Jean Scott's Frugal Vegas

You know how it is.  Gone a week.  Come back to a pile of mail to process – especially at the end of the month with all those casino offers to put on our June calendar.  We got a couple of shockers – super promotions from casinos we had washed our hands of months ago.  Although some locals casinos are cutting back on free play and bonus days, a few seem to be thinking that maybe some good offers might get back those customers they had driven away earlier.  Hey, I don’t hold grudges. Read more… »

I just transferred 15 years of gambling records (from 1997 to 2011) from a stack of yearly hard-copy DayMinders to an Excel spreadsheet.  I’ve been aiming to do that for years, but getting a new computer – and learning how to use Excel – finally gave me the extra motivation I needed.  (I have records clear back to our first Vegas vacation in 1984 but they aren’t as comprehensive before 1997, when I switched to a more detailed record-keeping format  that I still use.

I thought it might be interesting to show our real-life example of how advantage VP has run for us in the long term. Read more… »

For a long time Boyd Casinos and Rebel Gas partnered to give customers with a slot club card a discount on gas.  But alas, that discount is no more, as of the end of April.

Lesson here:  Be aware that no promotion lasts forever.  Read more… »

Despite the fact that Brad and I neither one enjoy long plane rides, we decided to accept Harrah’s offer to fly us free to a June Seven Star event in Atlantic City, a place we haven’t visited for many years.  We can check out the new Revel, take walks on the Boardwalk and beach, as well as enjoy the many activities Harrah’s has planned during this event.

But most of all we look forward to seeing old friends and meeting new frugalites!  Although our paths may cross at the various activities and at the video poker machines, we thought we would set up a couple of meetings where kindred gambling souls could gather and talk shop. Read more… »

In going through some old computer files recently, I came across this Frugal Fridays article I wrote back in September, 2007:

There are people in every area of life who become obsessed with one activity, whether it’s their job or a leisure-time hobby. A workaholic in any career may find that his family takes second place to his job. A woman may neglect her children because she spends too much time in computer chat rooms. Even a person who reads or watches TV all the time may find that close relationships suffer.

Someone who gambles faces the same dangers. Read more… »

Here is my favorite Mother’s Day card,  sent to me by Angela, the Frugal Princess, some years ago.

As promised, here is some more chatter about the Game We Love to Hate, Multi-Strike.  You may enjoy going back to Part 1 and reading some of the comments that followed after its posting.  As usual, there is added – and helpful – insight from other players in the same “battle field.”

Brad and I have scored royals on the top line several times in the past 7-8 years Read more… »

And probably of interest to many mid-rollers too:

From vpFREE:

“The Palms has added 20 uprights in two banks by hotel registration with 25c/50c FPDW, 10/7 DB and 10/6 DDB.
Big signs overhead proclaim the good paytables.   Of course they are stickered $4 per point and excluded from promotions.”

Best casino news I’ve heard for a long time.  I do wonder about the motivation behind this ”move to quality” and how long it will last.  But I’m sure many frugalites will enjoy it while it lasts.

Ah, volatility – we call Multi-Strike the Game We Love to Hate!  It’s our favorite form of video poker – and the one that frustrates us the most.  It’s the one that brings glorious highs – think royal flush on the top line – once in a blue moon.  And it’s the one that can keep you struggling in the deepest holes for seemingly interminable sessions on end.

We have played MS off and on since it came out around 7-8 years ago, Read more… »

I just went through my blog’s bulging “Spam File.” Most were generic innocuous comments, with the main purpose of getting attention for their commercial Web site that has nothing to do with gambling or Las Vegas. Some were inadvertently humorous. I liked this one: “Your blog is so interesting why don’t you write a book?” However, once in a while I find a legitimate post that, for some unknown reason, has been mistaken for spam. So if your comment doesn’t ever appear, you can e-mail me privately about this. Do remember that I don’t go to my blog every day, so give it a few days. I must “Approve” every comment before it shows up in the public comment column.

Another issue I find is that a lot of people who have “Subscribed” to my blog (so they get an e-mail when I post a new entry) must have changed their e-mail address or their Inbox is full, perhaps because that is an e-mail account they don’t check very often. So I receive many bounce notices. If you do want an immediate notification, be sure you subscribe with a current active e-mail address. And you might want to unsubscribe from any old inactive ones.

Unrelated to this blog, but a question I get off and on is about the chances of getting autographs for the books of mine you have purchased. I don’t have as many public appearances as I used to, but I am always glad to autograph your books wherever and whenever you see me. In a casino Brad and I are always happy to stop playing video poker and chat with frugal fans who want to meet us in person – and that is a good time for autograph signing. People also ask about buying books from me personally. We aren’t in the book marketing business anymore but there are many places on the Internet where my books are for sale. However, I usually do have a couple in my purse for frugalites who don’t want to pay postage! I always have at least one copy of the Frugal VP Scouting Guide, and right now, because it is new, I have a copy of the updated Tax Help for Gamblers. Just ask me for a “frugal price.”

And one last comment on O’Sheas closing. I just read in the newspaper that all their employees have been offered positions in other company casinos.