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.

How Do You Deal with "Host Pressure"

Discussion in 'Comps' started by Naturaleight, Apr 27, 2013.

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

    Naturaleight MIA

    Joined:
    Jul 27, 2012
    Messages:
    1,146
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    10
    I don't mean Host pressure in the literal sense where they are actually telling you to play more. But many times I have felt guilty when I've been comped a lot up front and haven't put in the volume I should be playing. Especially with a host who I don't know that well.

    What do other's do to cope with that guilt? Especially if it's a host who you don't know that well, and you probably won't be getting looked at favorably in the future by him/her. Unfortunately I have fallen into the trap and probably played more than I would have just to please my host on some trips.

    This is why there was a time I decided not to use hosts. And now I'm considering going back to that time.
     
  2. dankyone

    dankyone VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2011
    Messages:
    4,051
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    142
    I absolutely and completely ignore it--especially if I don't know the host--and just assume I won't be invited back (which is not always the case.)

    I think about it this way: If I go in and play three times as much as expected, blow my entire credit line + TTO, and use very few comps because I am in no mood for nice dinners--there is no host in town sitting around feeling guilty about it.

    I suppose it is easy for me to say this since 90% of the time I play as expected. If you personally feel obligated to play more than you want to in order to please a host, you may well be better off not using one. Book corporate offers, play as you please, and let the comps fall where they may.
     
  3. thespiritoftruth

    thespiritoftruth Tourist

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2012
    Messages:
    43
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    9
    [STRIKE]+1[/STRIKE] I mean + infinity
    dankyone - Spot on how I feel and approach my room/ticket & show requests/gambling limits when booking through a host. If you're debating on whether you're comfortable or not and what it is going to take to "please" the host, I'd drop the host and worry and use corporate offers only or pay.
     
  4. jdvegas

    jdvegas VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Mar 2, 2013
    Messages:
    1,179
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    30
    I never ask my host what is comped up front and what is based on play. Instead, I simply ask for what I want/need, and assume that I will get comped based on play.

    That takes care of any guilt, but not necessarily the "pressure" - which I do sometimes feel based on wanting 100% of my charges comped. I know i should never "chase" comps, but I have yet to find a way to fully get it out of my head.
     
    • Like Like x 1
  5. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2010
    Messages:
    10,096
    Location:
    At the tables
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    30
    i have no idea. i've never felt guilty about what i've gotten. i used to be overcomped regularly and yet I continued to ask for more until they said no. when i found a host that was being a pain and not giving me as much as i wanted, I tried different hosts until i found ones that would give me what i wanted. i look at comps like a game. my job is to get as much as I possibly can from my play. I have no idea why someone wouldn't want to use a host. their entire purpose is to take care of your needs like a personal assistant. who doesn't want a free personal assistant?

    i know i'm demanding. i expect them to take care of everything i ask for and do it fairly promptly. i'm upset when they forget something i asked for or something gets screwed up and I don't have what i'm expecting. i tell them i know i'm demanding and they halfheartedly argue with me as a courtesy, but I know they know it as well.

    at the same time, I balance this out by treating my hosts very well on a personal level. I ask about their families and lives. I remember when they say things about their kids or loved ones and ask them about it later. I invite them to dinner or golf or to attend other events with me when i'm at a different property. i start every correspondence with some personal notes about things we've talked about before. I find out their likes and dislikes and get them gifts that they will appreciate. I acknowledge their hard work and thank them vociferously for everything they do for me. I make sure they know that I appreciate what they do for me. when they go above and beyond for me, I go above and beyond in reciprocation. it's a give and take. I take a lot, but I give a lot as well. and for the most part I get what I want even if I really don't deserve it.
     
  6. JDinTN

    JDinTN MIA

    Joined:
    Dec 21, 2012
    Messages:
    338
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    10
    Most people are like you whether they admit it or not. They are hosted at a property and feel they should put as much of their play as they can at that property, they don't feel like gambling some days and feel guilty about it because their hosts are comping them so much, and so on. You don't feel guilty when you book the comps on your own through a computer or a VIP operator. The thing you have to remember is that hosts are not your friends -- that is dumb thinking that noobs fall into. Hosts are doing their job just like any salespeople including salesman I employ and sales that I do myself. Hosts will keep doing their job as long as it is their job and as soon as it isn't their job they will disappear. You shouldn't give a damn about them behind your back they all talk about how their players are suckers and year after year they see a lot of their players completely bust out and don't care one lick. Its not their job to care -- its their job to make sure the casino gets your money. If you remember that they are salespeople and not your friends you won't feel guilty about anything.
     
  7. Travel Fanatic

    Travel Fanatic The Arbiter of Taste Caviar Kid

    Joined:
    Jul 11, 2010
    Messages:
    21,525
    Location:
    Tennessee
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    Not to sound snarky, but the answer is to not feel any guilt. Play at whatever level your comfortable. If you underplayed the host's expectations, then he oir she probably won't be as generous in the future. But you already got what you wanted on the previous trip, so its all good
     
    The plans have changed
    Post-Shopping Recovery Period
  8. natedog666

    natedog666 17 and 20 Expert

    Joined:
    Mar 3, 2012
    Messages:
    2,225
    Location:
    Taipei, Taiwan
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    100
    I actually like everything in black and white. That's why I check theo all the time. If the host is not willing to give what I feel is my "understanding" of the % of theo I should get back, I usually drop the host/casino until they convince me to go back.

    I do feel guilty if I have to suddenly leave, or I lost my bankroll at another property so stop playing. But I figure that's just the nature of the business. The host doesn't lose any money personally, they just have to explain to their bosses. If the casino bosses (MGM, Cosmo) no longer wants my action, they will let me know by shorting me on comps or pissing me off in other ways.

    This system has some downsides obviously for those that have read my TRs thoroughly. It also worked much better when the casinos were desperate for business. I can't go to MGM and Cosmo casinos because I felt they undercomped or under delivered, so it is a pride thing. Good thing there are still many casinos left...like Wynn, V/P, Caesar's

    Trust me, the host will never feel any guilt towards you if they undercomp you and make extra money on their bonus, so why should you feel any guilt for them?
     
  9. Gregsmt

    Gregsmt Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Dec 9, 2012
    Messages:
    202
    Location:
    Midwest
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    16
    I agree. I just play the same whether I'm in Vegas or a home casino other than a little higher starting bet in Vegas. If I'm losing, I quit and may only play a couple hours and if I'm winning or staying even, I'll play a lot longer.

    Thanks to natedog's trip reports I always ask for my time and ave bet when I leave the table and for my theo at the end of the trip. I feel I was treated fairly. I had to subsidize some of my friends expenses so I ended up using $1000 of express comps to cover some food and one big bar bill at the aria, but what else can you use them for. I've been maxed out at $5000 express comps twice this year so it's no big deal.

    I stay exclusively at mgm family casinos because its easier and I have a relationship a host at 3 of them. I would stay at the bellagio but I don't know a host there and am reluctant about trying to start over with a new one.
     
  10. Max2589

    Max2589 Low-Roller

    Joined:
    Aug 8, 2012
    Messages:
    458
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    19
    I used to have similar fears about meeting hosts expectations.
    However, until a host pulls me aside to shamble me or pull
    My offers I am just going to play what I want and not think about it.

    I don't think you should ever play simply to please your host.
    Now if you've run up a large bill and your play is low, just be prepared
    To pay some of it out if pocket. Better to put a few hundred bucks on
    Your Amex when checking out then potentially losing a much greater sum
    Gambling Just to make your host happy.

    I also almost Never get a bill at the end of stay but I am prepared to deal with it if it does happen. I'm not going to sweat it all trip and worry about it.
    That's no fun.
     
