Finally being OK with discounted rates...(story-length read)
There are a number of reasons why I am finally OK with discounted rates. I have made multiple voyages to Mecca on the strength of establishing my play and seeing what kind of comps it could generate. This was considered my fun, my adventure. I learned a lot about what it took to get comps on this journey and I think I could probablywrite a book. However, not everything I learned I put into practice, so I did not exactly benefit from or practice that knowledge. Perhaps I would have to before writing that book. Such is life.
Why I'm OK...
-Made coin-in of $200 at strat in 1 hour, $700 in 4 hours at caesars, $700 in 4 hours at MB, $1095 in 3.5 hours at fremont on my last trip, and none of them gave me comps except Strat. Caesars is more understandable because I short-played them a lot in the past and their comp threshold may be high, and I had used 2 comped hotels with Boyd on my last trip. Plus, at Strat I was a new member and Strat's comp threshold may be lower. There are a number of other complexities related to comps and comp thresholds that allows this to happen (including but not limited to slot denomination, comp usage, slot hopping, prestige/popularity of property, low coin-in, location of property, new vs current member status, trip frequency, session frequency, etc). It is precisely these complexities that do not make it worth racking my brain understanding the comps they give me or the lack thereof. After all, MB threw me a weekend-comp-room bone out of the blue before my trip, and someone could say that I was overcomped based on frequent low prior play or that I had been previously undercomped or that MB needs more business, which again speaks to the complexities of comps. There is always a reason why I got the comp or did not get the comp and these reasons can be used interchangeably. The very best comps come when you are a very new or very old frequent-player member. Crazy comps come when you sign up and drop a load. For this last trip, imagine the disappointment if I were actually depending on comps.
-Another reason I have come to terms with discounted rates is that I have to wait for different cycles in the year before knowing about my next comp. I like security in knowing where my hotel will be next month. Especially since I make detailed itineraries based on where I am staying, I need to know these things. Plus, I used to love CET for their comps (I so wish I had not short-played them so in the past ) because you could book several comped rooms for several hotels for several different trips all the way into the next year (regardless of the season cycle). I thought that CET was the only company worth patronizing for this reason. But since me and CET do not get along anymore for some reason, I don’t see the point getting excited about cyclical comps. That wait would drive me nuts. That lack of patience is the same reason why I pre-pay all my shows instead of waiting to get to Vegas and potentially getting them for closer to free.
-I love Boyd but Boyd also disappointed me, but they had good reason as well. In one trip, I used 5 days of comps in The Orleans and Fremont, and so the Gold Coast comps that sat in my box disappeared probably because my comp usage was high for the time. Or, maybe because I had never used the GC comps in the year that they have been offering it. (Again, complexities). Now, I have no comps in my box (probably unintentionally low-played them too) and $12 per night offered at GC…and I’m OK with that. I thought that Boyd was most loyal to me of all slot clubs but they let me down…and it was them who finally made me depend on discounted rates.
-If by chance I went a year without going to Vegas, I could lose some or much of the comps offered me throughout the year.
-I did the math for myself mentally. I risked $1095 at Fremont (definitely more than I would usually play) as a comp experiment…on a comp for 3 nights worth no more than $120, at a hotel I had very little interest in but only slept at because it was comped. I had paid initially $120 for the new furnished rooms in Circus Circus (which happen to look way better than a lot of rooms on the Strip) for their highest rooms for 5 nights. And because I would have paid the price, I probably wouldn’t have played much at all. Thus, I would have gotten greater value, more money in my pocket, greater mental freedom, more nights, and new (Bellagio-looking) rooms if I had stayed at CC. Instead I traded it for 3 free nights in Fremont and $30 per night plus dining and playing credits at The Orleans.
-The fact is, my hotel choices tend to me so cheap that it does not warrant spending $1000 to get only $100 worth of hotel. And not only that, but getting $100 worth of hotel is only a future POSSIBILITY that may be negatively affected by your comp usage, comp thresholds, and the dawning of a full moon. Really? The idea of comps as a bonus is the right idea that I hold dearly. And I will try and NEVER again choose a comp because it’s a comp and sacrifice my experience (granted, the trip in itself was an experiment so I knew what I was up against—great experiment, great results)….unless of course it’s a comp for Saturday night.
-Again, comps are freebies...after you play what you like and ONLY what you like. I will try and NEVER again play more than 1 hour in Vegas (unless I have an intense urge). I just personally have no interest beyond that one hour. Playing for 3, 4 hours was apart of the experiment, and it was difficult—not really for financial reason, but for the pure interest factor. I love the adrenaline of slot hopping and hit-and-run even on tables. And I love buying in for peanuts and leaving with an extra buck or 2.
-Comps are like liabilities, obligations. Psychologically, unless you do not like the hotel or you do not care/worry/concern yourself about getting another comp from them, you feel internally driven to get the next comp. I would so much rather pay the $100 upfront for the hotel and decide that I do not even want to play than get it free and spend $200-300 at each time for each day or a number of days during my comped stay, far greater than the actual value of the comp.
-Now, get me right, I would not mind playing that on a regular basis if the hotel was worth it (my BR can withstand that type of play) and I had some feeling that they would give me what I was due and not overcomp me and then take it away. Some people have an understanding/consistency with their properties which makes comps kind of a given. I have dealt with several hotels in Vegas and only in my experience there is a lack of consistency.
-And very potentially, there is a lack of consistency on my end too. They should pretty much expect a lack of consistency from me because I am not always going to be in the same mood, mindset, BR, interest levels, play frequency, opportunity, streak, etc. And all these complexities in myself makes me even more understanding of the casinos themselves, their complexities, and their lack of consistency.
-Again, comps are hard. They can be hard to get. They can be easy to get, but all the while difficult to understand. They can be easy to understand but difficult to play towards. They can be easy to get, easy to understand and easy to play towards but sometimes you do not always want to play at that level. And maybe you always do play the same but are baffled by the changes in the levels or details of your comps. And maybe your comps stay exactly the same each and every time and all you have to do is wait for it to come along.
-Don’t forget the differences between slot clubs.
-What makes me relinquish interest in gaining, maintaining, and investigating comps is mostly because I still am looking for a home casino(s). I can't make that decision until I have personally explored enough. IP was my initial interest but it’s going to the wayside, so for me I need to do more investigation on somewhere(s) to call home even if it’s ends up being off-strip. Essentially, I’m still looking for a place worthy of establishing comps with. I spend my trips in multiple casinos trying to determine this. A place I am utterly comfortable. A place I feel alive and as though I am having the most fun. You see, I explore in order to find some place to be familiar, to go to over and over and over (with others only mixed in between).
-I still at least have steady comps in AC (which I gained through experimentation), and I kinda don't feel so bad being obligated over there because gaming is the main thing there. Unlike Vegas, I would not stay in AC without the free rooms; it’s just not worth it. I could do a day trip.
-Last but certainly not least, discounted rates are good and often come with free slot play, dining credits, free buffets, resort credits, free entertainment, discounts on spas, retail, etc. Often times, I get free “comps” with my discounted rates WITHOUT the play. Getting something for nothing in this case does not feel bad at all. For example, if I get $15 free slot play for a $29 night at The Orleans, that’s way better than dropping $200 to get $15 slot play and a free room there. It’s also way better than dropping $200 and getting only $5 in free slot play from your slot points. Plus, paying the discounted rates, there’s absolutely no feeling of obligation. That’s value. Some deals are so good they completely cancel out the rate of the room, which is like getting a comp for no play at all. Possibly the best.
And that’s my story of finally being OK with discounted rates…
Why I'm OK...
-Made coin-in of $200 at strat in 1 hour, $700 in 4 hours at caesars, $700 in 4 hours at MB, $1095 in 3.5 hours at fremont on my last trip, and none of them gave me comps except Strat. Caesars is more understandable because I short-played them a lot in the past and their comp threshold may be high, and I had used 2 comped hotels with Boyd on my last trip. Plus, at Strat I was a new member and Strat's comp threshold may be lower. There are a number of other complexities related to comps and comp thresholds that allows this to happen (including but not limited to slot denomination, comp usage, slot hopping, prestige/popularity of property, low coin-in, location of property, new vs current member status, trip frequency, session frequency, etc). It is precisely these complexities that do not make it worth racking my brain understanding the comps they give me or the lack thereof. After all, MB threw me a weekend-comp-room bone out of the blue before my trip, and someone could say that I was overcomped based on frequent low prior play or that I had been previously undercomped or that MB needs more business, which again speaks to the complexities of comps. There is always a reason why I got the comp or did not get the comp and these reasons can be used interchangeably. The very best comps come when you are a very new or very old frequent-player member. Crazy comps come when you sign up and drop a load. For this last trip, imagine the disappointment if I were actually depending on comps.
-Another reason I have come to terms with discounted rates is that I have to wait for different cycles in the year before knowing about my next comp. I like security in knowing where my hotel will be next month. Especially since I make detailed itineraries based on where I am staying, I need to know these things. Plus, I used to love CET for their comps (I so wish I had not short-played them so in the past ) because you could book several comped rooms for several hotels for several different trips all the way into the next year (regardless of the season cycle). I thought that CET was the only company worth patronizing for this reason. But since me and CET do not get along anymore for some reason, I don’t see the point getting excited about cyclical comps. That wait would drive me nuts. That lack of patience is the same reason why I pre-pay all my shows instead of waiting to get to Vegas and potentially getting them for closer to free.
-I love Boyd but Boyd also disappointed me, but they had good reason as well. In one trip, I used 5 days of comps in The Orleans and Fremont, and so the Gold Coast comps that sat in my box disappeared probably because my comp usage was high for the time. Or, maybe because I had never used the GC comps in the year that they have been offering it. (Again, complexities). Now, I have no comps in my box (probably unintentionally low-played them too) and $12 per night offered at GC…and I’m OK with that. I thought that Boyd was most loyal to me of all slot clubs but they let me down…and it was them who finally made me depend on discounted rates.
