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Low roller question

Discussion in 'Comps' started by concretekid, Sep 6, 2015.

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  1. concretekid

    concretekid Tourist

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    We come out once a year and stay downtown for 4 days during the week before thanksgiving and still don't get offers for free rooms on the weekend. We usually bring around 6k each but drink a lot and visit multiple properties daily. What is the best way to improve our comps? I did get a mailer from DTG after one night of bj play, but every time I call them they say no comp'd rooms available but they can get me one at full price. Is it safe to assume comps are tougher to come by on the strip?
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2015
  2. VegasDave

    VegasDave Addicted

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    $6k is a decent bankroll, is that just for gaming or does that include room, food, activities?

    Easiest way for you to improve comps, find one hotel you like to gamble at and stick to it. Even focusing on just a set of properties (MGM or Ceasars) will greatly improve the chances. Do you have an MLife card? Have you logged into MLife.com to see what comps they are offering you for past play? Same with the Total Rewards (Caesar's Site), log in and check it out. I rarely see anything in the mail from Total Rewards but have tons of offers.

    I play with about 1/3 of that bankroll and still come by comp rooms at Aria and Cosmopolitan, my go to places to play.
     
  3. FullBoat

    FullBoat VIP Whale

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    Well, since you're talking about DTG, and staying at the 4Q next time, I'd head over to The D. They've always been pretty good about comps with me. I'm normally a $5/$10 pass craps player, and have all the number covered. But, if you're a slots/VP person, they comp pretty well for that as well. Never hurts to go by their host office right past the check-in desk to see what they can give ya.
     
  4. Dewey089

    Dewey089 VIP Whale

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    All fine advice.
    I think comps have come more quickly in downtown or off strip places. As a low roller I have never gotten much from the big guys like Mlife or CET.
    And weekend nights are very hard to comp.

    The Four Queens was my downtown place of choice, but lately the mailings have decreased in value. At the same time, however, the Comp Dollars earned with play build up quickly and to some extent make up for the loss of great mailed offers. So if you are seeding the Four Queens one year and coming back before a year has gone by, you will walk into a bunch of Comp Dollars. And when you play, you will earn more that can then be applied to your room when you check out. Their basic two for one offers include weekend, but of course you pay higher on the paid night.

    I also get good offers from the D, but only 2 for 1 as a low roller, and now they want us to pay a $20 resort fee on the paid night so the benefit of the comp is reduced in value. I don't get weekends there either.

    Downtown is evolving upscale. As it does, the cost of staying there gets higher and the blackout dates for comps are more often. It is anybody's guess how this will come down in the end, but it is very bad news for low rollers.
    Conventions other places affect comps as well. I was just reading posts on VP free about the affect of GE2 convention on car rentals at the end of September.
    Following those sorts of trends in Vegas is as important as concentrating your play.

    I'm seeding other places and using the American Casino Guide to get 3 nights for the price of 2 at the Fremont downtown to see if seeding that will get me any offers.

    I do get two free nights from the Orleans for very low roller play. I play only nickel triple play VP. And somehow with no play but just paying for rented rooms I get offer from their sister casino, the Gold Coast that cuts in half the standard rate on B Connected where Boyd card members book, and sometimes a couple free nights there as well, probably a come on wash over from my Orleans play.

    The key, whatever casino you decide to seed for offers, is to concentrate your play in that one place so you look like a bigger gambler than you are. This means staying out of that casino, even for a player's club card food discount on the days that you don't gamble and perhaps taking two days of gambling bankroll and using it in one day and taking day two for a ride to Red Rock.

    Also, send a private message to the host from the Plaza who frequents this board and see what he could do for you based on your play.
    https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/member.php?32484-feadolphus
    This might be a place to seed on your next trip.
    Ask him if there are certain weekends that are better for booking than others.

    Try to estimate how much coin in you play rather than how much you can afford to lose in a trip. That is a more important number in determining comps. Someone else here can respond to table game requirements, but in some places you need to make larger bets to even get rated at games like blackjack. Feadolphus can give you a decent sense of that too. Being board officiated should help you get dependable answers, although I got wonderful honest and transparent perspective from this fellow when he worked for the Four Queens just by going in and talking to him for an hour.
    Talking to a host can be great help.

    Also, I hope you are asking for casino rates at places where you have played even when you don't get an offer.
    You can call a host and book at the Four Queens if you have some gambling history at casino rate and then you can apply a mailer later when it comes.
    You can book a place at casino rate and see a host on check out to have room or food or both comped.


