1. Welcome to VegasMessageBoard
    It appears you are visiting our community as a guest.
    In order to view full-size images, participate in discussions, vote in polls, etc, you will need to Log in or Register.

Most common heard lies about earning comps

Discussion in 'Comps' started by soled905, Apr 24, 2019.

Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.
  1. alanleroy

    alanleroy Click my avatar

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2010
    Messages:
    2,684
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    87
    It happened to me. Although I wasn't wearing a suit. It was 1978. I was in grad school at UC Santa Barbara. A buddy and I had been partying for most of the weekend and he decided to take a bunch of 'Green Dragon' LSD. Then we decided to drive to Vegas. On the way over I kept having to reassure him him that his hands were not in fact turning into claws.

    We got to Vegas about 2 AM Monday morning and drove to the Stardust. This was the Stardust of 'Lefty' Rosenthal and Tony 'The Ant' Spilatro. As we walked through the almost empty casino, my buddy told me 'There are pygmies dripping off the ceiling'. I couldn't see them. At that point I had been up for 48 hours and my buddy was about as high as anyone has ever been.

    We walked by the Baccarat Room and I stopped and watched the game. I'd never seen it before. The pit boss (wearing a tux) motioned me over. He says 'Give it a try, son'. I responded 'I don't know how'. "Its easy" he claims. Bet on "Player or Dealer and you either win or lose". That sounded easy enough. The table had a dealer in a tux and 3 beautiful ladies playing. I'm sure they were casino shills. I pulled out my only $200 (My book money) and bet it on Player. Player Wins. In about 5 minutes I had turned my $200 into $1200, but I looked up and my buddy had disappeared.

    I told the dealer I had to go. As I got up, the Pit Boss asks "Where are youse staying?". "Nowhere, Man" was my response. "We want you to be guests of the Stardust" he offered. He set us up with a room and tickets to Lido. I found my buddy just staring at the ceiling. Those were the days. The only time a pit boss ever comped me a room.
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2019
    • Love Love x 10
    • Like Like x 5
    • Wow! Wow! x 2
    • Funny Funny x 2
  2. vegasdev

    vegasdev VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 20, 2016
    Messages:
    5,989
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    55
    LOL, I get so tired of hearing that from dumbass people.
    one of my friends at work always says that her husband wins every time. maybe she is dumb enough to believe him. if that is the case, wouldn't he go to the casino every day?
    I win something every time I go, but I lose more than I win.
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2019
    • Agree Agree x 1
  3. gregster44

    gregster44 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2013
    Messages:
    101
    Location:
    Fargo ND
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    22
    Yeah, like a work acquaintance telling me he always gets suites and shows comped at wynn playing slots every trip, i'm like you must have a great host, . . . host who? he says
     
  4. VegasBJ

    VegasBJ VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Aug 23, 2009
    Messages:
    6,671
    Location:
    usually Shadow Creek
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    463
    Just offer to go on one of these trips with the friends who claim they always win, or get comped everything. Watch how fast the excuses start flying.
    Most of these people are pretenders. What's the point? I don't get it.........
     
    • Agree Agree x 3
  5. alanleroy

    alanleroy Click my avatar

    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2010
    Messages:
    2,684
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    87
    I always win. I have a system.
     
    • Funny Funny x 9
    • Like Like x 1
  6. Jejas

    Jejas VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2014
    Messages:
    5,944
    Location:
    New York
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    10
    Please please do sell it to me!
     
  7. AyDee

    AyDee is getting too old for this

    Joined:
    Jan 20, 2019
    Messages:
    6,293
    Location:
    City Of Angels
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    888
    (insert entire vegas portion of Swingers here)


    (or beginning portion of Hard Eight)
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2019
    • Love Love x 1
  8. Multifarious5

    Multifarious5 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Nov 13, 2015
    Messages:
    4,099
    Location:
    west coast
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    23
    Two big rules I live by on comps, plus a third softer rule/mention:

    A) just because someone else gets a comp in x casino for x play, doesn't mean you will.

    B) Just because someone else DOESN'T get a comp, doesn't mean you won't. (Aka I've heard a bunch how you need 20-30k coin in daily on slots at Aria to get upfront offers. Not my experience in the least, but back to rule # 1, what works for me may not for another.)

    C) Front-end comps/offers are usually pretty darned safe. Backend? Very, very subjective to whim....no matter how much a host promises that they are "so easy, it won't be a problem" . Front-end are reliable, backend are more like bonus gravy for me, but not expected.

    My guess is, your buddy might be getting the comps, when pushed, he just doesn't know exactly HOW, which is many of us. (I've been ovrrcomped many times, and while I scratch my head, I just run with it and enjoy it while it lasts!)

