Casino Comps

I am traveling to the city of hopes and dreams in Oct. I stay at the Golden Nugget. I also rent a car so I can take in some sights also. I love to run out to the boarder of Nevada and California and play at Buffalo Bill’s in Primm Nevada. There they have $1 craps and $2 BJ single deck (H17), DOS and SOAs. NO continuous shuffle machines here. The reason for this post is to talk about casinos comps. I have spent many nights talking to friends who go to casinos and have no idea what and how casinos rate players for comps.

Yes play a long time and lose lots of money and the pit boss may give you a $20 Buffet. Comps are a very important benefit the casinos give BJ players.


You are staying at any strip hotel and you are going to play at this hotel’s casino. First you must get a player card. Go to the cage and ask for one you will also need a state id. They will want to photo copy it. When going to play at the tables give this card to a pit man (the guy or lady in the suit who looks like he or she works for the MOB). (If you dont see one ask the dealer for the guy who does not work for their money. They will know who you are talking about.) He then will go enter the information into the casino computer system. Getting rated is a way for the casino to record your play. (ie how long and what was your bet average per hand.) For a strip casino you must now play at a $25 min table before you will be rated

Now you have played for 20 hours on your trip 5 sessions for 4 hours each. Your average bet was 35 dollars over the 20 hours of total play. Do you know how many hands you played per hour?
You may not, but the casino’s computer knows. On the average 6 deck shoe with 5 to 6 player you will get 11-13 hand per shoe. Now this changes from casino to casino and is dependant on deck penetration. But again for the sake of discussion you will get about 50 to 52 hands and hour in a 6 deck shoe. Now we have some numbers to work with. 20 hours * 50 hand per hour give us a total of 1000 hands played for our 20 hours. Take the 1000 hands * $35 average bet give us a total action of $35,000. This $35,000 is what the in casino is interested in. Most casinos think a player loses about 5 % of his total action. But here we know we can kill that 5 % down to a +.025. Better for us! 5% of $35,000 is $1750. $1750 is what the casino thinks we have loss and are will to give us comps on this number.

But how much you ask. Well again this varies from casinos to casinos but on average about 10% to 12% can be returned to the player in the form of comps. In this case of a $1750 worth of losses would get you around about $175 to $200 in comps. Not much you say, but wait. The casino does not pay retail for the rooms or for food. The casino does not pay retail for anything on the property. So what does a $20 buffet cost or for that matter a room cost at whole sale. Again about 30% of the retail cost. The room you stayed in for $150 a night costs the casino about $45 a night. The 20 buck buffet around 6 bucks. So you see how you can be comp 3 nights and 3 to 4 meals on this stay. Now, you may get more out of the casino but remember you are only playing $35 per hand. You are no where near 100 or 500 per hand. Take as much as they will give you and always ask for things you know they will never give you at your level of play. They may say yes and you’ll never know till you ask.

One important thing you missed mentioning....maybe intentionally. You really should hit the pit boss up to introduce you to or tell you how to meet or communicate with a Casino Host. At Plaza/Las Vegas Club, it's Calvin Mack. Seems to be a good Marketing Rep and has sure treated my wife and I well.

I can't remember the last time I stayed in Vegas that it was not either for free or at the maximum, paid the casino rates for room. As you said, the casino rate can be as much as 30% of retail! My wife gets most of the comps with her slot machine play. Don't touch the stuff myself, but enjoy her comps <LOL.>

whats a good way to ask for a comp? "hey pit give me a comp?" any good one liners or pick up lines to get a comp?

I always try to sit in the end seats,either 1st base(my preference) or 3rd base. When the pitboss comes over with my card,after he's logged it in,I always make some small talk about something-how I enoy playing at his casino,or letting him know its my first time in HIS casino.As I have a pretty thick NY accent,they usually ask how long I'm going to be in town,ect,ect.
over the course of the next few hours,I engage him in more small talk whenever he pops by.
After a few hours,I simply tell him I'm hungry. If he doesn't offer a free meal,I mention that I'll be leaving in a few minutes to go to one of his competitors for a free meal. Enevitably he offers me a meal so I stay in his casino.
Most comps are cumilitive and build from trip to trip(I go to Vegas a few times a year)
While the bigger mega-casinos don't do much of anything for the Red chip players,Imperial Palace,Circus Circus,Excaliber, Sahara and a few others do.
Bottom line is -Be polite,don't act like you want something for nothing,tip the workers(Pitbosses see everything!) and you'll be treated as a valued client.
I used to have a host but don't bother with them anymore.

I'm planning a trip to Vegas this Spring and am going with a bunch of friends who are non -BJ players...You mention that Excalibur comps players who play reds? Any idea what they do for green chip players? I'd play black chips but have never played for large amounts of money outside my own local casinos. I don't even know how to get markers...

I'm on a plane one time and am sitting across from a nice older couple.We start talking and the man tells me how he gets treated like royalty in his casino.Free rooms,food,shows.I say you must be a big time player and he says no,just an hour or two a day playing on the $5 table,and some poker in the evenings.
Now,I've stayed and played at this casino and have never been treated 1/10th as well,so I'm highly dubious of this story.
I ask him-does your wife play as well?
his answer-Not at all. But while I'm busy gambling,she amuses herself playing on the dollar slot machines.
Didn't have the heart to tell him he was staying on HER comps.

Story taken from Casino magazine,2005.

Sounds like my story except that I know that it is my Wife's slot play that gets us the deals at the casinos. Man, they want folks plugging those slots!