Casino Asking For Comp
Answer 1 of 14: I'm trying to convince a group of friends that go to Vegas a couple times a year to try a different brand of hotel. They have earned comps at Harrah properties in the past. The comps have tightened recently so they are looking at other. The most I have been comped was a buffet breakfast at my local casino. Of course I had to wager more than a thousand dollars to get that. It was a decent meal, but didn't make up for the $200 I ended up losing during my trip there. Online at High Noon, I have pulled back comps for cash to wager at their casino for blackjack. Qualified The Venetian Las Vegas Resort Hotel Casino Players are eligible for personal VIP Casino Host services. URComped negotiates aggressively to ensure that thousands of URComped VIP members, including players from The Venetian Las Vegas Resort Hotel Casino, receive the best comp offers and personalized VIP service at casinos and cruise lines around the world. Steve Bourie, author of the American Casino Guide, interviews gambling author/expert Jean Scott, who is known as 'The Queen of Comps,' for details on how to take advantage of the casino comping.
- May 08, 2015 Paying for your drinks. And if you are, then there are only one of two possible reasons why: you're either in a casino that doesn't comp drinks, which means you're not.
- What are some things you've asked your casino host for? Watch this Topic. Browse forums; All. Browse by destination. Fortunately I get RFB with $500/day anytime I go along with a suite so I really don't have to ask for much. Shadow Creek Comp and Show Tickets are really about it. Otherwise all food and beverage is charged to the room.
- To receive your comps, take your card over to the Players Club desk and ask for a comp for dinner, hotel room, or whatever it is you desire. Most casinos will give you a paper voucher to take to the restaurant of your choice inside the casino, while others will put the comp on your card and then you will redeem the comp at the restaurant.
Gamble enough in Las Vegas or other casino destinations and you’ll get a casino host. This person helps you with travel arrangements. She also offers perks like free rooms and meals.
If you have a host, take advantage of the situation. Use their services for whatever you need.
Carnival rio slot machine. Carnival Slots is justthat type of game.
But a casino host won’t tell you everything.
1- Which Games Offer the Highest Comps
The core of a casino host’s job is to get you to gamble as much money as possible. As long as they can get you to put as much money as possible into play, the casino advantage will eventually take the correct amount of it.
Good casino hosts know which games have the highest house edge and highest hold percentage. They also know which ones have the lowest. This information is usually directly tied to the level of comps you can get.
A casino determines a player’s comp level by how much the player is expected to lose. This is determined by the expected house edge on the game being played multiplied by the total amount wagered.
Here’s an example:
A player bets $100 per hand on blackjack. He plays 500 hands. His total amount wagered is $50,000.
With an expected win rate of 2%, the casino expects to win $1,000 ($50,000 X 2%).
The more money the player is expected to lose, the better for the casino host.
2- Which Games Offer the Lowest House Edge
The casino host doesn’t want you playing the games with the lowest house edge. So they probably won’t tell you which ones have it.
How To Get Casino Comps
It doesn’t matter which games have a low house edge if you don’t play them with the best possible strategy. But your host still wants you to lose as much as possible. They won’t steer you to better games.
3- They Don’t Have Your Best Interests in Mind
Your casino host doesn’t have your best interests in mind. Sure, they want you to have a good time, but only because people gamble more when they’re having fun.
Your casino host wants you to gamble as much as possible during your stay. Everything they do is directly related to this goal.
4- They Don’t Like You
Not every casino host dislikes every one of their customers. But the host isn’t your friend, and she doesn’t like you. Depending on your behavior, she might not dislike you, but don’t make the mistake of thinking she likes you – no matter how she acts.
The casino host’s job is to get you to gamble as much as possible.
Thinking your casino host is your friend? Try this little test:
Call your casino host – tell her you need to come to town on business but won’t have any time to gamble at all. Ask them what they can do for you or recommend for your stay.
If you drop thousands of dollars a year, you might still get a room. The casino doesn’t want to risk losing your future play. But even this has limits.
Then install the games.Once you have the app on your device, simply log-in. Online poker real money australia ipad. If you don't have an account many poker site operators will ask that you create your account using your desktop or laptop computer first. What you'll need to do is give them your mobile number, location and your choice of game(s) and they'll send the links to your phone.
And if they do comp your stay in this situation, expect them to encourage you to gamble.
5- They Don’t Care About Your Stories or Your Family or Your Business
Casino hosts listen to your stories and look at the pictures of your kids or pets. But they don’t really care.
Their job is to make you think they care enough to get you to start gambling.
6- Nothing in the Casino is Free
The free drinks, meals, rooms, and flights aren’t really free. They’re paid for out of your expected losses. The casino tells you all of these things are free. They want you to be grateful that they’re taking care of you.
Take the blackjack player who’s expected to lose $1,000 per 500 hands played. He comes to the casino and plays 5,000 hands four times a year. His expected loss for every trip is $10,000. He will have a winning trip every now and then. But on average the casino will have their percentages figured correctly.
The casino knows the player is going to lose an average of $10,000 every time he comes. They also know they can afford to give him thousands in “free” things and still make lots of money.
How much does a round trip flight, hotel room for a week, five buffet comps, and four or five nice meals cost?
Nowhere close to $10,000.
7- Everything You Get is Directly Tied to How Much You Play
Your casino host might hint at this if you aren’t playing enough. But they don’t like to come straight out and say you have to play a certain amount up front.
If you want more comps you probably need to play more. You’ll see exceptions to this rule, but for the most part, what you get from your casino host is directly tied to how much you gamble.
8- If You Don’t Ask You Won’t Get
Many players don’t ask their casino hosts enough questions. Your host will probably take care of your meals and room if you play enough. But you really have no idea how much more you may be able to get. If you don’t ask you’ll never know what you might get.
Want to see the Grand Canyon or the Blue Man Group? Ask if your host can help.
What about a trip to the spa for your spouse?
You don’t even have to ask for monetary value things. Sometimes information can be valuable. Your host should either have a great deal of information or be able to access it.
9 – You Can Get a Better Deal at Other Casinos
Your casino host doesn’t want you to consider another casino. She doesn’t even want you to start thinking about talking to another host.
Are you a big player?
You should shop your play as much as possible. Get as much in return for your play as you can.
10- You Can Get an Upgrade for $20
$20 is an arbitrary amount. But often you can get a room upgrade for a small amount of extra money. Has your casino host arranged for a room?
Ask her how much you would have to pay to get an upgrade.
11- When You’re Just Short of a Big Upgrade or Perk
Unless you track your play (which you should do) and know how the casino determines the amount of your comps (almost impossible to find out), you won’t know where you are on the scale of players at the casino. The bigger the player, the more you can get, but there’s always a line separating one level of play from another.
If you’re just a few thousand short of the next level of player it would be nice to know so you could play a little more.
A smart casino host may let you know when you’re close, but most of them won’t. If they do tell you, make sure you know exactly how much more you need to play and what you will get in return. You don’t want to lose twice what it would cost you to buy the same perks.
12- When You’ve Had Too Much to Drink
Why do you think casinos offer free drinks to players?
The more you drink, the more you gamble.
Because your casino host wants you to play as much as possible, she’s more likely to order you another drink than tell you it’s time to stop.
13- Where to Find a New Casino Host
The casino host business is competitive. Hosts protect their clients fiercely. If you start thinking about finding another host, don’t tell your current host.
Conclusion
Playing enough to have a casino host and getting perks from the casino feels great. But you still need to make sure you’re watching out for your best interests.
The casino host wants you to play as much as possible. Everything she does is done with this ultimate goal in mind. Remember this. You should be able to take advantage of their services and have a good time along the way.
Free Stuff! -- Casino Comps
Originally published 2006, revised 11/2010
'Comp' is short for 'complementary' and it means anything free or reduced price that a casino gives you. It's a marketing tactic, like 'buy one get one free' at the grocery store. If you're parking your RV overnight at the casino you already have one comp -- the free parking -- and it didn't cost you anything on your comp account!
What kinds of comps can you expect?
At a minimum, anyone playing a casino game (in Nevada and most other states) can expect free drinks, including soft drinks, beer, wine, mixed drinks, coffee, hot chocolate, even milkshakes in some places. Pretty much anything the bar can make you can have free while you're gambling.
