We received a number of similar questions after running yet another Q&A on casino hosts, a topic that solicits regular questions and never fails to inspire a flurry when we run one.
Actually, there’s nothing mysterious about bankroll requirements in terms of a casino marketing executive’s criteria for hosting players. Fact is, the requirements and criteria not only aren’t set in stone, but differ from casino to casino and sometimes host to host; they can also change over time.
Always remember that hosts are there to service you. You need to play their games, but they need to give you good reasons to do so. You can probably find a host (or a boss, who doubles as a host at the smaller casinos that don't have dedicated marketing execs) for whatever your level of action.
It all depends on what you play, where you play, and what you’re looking for in return for your play.
If you’re a baccarat enthusiast who brings $2 million and likes to make $50,000 bets, call the MGM Grand and talk to a host about flying in on a company jet and staying at the Mansion with a butler and personal chef.
If you’re a crapshooter who makes $10 pass line bets with single odds, call the Hats and Horns and talk to a boss about a buffet for two and comped tickets to Nudes On Ice (a fictitious example in order not to quote any real numbers at a real casino).
Say you’re looking for a nice $250 dinner at Hugo’s Cellar for your 25th anniversary. Call a host at the Four Queens and ask for the play requirement. If the answer, $50 a hand for four hours, is a little rich for your blood, ask about a $150 comp. If it’s still too much, call the Golden Nugget and ask about dinner at the Grotto. (Or if your heart is really set on Hugo’s, pay retail; that way you know exactly what you’re buying and how much it’s going to cost.)
Or say you want to stay at the Mirage in a mini-suite. Call ’em up and ask. The $50 a hand for four hours is too much? Ask about a slow night -- Monday or Tuesday. Maybe the average bet times play hours will go down somewhat. Or maybe you decide you’d just like a standard room. Or maybe you realize you don’t mind staying at the Monte Carlo after all, where they want four hours at only $25 a hand.
Are you a dollar slot player? Call around; see what you can get from various slot hosts. Start low and bargain up.
Are you a five-dollar video poker player? There might be a limited number of casinos with good schedules (hopefully, you’re playing positive expectation games using proper strategy), but you should qualify for pretty decent comps at that level. Shop and compare for best results.
Another idea is to frequent online message forums, such as the Comps board at LasVegasAdvisor.com. A quick look just now reveals that dinner for two at Second Street Grille at the Fremont goes for $25 for four hours. With that information, you can call up a host/boss at the Fremont and compare what he says to what you know.
What if a host tells you that you should come in, play, and pay, and he'll review your action at the end of your stay, then write down/off your room and food bill? Some players are all right with this arrangement in the beginning, especially if it’s a casino that they really like. If they’re planning on staying and playing there anyway and they don’t mind paying retail if their action doesn’t cover their expenses, at least they get a little information out of it. Others feel like they’re buying something without knowing how much it costs; they don't like surprises at the end of their trip.
Once you find a host who appreciates your play at a property you like, cultivate him. The "care and feeding" of a host is an art form and a lot’s been written about it -- by Jean Scott in her Frugal series and Deke Castleman in Whale Hunt in the Desert, to name a couple. But the better you get to know hosts, the more conversant you’ll be with the systems at the casinos you frequent and the better your relationship with the casinos will be.
A good host, meanwhile, will be cultivating you in return.
As for the repercussions for not living up to your end of the play-comp bargain, you won’t be visited by security or the police. Your kneecaps won't have a little chat with a sledge hammer. But you will burn a bridge and if it’s at a multi-casino company, hosts at all the other company casinos will be able to call up your info and see that you’re a deadbeat. It’s bad form to overstate your bankroll and/or minimum bets or your intention to play for more hours than you do.
Remember, a host can do a lot of discretionary things for you. Jean Scott is a master at befriending hosts and getting all kinds of goodies, whether her play merits them or not (usually it does, but not always) and she has plenty of tips in her books. So if you want to make a study of the host game, that’s the place to start. If you just want to jump in and see how it works, start calling the casinos, ask for the VIP departments, and ask ask ask.
