How Does My Table-Game Play Get Tracked?

I usually play the slots, so I know how the casino tracks how much I spend. I'm not clear if your winnings affect that figure. But my question is how do table games track how much you spend? I played one last night and the dealer sort of logged me in, but how do they know how much I spend?

[Editor's Note: For these kinds of questions, we like to turn to our guy "behind the curtain," Andrew Uyal, who's also the author of our book The Blackjack Insiders.]

The tracking for table games, believe it or not, is quite similar to the tracking for slots. It has more manual input, though, for obvious reasons: Instead of the machine keeping track of everything, the floor supervisor keeps track of all of your info.

You know when you sit down at the table and buy in and the dealer shouts, "Change one hundred!" That's so the floor knows to come swipe your card and add that money to your cash-in. The supervisor also keeps track of your average bet and the time you're at the table. As we've discussed in previous QoDs, there are many different systems for tracking that.

Once the rating is done, it goes into a system that tracks everything the same way the slot machines do and gives out reward credits based on all the different variables (average bet, time, game type, etc.)

In your question, you said, "The dealer sort of logged me in." This is a newer type of rating system that relieves some of the work of the floor supervisor. The dealers can now swipe the cards and input all the cash buy-ins. Everything is being kept track of still, probably even more accurately than before, because you don't have to wait for the supervisor to come swipe your rewards card. You also don't have to worry about if the floor heard or saw the dealer change your money, because the dealers just put it in themselves.

To answer the first part of your inquiry, the winnings don't affect your points or rewards. Neither do your losses, for that matter. Player 1 buys in $5,000, plays for two hours with a $10 average bet. Player 2 buys in for $50, plays for two hours (I know, I know) with a $10 average bet. Both players get the same amount of reward credits for their play.

While it's important to make sure you're rated correctly, time and average bet are much more important than buy-ins or win/loss.

How does my table-game play get tracked?

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Comments

Randall Ward Dec-19-2019

tables

compared to slots it is pretty casual for the average player, lot depends on the supervisor.  I've busted out before they even picked up the card.

Pat Higgins Dec-19-2019

Big Tex

As I understand it, the higher the house advantage the more credits you will get.  Example--play 3 card poker or other poker type of game will supposedly get you more credits/ points than say the pass line at craps.  Most casinos will not give you any credit for the odds bet at craps since it has no house advantage--it is an even no advantage bet.  Question--am I correct that most casinos give no credit for the odds portion of the bet--even though I have lost many times taking max odds such as 3,4,5 or 5 times odds?

Kevin Lewis Dec-19-2019

Craps odds bet don't count

When the floorman eyes your bet size, he will ignore any odds bets.

That guy who wrote "Turning the Tables on Las Vegas" said that sometimes, his odds bets got counted as part of his bet size, so naturally he maximized those bets whenever that was true. But that wasn't the norm, even back then.

For that matter, straight pass and don't pass bets aren't rated that highly. Based on the 20-40% expected loss reimbursement comp formula, a $50 pass line bet should earn you something like 21 cents in comps. They also assess the pace of the table to determine your action per hour. At a busy table, there might only be 10-15 pass line decisions per hour. So you're putting $150 on the table 15 times (double odds) in an hour, and you're getting $3 or so in comps. Whee!

Derbycity123 Dec-19-2019

How does it get tracked?

Not very well is what I have experience. Since I only go to Vegas once or twice a year I can see what the results were for places I go. I have seen where I buy in for 200 and cash in for 150 and they show I lost 200. I have seen where I buy in for 500 twice 1000 total and cash in for 700 and they show 200 win. I hope they think I loss more than I do and when I cash in I only cash in to the closest hundred. Example I have 755 I cash in for 700 and just keep the two green and red chip. Why give to them and just get it back?

Roy Furukawa Dec-19-2019

Average Bet

Of all the things controllable by you is the average bet. Make sure to have your biggest bet out on the table when the floor supervisor comes around to look at your play, that way he'll be logging in more money played per hour by you. All the table games have different formulas depending on the average speed of the game. Craps is not nearly as good now because only your line/come bet counts even though you have full odds out on the table and a seven will clean you out, yet you only get credit for the line/come bets you lost. A ripoff in program benefits considering your risk.

Question of the Day - 19 December 2019

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