I know people here have talked about how it pays to be nice to the pitboss and dealers and I thought I would post my recent experience with this at the Tropicana. I played back there in April at a $25 blackjack game. It was a game full of ups and downs and because of that I rarely bet more than $25 for most of the three hours I was there. Once or twice I got my bets up to $75 the whole session. I think I ended up losing $200. While playing the pit boss watched all his games like a hawk. I ended up joshing with him that nothing could get by him and started calling him The Hawk. The dealers were super nice too and overall we got lots of laughs between them and the pitboss. I tipped pretty well too. At the end of the game I asked him what he had me rated for. I was mostly wondering about how long I was there. He asks me what do you want to be rated for...and don't go crazy. I said well I bet between $25-75 a hand so how about $65? He nods and that was it. I am coming back in July so I emailed a host there just to see if I could maybe get a discount on a room for night there and he replies back I could get 4 nights weekends included. I know it's not the Aria but that's not bad for 3 hours of $25 blackjack. So the hawk came through for me.
I think this is good advice. In general ratings seem pretty accurate but if you make an effort to be nice--your rating is often closer to your MAX bet than your average. I wouldn't know this--but if you are rude it may very well be close to your MIN bet.
This is great. And by spreading your bet occasionally higher instead of staying at one unit, you gave him the flexibility to rate you higher. If you just flat bet $25, he'd have been stuck.
I believe that there should be no reason to have to be nice to any one person or another in order to get rated a certain way. While it worked out well in this case, other times you must make sure you are nice to avoid being under rated. So naturally, the best idea for this would be to set up a system in where everything is automatically tracked just like slots - I hear there are some casinos in California which have these systems. However, the amount of money it would cost to set up table game auto-rating systems are high in comparison to a LV casino's perceived benefit, as they do not think long term about the savings from paying less man hours, etc. Lots of LV casinos are focused on the short term which is why they will not take on the high one-time cost for this (although it would certainly eliminate a lot of heartache for players being rated incorrectly, especially high rollers). So in conclusion, nicely done!
I did search for one of shifters posts on comps last summer. There's a lot of good reading on those threads. I only discovered this message board last dec. I've got a lot of catching up to do. Some of those threads are very entertaining.
The same thing worked for me at Planet Hollywood earlier this month. Was playing $25 blackjack, occasionally up to $50, and being generally nice to the dealer and pitboss. Meanwhile a few other assholes were complaining loudly about their cards, sweating her (pitboss) over cocktail service, making snide remarks about the dancers in another pit etc. After about 2 hours, I left and since the pitboss was right there figured I'd ask what my average bet was. She told me $25-75 and asked I wanted to just leave it at $75 flat. Obviously I said yes! Unfortunately this netted me practically nothing from CET...my usual friends at Mandalay have offered me rooms and buffets for far less. I asked at another time for a discretionary food comp from PH and the pitboss said they don't have the power to comp so much as a lighter anymore, no matter the average bet, and suggested I play at MGM next time! Ha.
I've said this before if you are generally nice or build relationships with your host, pit crew etc...they will take care of you. These folks have to put up with assholes all day so when they run across someone nice it makes their day. This has worked for me and although I do spend allot of cash...I know I'm comped higher and rated higher than I should be. I know the pit crews and most of the dealers at Monte Carlo and it is nice they recognize me every time I return.
I agree with the sentiment here. I usually strike up conversations with both the dealer and pitbosses. They especially like it when you show an genuine interest in their work and everyday routine while working in the casino. I can't say with certainty that my rating got improved by doing this but I've never disputed my average bet rating by the end of my trip. Also, I find that having a interesting conversation with dealers and other players around you brings out a positive atmosphere that helps me makes better decisions on my bets that leads to more winning! And it helps when the dealers and bosses are rooting for you.
i no win stituation ,as ive had plenty of pit bosses tell or hint do you think that was right or can i make you happier ive had many bitch at me for bothering them about doing there job. that just hapend at the cosmo ,played for a while 2 bit guys really cool other pit person realy nasty even after i bought in a few and ask to check how much they had me in for.she got real nasty. i do know alot of the pit people in most of the casino i go to so they do try to take care of regulars,so that helps. just got a real nice rating at the palms when i went there last night i was told i have around 300$ in free food use.
I always make it a point to introduce myself to whoever is on shift and throw in some small talk. Being nice has gotten me higher ratings than ever. I would jump around from $100-$300 a hand and 9 times out of 10 always get a rating of $300+ for the entire session. Tipping helps, but I do that anyway.
I wonder what would happen if their superiors knew these guys were jacking up people's ratings with such regularity. It essentially amounts to theft and can conceivably wipe out any margin the casino is supposed to make on a player. Not that I'm against it of course, its great for players. But seems odd because of all the posts about people constantly getting the same thing so easily. I never really ask pit bosses about my rating but had something similar happen once that I remember when I bought in at a low limit table and the pit boss never took anyone's card. I played for barely half an hour of just green chips and left and told dealer there was no point in asking for my card since the PB never took it. She called him over and he apologized and swiped it and said it looks like you're a $200 player so I'll put you in for an hour at that is it ok? I said sure thanks and he shook my hand and said he didn't want me to leave upset. I wasn't even upset, just making an observation. He could chalk that up to making up for thinking he upset someone but if they do it to anyone who simply chats them up or acts nice to them I am surprised they get away with it. What would you do if you were their boss and they were essentially increasing people's comp rates on their own accord?
What the casino would do if they knew that was happening was to simply cut the comp percentage for everyone...not that any casinos have done that I think my answer to my boss if questioned in that case is 'I saw a customer who was upset and I did what I needed to do to make it right.' That's a pretty tough argument to beat.
I tend to think they factor in a wide margin on table rating, because actual wagers do go up and down. Remember, or at least in my opinion, pit bosses have the upper hand on the players, as it's at their discretion, unlike slot/VP where it's all electronically, and I think that you'll find more low ball rating stories than generous rating stories. As for being nice to the pit boss, and not that I am Mr Sweet-and-sugary, but you should always try to be nice to everyone in these casinos, even the person emptying trash and ashtrays. They work hard and catch a lot of crap from jerk players, who sometimes seem to outnumber nice players. Being nice to everyone isn't just good karma, and since we're gambling, don't tempt the Gods, and when you do need something, it's good to have people on your side. I'm a slot guy, but I have seen a slot tech person give a nod to a host when asked about play and such, they talk. It's beneficial to be nice to anyone on the casino team, imagine you're a low roller and want a host for something, just to talk, well the slot tech you practically spat on is not going to be much help, but the one you've smiled to, said hello to and tipped when you got that hand pay or thanked politely when your machine tilted, they're going to help you. 'You can catch more flies with honey than with vinegar'
