Spreading the love @ multiple casinos, not killing your comps - strategy?

I see that many folks here are high rollers that don't need to worry about stuff like ADT. But I'm a low roller, so I worry.

When I'm in Vegas, I will often wander from casino to casino. Looking at other discussions here, that's a bad approach for CET and likely Mlife properties too.

For Mlife, it seems like they look at the total amount played across an entire trip. Let's say I play there on Monday & Thursday. Will that show up as a 4 day trip to them?

What do the rewards programs for other casinos care more about - average daily play, or average play across your trip?

What's YOUR approach for gambling in a way that you don't dilute your offers?

Don't bother putting your card into the machine unless you plan to play for x amount of time or $y coin-in? Arrange your hotel visits so that all props in one program happen on a small number of days? Something else?

Please share!

 

I have to admit. I'm still trying to figure this out. I usually get comp room and free play at the big 3 (as I see them being MGM, Caesars, V/P) butdon't think my play at any justifies double booking offers for example.

I'll gamble probably 80% of my budget where I'm staying. With CZRs, they look at your play across all their properties and combine it. It seems like with MGM, it's more based on the property you're at. With V/P, I have no idea.

I have stopped gambling on my departure day if I can't put in my normal play that day add I've been led to believe it will impact you more than if you don't play at all that day... But as I said, very interested in what others have to say too.

 

Well, I wander around a lot for food, so I might find myself in and MGM hotel or the Cosmopolitan, but I usually don't worry too much about those programs. Still put my card in, though. I play the hardest at CET, but I try and keep my ADT up, so I'll time my stay there so I can get full gambling days in. To do this, I'll stay at other places, usually Downtown. ElCo gives me free rooms, some modest food and freeplay, and a 5x point multiplier for one day, and so I play them hard one day of three, which seems to work, because they keep having me back. Sometimes, too, I'll stay at the Golden Gate. Their food and FP comps don't need a stay, but seeing as I've been coming in for a week at a time lately, it helps me round out the week still without paying resort fees.

So, for my upcoming trip, I plan on staying at ElCo the first three nights, because I get in late the first night. One heavy day of play, then I'll move to the Flamingo at a reasonable time in the morning, so I can get a full day of gambling in, and so on, until I head back DT and take the last couple of nights at the Golden Gate, where I don't have to play that much at all to maintain the offers.

Sure, my host at CET doesn't like it. He says he can give me better stuff if I give all my play to them, but I owe my higher ADT to heavy single days at a more "local" casino, and couldn't possibly keep up that play for a week.

All that being said, I only do this when I'm by myself, and wouldn't drag friends and family around from place to place, That is why I try to keep the CET rating high. I actually like staying in the Flamingo, but I host others in more upscale digs.

 

Well, i am a low roller at CET, being Gold. However, i only gamble at CET using my card. My ADT score is based on my consistency of using my card for about X hours a day each day. It doesn't matter what your tier level is, just that you gamble a set a amount of dollars each day.
I'm sure other people will disagree with me but i constantly get comped and have been the last few years at CET. In 2 months i'll be staying at Bally's for 6 nights, 5 nights comped, and one at $57 (or under $10 per night).
Like i said, for me personally, i get what i get even though i'm only Gold.

Some people say CET is better for slot players, some people say MiLife is better for table players. I do prefer machines, it seems to work for me. I have used my MGM card along with my Caesars card at times and it has gotten me 1 or 2 nights at Excalibur/Luxor comped/ or partially comped. But 99% of my bankroll goes to CET, which in the long run hurts my ADT score at MGM because i may use it only one day in my 6 or 7 days i'm in Vegas.

Your correct that Caesars connects you play together. Also, i never use my card on the day i'm leaving, however, there is some controversy as far as using your reward credits when checking out. I have plenty of RC's through SR, so i will have to find out what the policy is before i go in June. If the policy is the same as using your card, then i'll probably gamble on my last "day".
If i take a "hit" when i check out, so be it.........the rewards i will use will be worth it.

My trip will be 7 days 6 nights at CET. As a low level Gold player i'm happy where i have been these last few years..

My comments on this subject are mine only, but IMO consistency is the key factor. Caesars sees this and rewards me with comped rooms. However.....YMMV.

 

I am double-booking for our trip in June (giving friends the CET room, we're staying at Cosmo). I'll probably have one really concentrated day of play w/ CET on one of the nights I'm booked there, most of it just in one day so that I can maximize bonus points (2500 or 5000 for the daily bonus). So my strategy I suppose is to still play with CET, but to try to take best advantage of tier credits. Another example on a multi-day CET trip, if I'm close to my budget for the day, and am at, say, 2500, I might stop and add it into the next day's BR to maximize tier credit bonuses and hit 5000 next day.