    Calling is a good idea too because mailed offers just don't always show up. At the Four Queens I call, ask for a host, and ask them to look up my offers. At the D they know right at the desk what they can do. I happened to call on the day of the mailing and the clerk was surprised to see the offer was up. All these places send low roller offers rather late in the planning.

    If you are flexible, pay attention to when you are going. Don't go downtown during the Life is Beautiful festival, for example. Low roller comps won't be available. 2 for 1 offers will come with a higher price or be blacked out. Look for cheaper times of the year, August or December if you don't mind some shows being dark.
    This board can help with that. They can direct you away from the most busy times. Also, here is a site that lists conventions so you can plan around those.
    http://www.vegasmeansbusiness.com/planning-tools/convention-calendar/
    Book directly at a casino and charge food to the room if you eat there. Then you can see what a host will do for you before you check out.
    .
     
  5. mrstealth

    mrstealth VIP Whale

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    yeah, with that bankroll you should not have to pay for rooms at all (or maybe a small amount on weekends).

    In addition to the properties mentioned, for sure add the el cortez to your list. You should get room and small food credit, possibly also free play.

    one thing I'd advise (although it may not be technically the correct thing to do) since you only go 1 time per year - if you are married or have a significant other, sign up for 2 cards, but at the properties you want to get room comps at, both of you use the same persons card. By combining your gaming onto one card you will likely earn better comps than if your gambling was spread over 2 people.
     
  6. concretekid

    concretekid Tourist

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    update

    I left a few holes in my initial post. We usually play spread our action between D, 4Q, Nugget, and GG. We venture to strip for a few ours each trip. We come with 3 but 3rd is more of a tourist. One player is 80% slots 20% tables other is 50% slots 50% tables and poker.

    I take 2 4 day trips to local casino a year here and br is 75% less and get 1 free night every 15 days so am surprised that its so much tougher to get rooms in vegas
     
  7. newmans

    newmans VIP Whale

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    I've always thought CET is the easiest for free rooms. It seems they are always offering comp rooms to people with very little play. At CET you will be required to pay a resort fee, even on a comp room if you are not Diamond or 7 Stars.
     
    Last edited: Sep 6, 2015
  8. Geogran

    Geogran VIP Whale

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    Many really good suggestions already, Mine are on the same lines:
    Concentrate play on your next trip using your card at one or two casinos that you most would like to get room comps from - maybe one downtown and one on strip or all at one property - aim for lesser tier initially on strip - Luxor, NYNY, Harrahs, Linq, Bally's, etc. dedicate your largest gambling allocation of money and time to these two locations for one or two days each. After that play where you want, but go completely off the radar to those two locations - don't use your players card for any reason - gambling, food etc, unless you plan to give them full play - otherwise you dilute your value of play for rating purposes.
    Strictly an example, say you allocate $500 for one day at one casino, and you play most or all your winnings back in at that casino, that $500 could become $1000 or more coin in for rating purposes. But say the next day, you play at that same casino and spend $100. You have now diluted your play from a $1,000 a day player to a $550 player.
    (Day 1 @ $1000 plus day 2 @ $100 = $1100 divided by two= $550) which is what the casino will rate you at, in addition to the hours played factor. So until you start getting better room comp offers including weekends, you may want to adapt your bankroll to a similar strategy, after that offers should get better.
    If you travel with a significant other and both have separate card accounts, for this trip consider both playing on one account (extra cards), so points accumulate faster. At Mlife properties, they link accounts if you choose, again focus your play on one account (two cards) for this trip.

    Go online wherever you have a players card and check for 'corporate' offers, often times the offers are online but you don't receive them via snail mail or email. Call and give your card and ask if offers are available.

    Be sure to schedule your once a year trip BEFORE the one year is up as some places may drop you back to zero if you haven't played in over a year ( although some places may be different).

    Drinks are free (plus tip) and frequent at slots; as you mentioned drinks are part of your trip, so take advantage of free where you can.

    Wishing you much success on getting bigger and better offers and keep us posted!
     
  9. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

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    Concentrate your play as much as possible. A $6,000 bankroll at one casino will make you look like a 6,000 player. Spread around to 7 casinos, and each casino looks at you as a $857 player. Smaller players get smaller offers. Side note - offers are of course tied to total play and not bankroll. But, same point applies.
     
  10. melbedewy

    melbedewy MIA

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    Weekend rooms are tough. Best bet is to go Sun. through Thursday. Boyd, 4Queens, D will be NO problem getting free rooms forever. Forget the Smug Nugget.
     
