Jean Scott's Frugal Vegas

I found out recently that Caesars has changed their mathematical formula that they use to allocate offers.  I don’t know just when they did this, but perhaps it was last fall since that was when, after years of no offers for us as Vegas locals, we began getting offers with substantial free play similar to those out-of-towners received. They use a very complex formula to calculate a customer MDV – Market Daily Value. Read more… »

Here are some promotions I didn’t find out about until after I posted the earlier monthly report.  I hate when casinos don’t get their mailers out BEFORE the first of the month.  Some of ours came late this month and we missed some valuable offers!!    Sometimes casinos will give that fact some consideration – I always ask.  However, sometimes it isn’t possible to “make it up.” Read more… »

PALMS

The “Play, Earn, and Win” promotion continues on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and it’s back to “stuff.”  I really liked the free play option they gave last month and I hope they offer it again – and often!!!  Also returning this month is the feature that allows you to combine your points over multiple days, so be warned that the lines in the Promotion Center probably will be very very long on Friday late afternoons and evenings.

A mini earn-and-swipe promotion continues on Tuesdays.  And their usual drawings continue Read more… »

Once again I must stress that this “monthly report” is not a comprehensive one by any means.  From the beginning I have emphasized that I am trying to help people who don’t get mailers, especially from Vegas locals casinos, find out about promotions that are not widely publicized elsewhere.  I don’t have the time or energy to check out every casino in Vegas or keep track of all the “perks” each of them offer.  With casinos changing benefits and promotions constantly, this would take a large team working night and day. However, in past reports I have recommended quite a few Web sites that will help you keep up.  I suggest you go back and bookmark some of those resourses if you didn’t do so earlier.   Also I usually don’t list multiple point days since I have told you to check Scot’s list for these, not just at the first of the month but often since he notes changes and additions whenever they occur all during the month. If you think I have missed some important promotion or benefit, don’t waste your time and energy  getting on my case, but just add the information in the Comments. We’re all in this together!  I really appreciate those of you who have contributed very useful information, some of which was new and helpful to me personally!  I am still learning, as are all wise gamblers. Read more… »

Recently, a poster on the vpFREE forum discussed his belief about casino promotions and that they were geared to make gamblers lose more.  And then he asked, “Doesn’t everyone think so?”

At first, I thought this person was all wrong   So I started writing the following:  No, I don’t think this way and neither does any wise advantage player. Here is what I do: I evaluate a play by adding the EV of the game to all the extra benefits, including slot club points, free play, and promotions. (Some people add the value of comps, which is fine in many cases, but our personal choice is not count them, only cash or cash-equivalent benefits. We consider them “gravy.”) This total must be over 100% in order for us to play. Most games are now under 100% and you MUST use promotions/extra benefits to find a good play.

However, I stopped writing there and started thinking about how some people might get in trouble even if they always choose 100%+ games. Read more… »

“The devil is in the details.”  “Always read the fine print.”

I repeat those words often – so often that I’m sure many of you are sick of them.  I am weary of saying them myself.  But just when I think I will let up on these warnings, something bad happens to me or to one of my readers as a result of ignoring them.

Do sometimes I fail to check on details or neglect to read the fine print – even after 29 years of casino experience?  Don’t be surprised when I answer this with a “yes.”  There is a tendency to depend on one’s past experiences the longer one plays, but this is a dangerous habit in connection with casinos.  You can never assume that “the usual” will last.  Gambling smart requires constant diligence, not just in the big decisions, like choosing the right games.  All those constant small details often pile up and become the one deciding factor that determines financial success or failure.

Let me give you some examples, Read more… »

Here’s some good advice at many casinos these days since so many seem to be going to leased restaurants:  watch for gift cards and food coupons that aren’t good in all food outlets.  For example, some food vouchers we had for Caesars properties in Vegas Read more… »

RESOURCES

I would like to repeat my recommendations for a couple of great resources, particularly if you are interested in playing/staying at Las Vegas Strip properties, although some of this information will be helpful if you play at a MGM or Caesars property anywhere in the country.

     1.  Mark’s Las Vegas.  This has unique coverage with information you might not readily find elsewhere, Read more… »

A note here at the beginning, particularly for new readers of this monthly report.  I don’t report on the same casinos each month. And even with those I usually mention, I don’t cover every promotion or mention all the details if I have described it in earlier reports.  My main goal is to pick casinos and promotions that I think will help locals and out-of-towners have information that might not be widely known, particularly those frequent changes casinos make –both the good and the bad!  So if you haven’t been reading here recently, you might find it helpful to go back a few months and “catch up” on the information in previous reports.

I also would like to recommend a resource that I find has useful information for both Vegas visitors and locals, particularly details about players clubs.  Read more… »

All casinos are holding “Big Game” celebrations on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 3, with some promotions running the whole weekend.  Expect crowded casinos and gridlock traffic conditions in town, especially on the Strip.  The city will also be very busy President’s Day weekend.  Check for multiple points both weekends.  They are rare on the 3^rd, but often seen on the 18^th.

PALMS

The “Play, Earn, and Win” promotion continues on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, starting at 10 a.m. each day at the new Promotions Center.  You can pick up your earned swag until 10 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays and until midnight on Fridays.  By the pictures it looks like it is all “stuff” this month, with no Visa card options like last month. Read more… »