Max Rubin responds:
It's gotten tougher across the board and most big Corp joints follow the Gary Loveman theory that players are nothing more than "data points" (with less-than-spectacular results for Caesars, I might add). The rating technology is no better today than it was 15 years ago: They can massage the numbers much more efficiently now, but the data entry still relies on overworked and under-trained supervisors, who are now required to "watch" 36 players versus 24, so some of the key "comp-wizarding" techniques, such as masking your real average bet and playing a better game than "average," will still earn you more comps than you deserve by their reckoning. That said, the golden days of comp hustling, where you could actually play basic strategy blackjack and have an overall edge, are long gone.
LVA adds:
This the second day in a row we’ve answered a question relating to comps, but sometimes that’s just the way things fall. What Max is saying is that the tenets of Comp City are still overwhelmingly viable; they just don’t knock it out of the park the way they did 20 years ago. One of the biggest changes has been with regard to alterations in certain assumptions at the base of the casinos' comp decision-making criteria. Whereas they used to rate blackjack players as playing at an average return of -2%, to return 40% of the theoretical win in comps, many now use -1% for the edge and give back as little as 20% of theo. That’s a 50% haircut right off the bat. And as the question states, other advancements have also had a (deleterious) effect on profit potential.
So, you can’t do all the things that the book originally espoused back in the era when it became a catalyst for an exploding sector of advantage play. But a lot of the concepts will still get you more in that diminished arena than you’d otherwise get. One important concept continues to be to "go where your play is appreciated." We hear over and over about casinos that are giving back less. The answer is to find a new one that gives you more! Another important strategy is to misrepresent your skill (and results), including laying reasonable "cover" when you play that disguises your true abilities, as Max alludes to. Many ideas such as these, which are covered at length in the book, are still valid and applicable.
Regarding the book itself, we made some attempts to update Comp City over the years, but found that the specifics changed too quickly. Though we eventually concluded that it was impractical to continue publishing it in hard-copy format, we’ve kept the title alive as an e-book and Comp City is available for Kindle (and other major e-book platforms, including Nook and Apple) for $9.99. It’s still an excellent (and highly entertaining) read that will earn you plenty of positive return in your gambling. If you're not familiar with this landmark book, which really was a game-changer when it debuted, check out this extended excerpt (which includes the complete Table of Contents), for an insight.
