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Scan Gaming GuruIt Isn’t Called Player Development For Nothing25 August 2012
What would be a good gift for my casino host? I have seen this question posed on travel, casino and gambling related forums dozens of times over the years. Usually other posters will respond and suggest wine, liquor, neckties, scarves, flowers, candy, sporting event tickets, or gift certificates to local stores. Some of the less informed posters even suggest cash, which is strictly prohibited by casino management.Each time I see the question and the responses, I am amazed at the posters’ gullibility. I want to get in my car drive to their homes, grab them by the shoulders, shake them and yell, "The casino host is not your buddy!" These people need to understand that the casino host is a salesman. He or she is selling you entertainment and in return you are risking your hard-earned cash on games that most people have little chance of beating over the long run. The host’s job is to get you into the casino to gamble. The longer you gamble and the more money you risk the happier the host is. The host’s livelihood depends on the player losing money. That is a fact, plain and simple. Sure the host will give you some nonsense about “theoretical losses” and rooting for players to win but that is not what the host really cares about. The players a cash cow with a casino player’s card. If you think the host is your friend, try this: Book a comped casino trip. Stay a couple of nights in a free suite, charge your meals and bar bill back to your room. At the same time give the casino little or no casino gambling action. At the end of the stay, go see the host and ask him to take care of the outstanding room charges. He will look at you as if you just shot his dog. Now guess what, do you think your host is going to call to invite you back? Depending on his/her deal with the casino the host has a vested interest in you losing. One famous Las Vegas host has been known to boast that in his line of work you haven’t been successful until you have busted a player of one million dollars. The power of the casino host is psychological and it is strong. Everyone wants to be treated special; they want to be known as a V.I.P. and offered things that are not available to the average person. Casinos exploit this by having tiered players’ clubs, with membership levels that require the player to risk more and more money to rise in the hierarchy. The gullible player is always reaching up for that next ladder rung. A look at casino websites reveals that the benefits of rising in the players’ club are prominently advertised. The benefits can have monetary value such as comped rooms. Comped food, gifts and so forth. They can also have status value, such as front of the line access to restaurants and buffets. Just think how a casino patron that spends the week in a menial job taking orders from a boss he hates, feels when he and his date walk past dozens of people standing in lines and are whisked to a table. The psychological appeal is very strong. Members of the upper level tiers are granted access to “exclusive” lounges that have been established in many casinos. The casinos promote the lounges by showing handsome, tuxedo-clad gentlemen with supermodels enjoying a sumptuous feast. If you have never been inside the lounge you would think it that the most glamorous Hollywood stars are inside partying in a wild bacchanal. The reality is often this: The patrons are often slovenly dressed broken-down players that have gambled away more than they can afford to lose. The fare consists of a mediocre buffet that is quite limited and not of the highest quality. Uninformed players do not understand that the tiered membership levels are the real genius of the casino marketers and their hired psychologists. Whenever a player reaches a level the temptation to rise up to attain a place in the next level is very powerful. Take a look at the Caesars Entertainment players club. It has three basic levels of players. The lowest is Gold followed by Platinum and then Diamond. Platinum level requires a player to attain 4000 base reward credits, while diamond requires a player to reach 11,000 reward credits. When a player reaches Diamond they are invited to “select” events, parties and tournaments. They are fawned over by casino personnel. It is not unusual to see a Diamond player strutting to the front of a restaurant line holding out his Diamond Card as if he were Moses about to part the Red Sea. The players undoubtedly enjoy that attention but if they want to keep being treated like a V.I.P. they have to maintain their level of casino action. If they do not, they fall to the bottom of the barrel. One caveat, not all Diamond Players are treated alike. Reportedly certain offers are only available to those playing at the highest Diamond level. In addition, to keep the Diamond Players reaching for more, Caesars Entertainment has a category above Diamond. This is known as “Seven Stars.” To reach this you really have to be dipping into the IRA to feed your favorite machine. Seven Stars requires 100,000 base reward credits, which is one million dollars run through a video poker machine! Seven Star players are given the keys to the kingdom. They are offered trips, cruises, meet and greets with celebrities and more. To keep Seven Stars players reaching for the carrot on the comp treadmill here are reportedly three higher levels of Seven Stars. To reach Level I requires 125,000 base reward credits; Level II requires 200,000 base reward credits; Level III requires 500,000 base reward credits. The higher you rise the grander your rewards. In conclusion, if you want to drop $100 on a hand painted necktie for your host or hostess, Bob or Betty Smiley respectively, go ahead; but if you are not giving them the casino action they want your gift means little in the grand scheme of things. It Isn’t Called Player Development for Nothing15 April 2012
What would be a good gift for my casino host? I have seen this questioned posed on travel, casino and gambling-related forums dozens of times over the years. Usually other posters will respond and suggest wine, liquor, neckties, scarves, flowers, candy, sporting event tickets, or gift certificates to local stores. ... (read more)
Trump Dump? Depends Who You Ask27 February 2012
I love patronizing the high end Atlantic City and Las Vegas casino hotels. I take advantage of the gourmet restaurants, the beautiful bars and the rooms and suites with panoramic views. They are my primary destination when I am heading to a casino adventure.
However, I admit sometimes I like to go to the grittier places. ... (read more)
Is Dice Control Real?19 February 2012
Gaming writer Stanford Wong appeared on a podcast/radio show recently where he was questioned about the legitimacy of dice control. Mr. Wong wrote a dice control book a few years ago.
During the interview Mr. Wong basically said he believed dice control was possible but difficult. He said he now thinks ... (read more)
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