Hints and Pics from the Frugal Files
Some of you told me that my last blog was depressing.
I feel your pain. I realize that hearing about negative changes in the casino world is anything but uplifting. I also fear the future of downgrades, like when I just ran across this article that gave me more details about how artificial intelligence (AI) can be used in casinos.
I can’t give you one big piece of Pollyanna advice on how to cope with these changing times. I’ve never been able to do that on any gambling issue. However, I have written a lot about how different kinds of gamblers might modify their play as the casino environment evolves. One of the most detailed discussions of this was a four-part series on this blog back in March and April 2015: “When Casinos cut VP Benefits.” See Part 1 here and you can click forward (using the link to the right above the comments on the Part 1 page) for Part 2. For Part 3 and Part 4, it’s easier to link from here.
I can’t believe that I’ve been writing about this for eight years. Even then, I probably would have found earlier blogs on the same subject if I’d scrolled back through the Archives (which you can also do right here on my site for any month I have been blogging since 2000). I’m not surprised that a lot of my old posts are still relevant today. Although specific details may be outdated, many of the basic concepts are still valuable keys to success.
Despite many negative factors these days, you can still come across some positives when doing your casino scouting and research. Not all casinos are using the newest software. Smaller companies especially might not have the budget for them and still reward you in the more traditional ways. Some casinos might consider some of the “old ways” to still be a good fit for their market.
Here’s an interesting article that discusses the subject of free play and how not all casinos follow the same views on how it should be used.
Also, some casinos are still giving their hosts broader authority to extend comps, with a range of numbers and factors, rather than one can’t-be-changed schedule. Just asking, but doing it nicely, will always work better than a demanding attitude and you might land in the top of that range.
Another good host hint I’m finding out about in my own casino visits and from the experiences of others is that all properties under one big umbrella company don’t necessarily have the same policies. Therefore, don’t assume you already know all the details about getting comps, just because you’ve played at sister casinos. Check with a new host or, better still, have a chat with several hosts to get the big picture and/or more details. Sometimes you’ll find more generous territory!
If your personal circumstances are flexible, broaden your search to include casinos you haven’t considered before. Your long-time favorite casino may no longer be the best choice for you.
And here’s a new transportation option that might open up some new good casino opportunities for some of you readers out west, from a press release from Megabus, one of the largest bus companies in North America. They have announced a new partnership with Salt Lake Express, a popular shuttle service along the northern I-15 corridor. This partnership will allow for expanded service options to and from 75 cities in the Northwest across Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Utah, and Wyoming, including daily trips between Las Vegas and Mesquite and Pahrump, Nevada. Additional service will be offered from Boise, Helena, Salt Lake City, and Reno.
And now changing the subject: For some of you who’ve asked for current pictures of Brad and me, here they are. They also answer someone’s question about whether we do any non-casino gambling these days. These were taken recently when we attended two Kentucky Derby parties. One was here at Legacy Reserve, where we have a party for everything! The other was at the home of friends. Most at the party were spouses and retired Army and/or present government employees who work with son-in-law Steve at Fort Benning (recently renamed Fort Moore).
Now, our parties at the Legacy bar (yes, the only senior facility in Georgia with a licensed bar) are lively, fun, and full of noisy chatter, but sometimes it’s great to get together with the younger generation. Those Army guys really know how to party down and they swept these two oldsters right into the rowdy action. We’d never played Left-Right-Center before and didn’t know how boisterous 25 people surrounding a long table could get, while fiercely defending their $3 bets. Even Brad, who usually sits silently on game sidelines, joined in the action and was just as shocked as I was when, after being “out” for many rounds, I ended up winning the $75 final pot!
His surprising engagement in the activities lasted all evening, even after we got back home. And for a short time, he remembered what he’d had done for 35 years, but has forgotten these last four: counting the organized stacks of little bills, then giving me the total of our day’s gambling results.
I had to retreat to the bedroom to hide my tears.
This is a time of mixed emotions for me. Dementia is such a cruel condition. There are so many long days of silence when he’s in his own world, thankfully peaceful, but not “with me.” And again, thankfully, I’ve been able to adjust and to make for myself a different but happy world. However, I’m thrilled beyond words when his memory unexpectedly wakes up and we can, even just for a few hours, re-live some of those joyful times we shared in the past.