Of course, you do need to tip the cocktail waitress or bartender. They work hard, and work for tips, so I recommend the following:
Tipping for Cocktails
Normal good service $1 each drink. Excellent service, $2 each drink. If you're somewhat of a high roller and you'd really like special treatment from the cocktail staff tip $5 up front when you order each drink.
Check out www.cocktaildoll.com. You'll learn the inside story of what it's like to cocktail at a casino. Many of her stories will have you rolling on the floor laughing!
Beyond free drinks the sky is the limit for comps, it all depends on how much you play.
Low Rollers can expect free or reduced price buffet meals, reduced price rooms, some other limited comps.
Average players can expect the same, plus free rooms and/or upgrade to suites, nicer restaurant comps, show tickets, special invitations.
If you're a High Roller, you'll get what's called RFB. That stands for Room, Food and Beverage. You'll also get free show tickets, rounds of golf, airfare to visit the casino, cruises, celebrity social events, etc.
How do you get additional comps?
There are several ways to receive comps, but the primary two are through marketing, and by asking for them at the casino.
Marketing Comps:
After you visit a casino and play some you'll start receiving marketing in the mail. Usually this will include coupons that you can redeem at the casino for free buffets, free room (or reduced price), free spa visits, show tickets, etc. You may also get what's called 'bounce back cash' or 'free play'. Bounce back cash is a coupon that you exchange for cash at the casino. Free play is a coupon for a dollar amount of free play on slots or video poker machines. Both are great. Cash is nice, but you usually get less cash and more free play.
A typical quarter video poker player who plays 4 to 6 hours a day for a long weekend might get between $25 and $50 in free play for the next trip. If you play a lot longer you might get more. If you play at the Dollar level you might get $100 to $300, and so on.
Comps you ask for
One thing to remember in a casino is to ASK for a comp, because you'll rarely get it unless you ask!
Playing Table Games: If you play blackjack, craps, or other table games you'll usually get your comps from the Pit Boss. How much you get depends on three things:
Your level of play -- how much you're wagering
How long you have played
What casino you're at, how upscale it is, and their comp policy
The basic version is this. Sit down and play for a few hours. When dinner time comes, tell the dealer; 'I'd like to color up, and could you ask the boss if I can get a dinner comped?' The pit boss will check your play, and will tell you if you can have a comp or not. If not, ask what level of play is typically required for a couple of buffets or a trip to the coffee shop or whatever it is you'd like.
Special Note for RV Travelers
Comp 'status' is a different game for Locals than for Vacationers. As an RV traveler, sometimes you're like a Local and sometimes like a Vacationer. If you care about comps it's important to recognize which you are 'now'.
Vacationer
If you're just visiting for a few days, and will be moving on, then you're more like a vacationer. If you'd like to get a room comp next time you're in town (maybe for friends to join you for a vacation) or to use in the casino RV park, then you're like a vacationer.
If you're a Vacationer, you care about getting the free room comp, and about achieving the highest status you can on the way to being RFB. The path to high status as a vacationer is daily average play. The casino knows you'll only be in town a short time, so they want to know how much action you'll give them on your next trip.
Here's how you get the highest possible rating as a vacationer:
Read Gambling 101, and pick casinos that offer good games. Never 'play for comps', they're just a bonus
Play at casinos that want your business.
For a given gambling budget, one casino may lavish you and another may ignore you.
Do some research, and find out which casinos will give you the best comps for YOUR level of play. For Las Vegas, join the Las Vegas Advisor and visit their online forum. Worth many times the cost of membership. If you visit casinos in the Midwest check out www.midwestgamingandtravel.com
Give all your play for the trip to ONE casino. This will give you a high daily average.
Talk to a host, or slot club supervisor, and find out what time the casino 'day' begins and ends for tracking play. Often this is midnight but not always.
Your daily average is '$ divided by days'. So if you give the casino $20k of action over 3 days your average is $6,666, but if you spread it over 4 days your average is $5,000. Big difference.
Time your play to avoid messing up your average.
At the end of your trip, talk to a Host. Ask them to take a look at your play and tell you what you'd qualify for on your next trip.
Some times it takes 2 or 3 trips to become 'established' at a casino, but sometimes one visit is sufficient.