    Lots, of variables in Vegas... Casino, dealer, hotel, time of day, mood, time on device, size of each bet, amount of total loss, whatever. We all guess at what the magic algorithm is (ADT etc.) but in my book, it's a secret recipe that is always changing.

    If a method works for you? Keep doing it until it quits working.

    If it doesn't? Try something else.

    In my book, every secret Vegas comp trick is myth to me, until it works for me :)
     
    Last edited: Apr 24, 2019
    • Agree Agree x 3
    • Like Like x 2
    • Love Love x 1
  9. alexm

    alexm VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jan 15, 2014
    Messages:
    1,853
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    4
    I'm not sure your buddy is outright lying, and it's certainly not impossible. There just may be some omitted details. Maybe 1 of his buddies is more of a regular or bigger player than everyone else realizes. Maybe they go when the casino is dead and if it's a low level property, giving 2 rooms 2 a bunch of guys who have at least some money isn't necessarily a bad move. Maybe one of their friends set up the comp already based on their play and just told his buddies this is what we have to do to get it. @Multifarious5 i think puts it best when he says that what works for one doesn't necessarily work for all.
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  10. JRRestoule

    JRRestoule VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Apr 23, 2015
    Messages:
    2,893
    Location:
    Ontario, Canada
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    42
    I wouldn't automatically dismiss the claim that they got a couple of rooms based on that story. I can see something like that happening, depending on a few factors. Would I believe it happens "all the time" or at will, probably not.

    To me comps are a little tough to understand... sure you can get a good idea of where you should stand based on your gaming. Eg. you play x amount of slot spins and put through x dollars and you get x in comps. Fairly straightforward. These types of comps are "computerized" for lack of a better term.

    But I do firmly believe there are many ways casinos have a lot of flexibility in what they comp, how they comp, and why they comp, outside of the computerized slot theory. This would mostly be in the area of table games.

    Yes, similar to playing slots, there is a "computerized" method of gaining comp value at the tables. Eg. bet x amount for x amount of time, and you get x in comp value. Fairly straightforward here too. But, in my experience there are other factors that can greatly affect the comps someone might get at the tables outside of a persons bet size, amount of time playing, or whether they're winning/losing. The biggest one to me is tipping. A good tipper will, or can, get more than a non-tipper. A close second is a persons demeanor/attitude. Positive/happy/fun/respectful will, or can, get more than someone who is negative/unhappy/mean.

    A couple of examples from my experience... I was playing BJ at a $25 table recently betting $25-$50 per hand for about an hour. I was having fun joking and laughing with everyone including the dealer and pit boss and I did get the dealer in the game a few times. I rarely do this but at the end of my session I asked the pit boss what I was rated at. He had me clocked in at an average bet of $100 for about double the amount of time I was there. Sure this won't get me comped in the presidential suite with a thousand of free play, but it is better than being rated at the level I was playing at, or moreso being rated at a lower level than I was playing, which the pit boss has the power to do.

    A few years back I'd been given a paper comp from a pit boss at Wynn for 4 people to have a full on meal at Terrace Pointe Café (appetizer, dinner, dessert, drink). After a great meal, the total bill was over $250. This was from a pit boss at a $15 min BJ table by the pool. I was playing $15 a hand at the time as well. How did this happen? A few months earlier I was at Wynn with a buddy and we were playing BJ for quite awhile (again at a $15 min table). We played for about 2-3 hours, had too many drinks, and we were having a blast. We literally had a bunch of people standing behind us at the table watching and having a blast as well. People couldn't help but come over and see what was up. I'm assuming they thought there was a big player getting lucky, but it was just me and my buddy and a couple other players enjoying the game and joking around having fun. The dealer was an awesome guy partaking in all the fun and joking around as well. We left the table, went to the buffet (which we paid for) and moved on from Wynn after that. Fast forward a few months later, our dealer from that session was now a pit boss in the pool area. He remembered us from that BJ session a few months earlier and as we were chatting he asked if we wanted a comp for dinner. In this case our play didn't warrant a $250 dinner comp, but we got one.

    Comps are mostly clear as mud, but I do believe there is a lot of flexibility in a lot of different situations. Just my 2 cents :)
     
    • Like Like x 7
  11. HeatherC

    HeatherC Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Feb 19, 2019
    Messages:
    393
    Location:
    Indiana
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    3
    This is one of the best stories I've read on the internet in a long time! :)
     
    • Agree Agree x 4
  12. Nittany1

    Nittany1 VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Jul 6, 2009
    Messages:
    3,244
    Location:
    Pennsylvania
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    90
    Bunch of my golfing buddies always refer to "back in the day" they got free suites ,gourmet dining, champagne etc. at the old DI,LV Hilton ,and others.
    The stories never stop.
    When I see their level of play, I doubt that 90% of it occurred.

