After I wrote about a family reunion at the Harrah’s Tahoe casino in December, I received a lot of requests for more details, specifically about comps. I guess that should not have been a surprise for someone whose nickname is Queen of Comps. 😊 And in this present environment of major casino cuts decreasing comps is a major concern to most players.
Some of you will remember my writing many years ago when we first started casino gambling that we called comps the “gravy.” We never counted their value in our “profit” for the simple reason that we were earning more of them that we could have paid for on our limited budget at that time. They were just an extra that allowed us to enjoy more luxurious vacations that we couldn’t have afforded otherwise. We couldn’t have used comps to make up any of our actual monetary gambling losses. That would have been a fast way to go broke!
Now we are in a much different time in our life; we have enough money to pay for any activity or vacation that we wish to do. Therefore, now any comps we can use to decrease our costs become a monetary plus, adding to any profit we earn in our gambling or making up any losses we might incur. That is very important at this time when the opportunities for advantage play are rapidly disappearing. We still do most of our casino play only when we have an edge, but that edge is often very slim and our records don’t always end up in the black at the end of each year. The “long term” doesn’t always have the same end as our arbitrary date of December 31. Comps are still “gravy” for us most of the time, but I predict that in the future they will become a much bigger factor in how we choose where and when we play video poker.
However, this 5-day vacation for 7 adults and 2 kiddies did require major involvement with a casino comp system and the value was quite high. We had 3 mini-suite rooms comped for 4 nights. We never had a food bill. We had free ski passes for the family. (Brad and I declined to participate in that activity but it wasn’t for the lack of free ski passes!!! 😊) A party-bus was provided for group transportation to and from the Reno airport, including regulation car seats for the kiddies. And an unexpected shopping promotion running while we were there provided $450 in the sports shop for ski equipment rental and winter clothing. Left-over comps of $350 not used for food gave opportunity for splurging in the gift shop.
Although Brad and I had both attained Harrah’s 7-Star status for 2017 and had saved up over the year a good number of comp benefits for this family vacation, the expenses were not covered completely by comps. It is what I refer to as a discounted comp benefit and in this case let us keep hundreds of dollars in our pockets to spend for other expenses.
I must make an important observation here. It is unlikely that we will be able to take this luxurious a vacation and have so much comped in the future. Caesars has made major cuts in their higher-tier benefits for 2018. And we have found that the perks and what hosts can do for you vary greatly from one property to another even within the same company. And it is not just the bigger Strip companies cutting comps. Casinos that serve mostly locals are also cutting benefits right and left.
We still play the “comp game,” but just as it is for the actual casino games we play it takes more work these days to find advantage situations. I constantly research casino players club details and look for changes that affect extra benefits. I talk to other players, who sometimes give me little-known information about various comp systems. And I am continuing to develop friendly relationships with hosts. Even though at many casinos their “power” is limited, we still use the Just-Ask maneuver and at times see surprisingly positive results. Some of that is probably due to the accompanying Be-Nice-and-not-Demanding attitude. I find that grousing to hosts about casino cuts is not an effective technique, even sometimes having a negative impact.
Gaining an advantage anywhere in a casino has never been easy. And today you just have to work harder than ever!
Love VP. I go back to Frontier, Stardust
I am not sure this is the platform for my comment/question. Harrahs has been flying us to Laughlin for a couple of years and we really enjoy that treat, it sure beats a 8-9 hour drive. We flew in twice last year. The last time I hit my first hand pay in Nevada! A small one I think it was under 1,500. From that point on, when I log into totalrewards I no longer see any comps for Laughlin. In fact I don’t see Laughlin at all. It’s not a choice for me, it is however for my hubby. After calling many times I received an answer yesterday. Since I flew twice, and won both times, I will get no Laughlin comps from Harrahs until I go again and loose. It was explained to me that the comps I used were worth about 2,000 and I did not loose enough to cover those comps. I had no idea…we are not by any means high rollers…. have you ever heard of anything like this?
Hi George, My limited experience with the Grand Sierra (formerly MGM Grand) has been that they’re fairly generous with the offers–I get room stays for $29 a night including resort fee, up to 4 nights at a time, which is way below rack rate, and some small free play and food comps (half off the really good buffet). My action is about $3000 a day on their best video poker.
The best goomay options IMHO in Reno are La Strada (not La Scala) at the Eldorado (I’ve been going there for twenty years, and it’s always terrific), Napa Bistro at the Atlantis, and for incredible value AND quality, the steakhouse at Western Village. Friends have told me that the high-end stuff at the Peppermill (the seafood place in particular–forget what it’s called) is awesome, but I can never make it past that coffee shop or the buffet. I would not eat at Harrah’s unless I was starving and all the other casinos in town burned down. Even then, I might go to In-N-Out Burger instead.
Thanks for all the Reno comments! I was wondering for those who wanted a Vegas experience with Reno comp levels, does the former MGM Grand–current Grand Sierra Reno fit the bill? I have not been to the property in 30 years, but I remember it being a really big “Vegas like” experience. Yes I agree, Reno used to be better as well; with owners like John Ascuagas, ran fun, unique, and generous properties.
Lastly, what are the best high-end dining, still in Reno. I understand that a few, such as the Circus Circus Steakhouse have closed. Is La Scalla at Eldorado, still among the top ten Italian in America? Also, I heard their coffee shop has changed, is it still good? Thanks a bunch. George
Obviously you play a lot at Caesars in order to bank all the aforementioned comps.
How can that be since I find no edge at most of their properties?
Jean, what is the response you are hearing from Harrah Diamond players who can no longer go to the lounge uNess they have 25000 points. We played all year to reach Diamond status and then they change the rules. I am doubting I wish to continue to play at Harrah because if I reach 25000 next year, will they just change requirements. So nfair to change right at years end when a trip to earn more was impossible. Are other Diamond players feeling my pain.
Reno Nugget? You mean the Spark’s Nugget?
I concur that Reno might be the last market where you can get good benefits for your play. Laughlin is pretty good at times, but who wants to go to Laughlin?
Even Reno isn’t as good as it used to be, though. The Atlantis and Peppermill–the best places to play–have been slashing benefits a la Vegas. They both had an annoying “don’t ask, won’t tell” comp system for many years, but the Atlantis one is now pretty transparent. The Peppermill has generated many horror stories re canceling comps and reneging on offers.
I’ve found the Eldorado and Sands Regency to be quite generous with offers. The Sands has only garbage VP, but you get a fair amount of goodies. Circus Circus, Cal-Neva, Harrah’s, and other downtown casinos–not worth it. The Nugget in Sparks is so-so; the Grand is now pretty good offer-wise and has a few good VP machines. Western Village has a LOT of good pay schedule low-denom machines and a very good blackjack game ($2 min!). They’ve sent me decent offers recently.
Reno is also IMHO a much more pleasant destination than Vegas, and it’s an easy hour+ drive to Tahoe. Vegas is really tightening up, because so many people flood into town and play the bad games and cough up big money for rooms and food, so why should they be generous any more? Reno doesn’t have the same cachet or rabid following. You always get better deals when the place you’re going to isn’t massively popular.
If you’ve found a sweet spot with your Nugget offer, count yourself fortunate, George.
But I don’t think anyone reports attractive mail from the Nugget in well over a year. They’ve been slashing their formerly strong vp inventory aggressively, and point accrual on the residual is reported to return .05%.
Like you, my wife and I love the Nugget coffee shop; so much so that we typically stop in for breakfast before departing from Reno. However, while I once avidly played at the Nugget, it’s been more than 2 years since weak mail offers drove me away.
Jean,
I have talked with the Reno Nugget, through URComped and they seem much more generous than even the Vegas local properties. Have you ever thought about significant play in the Reno market, away from their one CET property? It seems to me, they are the one remaining place in the US, that you & Brand could have the same comp conditions mentioned in your first Frugal book.
Perhaps at your play level, the outcomes in your second book, could be found in Reno? I know Las Vegas is your main area, but it seems to me, that Reno needs more research, as it seems to be a sweet spot, due to their hunger for business, ie. actual gamblers.
You may wonder why I am so passionate about Reno: quite simply it was where I lost my gambling virginity on my 21st birthday. My Aunt Beverly, (who was a truly life-long gambler/slot player/lottery etc.) took me to the Eldorado. WOW what a place, the best casino coffee shop I have been to, along with my first/only true dinner show at the MGM Grand Reno, “Hello Hollywood Hello”.
To me the city will always be a special place. With the URComped system, its great to be given comped offers upfront, based on your casino offers from other casinos. Lastly, I am thinking that Harrah’s Reno will be closed, as CET is letting it go to seed. So sad, as it was where the whole thing began.