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Downtown Casino for room comps

Discussion in 'Comps' started by JR Swift, Jul 7, 2015.

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  1. JR Swift

    JR Swift VIP Whale

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    While I am far from a "high-roller," I've gotten room comps from quite a few low to mid-range properties over the years. Seems as though that would mean downtown would be the place for me. And I do enjoy both staying and playing there. But, oddly enough, I've never been comped so much as a single night anywhere. OK, I take that back. I did get a mailer from the Downtown Grand shortly after they opened for 2 free nights but wasn't able to use it. I keep wondering why. Maybe I'm just consciously "low-balling" the casinos, thinking I don't need to really gamble as much or maybe the ability to just walk over to another casino in a minute or two makes me impatient. A lot of my comps have come from off-strip casinos where that just isn't possible. If I can play enough to get free rooms at the Hard Rock, the Rio or the Orleans, I ought to be able to target a casino or two on Fremont Street and achieve the same thing most anywhere except maybe the GN. I like the area around the Fremont as I've stayed there a few times. Rooms were OK but the casino is just "meh." Won't be spending any nights downtown on my trip next week but thinking about making an afternoon/evening visit for some eat/drink/gamble time. If your only interest was room comps, where would you focus your $$$?
     
  2. ajp

    ajp High-Roller

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    What games are you playing, for how long each day, and what is your average bet. Or if machines what is your daily coin in.
     
  3. ChickenBone Jones

    ChickenBone Jones Low-Roller

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    I spent about 2 hours playing greens on Double Deck BJ at golden gate one night and I get mailers every other month for 4 nights comped anytime I want.
    I would think you could get a night or 2 for 4 hours at $15/hand but I could be way off.
    I really liked golden gate and look forward to returning.
     
  4. FullBoat

    FullBoat VIP Whale

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    I get my best offers from The D/Golden Gate. Was staying at 4Q on a BOGO, then next month got comped 3 days from The D. Been staying either there, or GG ever since. You should be able to get a good offer from them as long as you use the players card.
     
  5. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    Since you describe yourself as a low-roller your best bet will be to concentrate your play at one property. Good thing about downtown is normally the rooms are cheap even if you have to pay. If you really like the casino hoping I guess you could go with Boyd properties as I believe play between the properties all count as one. Never stayed there but I seem to recall a poster here mentioning that.
     
  6. JR Swift

    JR Swift VIP Whale

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    Probably between $1500 and $2500 coin-in over 3-4 hours, mix of video poker, slots and video keno.
     
  7. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    If you concentrate your play downtown, only let that casino know that you are there on the days you are playing at your top amounts. Stay out of it the rest of your trip. Don't do just a $20 one day at that place. Don't use your Player's Card for a discounted meal. Then you will look like a higher roller than you are.
    Check to see that each casino has your correct mailing address and email.
    And then call. I often get comped at the Four Queens and at the D without ever seeing an offer in the mail. At the Four Queens you ask for the VIP line and whoever is the host of the hour will look you up. At the D the clerk at reservations will look you up.

    I'm not exactly sure how Boyd does what they do, but I only get offers at the casinos I play in. My triple nickel play at the Orleans gets me a couple free nights every six months. My almost nothing play at the Gold Coast where I often rent for cash but don't play much gets me casino rate offers. That may not seem like much, but I booked my wife and I at the Gold Coast as the cheapest place near a son's birthday party and on B connected the weekend was $150 each night. I was stuck in that location so I booked it on B Connected. Last week I got a mailing and saved myself $150 on that weekend using the offer in the mailing of $75 a night. Sam's Town, Freemont, California, Main Street Station all seem independent to me, except that once in a while they must share information as out of the blue I'll get some offer, usually one I can't use. I do some low level play at Sam's Town and that used to generate offers, but now it does not. For a while MSS liked my low level play and then the same play generated nothing. So I don't play there anymore. Next trip I'm seeding the Fremont to see if they will see me as a pretty new guy. All my play is VP quarters. Next trip I'm trying a lot of VP dimes at Palace Station to see if I can get some deals there that I can link up with MyVegas free nights.

