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MyVegas MyVegas really worth it?

Discussion in 'MyVegas' started by Sweetvibes, Feb 2, 2015.

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  1. Sweetvibes

    Sweetvibes Low-Roller

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    So here is some background:

    I recently signed up to MyVegas after hearing about the great perks you can "earn" after some play, including free nights, buffet, shows etc etc.

    I admit I am hooked on both BJ and Slots and it is a great time pass on the commute to work with the incentive to win some prizes for my "hard work". Having said that I have accumulated a small number of loyalty coins (35k or so in about a few weeks, of casual play - this includes BJ, Slots and facebook app)

    Now after browsing the rewards section I see most good prizes are either sold out, or get snatched up after minutes of a new batch being distributed out.

    I am primarily interested in the various buffets (although it appears only valid from Sun-Thurs, with a room stay at an MGM property), possibly 2 for 1 shows and maybe room nights (although not at the lower end properties which seem to be in abundance). My Vegas stays are 100% of the time range between Thurs-Monday stays.

    The dilemna comes in due to my status

    Currently I am a platinum member at the Cosmo (Identity) which gives me a few free nights a year and 2 for 1 wicked spoon any day of the week (all due to spend, not gambling). Therefore in this case the incentive to earn a "free" night at the Monte Carlo, Luxor, Mandalay Bay do not appeal to me since the Cosmo is much much much nicer. I have also read (no experience) the buffet's at MGM casinos with the exception maybe of Bellagio, do not compare to the Wicked Spoon, so here again the buffet incentive is marginalized.

    Finally I usually get good breaks/deals on some of the Vegas shows, so even those rewards aren't that exciting.

    I am also a Platinum member of Mlife (through Hyatt) so the benefits of Mlife all apply through this status as well.

    Am I missing something here? or does MyVegas mostly appeal to those people who have no Casino status and who go to Vegas outside weekends. Are there other rewards I am not seeing?
     
  2. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    The way the game currently is...nope you're not missing much. The forced stays are ruining it for those have hotels elsewhere. It's much more valuable for "fleas" like myself now.

    The game was much more "juicy" two years ago. I found this forum initially by googling for myVegas advice.
     
  3. mikeinctown

    mikeinctown High-Roller

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    Does a free or half off cruise appeal to you? If it is easier for you to pay for it then just do it. For most people, the rewards they get offer a significant savings vs what they would otherwise get. I'm saving roughly $200-$300 using the rewards when I go in 4 weeks. If that doesn't interest you then don't play.
     
  4. Sweetvibes

    Sweetvibes Low-Roller

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    I guess it then comes down to how much you value your free time to start quantifying your hourly earn rate.

    But when you say $200-$300 how long did it take you to amass this? And how are you valuing whatever it is you are getting at $200 or so?
     
  5. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

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    pretty much.

    when it first came out people were getting great rewards for not a lot of play.

    but as with everything, they've diluted the reward pool so much, it takes a ton of time to earn not much.

    I remember a while back a few people kept track of their time spent vs the rewards earned.

    it came out to a few cents an hour or something like that.

    so if you just enjoy playing and are going to play anyway, go for it.

    but financially you'd be way better off taking a part time job at McD and paying for stuff.
     
  6. bjpcyclone

    bjpcyclone High-Roller

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    Is it "worth it"? Probably not. It takes a lot of time and effort to accumulate rewards. And as others have said, the rewards have been really devalued over the last year or so.

    But if you enjoy playing the game and getting a free small freebies from it, why not continue to play it?

    It's not much but you could get a meal or two paid for, tickets to a show you normally wouldn't see, or try out a new hotel property you normally wouldn't pay for. All for playing some free slots and BJ.
     
  7. cjohnson202

    cjohnson202 VIP Whale

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    I used to love playing and earning rewards. However, now almost every good reward is tied to staying at an Mlife property, and I'm 100% CET now, so I find it VERY hard to use my reward credits. Two straight trips now that for the most part, I haven't redeemed anything minus a monorail pass and maybe a random shot of something somewhere
     
  8. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    In terms of "big ticket" items, the free/half off cruise is now the best choice.

    As for myself, I've amassed over a million LPs at this point.

