Video Poker Bartop VP Ettiquette

I just came across y'alls site and been reading the great information. Been to Vegas plenty of times, but I have a question about bartop VP that I don't know who to ask.

I've played lots of VP on the casino floor. I understand the "rules" about drinks - waitress takes your order, brings you a drink, you tip her a buck or so and everybody is happy. Don't order something complicated - just a regular beer or vodka cran or something simple.

I've read things about getting comped nicer drinks at the bar top. How does it work? I read you have to play max bet, which is fine. Can I get anything I want or is there some line that I shouldn't cross? How do I know what's comped or not? How many drinks will they give me - as in.. how fast can I get a new one ? Do I have to play a certain speed or can I take my time and enjoy the drink, the environment and the other people?

How does it all work.

TIA!

 

It really does depend on the casino...or bar...or bartender. So, my first piece of advice would be to ask the bartender what is expected and what drinks can be comped.

Generally speaking, if you're playing max coin on a quarter machine or higher, most strip properties will comp you a decent liquor. Not some $300 per sip Scotch, of course. But Grey Goose, Hendricks, Patrón, Woodford Reserve...stuff like this shouldn't be an issue if you're legitimately playing and tipping well.

How fast do you need to play? Again, I'm sure it varies quite a bit from place to place. But I think it's safe to say that most bartenders will be able to tell an actual player from a scammer. If you're a gambler - even if you take periodic breaks to watch the game, chat with your friend, people-watch, whatever - you shouldn't have a problem getting all you want comped.

There are a few exceptions. Wynn and Encore will not comp drinks for bartop players at all. And I believe I've read that there's a bar in Aria that will only give you one drink every 30 minutes (though I never ran into this during my brief stay there earlier this month).

Also, don't expect top notch paytables on the bartops (except at Wynn/Encore...where you can't get comped drinks).

Of course, now that I've written this I notice your name is DowntownDiva. So I don't know how relevant my strip-centric info is for you.

 

The bartenders will tell you what is expected.
Most MGM properties expect an MLife card in the machine and playing max units.
I was at Aria last week and played at all the bars that have VP.I was playing dollars or higher.My wife was playing quarters.
We both drink Grey Goose and had no problems anywhere and she takes a lot of breaks while playing.
I also think a generous tip on the first round goes a long way in how they look at it.

 

once the bartender tells you the skinny, become his friend... after you order and before he comes back, throw a fiver in the glass. he'll know
then a buck or two depending on what you are drinking.

 

There is no rule about ordering simple drinks from the cocktail waitress. Order whatever you want. They'll let you know if you can get it.

The VP bars near home have all kinds of different rules regarding drinks. Some will comp just about anything. Some will only comp house beer, wine, and booze. Some will only give 2 drinks per hour. Some won't comp anything but the drink prices are reasonable. I've had bartender tell us we were playing too slow when we got to chatting with friends.

 

In general the nicer the casino the better the liquor comped. At Cosmo it's not a problem to get their speciality cocktails comped but downtown at The D I couldn't get Makers and settled for Jack. Not a huge downgrade and I really enjoy both properties. Just scale your expectation with where you're playing.

 

I've never had an issue getting a nicer liquor at Aria VP, but I do have trouble with their time allotments for how frequently you can order.

 

Bayou Bengal at the D I've been told they'll comp Makers for table games but not for vp or slots

 

I was playing at VUE bar upstairs so it looks like that holds true.

 

Based on my personal experience, and also what I've read around here, that's more of an issue at the sports bar (which I believe has $0.25 machines) than at Lift Bar (which doesn't go lower than $1). Lift Bar bartenders tend to bring me drinks faster than I can drink them, including specialty cocktails and premium liquors.