Slots $900 freeplay - How should I spend this?

Hello VMB! I’ll be staying at Cosmopolitan for the first time next month. They matched my $900 freeplay gaming offer from mlife. Thinking of going 1 of 2 different routes to maximize on this:

1. Day 1 go to the high limit slot room and play .10 or .25 denominations at $10-$15 spins
2. Slow play and spend $100-$200 of the freeplay with the goal of doubling up or bust each freeplay session. Would play penny slots $2-$5 spins.

I’m a penny slots player but thinking of playing different denominations this trip since my average bet is around $5/spin. How do you typically use your freeplay and from the 2 options I’m considering, would you hit up the high limit room and hope to get a big hit or slow play it with a higher chance of building a bank roll?

 

I'd go for a $1 machine at $2 to $5 a spin. Maybe something less volatile to start so you hopefully get some points off the FP. Maybe put in $100 at a time so you don't have to play too much through if you decide to move.
Though I'd also be tempted to do $25 a spin, and possibly regret it.

 

If I didn't care about returns, I'd YOLO it at $10-20 a spin and try to bink a big score.

Alternatively, I'd just play it at my normal stakes and que sera sera.

 

Maybe half go big and half just go regular? I’d hope you would at least bonus on the “go big” and then it really wouldn’t matter.

 

When you insert or redeem $100 worth of freeplay at the machine, it is the same as putting in a $100 bill.

So why not just play like anything else. Your bankroll just increased by $900, so why not play it the way you WANT or ENJOY or thing you get your best return? Just like cash.

I often look at the original question a bit different. Something like - "I am going to play $900 in Vegas. What machine or denom is the best way to play it?"

 

I ration my free play. I might use a portion on a $1 machine, a $5 machine & a $10 machine. I like to ease into it. I would start with the lower denominations.

 

Definitely play in the high limit room. Always a better return.

 

Personally, I don't count free play as part of my bankroll so I would go big and try to hit something. That said, I've never had that much FP on an offer before. Wow. If I had that, I might pause a bit before blowing it on higher limits. Still, I think I would lean towards going big.

 

There's no .10 and .25 denoms in the high limit room. The lowest denom is $5 except for the multi-line video slots, where it's $1.

That is a lot of freeplay (to me), so you must do a lot of coin-in to begin with. SInce you said it was a matching offer, I'll assume it's about the amount you usually get.

I'm a $3 - $5/spin player and I almost always go big with my freeplay, which is usually $100 - $200 depending on which casino. I'm looking for a big hit. I usually get $100 from CET and I usually use it on a $100 denom machine. When I get $200+ from somewhere, I usually play $25 denom.

It's a small enough % of my overall bankroll that I just look at it as money to take a shot with.

I would go to the Double Diamond 3 reel machine in the high limit room and either:
Play 2 coins at $5 denom, so $10/spin
Play 1 coin at $25 denom

If you don't really want to blow all of it that way, maybe just use half, and use the other half on one of your favorite games at twice your normal per spin amount,

 

Or you could try a $400 bet
https://www.vegasmessageboard.com/forums/index.php?threads/huge-win-at-cosmopolitan-with-a-400-bet.176172/

 

I would do about $600 using the slow play method, and if I did OK there, I would then hit the high limit room and probably play a 2 coin $5 machine at $10 a spin.

I used to always play $1 JOB VP and try to turn my free play into cash, but why? It spends the same as cash, so now I just use it as part of my bankroll.

I know personally, if I played it all in a $25 machine, I'd be pissed if I didn't hit anything, but maybe that's just me .

 

Thanks for the advice everyone! I like the idea of splitting it up to use a portion towards high limit and the rest on my regular play slots. I will give that a try

 

4 games. $200 load. Max bet until double or bust. Last $100 go for 10 spins on a $10 per spin game.

 

I agree with @nostresshere. It's really no different than cash.

I will say this: being mostly a CET player, I tend to play my free play on video poker. The return is one reason. But since you don't earn TC's and RC's on free play, I play it on vp because it takes $10 to earn a point, as opposed to $5 on slots. Since I'm earning no points with free play, I play the game it takes more coin-in to earn a point.

 

Glad to hear that @SlotLady38 has decided what to do with it -- i hope you enjoy and have fun!

I disagree with the premise that Free Play is no different than cash. It is very different for a couple of reasons. FP must be consumed to get value from it, versus cash, where I can walk away with it at any time. Since FP must be run through, the actual equivalent cash value of it can vary quite a bit. Using FP on video poker can produce less variance in the outcome (depending on what game you play), but you still have to run through the amount of FP. I don't gamble with the mindset of "I am going to play $900". I play with an eye on how many credits I have left, whether I am up or down, feeling good or not about my bankroll, feeling tired or not, etc. I don't shoot for betting exactly $900 and stopping--unless of course I am trying to burn off FP. To me that's how it's different than cash.

I see FP as free spins. I can't walk away from it (why would I want to?). I have to do it. It's free spins that I can pick the machine prior to spinning. Generally, I would look for high limits relative to the amount of FP.

 

I definitely treat free play as part of my bankroll but I play exclusively VP anyway. If I sit at a machine I'm not going anywhere for the next couple of hours. It doesn't matter to me if I load $100 FP or pull out $100 from my wallet. There is no difference at all in my mind.

 

I think psychologically, it's dramatically different than putting in a 100 dollar bill. For instance FP can't be spent on dinner or your room reservation or your flight, or even for that matter groceries and rent (Aside to say you should never gamble grocery or rent money). This isn't money you have and can choose to play, this is money you must play in order to try to have some.

So if your normal bankroll is enough to maximize your enjoyment and you love gambling, then maybe use this to take a swing you wouldn't ordinarily take because at the end of the day, if you lose all of it, you haven't lost any of your actual money yet. The downside to swinging big is that you could hit big and like that feeling and subsequently not love playing your lower limits anymore.

@SlotLady38 I like your thought of doubling your normal bet level (5 dollars a spin to 10). I would certainly go to the high limit room as I have found drink services to be better in there.

As an aside, I am normally VP but when I play slots I am between 2.50 and 6 per spin. Lately I find myself playing higher denom and lower bet level and really enjoying it. The chance for a big score is there, but the risk is similar.

 

I would do cash conversion, which for me is regular slots, $100 at a time, betting $3-$5 a pull, cashing out after each $100 through.

$900 is, IMHO, too "little" to be using on $5.00 machines at $25.00 a pull.

I had $2500 FP once, and went to the $5.00, 5 line, at $25.00 a pull. After 16 pulls ($400) and exactly $0.00 to show for it, I retreated to my normal strategy and made back about $2000

 

Roulette, Black/Red only

You basically have a 50/50 shot (yeah, I know, zero/dbl-zero, whatever)....

I usually can convert most of whatever freeplay to cash this way.
Boring and slow, yes, but it works.

My advice, pick on color and stick with it....if you bounce back and forth, you'll always question yourself....just pick a color and stick with it

 

Well, maximizing freeplay and having the most fun might be two different things. For maximizing, you should find the lowest possible denom full play VP and play that exclusively. Is it a lot of fun? Depends on whether you like VP.

If you exclusively like slots, then playing half on regular stakes, and half on high stakes sounds like a nice enough plan.