I'm a former blackjack AP who's focused more on tournament poker for the past couple of years. I'd gotten used to receiving lots of free weekday room offers at the Harrah's stores for a fairly small amount of play on (mostly quarter) 9/6 VP machines the past few winters, but those appear to have dried up starting last spring. Are there any other stores in Atlantic City that are generous with weekday rooms? Like I said, I'm mostly there for poker, but I'm willing to put in an hour or two per day of VP or table games at lowish limits if that will get me a free room, and I figure that some of them have got to be pretty hard up now that Sugar House has opened. I've got my eye on the Trop and Hilton in particular, since I haven't been in either of them for several years. Thanks in advance for any pointers!
Easy Room Comps in AC?
- Thread starter Monkey!Boy
- Start date
worth a stab at it cause i only played their twice on record.My recommendation is for you to go do your blackjack AP thing at a few places for a few hours each (spread it across different pits though). That kind of action will get you plenty of rooms.
Between all the places I can get rooms at from my AP, I can get something like 12 nights / week free, even days like new year's eve.
Don't worry about getting backed off -- especially if you don't even AP versus the house anymore. Hell, you're in an even better situation then. You can play 1 long session till you get backed off, and that session should get you plenty of free rooms. I been staying at a place I got backed off at every weekend for 2 months now, for free. Most places have a huge disconnect between marketing and the departments that determine they don't want your action. You'll get free room offers for months after you're told you're not welcome.
Depending on your preferences.. If you want the easiest rooms, go to the dumpier places. Myself, I like to have a nice room, so I generally play at the more upscale places and play rated more often so I can get the best rooms at the joint.
Between all the places I can get rooms at from my AP, I can get something like 12 nights / week free, even days like new year's eve.
Don't worry about getting backed off -- especially if you don't even AP versus the house anymore. Hell, you're in an even better situation then. You can play 1 long session till you get backed off, and that session should get you plenty of free rooms. I been staying at a place I got backed off at every weekend for 2 months now, for free. Most places have a huge disconnect between marketing and the departments that determine they don't want your action. You'll get free room offers for months after you're told you're not welcome.
Depending on your preferences.. If you want the easiest rooms, go to the dumpier places. Myself, I like to have a nice room, so I generally play at the more upscale places and play rated more often so I can get the best rooms at the joint.
Harrah's is bad when it comes to A.C. room comps. Despite some quite big play, I got only midweek offers. Trump is much better. Trump Marina seems to be the easiest place to get weekend room comps. The rooms are quite nice, although small, not Vegas-style swanky, and I'd say the Marina is really hurting for customers.
Although my average bet is probably not as high as yours, I experience the same with Harrah's properties and with the Marina. Oddly enough, Marina has decent offers even though is has been rumored to be on the chopping block while Resorts all but stopped their mail to us last fall when bankruptcy talks were rampant. Seems to me like a company in trouble would WANT the customers coming their way.
I'll give some props to Harrah's for some of their offers as well as how AC play affects deals in Vegas. Reel Rewards vouchers don't hurt either.
good luck :joker:
I'll give some props to Harrah's for some of their offers as well as how AC play affects deals in Vegas. Reel Rewards vouchers don't hurt either.
good luck :joker:
Thanks for the advice everyone! I'm really curious about the double deck at the Hilton, Ferret-- is that still there, and are the rules decent? And are they still owned by the same company as Resorts? I had the same experience of losing all of my offers once they went bankrupt last year.
My plan is to play for a few hours, spreading around $10-75 based loosely on the count, with an average bet of $20-25, and I'll probably play some pai gow poker as well. Hopefully that will get me some offers-- I made it a point not to stay in one place for more than half an hour at a time when I was AP-ing blackjack, so I'm not really sure how they treat players with more of an attention span....
My plan is to play for a few hours, spreading around $10-75 based loosely on the count, with an average bet of $20-25, and I'll probably play some pai gow poker as well. Hopefully that will get me some offers-- I made it a point not to stay in one place for more than half an hour at a time when I was AP-ing blackjack, so I'm not really sure how they treat players with more of an attention span....
I no longer get the monthly mailings from AC advertising free rooms and bonus cash but whenever I call to ask for a room, it's not a problem.
BTW- When I was there last month, The Hilton was giving money to club members that hadn't played in a year or more. I forget the amount,but it was at least $50.
BTW- When I was there last month, The Hilton was giving money to club members that hadn't played in a year or more. I forget the amount,but it was at least $50.
I wouldn't call the Trump Marina nice in any way. Everything is closed at night, the rooms are mediocre, the walls paper-thin, and every time I've stayed there I've encountered some kind of filth. It's the kind of place that looks from the outside like it should be enjoyable, but it isn't. That's just my taste, de gustibus non est disputandum.
