Generally, comps are based on average bet and ignore your buy-in. I've heard people claim the contrary, but have never seen any evidence of it.
A large buy-in can draw unwanted attention if your first bets don't seem to match the buy-in. If you buy-in for $700, you might look OK to play with $25 bets, but certainly wouldn't want to bet anything lower than that.
If you're playing the comp game, making a few big bets as soon as you sit down can be a big help anyway though, so buying in bigger AND betting bigger for a few hands is a good plan.
I am thoroughly convinced it helps comps in many casinos. Some casinos, it won't do a damn thing for you, but if you go whining to someone after "losing" a grand, you can usually get a nice steakhouse dinner for your troubles.
There is another aspect of comps which I have actually verified, namely "front money". I've had hosts tell me they will only consider certain comps for someone who is a "$x000" player, and I've been on junkets where they told us not to buy in from pocket, but deposit the cash and pull markers so we can better get credit for our play.
The logical way to whore comps from front money is to bring your whole bankroll and deposit it. Next, churn markers; that is, pull large markers, rathole chips, and pretend to lose a significant portion of your money. Lastly, ask for ridiculous comps: gourmet restaurants, free rooms, suites, gas cards, airfare reimbursement, etc.
Note, I'm not neccesarily recommending that you bring your whole bankroll. There are a lot of reasons not to: airport security, IRS, robbery, etc. But, it can be a nice comp hustle.
Hey, I think comp hustling is the best way to get an advantage. Takes less time than it would at a table anyway.
Tons of good ways to do it. Mailers, matchplays, getting airfare reimbursed from multiple casinos, cashback, comped items that have cash value, etc.
Comp and coupon hustling is much better than card counting for the small roller.
Is Rubin's "Comp City" still considered the best source for a small roller to learn to take advantage of this, or are there newer/better books now available?
It's happened to me numerous times at the Trop recently and it's happened to me probably at every casino in AC that I've played at, at one point or another.
Is Rubin's "Comp City" still considered the best source for a small roller to learn to take advantage of this, or are there newer/better books now available?
I am sure that it happens now and again.
But you said it happens " ... half the time."