-If by chance I went a year without going to Vegas, I could lose some or much of the comps offered me throughout the year.
-I did the math for myself mentally. I risked $1095 at Fremont (definitely more than I would usually play) as a comp experiment…on a comp for 3 nights worth no more than $120, at a hotel I had very little interest in but only slept at because it was comped. I had paid initially $120 for the new furnished rooms in Circus Circus (which happen to look way better than a lot of rooms on the Strip) for their highest rooms for 5 nights. And because I would have paid the price, I probably wouldn’t have played much at all. Thus, I would have gotten greater value, more money in my pocket, greater mental freedom, more nights, and new (Bellagio-looking) rooms if I had stayed at CC. Instead I traded it for 3 free nights in Fremont and $30 per night plus dining and playing credits at The Orleans.
-The fact is, my hotel choices tend to me so cheap that it does not warrant spending $1000 to get only $100 worth of hotel. And not only that, but getting $100 worth of hotel is only a future POSSIBILITY that may be negatively affected by your comp usage, comp thresholds, and the dawning of a full moon. Really? The idea of comps as a bonus is the right idea that I hold dearly. And I will try and NEVER again choose a comp because it’s a comp and sacrifice my experience (granted, the trip in itself was an experiment so I knew what I was up against—great experiment, great results)….unless of course it’s a comp for Saturday night.
-Again, comps are freebies...after you play what you like and ONLY what you like. I will try and NEVER again play more than 1 hour in Vegas (unless I have an intense urge). I just personally have no interest beyond that one hour. Playing for 3, 4 hours was apart of the experiment, and it was difficult—not really for financial reason, but for the pure interest factor. I love the adrenaline of slot hopping and hit-and-run even on tables. And I love buying in for peanuts and leaving with an extra buck or 2.
-Comps are like liabilities, obligations. Psychologically, unless you do not like the hotel or you do not care/worry/concern yourself about getting another comp from them, you feel internally driven to get the next comp. I would so much rather pay the $100 upfront for the hotel and decide that I do not even want to play than get it free and spend $200-300 at each time for each day or a number of days during my comped stay, far greater than the actual value of the comp.
-Now, get me right, I would not mind playing that on a regular basis if the hotel was worth it (my BR can withstand that type of play) and I had some feeling that they would give me what I was due and not overcomp me and then take it away. Some people have an understanding/consistency with their properties which makes comps kind of a given. I have dealt with several hotels in Vegas and only in my experience there is a lack of consistency.
-And very potentially, there is a lack of consistency on my end too. They should pretty much expect a lack of consistency from me because I am not always going to be in the same mood, mindset, BR, interest levels, play frequency, opportunity, streak, etc. And all these complexities in myself makes me even more understanding of the casinos themselves, their complexities, and their lack of consistency.
-Again, comps are hard. They can be hard to get. They can be easy to get, but all the while difficult to understand. They can be easy to understand but difficult to play towards. They can be easy to get, easy to understand and easy to play towards but sometimes you do not always want to play at that level. And maybe you always do play the same but are baffled by the changes in the levels or details of your comps. And maybe your comps stay exactly the same each and every time and all you have to do is wait for it to come along.
-Don’t forget the differences between slot clubs.
-What makes me relinquish interest in gaining, maintaining, and investigating comps is mostly because I still am looking for a home casino(s). I can't make that decision until I have personally explored enough. IP was my initial interest but it’s going to the wayside, so for me I need to do more investigation on somewhere(s) to call home even if it’s ends up being off-strip. Essentially, I’m still looking for a place worthy of establishing comps with. I spend my trips in multiple casinos trying to determine this. A place I am utterly comfortable. A place I feel alive and as though I am having the most fun. You see, I explore in order to find some place to be familiar, to go to over and over and over (with others only mixed in between).
-I still at least have steady comps in AC (which I gained through experimentation), and I kinda don't feel so bad being obligated over there because gaming is the main thing there. Unlike Vegas, I would not stay in AC without the free rooms; it’s just not worth it. I could do a day trip.
-Last but certainly not least, discounted rates are good and often come with free slot play, dining credits, free buffets, resort credits, free entertainment, discounts on spas, retail, etc. Often times, I get free “comps” with my discounted rates WITHOUT the play. Getting something for nothing in this case does not feel bad at all. For example, if I get $15 free slot play for a $29 night at The Orleans, that’s way better than dropping $200 to get $15 slot play and a free room there. It’s also way better than dropping $200 and getting only $5 in free slot play from your slot points. Plus, paying the discounted rates, there’s absolutely no feeling of obligation. That’s value. Some deals are so good they completely cancel out the rate of the room, which is like getting a comp for no play at all. Possibly the best.
And that’s my story of finally being OK with discounted rates…
