Ask a casino host anything.

Hello everyone, I am brand new to this board and thought I would introduce myself by starting a thread to answer any questions you might have about what a casino host does, can assist with, and any further questions you might have. I am an excutive casino host in my early thirties at a mid-size Strip property with 10 years of hosting experience. Glad to try and help answer any questions you might have about my career.

 

Many of the board members not only know what hosts do but have relationships with hosts at one or more properties.
Does not appear that you want to reveal which property or company is your employer.
You will get many more appropriate questions if you provide that info.
A mid size Strip property would imply something like TI,MC or NYNY.
BTW welcome!

 

what a great topic to post, and thank you for offering to share some insight.

 

Hello Nittany, and thank you for the welcome. As for the time being, I do not plan on disclosing my personal or contact information as I am not planning on using this board as a business tool. I am sure many of the people on this board have contact with multiple casino hosts across the country. I just wanted to put out a general offer to answer questions for those who may not know general information such as how comps work, getting assigned a casino host, what to ask for, etc, I have seen numerous people asking various questions. Hope you have a great day!

 

You are very welcome. Glad to answer any question to the best of my ability.

 

how does someone determine if they could use a host?......what determines the need for a host....number of trips?..budget?...gambling?..money spent on other anemities at a casino..etc....Know there are lots of factors but was curious about what you look at for a future client..thanks

 

Are there any gaming minimums at mid tier Strip casinos to establish a relationship with a host like yourself?
If I was going to Vegas say around March Madness and staying at a CET property on the strip, would it make sense to contact a host at the property I would be staying if I had a gaming/entertainment budget of $5,000 or less?
Thank you for your answers in advance.

 

The best way to determine, is simply to go the designated area for the casino hosts. Usually located around the cage or high limit area. If you are playing large enough, ($100 a hand for 3-4 hours a day on tables/$8K daily coin-in on slots) a host should have approached you. This is generally the level of play it takes to get assigned to a casino host. That is not to say you must play this much to earn comps. You can always stop by the host area as they generally rotate each host to cover these areas for a couple hours a day. Typically most places won't reward you comps for spending money at restaurants, nightlife, or retail. Almost everywhere, comps are generally only earned by your casino play. The number of annual trips you make doesn't really affect you being assigned to someone as we will look for at your average play for each trip tonsee what can be offered. It does however factor in if you are a customer who is there frequently and has a consistent level of play. Once that is established, we generally won't even have to look up your account to know what can be offered. We don't look at the amount of money you buy-in at the table to determine comps as lots of people can have a large amount of money but only intend to gamble mInimally. Back to your original question, if you want to know if you can get an assigned host, just come and ask. Even if your play isn't at that level, any of the hosts on duty should always be glad to assist to the most of their ability. If they say they can or can't do something, they are generally being honest, as any good host is upfront about comps earned whether the information being relayed back to the guest is positive or negative. Regardless, if you have been playing, always ask.

 

Okay, I'll play.

Have you noticed that your clients tend to ask for too much (low-level player asking for the penthouse suite), or too little (high level player really hoping for a buffet comp)? Realize there will always be some on one side or the other, but curious if one is more common than the other?

 

Okay, another question based on that answer (sorry for the back to back). Is this a linear equation? Is $50/hand for 6-8 hours viewed the same way?

 

If you have a gambling budget of $5k over the average 3-day trip, you have a good chance of being assigned a host, granted you play up to it, win or lose.

 

Yes, while the amount of comps earned varies on different games, yes, half the best with double the time will generally get you the same amount in comps.

 

Not sure how much you know about various casino/groups.

We seem to believe that CET measures ADT for each single day.
Mlife seems to measure a trip/visit - but never figure out how many days that is. And advice?

 

Let's say I play 4 hours of Pai Gow poker at $300 and 2 hours of craps at $200. Then I play UTH or 3CP for $25 for hand for an hour . Does it kill my average bet playing that low compared to my normal betting? Should I bother using my card if I'm just killing time with low level play? Or does low level play continue to add Theo?

 

Thanks VegasCasinoHost! Your answers are very clear and helpful.

 

You see all types. I am lucky and have built up a solid relationship with most of my customers over the years. If I see a player with a lot of action, and I like the person, I will generally keep encouraging them to use their comps. I want my customer's being rewarded for playing

 

It won't hurt you. Theo is what matters. The time and average explanation is the layman's explanation for how you earn comps. Even if you play a lower bet on one particular game, it is all being added up together.

 

Very welcome.

 

Thank you. Let's say I play craps, Pai Gow, Bacc, uth, Blackjack and 3cp all for an hour at $100/hand, what's the order of the games for Theo purposes? Which games generate the lowest Theo and which games generate the highest? Appreciate your help.

 

Baccarat and Roulette generate the most. Carnival games, pai gow, 3-card the least.

 

How do offers from marketing come into the equation? For example, if my play merits $500 in comps and I use a marketing offer of 2 free nights (lets just value these at $100) and $100 free play. Am I still eligible for $500 from a host, or more like $300ish?