Coupons - Part II

Last time we began to look into the art of couponing. We will continue with this subject as the Queen and the Frugal Princess answer some questions from our readers. Remember, if you have any questions, you can e-mail us at frugalprincess@hawaii.rr.com. We may not be able to get back to you personally right away, but we will try to address your questions in this column.

Q: Why do you take the extra time needed to go all over town redeeming your coupons when you could be doing some REAL gambling?

Princess: Here is where the Queen and the Princess differ in gambling technique. My husband's and my main goal is to have fun, and going on a coupon run is a lot of fun. You get to see more casinos and meet some interesting people. But more important, it helps to stretch out our miniscule bankroll and makes us feel like we're doing more gambling than we really are doing. Even with a string of bad luck on a coupon run, you can usually at least break even, and often will come out with a nice profit. On the other hand, Mom and Brad often find that it is more profitable for them to hunt out a good VP game with a good promotion and stick with playing that rather than leaving to go couponing.

Queen: Yes, this is true – but VP can seem like "work" if you stick at the machine for too long at a time – remember Brad and I are supposed to be retired! So we sometimes use couponing as a way to relax from the concentration it takes to play good video poker strategy. One of our favorite choices for our daily exercise is to briskly walk up and/or down the Strip and stop occasionally to "rest" by using a coupon. I liked to get "paid" for exercising!

Q: Do you use every coupon you ever find?

Princess: Oh, no. Many are more trouble than they are worth, and sometimes there are restrictions -- you need to read the fine print carefully. My husband and I had a coupon for free food at the Hard Rock Casino, but we didn't see that the blackout times were on weekends and holidays. Here's where Mom and I differ. She would have left right then and gone to where she had another coupon for free food. But my hunk-of-an-Army-Ranger husband was hungry and we were enjoying the atmosphere there at the Hard Rock Casino. More importantly, we only had a few hours away from our kids and didn't want to waste time driving back and forth between casinos - so we stayed and paid for our meal. Sometimes time is our most valuable commodity! Most of our coupon runs are planned ahead of time so we use our time wisely, but you need to stay flexible.

Queen: Some people seem to be embarrassed by using coupons, but neither of us feels this way in the least. The casinos hand these coupons out to get people to come to their casino, and, by doggies, we are going to accommodate them! Some people feel like they have to stay and play at the tables or the machines after using a coupon, but we don't if there are no games that fit our play requirements. The casino is betting that you will stay and play, but you are not required to do so.

Something to think about: "In gaming, the anticipation of pleasure is pleasure itself."" (Mick Roemer, IGWB, April 98)

Gambling tip of the month: You can "piggyback" promotions and play in a casino where two are running at the same time. For example, a casino is giving triple points one day during the month when they're giving out jackets for royal flushes. One time we were able to play 4 different promos in one casino in one day -- a monthly, weekly, daily, and an out-of-towner one.

For more information about slots and video poker, we recommend: