What Do Casino Hosts See When They Look You Up on the Computer?

When a casino host looks you up on their computer, what information do they see?

[Editor's Note: This answer is written by Andrew Uyal, author of our book The Blackjack Insiders. You can see "Andy" in action in the video interview Anthony and Andrew conducted with him a couple of weeks ago.]

The short answer is: They see everything.

They see different information than what table-game people see -- more marketing-related things, like what offers have been sent to a player, which of those offers were used, and all rating information.

Now, depending on the host, they don't always understand the details of the rating information, as they aren't casino people, and might not understand how what happens on the table translates into what they see on the computer. That isn't a slight against them. That's just the reality of that job.

That job is to use what they see onto the computer and turn it into a relationship with that player that makes them happy and feels good about playing there without costing the casino more money than the player is bringing in. It's math that borders science on one side and art on the other side, in terms of how they take all that information and use it to navigate the player relationship.

One of the main variables the hosts look at is your theoretical win, a.k.a. "theo." This variable is determined by the house advantage of the games you play, along with the time you put in, which gives them how much money you should be losing. Obviously, there's variance to that number. There are jackpots, winning streaks, and losing streaks. But that theoretical win is a quantifiable value of a player to a casino.

They also look at how much you bet, what you like to play, and most importantly, how long you play. This is their main concern. They want time on table.

All these variables can be broken down by day, year, trip, and even the lifetime of your account. Trip is an important one. They want to know your activity each time you visit. If you have a trip where you play less, they'll want to know why. If you have a trip where you play more than usual, they'll certainly notice and want to replicate that.

In essence, they can see it all. They're the gatekeepers, if you will.

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Comments

Lucky Mar-18-2025

Hosts

I have a great host at Paris.  He makes sure everything is covered, suites, views, food, etc.  Only problem is that VP and slots are so bad there that being a 7 Star is not really worth it any longer.  I am not an expert VP person, but finding anything even close to being worth it is impossible, as it is with all of Caesars places. I was thinking of learning to be an advantage slot player, but everywhere I go the vultures are sitting and waiting to pounce on a machine.  My wife stayed at South Point and liked it there.  The machines are supposed to be looser there.  I will be looking into a host there, and see if its more enjoyable and profitable (if that is still possible).  I know they have tier matching at Fountainbleu, but that place is just as bad as Caesars.

OMB13 Mar-18-2025

LUCKY

The Southpoint is my home away from home. But...it's not the strip. The clientele is about 1/2 locals and they can be a little rough around the edges.
Sometimes that's fun, sometimes not. A fair amount of smoking that I try to stay away from.
The gambling is very fair there. Usually an extra monthly promo going on that adds a little value. Players club is an extra .3%, almost unheard of these days. Tons of VP...3/2 BJ.....great bartenders.....a reasonably priced buffet......clean large rooms.....free parking....etc
I've used Jamie Lewis as my host for many years. I usually give him a small gift card each trip.

LynGHS Mar-18-2025

The M

The QOD reminded me of a visit to The M years ago (I believe it may have been shortly after Penn took over - yuck). Anyway, it was about 10pm and I wanted a sandwich from the place right next to the sports-book, comped of course. Not a host onsite. I was told I should go to the table games and speak to the pit boss who would be able to look me up and write me a comp. Weird - but okay. Mind you, I'm looking to get about $15. I hand the guy my card (I was top tier at that time) and his eyes bug-out when he looks me up in their system. He walks back over to me and says there is NO way he can give me a comp because according to what he saw, I'd been OVER-comped $1,000,000. That's right, one million dollars. So what would have been the big deal to make that $1,000,015? LOL

James Sweat Mar-18-2025

South Point

I would also recommend you try South Point. I have been staying there since they opened in 2005. Ask for Jamie Lewis as your host. He is excellent and very good at taking care of you. They have everything you need at South Point!

Ken Kjelson Mar-18-2025

Silverton

Southpoint is excellent, but for a more relaxed atmosphere try Silverton. Good food, excellent comps and the Barton VP offers higher limits than Southpoint.

aYlNlfdX Aug-04-2025

Mr.

1
aYlNlfdX Aug-04-2025

Mr.

1

Question of the Day - 18 March 2025

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