    I also managed a Four Queens casino rate for the last weekend in September (when I could find no cheap places at all anywhere downtown because of the c̶r̶o̶w̶d̶e̶d̶ a̶n̶d̶ l̶o̶u̶d̶..... . It inflated all the room prices.) by talking with a host on the phone. Talking with a host at the Four Queens to check on mailings, I learned that even when their mailings came for September, I could not use them for that Festival weekend, but she checked me out and gave me casino rate, again much cheaper than just booking, even at a discounter site.

    One frustration is that if you get comped two nights and then buy three more you will not be able to focus you play as a low roller on that visit for the next one. That is the low roller Catch 22. The Four Queens in a comped offer will give me extra nights for $24, but if I stay there for 6 days on my same bankroll, I won't get the best offers on my next trip. High rollers get all the nights and anytime they want and every month if they want. Low rollers get a 2 for 1 or a couple free and that probably won't be every month.

    One trick is to add three nights ot a 2 night comp on a discounter, and then hope the casino does not notice. I was advised that because they are on separate computer systems adding three nights at the Four Queens by using Binions poker rate would not show up on my playing average on the Four Queen card. The trick is to concentrate play on the comped nights and then don't play on the paid nights.
    Or you can hop from place to place.
    Downtown, since you can roll luggage from one place to another, hopping from place to place is another strategy. I like hopping from the D to the Four Queens because it is a very short walk so I don't really have to pack as I can make three trips and both places are pretty good about early checkins with no fees if they have the rooms so that gives good overlap time for moving luggage. The Boyd Shuttle between the Gold Coast and the Orleans will take luggage, so that is another fairly easy move. I go for over 20 days each trip. I gamble mostly in places I only stay in for two or three nights. I pay cash in places where I won't gamble at all, using MyVegas and/or found deals. That way I am not hopping all around all those 20 plus days and I can do as Bayou suggests and concentrate play in the places I want to revisit on a comp.

    That system gives me money to play a bit of live poker at the Golden Nugget. Live poker gets nothing in comps. Once in a while there is a slightly discounted rake. Or I might play the cheap live tournaments at the Plaza electronic poker tables. Again, that play would not get me any offers.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Jul 11, 2015
  8. Rumdranker

    Rumdranker Grateful Lurker

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    If I can piggyback on the OP's question, what game do you suggest to generate the most comps assuming the bankroll for one and only gambling day is $500?
     
  9. TIMSPEED

    TIMSPEED Money’s on the way, with CashNetUSA

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    Go to a Boyd casino, when they have a 7x points on Video Poker (Sams Town, preferrably) and play 25c 9/6 JoB with perfect strategy.
    I would assume you could amass about $100-$150 in comps off of that $500...plus the ensuing free room mailers...

    If we're talking about downtown..then maybe 4Queens?
     
  10. mwig

    mwig VIP Whale

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    VP is the easiest game to maximize comps without risking more than you are comfortable with. The D, MSS and Four Queens are all very easy room comps. TIMSPEED mentioned Sam's which is great if you don't mind being on the boulder strip.

    About $2k action per day will get room comps at any of these properties (maybe less for limited type offers). More action than that will include free play and sometimes food comps.

    Four Queens has 9/6 JOB which when combined with comps and cash back is an off the top advantage game. They also have 10/7 DB but the strategy is complicated and the point accrual is slower. MSS has 9/6 JOB, NSUD and DB and is a favorite place for a lot of people. The comp accrual is much slower but the rooms are nicer. The D has NSUD and they are good about including at least some food with even minimal offers. Deuces at the D are super close to breakeven when you factor in cash back and comps.

    Mathematically speaking, Four Queens is the best play downtown but it is a matter of preference. I love the free play they offer and the new comp accrual system means dinner at Hugo's every trip. I don't like their rooms. I like the rooms at the D but the music is too loud for my tastes (makes me sound old but I'm not). I like everything about MSS but they have downgraded my offers and I am currently protesting.
     
  11. Rumdranker

    Rumdranker Grateful Lurker

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    Thanks alot guys. 5 days out and I'm way stoked even though all my ish is breaking just before I go.
     
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