    On another note, I was playing dice at the MGM Grand on the night of the second IHeart music festival.
    A lot of the people at the table had tickets and were going.I did not.
    40 minutes before the show. Pit boss walks up to me and asks if I want to go.She said some tickets just freed up and I need to walk over to the host desk now and get them.
    She said leave your chips in the rack and go NOW.
    Called my wife upstairs and said to meet me in 15 min. Fun time.
     
    • Like Like x 3
    • Love Love x 1
  13. booker

    booker VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 26, 2009
    Messages:
    3,782
    Location:
    Coast of Washington State
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    75
    In the 80s & 90s, I would take my party girl mother to Vegas. She would flirt with the young guys, tell jokes, stay up to the wee hours, and generally be the life of the party. Pit critters would often give her (us) comps for shows and meals.
     
    • Like Like x 3
  14. makikiboy

    makikiboy VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 5, 2007
    Messages:
    6,752
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    35

    My mom used to tell me that she always wins when she goes to vegas. Once I was in vegas when she was there. Live vegasdev, my mom does win but she doesn't mention that she also loses on her trips. When I was there mom said that she won $6k but later her friends also said that she lost $10k in the process.


    As for getting comps buying in at the tables for $500. Well, maybe 25 - 35 years ago that might have worked but not very likely nowadays. $500 on the tables is just pocket change in vegas nowadays, especially on the strip. I have friends who say those types of things, I just smile and say, "yeah, sure".
     
    • Like Like x 1
    • Agree Agree x 1
  15. jpfromla

    jpfromla RFB

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Messages:
    849
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    250
    There are many variables to comps: if the hotel has many rooms vacant that night then you could walk up, plop $500 down and possibly get a room. Your top tier hotels no, but your second tier yes. If you don’t show them action, it won’t happen a second time. Pit bosses and host are always looking to recruit. My wife is low CET diamond - blackjack many - she got two nights from Cosmo comped upfront and she had never played there.
     
  16. jpfromla

    jpfromla RFB

    Joined:
    Jul 13, 2008
    Messages:
    849
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    250
    Good news: I won $3500
    Bad news: I lost $4000
     
  17. LB9

    LB9 PH Blackjack Degen

    Joined:
    Jun 6, 2013
    Messages:
    3,635
    Location:
    D.C.
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    10
    There is variance in comps to be sure, but things that happened years ago in terms of wide discretion just don't occur anymore.

    While a low level player may indeed get a table comp for a meal after 6 hours of play, there's no feasible way a nicely dressed guy buying in for 5k at a BJ table will be instantly approached before a bet is made with an offer for a suite lol. It's the same as the VP comp hustler sitting at a strip bartop with a $20 waiting for a free drink before placing a bet, those tricks are becoming less easy to fool people. There's so many comp hustlers in Vegas that the casinos are clearly privy to that nonsense for the most part. Plus, the reality is that these are businesses and they don't make money on people who appear to be big players but aren't.

    As for those people winning every time, I've noticed there's also one or two on this forum as well lol. I guess when nobody can corroborate things, anything is possible haha
     
  18. wanker751

    wanker751 Dutch Rudder Enthusiast

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2014
    Messages:
    7,484
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    17
    I know someone like that as well...
     
  19. Jejas

    Jejas VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Dec 6, 2014
    Messages:
    5,944
    Location:
    New York
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    10
    All those are not lies. Those are just gambler's talking. I don't believe any of them, true or false.
     
  20. joespoolhall

    joespoolhall VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 9, 2010
    Messages:
    3,582
    Location:
    Seattle, Wa
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    60
    Other than by urban legend, I've never known or seen anyone comped most anything, let alone rooms based on buy in. Even in the old days, I'm sure you'd have to show some minimal play. These days the concept is laughable. Average bet times the length of time you play is the base for comps. They don't build these palaces on the hope you might lose. They've got good solid math to back it up.
    Back in the 90s I had some good friends that were regularly comped at the MGM on their 3-4 trips per year. Both gamble a fair amount, but the wife played 8-12 hours a day of quarter and some dollar VP. When they returned from trips you'd here about all of her wins. At a different time her husband would refer to the losses, not complaining, it would just come out in conversation. My point is that most people who are comped forget that most times, they have actually bought their own comps. Again, they don't build these place by giving everything away for free.

    Good Luck!
    Ric at Joes
     
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.