Comments on: SEPTEMBER VEGAS PROMOTIONS

By: Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 19:01:53 +0000

Jerry, many, many VP players have indeed been told that they couldn’t play any more, but that is no longer really necessary. As recently as ten years ago, there were well over a thousand over 100% machines in Vegas. Now, there are fewer than seventy! And every single one of those machines is point-restricted, meaning that you earn very few or often, no points by playing them. Point multipliers never apply to positive or even near-positive machines any more, with a very few exceptions. And the casinos retain the weapon of blowing away your player account, invalidating the strategy of relying on promos, multipliers, and mailers to kick your play over 100%. The upshot is that you can only be an advantage player if they LET you. Some big names, like Dancer and yes, Jean, are allowed to continue playing because they generate publicity. You would think that even so, the casinos would strike such players down, but the truth is that even Danceresque players don’t hurt the casino very much, given the tiny edge (usually less than 1%) that they manage to eke out. That’s dwarfed by the vast sea of suckers playing at 94% or worse.
Also, I can’t directly confirm this, but persistent rumor has it that Dancer and other prominent high-denomination VP advantage players have secured playing privileges by either “outing” other pros or teaching the casinos how to best do so (i.e., being a “consultant”). Though I have no proof of this, it does seem odd, given that it’s impossible to hide your play and its results, that any (successful) AP would be allowed to play at all. It’s either the publicity angle or a deal with the devil, given how rabid casinos have been about tracking down and eliminating decent plays and good players.

By: jack potts

jack potts — Tue, 02 Sep 2014 02:58:31 +0000

I stay a way fr the strip. They are for tourists. It’s like being in New York most New Yorkers stay away fr Times SQ. if u want to play VP or blackjack try the locals . er Stations ,Soutpoint, or Boyds.

By: Kevin Lewis

Kevin Lewis — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 21:51:54 +0000

Especially if Ellis still runs that cab fare reimbursement promo, their eating of the Super 8 could provide a pretty good budget play for a visitor. Not that it’s a great place to play any more, but the Super 8 is decent and the reason you visit EI is for the food, anyway. Gamble elsewhere.

The El Cortez is giving away A MILLION POINTS!!!!! Gee golly gosh! Only…500 points=$1, so they’re really giving away…$2000. Put those pom-poms down, everybody.

Station Casinos likes to say “We Heart Locals!” (in the same way that orcas love seals). Boyd Casinos’ apparent message is, “We Hate Tourists!” This seems odd for even a “locals'” casino to be saying.

It’s heartening to see the Downtown Grand being forced to get generous after a horrifically bad opening. People will still stay away from a place with crap games and no value. The VP has improved from “awful” to “lousy,” so there’s still no reason to set foot in the joint, but it’s good to know that there is still SOME pressure, however minimal, for the casinos to offer value–off the Strip, at least. On the Strip, people are flocking into the Cromwell to play 6/5 blackjack and 6/5 Jacks or Better VP (at high minimums!).

The good VP era is, apparently, over. You only get decent promos when you play in a place that has only bad VP (Silverton, Tuscany) or you only play the lousy machines in a place that still has some decent VP (Stations, etc. etc.)

By: Jerry McEwen

Jerry McEwen — Mon, 01 Sep 2014 18:09:43 +0000

You and Bob Dancer are two of my favorite people. I read both of you religiously. I am indebted to both of you for teaching me the better plays in video poker and other games. I bought both of your practice video games for video poker and it improved my play considerable. Over the years, however, I can’t find those good plays anymore. I am not an avid video poker player, mostly playing black jack or Texas Holdem poker, so I mostly stick to JoB or Deuces Wild. After reading several of Bob Dancer’s articles about how he attacks a promotion with a vengeance, I began to consider how this looks to a casino owner. If I were a casino owner, I would be forced to blacklist any big time advantage player from my casino. Better to do that than to take out the good machines that bring in lots of customers. I don’t understand why more casinos don’t do that.