Page 18 - January 2003 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Column: The Frugal Gambler
Page 18
January 2003
How to Get Extras From a Casino Iby Jean Scott
t has been said that “once a teacher, always a teacher.” When I retired from the high school English classroom after 25 years, I could not stop teaching. I just switched my subject material and started to expound to anyone who would listen about how to be a
smarter gambler. So this month our casino “lesson” is a vocabulary study that will teach you some basics of how to get more extras from a casino — whether you are winning or losing.
4. INFORMATION: The more you know about the casino’s player reward system the more you can get out of it. Although some casinos spell out in black and white their criteria for giving out their valuable booty, the great majority of them do not. If this is the situation, the clerks at the club desk can often answer many of your questions that the literature does not address. If you take your points in cash, can you still get meal comps? How many points does it take to get a free buffet? A free show?
5. FREE: My favorite casino vocabulary word. Because casinos have built comps into their marketing budget, the possibilities for freebies is endless, even for a low-roller. You do not have to feel embarrassed to look for and ask about these extra bene ts. Learn to use the comp system and I predict that “free” will become your favorite word, too!
Jean Scott is the author of the best-selling book The Frugal Gambler, a casino guide for thrifty low rollers, plus a sequel, More Frugal Gambling, to be published very soon. She stresses sensible, responsible gambling and shows how to stretch out casino fun time whatever your gambling bankroll. She is a popular speaker and writer on gaming subjects. She has a weekly Internet column called “Frugal Fridays” on www.lasvegasadvisor.com. Today, Jean Scott, who, in her words, is just an “ordinary grandmother,” is the world’s most famous low-rolling gambler and her fans are legion. Her web site can be found at www.frugalgambler.biz.
1. COMPS: This is short for complementaries. It meansthethingsthecasinogivesyouwithoutcharge just because you are playing in their casino — anything from the drinks that even the penny betters can order to penthouse suites for the high rollers. I call these the casino extras because you get them simply by playing what you would ordinarily play anyway. Besides the more familiar comps for meals, rooms, and shows, Brad and I have been comped for the last 18 years for such things as haircuts, massages, airfare, limo rides, parties, and invitational tournaments. Even back when we were quarter video poker players, and real low-rollers, we got so many comps that when we appeared on the TV show “48 Hours” many years ago, Dan Rather named me “the Queen of Comps.” Now that we have gone up in denomination we are ooded with comps: So much logo-wear our closets are far too crowded, lavish food baskets and ne bottles of spirits, expensive jewelry and electronics, and enough toys for our grandchildren that they think Santa lives in a casino.
2. RECOGNITION: You cannot get anything from a casino if it does not know you are playing there. How do you get their attention? One all-important basic requisite: Join the slot club! Then every time you put your player’s card in the machine while you play, the casino knows you are giving them your valuable business and they have already put into place a system to keep track of your play and then reward you. You can also give this card to the pit boss when you are playing table games so your play there will also be tracked and you will earn comps.
3. LITERATURE: No, not
the printed material that you will usually nd at the player’s club desk. Read carefully for speci c details on whether the club gives back cash or comps or both. Brochures may tell you exactly how the slot club works, giving a list of the things you can earn as you play and how many points each requires.
Shakespeare — I
mean