Q+As and Briefs

We expected to be back in Las Vegas today after two weeks in GA visiting family.  But Southwest changed our plans, canceling our flight.  We couldn’t find another convenient one – we only do  non-stop these days – until Saturday, competing for seats with all those basketball fans wanting to come in for the Sweet Sixteen.

This may be the longest time ever we have not been around casinos since we moved to Vegas 20 years ago.  Our vacations have normally been planned around casino offers and comps – free hotel rooms, free cruises – and then combined with visits with friends and family.  And some people, hearing that we will be gone for 19 days, have already been asking whether we are getting bored and antsy to get back to VP.  And my answer is indicative of our change of attitudes and interests as we are getting older.  Yes, no matter how much one enjoys vacations, you are always glad to get back to your own home and a routine.  But we have not missed our casino life at all.

Yes, we will be back “in action” in April, but at the slower pace we had already embraced before this trip.  We no longer go out to a casino every day –just 3 or 4 days a week.  Of course, part of this is because of the decrease in good advantage-play opportunities, but more is based on our reduced energy level.   The days we do visit a casino our sessions are usually just 2-3 hours.

Now for answers to reader questions and some tidbits of information that I have found as I have had time to go through my files.

Q: My concern is a tax diary for my daily trips. Any chance maybe you and Bob Dancer can get together and collaborate on a diary to sell? At least we know it’s coming from highly reputable sources.

A: Thank you for your kind words! It would be hard to standardize a diary that would fit all gamblers’ need.  I put a couple sample diary forms in Tax Help for Gamblers, one an electronic example and one a hard-copy version.  If you aren’t skilled with electronic record-keeping, I think nothing beats a little calendar notebook in which you can, after each session, jot down all sorts of info you need/want to remember.

Q: Have you and Brad stopped playing blackjack?

A: We rarely play BJ unless we come across a coupon play or we are on a cruise ship and want to join friends in a purely social entertainment environment.

BRIEFS

I like it when casinos give detailed information about a promotion.  Here was the explanation from an Arizona Charlie’s about bonus points:

     7X Bonus Points: Every Sunday and Thursday in March, all players club members will receive 7X points on all same-day base slot points earned. All players club cards must be removed and reinserted no later than 11:59 p.m. on each promotional date to receive credit.

This is something you need to watch for.  At some casinos, when you are earning drawing entries, you need to remove your card before the stated deadline when the drum will close so your current play will count in figuring your virtual ticket total.

Something I don’t like casinos to do.  Give incomplete promo details that make you feel “tricked”:

SWIPE N’ WIN: Win up to $100 Free Slot Play!

And you win a scoop of gelato!

Frugal transportation hint:

Discount tickets for Nevada residents are available at all of the Monorail’s customer service ticketing offices upon presentation of your valid Nevada driver’s license, State of Nevada government-issued identification card or Nevada Sheriff Card. Local fare is $1 per ride.  Maximum purchase: two single ride tickets per person per day OR one 20-ride ticket no more frequently than every ten days.

Looking to learn how to play a new game?  Many casinos give free lessons, often during not-so-busy daytime weekday hours.  Here is a good one if you are in downtown Las Vegas:

Learn to play a new game or perfect skills with Golden Nugget’s free daily gaming lessons. Lessons are held on the casino floor.

• Three Card Poker, Crazy 4 Poker, Let it Ride, Pai Gow Poker, Ultimate Texas Hold’Em and Mississippi Stud Poker

Daily – 10:00 a.m.

• Craps Lessons

Monday-Wednesday at 10:00 a.m.; Thursday-Sunday at 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m.

• Blackjack Lessons

Daily – 11:00 a.m.

• Roulette Lessons

Daily – 11:30 a.m.

And in the I-hope-it-happens-but-I’d-bet-against-my-living-long-enough-to-see-it department:

The AGA (the American Gaming Association, which lobbies for the gaming industry ) recently highlighted six key policy areas that they were working on, one of which was “updating gaming tax policy, including an increase to the jackpot reporting threshold from $1,200 to $5,000.”