    Things I've redeemed so far (I might be missing a 5k popcorn from the sugar factory here...hopefully nothing else):
    2 midweek nights at Mirage (5/13): 100k
    2 premium tix to "Love" (5/13): 208k
    1 midweek bonus night at MGM Grand (9/13): 47.5k
    1 premium ticket to "Ka" (9/13): 78k
    1 midweek bonus night at Mirage (9/13): 52.5k
    1 winter midweek bonus night at Mirage (2/14): 15k
    1 premium ticket to "Zarkana" (2/14): 78k
    1 midweek bonus night at Monte Carlo (2/14): 30k
    1 midweek night at Gold Strike Tunica (7/14): 79k
    1 complimentary buffet at Gold Strike Tunica (7/14): 23k
    1 standard ticket to "Ka" (9/14): 40k
    1 weekend night at Monte Carlo (9/14): 40k
    1 Buy One Get One buffet at Gold Strike Tunica (10/14): 16k
    1 Bonus weekend night at Gold Strike Tunica (1/15): 149k
    1 standard ticket to "Zarkana" (2/15): 40k
    1 companion ticket to "Terry Fator" (2/15): 27.25k
    1 ticket to Siegfried & Roy's Secret Garden (2/15): 25k

    Total LP redeemed: 1,048,250 (Plus some Stations casino awards TBD)

    (rough retail value of these things: $1720...what I would really want to spend on them...probably half that: $860. I usually think 50% retail for most things in Vegas is a price okay to pay)

    Current LP balance: 55,400

    Current red chip balance: 9.28M

    I've played for 2.5 years now, but I have tailed off my play a bit lately. Also go with my g/f always who has redeemed a similar amount of points. For a good year, I was probably spinning slots in the background a couple of hours a day while just surfing the net. If I need points in a hurry, I just play 49,500 chips per hand of blackjack, I can earn about 15k LP a day in 2 hours that way. But if you notice, I've spent a LOT on rooms. Those are some of the better values left in the game.
     
  9. Harry Lyme

    Harry Lyme VIP Whale

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    I think you answered your question. It's not worth it if you see no value in any of the rewards. Same for anyone who is comped any and every thing. Me, while playing it is a fun few minutes out a day...I don't know how other people do it...I generally just put it next to my chair, set a bet and auto-play it while I'm watching a movie or show and check on it during "ad breaks". I probably only actively played on the PC, as the games are more entertaining there, but it's been ages since that.

    "Fleas" like myself probably save $100 a trip if you factor in actual buffet costs and such. Likely more if you do shows. That's not a lot to some people but I don't go to Vegas to flush money down the toilet just because. It's Vegas, so money will be spent, but if I can cut costs here or there just by utilizing time on the toilet, then cool beans.
     
  10. bswim

    bswim High-Roller

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    I would say it's worth it for the rooms and the shows. you call and book those ahead of time.

    The wait times can be outrageous at the MLife desks depending on what time you go. I'd suggest early in the morning.
     
  11. ritzcarlton89

    ritzcarlton89 Low-Roller

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    Anyone know if there are play requirements to comped rooms through Myvegas? Cause if not, then that might be a benefit since actually gambling to the level of a comped stay can be more expensive than actually paying for the room outright. Myvegas room comps might be a good way to play where you want and gamble freely without a host watching your play and feeling pressured to not underplay an offer
     
  12. neminem

    neminem Low-Roller

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    Right. If you already have a jillion comps cause you're a crazy gambler, then no, apparently it isn't worth it. I probably wouldn't bother with it if I had all your crazy comps, either. For someone like myself, though, who doesn't gamble, and certainly wouldn't ever gamble to a level where a casino would decide it would be worth it to comp me anything, especially not like what you're getting comped... it's totally worth it. 3 nights in a nice hotel for 30 bucks a night (cause resort fees, so not actually free, but still pretty nice) is nothing to sneeze at, if you aren't otherwise getting comped anything.
     
  13. Piggylane

    Piggylane Well-Known Member

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    Hey, free stuff is free, right? If you are commuting on a bus, train or plane and have the time to earn a free beer and pizza at the 550 then get a free dessert at Jean Phillippe Parisserie, why not?

    I've earned over 1 Million LP's and have cashed them in for Freeplay, food, beer and show tickets. I'm also a Platinum at MGM but have gotten that from staying there and playing there so it's easier to redeem.

    You are correct - Wicked Spoon is much better than any of the MGM buffets, even Belaggio so don't waste your points on buffets.

    No one forces anyone to play. It's a marketing effort. Some enjoy it, some don't.
     
  14. lionelhutz

    lionelhutz Low-Roller

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    others have more or less said the same thing, but the game has changed SIGNIFICANTLY since its launch a couple of years ago.

    originally, there were no 3-in-30 days redemption limits, and some of the rewards were fantastic. When we went in March 2013, I redeemed 2 nights + 1 night in a Mirage Tower Suite (total cost approx 80,000 lps),
    2 Love tickets, Mirage buffets, drinks at Rhumbar, $50 credit at Monte Carlo, $50 at Sporting House at NYNY, and one or two more that I can't remember. We were able to do that because I had purchased those rewards before they instituted the 3-in-30 thing.

    now it's more 'coupon-y' than anything else, with the BOGO redemptions and such. And the few that are worth it are gone within seconds when they become available.
    I'm sitting on 400,000 LPs and about 3 million in chips, and even with a trip coming up in August, it feels like they're useless (monorail passes?? free ice cream at Monte Carlo?? no thanks)
     
  15. tringlomane

    tringlomane STP Addicted Beer Snob

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    There is no play requirement as of yet. I hope PlayStudios doesn't read this.
     