Be prepared to tell the host what you'd like to have if they ask (room, buffets, RFB).
Local
If you'll be in the area for a month or more - maybe for a whole season - then you can play like a local. For local players, casinos don't care so much about your daily average but about your total action. You also have time to take advantage of promotions that may be going on (like those free car drawings that you 'must be present to win').
Here's how you get the best comps as a local:
First two points are same as for a vacationer above.
Don't worry about daily averages. When you're playing for a month or more it's your total action that matters.
Find out what papers run the casino specials and promotions and become aware of them all. Get on casino's email lists so they'll tell you. Seek out casinos that are offering promotions where you have an advantage.
Be aware of any 'tier' systems that reward you for reaching particular levels of play. These often have names like Gold, Platinum, Diamond, etc. If achieving the next tier has enough value for you give all your play to that one casino until you reach the level you desire, then it's OK to move around some.
Ask the casino a few days before you leave how close you are to the next tier. You may be only a few hundred points off, but if you wait a year you may have to start over.
How Casino Comps Work
Here's a more detailed explanation of how casinos figure comps.
Warning: This may put some of you to sleep. We're going to do math..
You're playing green chips ($25 a bet) and you've been at the blackjack table about 4 hours. If you're in downtown Las Vegas (except maybe the Golden Nugget) you can easily ask for some buffets, or probably a nice restaurant comp with a limit on spending. If you're on the strip at Bellagio, Wynn, City Center, etc. you probably qualify for another cocktail.
Next time, you're playing black chips ($100 a bet). Now you can probably get an open comp for two at a gourmet downtown restaurant. At the Bellagio, Wynn, Mirage, etc. you'll get a couple of buffets (and they're really good buffets!) Some strip properties are trying harder during the bad economy and you might get more.
Getting to know Theo
Best Casinos For Comps
Who is Theo, and why should you get to know him? Theo stands for 'Theoretical Loss'. (Note, this is the 'technical stuff' folks, so fair warning).
Theo is the dollar amount you are expected to lose playing a particular game, at a particular rate, for a specific time. The formula is Vig x Your Average Bet x Hands Per Hour x Hours Played. It is used to compute how much you can receive in casino comps.
Let's say you're playing a game with a 1.5% average casino vig. The actual Vig (house advantage) with expert play may be 1%, but they usually do these figures based on the average, so if you have some skill you come out ahead! Now lets say you play at the level of $25 a hand, and play 40 hands per hour. That's .015 x 25 x 40 = $15.00. Now let's say you play for 4 hours. Statistically, your loss should be $60 for that four hours of play. That's your Theo.
Casinos have a standard for what percentage of your Theo you can be comped. Sometimes the pit boss has discretion, and will take into consideration a really bad losing session. Comping at 40% of Theo is typical. So in the example above you now have about $24 in 'compability'. You ask for a couple of $15 buffets, and the pit boss throws you a bone and writes you the comp for $30.
But let's dissect this comp, what's it really worth?
Most of the comps you receive will be what are known as 'soft comps'. The casino didn't spend $30 cash to give you those two $15 buffet tickets. It may have only cost the casino $4 to serve your meals. To YOU, it's still worth $30 (unless you'd prefer to eat a cold ham sandwich in your room). The same principal goes for those $8 mixed drinks you got for free, and that $150 a night room.
'Hard comps' are a completely different thing. Most of the time you need to be a high roller to get them. Let's say you're playing at the Rio, and you tell the host you'd really love tickets to see Zumanity (the Cirque Du Soleil show at NYNY). Those tickets are 'hard comps' because the Rio has to pay hard cash for them. So unless you're a real high roller forget it.
What should you remember from all this?
If nothing else remember this; 'Ask for comps'. Be aware of what you can get from the casino to offset your losses (or add to your winnings!)
Resources on the web
Places I've found for researching casino comp systems and asking questions about specific casinos:
The Frugal Gambler, More Frugal Gambling books by Jean Scott http://queenofcomps.com
Casino Comps Yahoo! Group (Free) http://groups.yahoo.com/group/casino_comps/
Las Vegas Advisor ($39/yr, but with an excellent coupon book) www.lasvegasadvisor.com
- Midwest Gaming and Travelwww.midwestgamingandtravel.com