Why Don't Table-Game Players Earn Tier Credits?

Just got back from a trip to LV, where I played craps at the El Cortez for about 2.5 hours. I mostly bet the pass line with odds, but I also made a decent number of $5 hardway bets and I was always on the Bonus Craps (All-Tall-Small). About 30 minutes after I colored up, I checked my account and found that I had accumulated 0 players' club points. I assumed that my play just hadn't been entered yet. A few hours later, I checked again. Still 0 points. I approached the pit boss and asked about my points. After checking, I was told that I had received credit for my play: $2.13 in comps, but no points.

Am I missing something? I appreciated the comp credit, but I can only achieve a higher tier status with points, which I didn't get. Should I have asked to have points added to my account, or is it normal (or becoming normal) for casinos to not award tier credits for table games?

[Editor's Note: We handed this one off to Andrew Uyal, author of The Blackjack Insiders and our GBTC (Guy Behind The Curtain), who explains -- with a surprising twist at the end.]

In short, yes it is normal. Many marketing and rewards systems out there operate this way. Tier credits or points are often rewarded only for machine play such as slots, video poker, and video keno, whereas live-action play like tables, sports bets, and live keno (if you can still find it) result in comp dollars in place of points.

The only sensible reason for this is to know their players that play high advantage games from their players that play lower advantage games, and ensure that they accrue tier and comps at different rates, along with other marketing benefits.

This is going to sound crazy, because it is. You actually are earning tier credits, but you can't see them. That's right. They're invisible.

They're not the same points that slot players earn, but table players and sports bettors accrue hidden tier credits that advance their tier status. They work almost exactly like regular points, but you can't see them. Believe me, I know it doesn't make sense, but this is the casino world, after all. Some things just don't make sense.

And here's another. I reached out to El Cortez and their marketing department told me table players' tier advancement is at the pit boss' discretion. No hidden credits; the bosses decide whom to advance or not. That's the old way of doing things, before players clubs, points, tiers, and credits. Nowadays, it's generally the hidden credits system.

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Comments

Brent Aug-03-2021

None of this makes any sense

This is my question, and the reality is weird.

First of all, even lower pay table VP has a lower house advantage than craps. So giving tier credits for VP but not craps is weird.

Even weirder (or maybe unfair) is leaving tier advancement to the pit boss's discretion. Basically, that means that the only way to advance is (1) play a very long session; (2) make very large bets for a shorter session; or (3) make sure all of your sessions take place when the same pit boss is on duty and that the pit boss notices who you are.

Bob Nelson Aug-03-2021

It’s not just the (dis)advantage

You have to also consider the speed of the game.  A $1 VP player may play 400 hands in an hour even if they aren’t particularly fast.  That adds up to $2000 wagered in an hour.  Craps on the pass line is a relatively slow game and maybe only a few dozen decisions in an hour, or less.  Both wagering the same $5 but theoretical win from the VP player is much higher.

VegasVic Aug-03-2021

Table Game Comps

It's always subjective. How much you buy in for matters when you are first entered into the computer.  If your bankroll for a session is $1,000 then buy in for $1,000.  Some guys buy in for $100 and keep digging for another $100 when they bust out.  Just buy in for your limit, it doesn't mean you have to play it all but it does matter for your rating.  

And of course average bet.  Start by making larger bets while the pitboss is entering your info.  He'll likely glance over at your initial bets.  You can go back down as soon as he walks away.  And when you see him going to the screen to make updates raise your bets back up a bit.  If you make a pass line bet with odds only your pass line bet is rated, not the odds. I typically make a pass line bet, odds and then place the inside numbers (minus the point).  But initially I'll place bet across the board and go back to inside only once I know he's entered my info into the system. But it's still up to the PB's discretion.

Kevin Lewis Aug-03-2021

The real question is...

Why don't I receive crap for my play at the El Cortez?

Mark Aug-03-2021

Kevin,

You can - just play blackjack and vary your bets by even $5.

AL Aug-04-2021

. . . and be nice

As with anything, how nice you are and how positively the pit boss views you can affect how much "love" you'll get, so come to the craps table in a nice aura, smiling, and be courteous to everybody, especially the crew.  Make eye contact with the pit boss and smile.  Then you've maximized your chances.

IdahoPat Aug-11-2021

Brent, you're mistaken ...

... in one very crucial spot: Odds bets in craps are infinitely lower than any VP pay table, because those bets have zero house advantage. And based off the QOD, this player is wagering more on odds bets than any other bet. Furthermore, because there's no HA on odds bets, they're not rated. As noted elsewhere, the speed of the game is nowhere near that of VP.

If you're not a green chip player, with some black mixed in, it's very tough to accumlate any kind of rating/comps at craps, unless you're just donking off your money on the sucker bets.

Question of the Day - 03 August 2021

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