  11. engicedave

    engicedave VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Aug 27, 2005
    Messages:
    1,154
    This is pretty much how I do it. I know that my host expects me to play a certain amount of time, and time is what I look at, whether I play up, down, whatever, depends on how my play is going, and my host knows this.
    I know what's expected of me, i know my part, and I try to live up to my end of the deal.
     
  12. nostresshere

    nostresshere Mr. Anti Debit Card

    Joined:
    May 4, 2009
    Messages:
    23,220
    Location:
    TN
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    40
    I feel the same amount of guilt that the host and casino feel about my dropping hundreds of dollars in their casino.

    Never, ever feel guilt about the host. Remember, no matter how nice they are, they are paid, measured, and employed for only one reason. GET MONEY FROM THE CUSTOMERS.
     
  13. Huddler

    Huddler VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Sep 26, 2008
    Messages:
    1,248
    Location:
    Nashville
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    I do feel bad if I low play a property that comps me. We all know the game although they dont clearly establish the expectations like they once did. My hosts know my history of play so they know I will be back play again. But I do like to give the casino comping me enough action.
     
  14. domeboy

    domeboy VIP Whale

    Joined:
    May 25, 2009
    Messages:
    1,152
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    50
    Could you just say you played a lot of BJ at 25/hand and that they must not of rated my play...
     
  15. dankyone

    dankyone VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2011
    Messages:
    4,051
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    142
    They sure don't. In the early 2000s, barely 10 years ago, the Mirage very clearly said $100/hand for 4 hrs/day=room comp and $200/hand=RFB. This was when the hotel was the 3rd best in town behind only the Bellagio and the real, pre Harrahfied Caesars Palace. It was a fantastic deal compared to today's criteria, especially since Renoir (Chef Alex Stratta) was part of RFB.
     
  16. bswim

    bswim High-Roller

    Joined:
    Jan 22, 2013
    Messages:
    898
    Location:
    Western WA
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    7
    Here's how I deal with Host Pressure. Be such a low roller that a host probably wouldn't give me the time of day! LOL :D
     
  17. shifter

    shifter Degenerate Gambler

    Joined:
    Sep 15, 2010
    Messages:
    10,096
    Location:
    At the tables
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    30
    That's worse than just saying something came up and you were busy.
     
  18. dankyone

    dankyone VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Oct 15, 2011
    Messages:
    4,051
    Location:
    Chicago
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    142
    No.......
     
  19. Corsair66

    Corsair66 Tourist

    Joined:
    Mar 24, 2013
    Messages:
    21
    Location:
    Clermont, FL
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    20
    Precisely this. To the extent that I ever feel guilty about anything (rarely and only briefly/minimally), it's an emotional reaction reserved for the very few people in my personal life who might reciprocate the feeling when appropriate. Guilt is never a useful response to a fair business arrangement. No host has ever felt guilty when I lost...

    Again, precisely. Presumably, at this point in our lives, we should all be thoroughly acquainted with our own natures. If one is the sort who is, even if only in certain circumstances, susceptible to feelings of external pressure, the only sensible reaction is to avoid the source of that perceived pressure.

    Well said. If one's host hasn't ever said "no", then one is leaving comps on the table. Push to find the limits and then have them define those limits as explicitly as you need to hear them. We don't play for comps (or shouldn't, right?!?), but I want to extract every possible comp(ensation - don't forget what 'comps' are really about!!) for my play.

    +1 to all of this. Simply a part of friendly, cordial, and positive interpersonal relations - in business, as well as one's personal life.

    Lots of good sense here...

    Ken
     
  20. mdee

    mdee VIP Whale

    Joined:
    Feb 22, 2010
    Messages:
    2,491
    Location:
    Orlando
    Trips to Las Vegas:
    41
    I had a Host once but she didn't really do all that much for me.
    She's since moved on to another Resort. That was a few years ago.
    I have another Host trying to woo me in emails but I just don't bother.
     
Tags:
Thread Status:
Not open for further replies.