The Harrah's properties appear to have the consistently best rooms (aside from the Claroach, don't let them put you in there!) The Trop has some very nice rooms and some lousy rooms, and what they call a Hilton would have Conrad rolling over in his grave.
The Harrah's properties appear to have the consistently best rooms (aside from the Claroach, don't let them put you in there!) The Trop has some very nice rooms and some lousy rooms, and what they call a Hilton would have Conrad rolling over in his grave.
I think it's been upgraded, not bad now. Being at the end of the line it attracts some strange ducks. Walking from the street through the bus lobby at night is interesting, indistinguishable from a homeless shelter.
From the AP perspective I'd say the Dennis Hotel at the WWW is best because it's right in the middle of everything and a short walk to a lot of games.
For pleasure, Harrah's, with the Water Club and the Xhibition Lounge in the middle of the place that makes fantastic drinks.
From the AP perspective I'd say the Dennis Hotel at the WWW is best because it's right in the middle of everything and a short walk to a lot of games.
For pleasure, Harrah's, with the Water Club and the Xhibition Lounge in the middle of the place that makes fantastic drinks.
Problem with the Dennis Hotel is that it is directly off the main hallway between wild west and park place and you are not several floors above all that noise. Also totally lacks any security, not that a casino sec guard posted at the elevators is any kind of security. lol The beings that want to get by them will.
The bus lobby doubling as a homeless shelter is not unique to Showboat. Hilton, Bally's, Resorts, Trump Taj all allow this to go on during the overnight hours. Showboat is just a little more visible because you have to walk through there to get to Pacific Ave to catch the jitney, train shuttle and parking. None of them are like the old Sands Bus lobby though. That place was a homeless shelter. Had to hold your nose as you walked through. lol I used to take the bus for cheap (actually free) transportation early in my career, but eventually couldn't deal with these folks anymore and started taking the train. A much nicer, more relaxed and reasonably priced mode of transportation from AC to Phila.
The bus lobby doubling as a homeless shelter is not unique to Showboat. Hilton, Bally's, Resorts, Trump Taj all allow this to go on during the overnight hours. Showboat is just a little more visible because you have to walk through there to get to Pacific Ave to catch the jitney, train shuttle and parking. None of them are like the old Sands Bus lobby though. That place was a homeless shelter. Had to hold your nose as you walked through. lol I used to take the bus for cheap (actually free) transportation early in my career, but eventually couldn't deal with these folks anymore and started taking the train. A much nicer, more relaxed and reasonably priced mode of transportation from AC to Phila.
For my play in the past 2 weeks at a HET property (Earning ~ 12000 tier points over the 2 weeks), I can book a comped room, 3 nights a week, at ANY HET property in the entire united states for ANY day (including days like new year's eve). That's for premium rooms too (the best available REGULAR room in any given joint). The suites all say sold out so I'm assuming they don't give them to people in whatever internal "tier" I'm currently in. Prior to this I've hardly had any play at HET properties worth mentioning. I had 1 lousy free room offer that even excluded columbus day weekend. Now, a 3 day weekend at caesar's palace in LV for new year's eve? Comped, after only playing there for like 4 or 5 sessions (spread over the 2 weeks).
I'd say they're a hell of a lot more generous to me then other places. Even after playing the same amounts or more at other places I'm still limited to 2 nights / week at a lot of them. I'm actually quite shocked at the room offers I've gotten from HET given the TONS AND TONS of things I've read about how cheap they are.
So, my advice to the OP:
- Go play a long session of AP blackjack. The higher you can get your average bet, the better. Try comp hustling techniques. Call checks play on yourself every time you bet over 100 bucks to get the attention of the pit (do it jokingly of course, and if anything it reduces the heat since the stereotypical counter is deathly afraid of any attention at all). Hell, if you're a red chipper, go spread 1 - 20 or even more so your max bet is higher.
- Do NOT worry about getting backed off. You said you don't even do this as your primary thing anymore. So what do you have to lose from getting backed off? Nothing! And depending on the place they might not even give a damn about a red chipper spreading. I've wonged in betting purple in AC stores and have never gotten a call upstairs, despite standing behind the table staring intently at all the cards for the 10 minutes prior to wonging in.
- Again, CALL ATTENTION to yourself every time you bet big. If you bet $100 and have black chips available, bet 1 black, and when they go to the computer make comments like "make sure you got me down as betting black in there". I see ploppies call attention to their big bets all the time. Remember, you're comp hustling, not trying to buy yourself longevity with your blackjack game.
