Page 20 - April 2003 • Southern California Gaming Guide

SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA GAMING GUIDE
Column: The Frugal Gambler
Page 20
April 2003
Secrets to Getting More Comps for Your Slot Play by Jean Scott
1. In many casinos, the denomination of your machine does not matter in earning comps, IF they are based exclusively on the total dollar amount of coin in. A nickel player who plays ve times as long as a quarter player will get the same comps. A quarter player can achieve dollar-player status by playing four times as long. Check at the player’s club to be sure of speci c casino rules: Most track nickel play, but others give more comps to dollar players than to quarter ones.
2. It used to be that almost all casinos based comps for slot players strictly on coin-in. High-tech tracking systems now allow casinos to add other factors to the formula. This can include such things as frequency of play, length of sessions, win/loss gures, denomination, and type of machine. Therefore, it is often hard to determine how much play you must do to get the comps you wish to earn.
3. Many casinos base your comps on a daily point average, spread over your whole visit. This works to your advantage, for example if
you play heavily some days and want to spend some days relaxing or playing golf with no play
at all. It pays to check on speci c casino rules.
4. Some player’s clubs do not give as many points to a player for video poker as they do for slot machines, so you will not earn as many comps for the same amount of coin- in when you play video poker. Also, some casinos do not give as many comps to players of the new multi-hand video poker machines, like Triple Play, even though they are putting through three times the dollar amount than on a traditional machine. Again, check with a host at the player’s club booth.
5. You don’t have to be a high roller to get a comped room. For those casinos with hotels, ask your player’s club, especially during the slow season between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
6. My husband, Brad, likes meal comps not just because he can eat free, but because they mean he usually does not have to wait in a long line.
7. Never gamble with money you cannot afford to lose, just to get comps. It is wiser in the
long run to plan to pay for your meals and room. Then, if the comps come, they’ll be gravy.
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.