Vegas marketing is second to none. There is so much competition in Sin City these days that average to moderate gamblers, like myself, can still score free (or highly discounted) rooms, shows and dinners on the house. The following post will provide tips on how to score comps in a town that loves to "give" things away, in hopes of you dropping the nest egg at the tables. These tips are from my experiences only, things that have worked for me ... others might have a different system (like gambling $500 a hand), but me I'm sneaky... and I'm not rich.In nearly 25 trips to Las Vegas in the last 5-6 years I have never paid full price for a room and 90% of the time they are comped for my entire trip. The tips below are targeted towards table games players, not slot jockeys.... sorry :)
Sign-up for a Players Card at each casino
This goes without question. The casino's will not be able to track your play or send you offers without a players card. ALWAYS get a card before playing.
Buy in for a larger amount than you intend to play
This takes a ton of discipline. You have to set a "limit" for losses when using this technique. I usually buy-in for at least double than what I intend on playing. This way, the pit boss believes you are a higher-level player than you actually are. The pit boss will enter that amount into the computer and wish you good luck. Be careful though, especially if you are losing, stay dedicated to your loss limit, or you could ruin your trip.
Place your larger bets when being observed by the pit boss This sounds juvenile, but trust me... it will help you score comps. The more money you play, the better comps you will receive. The pit boss will not be paying attention to you the entire time you play, because they have other tables to watch. If you see he/she glancing over at you, throw an extra $25 on the table, that way they will think you are $50 player instead of a $25. In Vegas, perception is reality!
Play at smaller, less popular casinos
For some reason, I really enjoy going to less popular casinos and feeling like a big fish in a small pond. For instance, Imperial Palace (a Rhino Nights crew favorite!) is in the heart of the strip. The "High Roller" lounge at IP has $25 minimums... that is unheard of in the large, popular casinos. We have sat in there on countless occasions, playing quarters and being treated like kings with our own personal cocktail waitress. Since being bought by Harrahs, IP has toned down the rate of comps they offer, but you can still score a free room quickly by playing there for a few hours.
Be friendly to dealers (tip a lot)
This is another no-brainer. You can catch more bees with honey than vinegar. The dealer can make or break your comps as a table player. Often, in busy casinos, the pit boss will rely on the dealer to inform them of the players "rate of play". Meaning, the average amount played on each hand. If you are being generous by tipping the dealer on winning hands, they will be more "generous" when telling the dealer how much you were betting. My best experience with this was at the Stardust (God Rest Her Sweet Soul). After a nice run the night before, I sat down by myself at the blackjack table. I was up on the trip, so I decided to play $50 a hand. The dealer was a sweet gal that had worked there for ages and we struck up a conversation. Turned out, we were both from the same part of the country. After about an hour of play and several funny stories, not only did I walk away with $500 from the Stardust... the dealer told the pit boss I had played $200 a hand! Needless to say, I was offered the finest suite at the Stardust on my next trip.
Like I said before, these are things that have worked for me and I will continue to do them on every trip to Sin City. I hope these tips score you some free rooms! Let us know in the comments section any other advice you have for sneaky guys like me about getting comps in the world's greatest city!
2 comments: