If you could start over again..

Greetings!

If you could start over again (MLIFE, TR, ETC) which comp program would you choose and why?

I will be going to Vegas in two weeks, (and returning every 2/3 months after that) and am curious about which program to join!

Thanks for your help...

DH

 

Free nights seem to be easier to come by at TR especially at lower levels, but personally I like the MGM places better so its a little give and take. I can't complain with Mlife - free rooms (with waived resort fee too!), decent Freeplay, and between my host and Express comps my food is pretty much taken care of (although between booze and gambling I don't leave a lot of time for eating). I will be sticking with them for now.

 

Well, someone's gotta ask...might as well be me: what do you play, how much ($) and for how long?

For me it would be: bite the bullet sooner and ditch the easy(er) comps with CET. Then move that play to Milf and Wynncore (sooner). Milf 'cause I'm a BJ player and they have MUCH better BJ rules and better - if quite overstated IMO - comps for BJ players. And Wynncore because, well, no one else has anything even close resort-wise and free rooms are much easier to come by than I had once thought.

 

If you are trying to think long term there really isn't a simple answer to this question...

A lot of it depends on other factors like:
where do you want to stay?
do you have a local casino to you that uses one of these programs?
how much do you gamble?
do you prefer table games?
how often will you go?
how many nights make up your typical trip?
what do you want out of possible comps and offers?


For some of the above:
- MLife hotels are generally better quality and have more of a "resort" feel to them
- But its harder to get more than 3 nights comped at once out of MLife
- And it takes more play to get a free room from MLife
- If you just want little perks like a buffet line pass its easier to get through MLife
- If you want something like free play and maybe some food credit you rarely ever see that from Total Rewards
- If you like to do VP or slot tournaments you rarely ever see invites for those from MLife
- If you go to Las Vegas a couple of times a year for longer stays, IE: 5 or 6 nights, you can more easily get all 5 or 6 nights comped up front with them
- MLife casinos generally have more of the newer slots
- MLife casinos have better "player friendly" rules for table games
- Most of the MLife casinos are at the south end of The Strip. The two that aren't aren't that easy to get comps out of so if you want to be in the main thick of the action thats where the Total Rewards casinos are

All that said, you should sign up for both. Its isn't a "one or the other" situation where Total Rewards is going to turn their nose up you or shun you away because you have a MLife card in your pocket.

And as a brand new signup its not a certainty that your play this trip will garner you any offers for your next trip: being only 2-3 months for your next trip the programs don't always update offers that fast, plus as a new customer they may very well want to see just what kind of customer you are before sending off too much in the way of offers.

 

I would probably have skipped the Sahara altogether & just stayed at IP or somewhere center strip the first time. However, now that it is gone I am glad I did stay there.

I would continue with CET if I started again. My level of play doesn't get me much of anything from mLife. The only time I received 3 free night offers were when i spent several hours on the Lions Share machine one trip - and that was in the midst of the worst of the economy. When I dumped thousands at MGM & stayed there for 5 nights, they offered me nothing. However, CET gives me 5 free nights year round. Sometimes I get show tickets or $100 food or free play. When I combine that with a miles flight & enough rewards credits to cover more than half my food minimum, it makes for a cheap trip! I wouldn't be able to go as often if I had to pay for nights at MGM props, and I wouldn't earn enough Express Comps to cover the room either.

I could moan because I am not staying at the quality of the Bellagio, but I am a midwestern girl, country born & I am a lot more comfortable at 'normal' props vs. 'high-class' props. So the comfort of the CET props suits me to a T.

 

If I had to do it over, I would definitely play at MGM props instead of CET. I have been seven stars for a long while now, so somethines, their offers are very enticing, so it's hard to leave them.

However, at the beginning of this year when I tried out MGM, for less play (tables) I certainly got better comps and earned more than when I played at higher levels at CET.

Also, MGM props have better entertainment offers as concerts, UFC fights, and major boxing matches.

I would try them out first if I were you.

 

Go MLIFE!!!

This is a great question.

If I could go back in time 5 years to when I started playing at a level to earn some comps I would 100% give all my play to MGM, and within that, I'd give the vast majority to one property, depending on the level at which you want to play.

I made what I consider the "mistake" of drunkenly stumbling and playing everywhere. I would sextuple book rooms to get the "freebies". One trip I took my wife on in 2009, we stayed at Wynn, with add'l rooms at Riviera, Stratosphere , Palazzo, Luxor, and Gold Coast.

While it was fun "harvesting" all the freeplay, I didn't get the most value for my play.

Probably my biggest regret has been giving significant play over the past few years to Caesars properties. I wish I had consolidated all that at MGM's. Except for Caesars Palace, those properties are garbage. and the playing rules are horrible.

I could probably have chosen Wynn or Palazzo over Bellagio, but I don't feel like their comp systems are as trustworthy or clear cut.

IF I could I would move 95% of my past Wynn, Palazzo, CET, and other one-off property play to Bellagio and play maybe 5% and the others combined.

The nice thing about casino play is you can kind of re-create yourself every year. This year, due to going to Vegas less often, I saw a real necessity to maximize value by concentrating my play.

On my last trip I stayed at Bellagio and Caesars. Due to reduced frequency of trips, I had lost my CET diamond, down to about an 8,000 pt Platinum from 2011 play, and I was on my final month of Mlife platinum down to under 40,000 tier points. During that stay I earned about 165,000 mlife tier points, all on video poker so $165,000 coin-in. I earned exactly 10 CET tier points. lol.

The only way I would advocate going CET is if you are a quarter video poker or low level slot player. MGM will not give much for that, while CET will give rooms.

 

I wouldn't do much differently. Right now I split my play between CET and MLife. I get free rooms at CET lower properties and discounts at lower MLife properties. For me all I care about is a room to sleep in for the night. The casino that offers me that for free, gets some of my business.


That said, I HIGHLY prefer most MLife casinos over CET. I've gotten lucky the past few trips have been at low times so I can stay at Paris. Paris to me is about equal to the other MLife casinos.



My biggest problem with MLife and why I can't just go there is that they give me absolutely no offers more than 3 months out. I can book 9+ months out with CET without an issue. While for most trips this doesn't matter, for a few times a year like March Madness, I really want to know if I have a comped room or if I need to budget $400+ for the room. With MLife I won't know until Jan/Feb most likely.


Wynn/V/P/Cosmo I couldn't care less about. I know they don't need my play and I know I'm not going to get a free room with my play at any of those properties.

 

If it was just me doing what I like best, I'd probably choose Aria and just stay and play there 95% of the time. But there are often complicating factors to consider. For example, BeeeJay mentions booking several rooms at once in his post. While I've never been in 6 hotels at once, I often do want two rooms during the same weekend because we like meeting up in Vegas with friends, most of whom don't play at my level. Getting a 2nd comped room at a neighboring hotel means maintaining enough play at both CET and mLife to give us options up and down the Strip. It also means that I'm usually booked at two mid-level properties rather than in one top-tier hotel. But that's OK because we're not in Vegas to sleep.

Then again, maybe I just need to get some different friends . . .

 

Assuming there is not a local casino that could change things.....

I would give a little play to CET and use their free rooms for a trip or two. At the same time, put most of your play at MGM and then get good offers there. MGM seems to be slower in getting you into the "flow". I think so anyways.

A big benefit that my wife will miss when our Diamond eventually expires is getting into the Diamond Lounges. No such perk at MGM. But we like everything else at MGM and we have enough express comps or offers to handle drinks. But, just not the same.

 

Avoid the corporations

I am a different breed of comp guy. I bet Sportsbook so my comp is not slot comp. I have actual comp dollars not slot points.

If you all have been reading the Natedog reports, my comp is almost like his. My comp dollars carry over though, so I can bank comp dollars. From my comp dollars I buy anything I want if I have the comp dollars.