 

At MGM properties:
If you are staying on a property-specific offer (or if you want property-specific offers), it's best to give the vast majority of your play to that property.
If you are on a corporate offer, it doesn't matter as much (except that if you like the property you're staying at, it's beneficial to play mostly there).

CET is less property-centric.

But, on a given trip, it's best not to spread your play between different chains on a given single day, unless your play is so big it doesn't matter.

Any day you are staying at a chain, whether comped or not, the casino knows you're in town and it will count as a gambling day.

If you're staying at MGM, it's to your benefit to play only at MGM properties
Same with CET.

If you're staying at MGM and you take one day's bankroll and split it between an MGM and a CET, you're killing yourself at both.

If you're staying at an independent property, I'm not sure how split play would work.

For example, you're staying at Motel 6 for 4 nights and you play like this:
MGM - Mon and Weds
CET - Tues and Thurs

I don't know if they each would treat that as two days or three. The fair way to count it would be as two days. But unless I knew for sure, I would tend to play contiguous days, ie. MGM on Mon-Tues and CET Weds-Thurs.

 

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I don't think it matters if you play at multiple CET properties in 1 day. My host will add all play together.
If you are not staying at a CET property and play on a Wednesday and Thursday, it will count as 2 gaming days......providing you didn't swipe your card or take a comp on any other day.

 

You don't mention where you are staying. If you are staying at CET for 4 nights and only play there on 2 days, your theo on the 2 days will be divided by 4 or 5(depending on whether there are comps on check out day) to calculate your ADT. CET bases future offers on ADT. Back end comps are based on your trip theo (give or take).

I wouldn't bother using my card if I was just walking through a casino and only playing for 15 minutes. Having said that....if you enjoy wander the Strip, play how you want and not for comps. You also don't mention what kind of play you have....your ADT or theo, so it's difficult to gage how your offers will be affected.

 

CET - Every day you play, have a room, swipe your card, etc will count towards a gaming day. If you are doing these things at CET properties you should try to do the majority of your play at any CET property. It makes no difference which property you play at with CET.

MGM MIrage - MGM mirage goes by trip. If you are there for 3 days but play enough 1 day they don't care if you dont play the other 2 days. 4 hours for 3 days or 12 hour 1 day is identical to them.

I do the following and it works for me but everyone has different favorite games and budgets.

For my lower budget trips I concentrate my play at CET Properties. I will stay and play at Harrahs or Caesars usually. If I decide to play higher I might to to an MGM Mirage property but I won't low play as that would affect my average trip.

For my trips with higher budgets I concentrate my play at MGM Mirage properties. If I have reached my loss limit for the trip I will go play at a CET property at a lower limit, but will not do so at an MGM Mirage property as I don't want to hurt my average.

At MGM Mirage it is standard for them to look at your last 3 trips to determine what type of upfront comps a host can offer you. All of my MGM Mirage stays are handled through a host. Most of my CET stays are booked online with an offer or through the calendar.

I've been following this plan for about 3 years now and it works well for me as I vary my play quite a bit. On a higher budget trip I will average between 300 and 500 per bet, and on a lower budget trip I will average around 100. The difference to a host between 100 and 500 average bet is night and day.

 

Mostly for MLife.

CET gets 90-95% of our action.

If you had lets say $1000 coin in at 5 different MLife properties and another $1000 coin in at 5 different CET properties there are 2 huge differences.

1 - It would be viewed as $200 at that specific property (assuming an even split of action) with MLife.
With CET it is still viewed as $1000 coin in as the property doesn't matter.

2 - Lets say all the coin in was on the latest slot machines. This dilutes the numbers even more with MLife.
This breaks down MLife to only $100 at each property as you only get 1/2 the credit on the new slot machines.
With CET it is still viewed as $1000.

With that said, you truly best bet would be to bounce from CET to MLife.
It seems like you get the best offers when they are trying to entice you and worst offers when they have you.
My free play with CET has dropped from getting $300 a trip down to $50 and sometimes $0.
I still get free rooms and most of my meals comped but that is due to gambling.
I am getting slightly more Free Play offers from MLife and as I mentioned they only get 5-10% of my play.

If you go only once or twice a year then stick with one property for the majority of play.
If you go 4 or more times then try to work the system and play both.