  16. DoubleUp

    DoubleUp Low-Roller

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    If you enjoy playing their slot games, it is nice to be able to actually turn it into some small rewards. I don't, so I don't play, but my wife loves it and we have gotten free drinks and what not from it, even free rooms. So it has two values for me. 1) Keeps her busy and 2) free stuff
     
  17. willywilkes

    willywilkes Low-Roller

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    I have personally found it worth it but it really depends on whether or not you find playing to be a hassle- I usually save up, then run autospin in the background on work. I know the ability to earn LP drops off drastically at a high level, but I am low 300s right now and find it easy to earn (really for the past 100 levels or so it has been). My partner is finally catching up, but their play (less than level 100) seemed so tedious and the earnings were meager.

    We used the following (2 accts, 3 rewards each):
    July 2014:
    -2x midweek comp bonus at Mandalay bay
    -2 breakfast/lunch at Mirage
    -Free appetizer at Tap
    -One other reward that I can't remember, wasn't anything major

    December 2014:
    -2x $25 freeplay Luxor
    -$10 freeplay Mandalay Bay
    -1 midweek comp bonus at Mandalay Bay (paid $20 to upgrade to Delano)
    -2 breakfast/lunch at Aria
    -$50 food at Monte Carlo

    June 2015:
    -3x midweek comp bonus at Mirage (booked)
    - 2 breakfast/lunch at Bellagio (planned)
    -2x $50 freeplay at Mirage (panned)

    I find it worth it for free rooms, I like free play, and I enjoy going to a buffet once per trip. If it weren't for myvegas I would have probably only gone to vegas once in a year span instead of three times, and I wouldn't pay for a buffet, but that is just me.
     
  18. weluvvegas

    weluvvegas Casino Countess

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    I've been playing since it started and have used it on 4+ trips and have gotten free rooms, free food, free drinks, free shows...etc... I am a mid-level MLife member and usually combine with my MLife offers. I found that when you book an MLife room comp offer, you have to play up to and above a certain amount before they will consider taking things off of your bill at checkout, since the comp was given up front. Use a MyVegas comp and you are more likely to get back end comps and things removed from your bill before you check out. That has been my experience anyway!

    Doing just about nothing and getting free stuff for it - how is that not worth it? And c'mon, clicking a spin button on a computer game is totally doing nothing. I'll keep playing it for as long as it sticks around!
     
  19. Sweetvibes

    Sweetvibes Low-Roller

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    Some fantastic insight and responses and all points have definite validity. It has helped me focus on rewards more geared to experiences I wouldn't have tried before (even if inferior)

    The truth is I am slightly hooked on MyVegas, but there is a chase element to it as well. Since it is tied to "potential rewards" I likely end up spending 70% more time on this than I would have had if it was simply and purely for amusement. Even the auto-spin in slots, although automatic, often times has me manually intervening in order to complete and trigger bonuses and then of course the psychology of looking for those "HUGE WINS" every so often.

    I guess there is no opportunity cost in terms of free rewards vs. no rewards, just the amount of time becomes a question...I mean hey, I could also be contributing more to this board as another good use of time. :)
     
  20. mikeinctown

    mikeinctown High-Roller

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    I've been playing on and off for about two years with more off than on. I had close to 700k LP points and just redeemed a bunch for my upcoming trip.

    3 nights at Monte Carlo were $70 a night when I booked. ($210) Depending on the dates I was going I could have gotten Mandalay Bay if I wanted. I could also stay at a nice place like the Red Rock or GVR if I wanted. I also have three buffets to use now at the Red Rock and Palace Station. I think my last trip a buffet at the Red Rock was about $16 or so. So I'm at about $260. If I didn't want to stay at Monte Carlo for my fourth night I would have booked at Red Rock, so the free night would have been worth over $125 to me vs $16 for a buffet. I also plan on redeeming for a couple other partner awards as well, but nothing big. If I was staying a week later I'd be getting comped NASCAR tickets.

    I've never played enough in Vegas to qualify for a free room or even a free meal. The only offers I've ever gotten were at the Stratosphere when I would go a couple times a year and stay for $15 a night. (before the F'ing resort fees.)
     
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