My last few posts discussed dining discounts and I offered various approaches, including frequency cards, gifts cards, membership concessions, etc., which can be used in restaurants anywhere in America, not just Las Vegas. This post, however, addresses a common dining (or more accurately drinking) discount that you probably find only in this state — drink comps for bar customers playing the machines.
Most locals know the drill. Walk into a Nevada bar (especially one open 24/7 that has 15 machines and allows smoking) and put a $20 bill into the slot, and the bartender asks you what you want to drink. This dance happens hundreds of times an hour throughout the Las Vegas valley.
Anthony Curtis and I are involved in a long-standing debate on the subject. Granted, I’m not a fan of smoky Las Vegas video poker bars, but I’m not going to play $20 in an inferior video poker game (perfect play theo is <95%) to earn a $5 beer.
Anthony feels that if you play through the money once or twice (and you know the game you’re playing), even a 5%-hold game will cost you $1-$2, which is more than covered by the free beer, a good play, especially if you like the bar and the other patrons.
It’s one of those argument where both sides are right, depending on play habits.
Over the last few years, bar drink comps have become less “automatic” than they once were. Several casinos have installed special light indicators or other schemes at the bar that tell the bartenders when they can comp a drink (based on the player’s handle and the game’s theo). Smaller joints have also constricted bar comping. And throughout the valley, bars and casinos both large and small have tightened up their bartop video poker and blackjack games.
Last weekend, I met a friend at a bar (appropriately named Three Angry Wives) for a late-lunch early-dinner. Dave chose the spot as it’s right next to his chiropractor; he was into his second beer and playing blackjack at the bar when I arrived. He had initially deposited $40 and had $47 in credits on the machine before he cashed out and we moved to a table. Before we moved, Dave went out of his way to leave a $5 tip for the bartender.
After a so-so-at-best dinner, when we got the $60 bill (it was my turn), Dave noticed that neither of his bar drinks had been comped. He politely asked the bartender, who in a very loud voice announced, “You didn’t play enough to earn one beer, much less two!” Then he handed back Dave’s $5 tip, saying, “I knew you were a scammer, so I didn’t ring up your tip. You guys really don’t need to come back here anymore.” To be sure, that was a suggestion we’ll both take him up on.
On the way home, I called a couple of friends who own or manage Las Vegas bars and both stated that their bars have a comped drink policy they share with customers if asked. One even has it on welcome signs on the machines ($20 buy-in for your first comped beer).
Also, upon reflection we should have settled the bar bill before moving to a table. If we had, when we found out about the non-comped drinks, we probably would have gone for dinner elsewhere.
So, while Mr. Curtis and Mr. Compton might disagree that a $20 buy-in for a $5 beer is a good play, we both recommend that you check out the bar’s comping policy before sticking a bill into the machine – especially if you haven’t visited the place recently.
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So much to discuss here. Right off the top, this is a bartender wanting to show who’s boss. These bartenders are very expensive to a bar, because they run out suckers (not saying that was your friend; I have many examples). The important variable here that’s not disclosed is how much money was run through the machine. The buy-in isn’t important. The result isn’t important. It’s the handle that’s paramount for the bartender’s decision to comp and the customer’s decision to play. Love this subject. Let’s get a conversation going.
Wow! The bar keep sounded like the owner.
Does the bar keep know the hold on that machine and all of the machines?
Eighty-sixed for not playing enough at the bar top?
Gee.
It seems to me that the bartender should have made it clear when the friend cashed out of the machine. He should have brought this issue to their attention. Why would anyone want to go here with this type of attitude. Especially if the bartender is already profiling people, which was an admission he made when he marked them for scammers.
I’d plaster that experience all over Yelp and TripAdvisor. That kind of behavior from the bartender is outrageous and inexcusable.
2 first (and last) time bar patrons + 1 totally clueless bartender = 3 Angry Wives
Some bartenders feel that it is ‘their bar’ and they have to assert their authority. Granted, they probably see scammers all day long but if you are playing, you should get your drink comped.
This particular bartender is a moron. First, you throw back a $5 tip. Second, you accuse someone of scamming while they are playing. Third, you handle a customer question in a rude manner. Fourth, you boot the customer when that really isn’t your call.
It’s an interesting discussion. I would ALWAYS play the $20 for a free drink. If you look at it like you should always get the drink for less than the actual loss on the machine, you’ll be disappointed. If you play these enough, your results will approach the expected loss and this becomes a good deal. This is assuming that you value the drink at the $5 value. If you run $60 through a 95% machine, your expected loss is $3. Big hands will determine how close you get to this value. And another point is that if you keep playing, the bartender should keep serving drinks.
Places are looking to cut costs where ever they can. But losing 2 customers over a couple of comped beers isn’t the way to cut costs.
First of all, paying $5 for a beer is overpaying. Secondly, playing a VP machine @ 95% payback is ignorant. Add both of these things up and you get a fool looking at throwing away his money. But you say, “it’s a bar”. Big deal, if I want to play VP, I will frequent a location that has good/better paying VP. Also, if in a casino, the beer or other drink would cost the price of a tip. But then you say, “it’s a bar”…. I yield to the next one commenting.
Don’t agree at all with David. “Overpaying” is subjective. Maybe there’s a game on you can’t get somewhere else, a bartender you like, or you just don’t want to be alone. It’s subject to individual utility. And what matters with the game return is how much the theoretical cost is relative to what you want. What is that beer worth to you? If it’s worth $5 and you get it for $3 in theo, playing the 95% game that gets you there is anything but ignorant. Is it worth $2 to you? Then playing the $20 through twice is a good play when it’s $5 retail. If it’s worth $1, you still get there by dropping the $20 and playing through once. If you’re a good player, a 6/5 Bonus Poker game — the best game at most bars — costs just a little over 3%. So now you can play the $20 through five times and easily beat the retail price. The value only gets more pronounced as the retail price of what you’re getting goes up, and I’m not factoring in the possibility of back-end bonuses (e.g., mail) and the entertainment value of playing. I like going to bars and it’s a big part of my job, so playing through $20 for a beer is almost always a winning strategy.
I sit down throw a twenty in. First comped drink happens immediately. Bartender observes my play and sees I am playing $1.25 a spin and after 10 minutes asks if I want another. I get my second comped drink. I have never had anyone try to revoke a comped drink that has been given. Some places are slow to offer the second. But I sure as hell can’t imagine a second being offered if it was not comped.