In the 90s I played at MGM. Being a novice comp user MGM walked all over me all the time. Finally, after six years of MGM jacking me around I went to the Palms.

The Palms was fantastic. George Maloof was old school and treated his guests great, until the economy soured. Starting around 2008 the VIP services began to go downhill. I have written about this in my trip reports.

The corporations seem to be mostly bean counters. There are around six corporations, MGM, CET, WYNN, LVS, Station Casinos, and Cosmopolitan.

If I wanted a variety if properties to choose from I would go MGM and CET. I don't like MGM so I throw them out. I have never played at CET other than the usual walk throughs, but I am not a card holder there.

I lean towards WYNN and LVS because they are ruled by their founders and they knew Vegas when Vegas was Vegas. When I was registered at WYNN I really did not like the Sportsbook Manager, who has since been fired, so I quit there. I loved the Venetian back in the 90s, but I have not gone back there other than to be a tourist.

Station Casinos is the low end. If all you want is buffets and a non-fancy room, this is perfect.

Cosmopolitan is owned by the Germans(DeutschBank) and seems to be cutting back on all of their comps every day. Since this is where all the drunks 20 somethings hang out, I am too old for that.

With all that being said, I would choose WYNN until Steve Wynn is no longer chairman. Which could be soon. I like nice rooms, I like great food, I like good shows, I like to treat my friends to a little higher end when they come as my guests.

 

I would stay with CET. For me it's being able to go to many places other than Las Vegas.

I love Lake Tahoe and go to Reno a few times a year. Comped rooms for Lake Tahoe is a big plus for me, this is one place where it can be expensive.

 

Honestly, Stations. I still stay 2 nights on the strip, each and every trip, but the luxury of Red Rock and Green Valley, along with a far more relaxed atmosphere, makes Stations my #1 choice. They are comp friendly, taking care of $300 steakhouse tabs with green chip blackjack play. They send me 3 and 4 night room offers constantly, and I see better results from my offstrip play. (not surprisingly)

Oh, and MILF over CET anyday of the week. I think their program is really coming around.

Nick

 

Wynn Red Card by far. Then probably Station. CET is spotty at best and I really don't like the MGM properties at all.

 

Who says you can't start over again? Most of the player tracking from each club is biased towards recent activity.

As for what program(s) you should join, that will likely depend greatly on what you play, how much you bet, how long you play, the freedom you like to have, and what you want/expect to get.

 

We are LOW rollers and get pretty decent comps from CET, but I like the MGM hotels more. I would go with whoever is closest to your home (CET for us) because it is easier to keep comp levels up without the longer more expensive trips to Vegas, etc. And then you can get free rooms when you go to Vegas like we do.

 

Thanks for all the interesting answers! I mainly play poker but will play .25 cent VP and (the wife) plays slots. I live out in Houston, so its Lake Charles (bleh) for me or drive up to Bossier City/Shreveport. I will play in Tunica when I visit the wife's family. I will be going to Atlantic City twice a year for poker as well as Vegas.

As for how much I will play, call it a 1k (per visit total, not day)..not a High Roller by any means

Thanks for helping clear up things..

 

Surfside,

Considering the new info.... If you play in Shreveport and Tunica, you honestly would be crazy to not go with Boyd. .25 VP play with a 1k bankroll at the Boyd Properties in Shreveport and Tunica will garner you solid comps and you will be playing on one card. When you play in Vegas, your points will carry over for the 3 downtown and 4 offstrip Boyd properties there as well.

Nick

 

tunica/shreveport

Thank for that info!! Something I will need to keep in mind!

DH

 

Glad to see some others on here giving station casinos some love. I too would play more at Sunset Station or GVR if I lived in LV (or any gambled in LV). I love Red Rock but somehow I seem to find myself playing more at GVR or Sunset because we have some friends who live on that side of town. My host at Sunset is awesome and takes care of everything for me. Best part is he gets me the best seats at concerts.