe not as “crazy frugal” as Brad used to call my antics. But this message from the “Comments” mirrors my own efforts:

Wanted to ask you if you can help me NOT be as frugal as I have been all my life? I’ve got enough $ to last the rest of my life, but I still find myself just ordering water with my meal – can’t see spending $3 for a soft drink! It is very hard NOT to be frugal!

Keep those questions and comments coming!

Posted in Bankroll, Brad Stories, Casino Promotions, Comments, Comps, Media Appearances, Q+A | 4 Comments

Taxes and Shots = Pain

Posted on February 5, 2021 by queen of comps

First, let’s  talk  taxes. Many of you are probably doing the same thing I’m doing now, gathering up paperwork so you – or your accountant – can start working on your 2020 tax returns. I still get some questions about how to handle gambling figures, but I will give this reminder: I can’t answer most of them, because this would involve knowing your total financial picture. Tax issues are so complex that there are almost no short one-fits-all answers.

I can suggest reading Tax Help for Gamblers and/or checking with a professional tax preparer who is knowledgeable about gambling issues. And if you don’t know one, I would highly recommend Russell Fox, who helped big time to make the most recent (fourth) edition of this tax book very up to date, adding valuable details about new problem areas like virtual currency and fantasy sports. And here is a bit of information about Russ you might not know, thanks to a reader who left this note in the Comments: “In addition to being a tax guru, Russ is one helluva poker player. I’ve known Russ for many years. He is one of the organizers of BARGE, an annual Las Vegas gathering of poker players, mostly amateurs, although some noted pros have attended and/or come from our ranks.”

Last year’s edition of the tax book will still be helpful for 2020 return preparation.  However, one recent clarification, which was foreshadowed in that book, has to do with the IRS treatment of the taxation of fantasy sports.  You can read about that in my December 12th blog.

And if you’re dabbling in that big gamble of virtual currency, you might be interested in an article with the scary title: “IRS is ‘setting the trap’ for bitcoin and virtual currency investors on 2020 tax form.”

—

Someone asked a question about the IRS letter-audit problem I mentioned in that same Dec.12th blog.  The 1099-Q sent by the 529 Plan I had for my grandchildren’s education had a total gross-distribution number, which was the total of the basis (money we originally invested), plus the earnings. The IRS wanted tax on the earnings. All I had to do  was inform them that this was all used for qualified educational expenses. They’d never questioned this in years past; why this year? I’d been surprised that they never asked for “proof” of our expenditures, but they didn’t. By the way, this was the best “investment” we ever made! Zachary got his BS; Kaity got her BS and Master’s – and there’s money left over for the greats!

—

Yes, Brad and I got our 2nd COVID vaccine shots. Although a few in our building felt lousy for a day or two, most had few or no side effects. I had only a sore arm, just like after a flu shot. Brad was fine; minutes after, he’d forgotten he even got the shot, the only benefit of short-term memory loss. And yes, you might recognize that person behind Brad, someone who decided to celebrate vaccine protection by becoming a gold-streaked redhead!

Several sharp-eyed friends on Facebook noticed Brad’s shirt was from the Cannery. Yes, he still has some casino logo clothes including a few nice jackets. But none of those satin beauties from the Westward Ho. Wish I had saved at least one!

Posted in It's Personal, Medical, Taxes | 5 Comments

Back to Basics

Posted on January 22, 2021 by queen of comps

We can’t forget the pain of 2020 that is continuing into 2021, but I feel I must now regain my basic positive outlook and once again return to my long-term goals for this blog: providing practical ideas on how to make your casino life more enjoyable with less stress on your budget. I wish I could tell you about new and wonderful ways to make a lot of money in a casino, but to quote an old cliché, that train has left the station and I’m pretty sure that station is quickly falling into disrepair, never to be remodeled and bustling again. However, I’m still doing the research that I always did, ferreting out information that might help you lose less and thus be able to continue to have casinos as one of your favorite entertainment choices.

First, I want to remind you of the basics I’ve stressed in the past. Of course, you read every piece of casino mail that comes to you, whether hard copy or online. But like me, you’ll also have to be a constant researcher, scouring casino websites for possible promotions that can pump up the EV of your play. To help you with your searches, I point you to the “Good Websites” tab above any “Frugal Vegas” blog, with many resources that give you valuable and current ideas about stretching your finances in a casino. Remember, bargains you find for food and entertainment options let you keep more money for your gambling bankroll. Also, you can expand your research by doing some heavy in-person casino scouting, searching for hidden plays that haven’t been shared online.

As you do your research, be aware of casino changes, especially in the players clubs. Wynn Resorts recently made major changes in theirs, with a new tier system. And because of the pandemic, you need to check on expiration changes. Many casinos, including Caesars, have extended benefits that perhaps you thought you’d lost. Check their websites for details. This also goes for travel companies. Many hotel and airline loyalty programs have also done some major benefit extensions. See many details at the practical and very useful travel section on the LVA website.