  11. cjohnson202

    cjohnson202 VIP Whale

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    a $6000 bankroll used one one property will you get you pretty great offers...

    Mine is $4000-ish and I get free rooms anywhere, any night at CET (including some suite options) and my current offers are $225 in free play for this winter. I focus 100% of my play at the one brand. $6000 downtown should get you some very decent offers, but yes, focus all your play at one casino / casino chain. My first 4-5 trips I'd play enough at Mlife to get a few free nights but would spread my play around to CET, Cosmo, downtown, ellis island and everywhere else. Now I play 95% at CET and maybe 5% if I'm wandering around and want to try a slot machine I know CET doesn't have (for example, I was dumb and dropped $300 in an hour on the Friends slot at Mandalay Bay in October)

    I should also mention that I'm probably 70% slots, 20% blackjack and 10% other (three card, four card, craps)
     
  12. vegasloverfromatl

    vegasloverfromatl Low-Roller

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    I play a much smaller bankroll $1500-2000 over a four day period and have free rooms all the time, including weekends, at Paris and all below properties and some here and there from Caesars. Get out of downtown and start playing all of the CET properties. You will be comped rooms and have some free play!!!
     
  13. ajp

    ajp High-Roller

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    I did about $6k coin in at the DTG in July at video poker, and another hour of blackjack at $50 average bet, this was my first and only time gambling there. I was able to get an upfront comp for super bowl weekend, check in friday, check out monday. I get offers from The nugget for 3 free nights any time with $100 free play, I tend to play $50 blackjack here and when I stay I try to do 4 hours per day. I get offers from golden gate for the suites with $50 free play and $25 food. I play either free bet at $25 average, or I play in the "high limit" room for $50 average. I have tried to "seed" the downtown boyd properties time and time again but get nothing. I try to do 2-3k coin in per day I am downtown in video poker but still not a single offer.

    My average bank roll for a weekend is $3k for me and and the wife brings $1k. We put all play on my card.
     
  14. Reel Investor

    Reel Investor Low-Roller

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    This right here. Also, less blackjack and more of everything else. Blackjack is viewed more as a risk by the casinos. Finally make sure you are identifying yourself - if you aren't using your players card, they don't know you gambled the money.
     
  15. TrewBrew

    TrewBrew I may be right, I may be Crazy.

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    I am about the same, I plan for about $500 per day. CET properties offer the same for me. It seems that they appreciate the low rollers as well as the high rollers. I am happy with the rooms for free and who know what I may earn during my stay. (Probably nothing, but it never hurts to ask)
     
  16. paperposter

    paperposter MIA

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    basicaly the same with most mile unless a host waves it or its corporate offer, most lower teir mlife you pay a resort fee on a comp unless host waves it
     
  17. BayouBengal

    BayouBengal VIP Whale

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    You say you like to casino hop, concentrating play at fewer properties will make you appear to be a bigger player. Also consider consolidating play into a single card while at machines especially if the two of your are typically making trips together so you both get to reap the benefits.
     
  18. melbedewy

    melbedewy MIA

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    Terms like bankroll and coin-in can be misleading. Unless you are a big loser I wouldn't think any amount of play exclusively on positive machines (like 10-7 DB at Boyd) is going to get you free rooms. Maybe a small meal voucher. $50 a hand on single deck 3-2 BJ is very different than on 6 deck hit 17 BJ.
     
  19. ajp

    ajp High-Roller

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    I only play 3/2 double deck blackjack, and of course when I play video poker I try to find the best paytables. That said 3k coin in when I am not staying at your hotel should get something. My card score for this year on bconnected is a hair over 15,000 tier credits.
     
  20. topcard

    topcard Here's to $10 3:2 two-deck, $5 Craps, and $5 UTH!

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    I think the main thing to remember is that there is a difference between "comps" and "offers".
    I suspect you have plenty of "offers".
    Check your e-mail spam folder to be sure that's not where they're ending up.
    As noted up-thread, even if you just call their 'casino promotions' desk, most places will have something for you, assuming you're giving them $500+ per day in table play.
    I can't really speak to slot or VP play...
    I still get stuff from GG & Fremont, and (presumably) still "qualify" for room comps at the Plaza.
    I haven't received anything from 4-Queens in a long time, so I think I dropped off of their radar.
    'TheD' hasn't sent me anything in awhile either, but then I haven't called either of them to see what they might do for me, so who knows?

    Point is - call them!
    I'd be willing to bet that they'll have decent offers for you...mid-week rooms if nothing else.
     
    Annual Spring Trip!
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