- Get yourself a host, and play at the crappiest place you're willing to stay. A dump like trump marina will give free rooms to someone with an average bet of $25. A place like borgata MIGHT give you a weekday room for free... if you're lucky.
- If possible, play for 4 hours. I've never confirmed this, but supposedly casinos give you better comps if you log more then 4 hours of play in a day. You can spread this play out through different pits if you want, or even different shifts.
I'd say they're a hell of a lot more generous to me then other places. Even after playing the same amounts or more at other places I'm still limited to 2 nights / week at a lot of them. I'm actually quite shocked at the room offers I've gotten from HET given the TONS AND TONS of things I've read about how cheap they are.
So, my advice to the OP:
- Go play a long session of AP blackjack. The higher you can get your average bet, the better. Try comp hustling techniques. Call checks play on yourself every time you bet over 100 bucks to get the attention of the pit (do it jokingly of course, and if anything it reduces the heat since the stereotypical counter is deathly afraid of any attention at all). Hell, if you're a red chipper, go spread 1 - 20 or even more so your max bet is higher.
- Do NOT worry about getting backed off. You said you don't even do this as your primary thing anymore. So what do you have to lose from getting backed off? Nothing! And depending on the place they might not even give a damn about a red chipper spreading. I've wonged in betting purple in AC stores and have never gotten a call upstairs, despite standing behind the table staring intently at all the cards for the 10 minutes prior to wonging in.
- Again, CALL ATTENTION to yourself every time you bet big. If you bet $100 and have black chips available, bet 1 black, and when they go to the computer make comments like "make sure you got me down as betting black in there". I see ploppies call attention to their big bets all the time. Remember, you're comp hustling, not trying to buy yourself longevity with your blackjack game.
- Get yourself a host, and play at the crappiest place you're willing to stay. A dump like trump marina will give free rooms to someone with an average bet of $25. A place like borgata MIGHT give you a weekday room for free... if you're lucky.
- If possible, play for 4 hours. I've never confirmed this, but supposedly casinos give you better comps if you log more then 4 hours of play in a day. You can spread this play out through different pits if you want, or even different shifts.
I guess I wore out my welcome at the Hilton because I don't get a single offer from them despite having played about 25 hours over the course of a month and well over 100 during the past year.. Surprisingly, HET sends me offers now for free rooms and free bets. The Borgata though reigns surpreme in my eyes as they give rooms, free comp dollars and matchplays.
Borgata and Trump Marina
I can get two free nights weekly including weekends at Borgata/Water Club and Trump Marina with big suites at the latter on weeknights. It is true that the Trump Marina is not nearly as nice as the Borgata (and only Borgata has the Babes). Both have been doing some aggressive promotions of late, like matchplay and 10X comp $, and both are generous enough with comp $ that I never pay for anything. Both have a VIP room for black cardholders, for which I easily qualify with my level of play, and both charge 10 comp $ per visit for unlimited food and drink. Trump Marina's is on short hours and the buffet is not nearly as nice as the Borgata's. I probably put in 4 hours per visit and the pit seems to record my ave bet at about $60.
I can get two free nights weekly including weekends at Borgata/Water Club and Trump Marina with big suites at the latter on weeknights. It is true that the Trump Marina is not nearly as nice as the Borgata (and only Borgata has the Babes). Both have been doing some aggressive promotions of late, like matchplay and 10X comp $, and both are generous enough with comp $ that I never pay for anything. Both have a VIP room for black cardholders, for which I easily qualify with my level of play, and both charge 10 comp $ per visit for unlimited food and drink. Trump Marina's is on short hours and the buffet is not nearly as nice as the Borgata's. I probably put in 4 hours per visit and the pit seems to record my ave bet at about $60.
Thanks again for all of the advice!
I was planning at some point on doing similar to what you recommended in the future, pit15, but right now my counting skills are completely rusty and my bankroll is unfortunately very limited. I'm most likely going to stick with nice, low-SD pai gow poker and VP for the time being-- according to VPfree, both the Trop and Hilton have full-pay quarter JoB now, which I don't think they've had before. It's good to know that the Borg is so generous for a player with a $60 average bet-- I'm willing to stay in MUCH worse places, so some time betting $25 and occasionally more may well do the trick!
I was planning at some point on doing similar to what you recommended in the future, pit15, but right now my counting skills are completely rusty and my bankroll is unfortunately very limited. I'm most likely going to stick with nice, low-SD pai gow poker and VP for the time being-- according to VPfree, both the Trop and Hilton have full-pay quarter JoB now, which I don't think they've had before. It's good to know that the Borg is so generous for a player with a $60 average bet-- I'm willing to stay in MUCH worse places, so some time betting $25 and occasionally more may well do the trick!