Mobile apps are a relatively new possible resource that are becoming more popular. I confess that I didn’t take advantage of them when we were still living and playing in Vegas. Why not? Mainly because we were cutting down on our play in 2018-2019 and we had enough established opportunities to keep us as busy as we wanted or were able to be. But if I were looking for new possibilities now, I’m sure I ‘d download some casino mobile apps. I’m hearing about promotions or offers that are exclusive to this medium.

And never forget the power of coupons. Remember I was the Queen of KuPon before Dan Rather gave me the Queen of Comps moniker. With fewer good plays these days, advantage-hunting players might find they have time for more high-EV couponing and perhaps doing some extra scouting at the same time. The American Casino Guide will not be putting out a new book for 2021, but check here for a list of the 2020 coupons that will be honored through 2021.

And of course, you’ll want to check out that mother of all coupon books, our own MRB (Member Rewards Book) here at LVA. As I write this, they’re being mailed out to current members and are available for pick-up at the Huntington Press office. And despite the pandemic casino limitations, they’re still a frugal bargain, close in value to the pre-COVID editions. The gambling coupons have always been a valuable feature, but with casinos drastically cutting comps, those meal and other discounts perhaps will have added value for many.

And now for the answer to the picture puzzle I gave you back during the holidays. A couple of you did guess the answer I had in mind: I’m wearing the same antlers in both pictures. I think I paid about $2 for them and they have lasted through 30+ Decembers! Maybe one of my most frugal moves!

However, I loved all your guesses, many versions of the following:

“You are still enjoying life together.”

“You still wear glasses.”

“You still have nice smiles; they show even through the masks.”

“The two of you are still joined at the hip.”

“What hasn’t changed is your love for each other, side by side.”

As we celebrated Brad’s 89th birthday this week, I felt so blessed that those last two are still so very true. Brad’s getting so frail and his memory is failing him in so many of life areas.  But he feels so secure and appreciative that I’m always very near him and he has never forgotten our love for each other. This bond, forged 38 years ago, has never been stronger than it is today.

Posted in Advantage Play, Brad Stories, Caesars, Casino Hosts, Casino Promotions, Comments, Comps, Coronavirus, Couponing, Discounts, Gambling Resources, Health, It's Personal, Meal Promo, Memories, Slot Clubs, Travel, Vegas Discounts, Web Sites | 7 Comments

Looking Backward and Forward

Posted on January 8, 2021 by queen of comps

I haven’t forgotten the promise to give you my solution to the Christmas game in my last blog. But I was surprised that I received so many “guesses” and they’re still coming in, many many different takes. So I’ll compile them and report in my next blog.

In the meantime, a new year always inspires reflection and never more so than the passing of 2020 into 2021. Here is one I penned (typed?) for one of the many “projects” here in our senior community.

2020 – The Year Hugging Disappeared

There are a lot of things I have missed during this COVID-19 pandemic:

  • Big family reunions
  • Sit-down meal choices in restaurants all over town
  • The ability to see people’s faces to see if they’re smiling at me
  • Being able to see my regular doctor in person when I need him/her to diagnose why I’m sick
  • Visits to a friend’s home
  • Trying on clothes in a store
  • Feeling safe to fly to a vacation destination
  • Going to a salon and getting my hair and nails done

But most of all, I missed hugs:

  • When meeting an old friend
  • When introduced to a new friend-to-be
  • When someone does something nice for me
  • When seeing a long-absent relative
  • But most of all, when my three little great-grandchildren were warned that they couldn’t rush in and give me even their usual tight-squeeze “leg hugs.”

But I’m cautiously optimistic for 2021 — although not so much on the gambling front.  Anthony Curtis, in a recent QOD, quoted a Station executive as saying, when refusing to no longer be part of the LVA’s Member Rewards program, they’re “not giving anything away anymore.” And players are reporting from all over, but especially in Vegas, that promotions and customer benefits are being drastically cut. It’s hard to understand this phenomenon. Most of us had thought that the casinos would up the benefits to lure customers back when the pandemic restrictions were lessened.

Maybe in 2022?

There is one positive note for gamblers, although it’s accompanied by a big IF.  The American Gaming Association, the lobbying group for casinos and gambling in general, is optimistic about the prospect of the IRS raising the threshold for slot payouts, saying that it is “better than ever.” You can read about it here. However, I tell you that I’m not putting any money down on this maybe proposition. I would never bet on any IRS issue!

I do plan to stay hopeful about life in the future. Here is another short submission I wrote for the Legacy Reserve, our senior home, to be put in a buried time capsule.

                     End of 2020 – Start of 2021

Not enough negative adjectives in the English language to describe 2020: so much deadly racial violence, so much political nastiness, so much loneliness while trying to avoid the suffering and death from COVID-19.

But I am a little more optimistic for 2021. The COVID vaccine should bring down the hospitalizations and death toll and I am encouraging everyone with whom I come in contact to trust the scientists and get the vaccine as soon as it is available to them.  And until the pandemic is truly over, I will continue to take the advice of health authorities and follow their recommendations, including wearing a mask to protect myself and others.

I am cautiously hopeful for 2021.  Hope that new government leadership will be able to bring ALL Americans a little closer together, no matter the differences in ethnic or racial backgrounds, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious beliefs, cultural mores – and yes, even political views.

I want to do better myself in being more tolerant and showing more love. The spreading of more human love may be the biggest need to make 2021 better than 2020.

Posted in Casino Policy, Coronavirus, Holiday Greetings, It's Personal, Stations, Taxes | 7 Comments

The Burning Question Answered

Posted on December 25, 2020 by queen of comps

Most of you are probably busy with holiday celebrations right now and perhaps have temporarily set aside your interest in casinos and gambling in general. So maybe this is a good time to address a common query I hear from so many of my frugal friends: Do Brad and I miss Vegas and the casino life?

It may surprise you that we can answer that with a resounding “No!”

Perhaps I need to give you some background for this answer.  Although for years we worked hard pursuing advantage plays, the fun factor was just as important as the profit goal. People asked us if we considered gambling our “job” – and I replied that we couldn’t call it that, because we were having so much fun! What wasn’t to like about making money while enjoying such an exciting life?

However, as the good plays were oh-so-quickly drying up, so was the fun factor. To be honest, for the last couple of years, I’d grown tired of what I called the “casino rat race.” We had to work twice as hard for half – or less – the financial return. But I was willing to do it as long as Brad was still enjoying our usual casino routine; doing things together was still my greatest joy in life. However, by mid-2019, I was noticing that Brad’s enthusiasm was also decreasing. He seemed happy when I announced that we didn’t have to go to casinos as often, given that there were fewer good playing opportunities. And when we did go, he often was the first to say that he was ready to quit and go home – a change from all those years when I was the one who got tired first.

And there was another factor, a sad one: I could see that Brad was making many strategy mistakes in his VP play. It was obvious that his physical health was deteriorating, as he was becoming very frail, but it was harder to recognize – and accept – something I’d suspected for some time – that he was also suffering serious cognitive decline.

I had to make a major decision.

We thought we’d live in Vegas the rest of our lives. But I knew we were looking at a lot of medical issues in the future. Brad had already needed one long emergency hospital stay.   My family in Georgia was strongly urging us to move near them, so they could help us as needed.

It turned out to be not only the right decision, but also the right time to move. We’d just gotten settled in Georgia, down the road from my daughter Angela and son-in-law Steve’s house when the pandemic struck, and they were able to take care of all our needs while we had to shelter in place for months. Also, when I had to turn in the car keys, they helped us with the decision to move into the independent-living apartment at a senior center, choregraphing all the moving arrangements and doing all the heavy lifting of getting us settled. We couldn’t have done it without them! We’ve now been happily settled in our new home for two months.

Which brings us back to the question I introduced at the start, and the answer. No, we don’t miss Vegas, but we haven’t forgotten it. We couldn’t even if we wanted to. Most of the staff and many of the residents here are online and they’ve googled us. And you probably won’t be surprised that they all want to talk about our “exotic” life as gamblers. A few have visited Vegas, but to most, it’s a fairy-tale city they’ve only seen in movies. And now they wanted to get all the exciting details from new neighbors who’ve lived that life. We always have a string of visitors who want to come and see our “Vegas apartment” and take a pull on the antique slot machine in our “Vegas corner.”

And everyone, staff and fellow residents, was excited, though not surprised, when we gave each of them a little gift. Instead of Christmas cards, we passed out lottery scratch tickets!

Speaking of being surprised, myself most of all, one group activity that I’m enjoying here is playing a rummy-type card game called Phase 10. No money involved, just some fun trash talk.

The first 35 years of my life, as I’ve often written about, I was from a family of avid non-gambling gamers, from Chutes and Ladders to Scrabble. However, once  I started playing for money, these social games no longer interested me. I guess you never lose your competitive spirit – you look for a challenge wherever you are!

Now for a Christmas game for all you readers. Here are 3 pictures, the last 2 taken 20 years after the first one. What is the one thing that hasn’t changed?

 

The answer in my next blog.

Warm holiday greetings to all of you from two happy seniors who live in Columbus, Georgia, on Queen Bee Drive.

Yes, that is our address. I couldn’t believe it myself!

Posted in Holiday Greetings, It's Personal, Memories, Non-gambling Activities, Q+A | 19 Comments