Shoeless Joe
New Member
Can anybody tell me which casinos in Vegas don't require a minimum average bet of $25 per hand to be rated, especially those on the Strip?
BJ minimums to be rated
- Thread starter Shoeless Joe
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callipygian
Well-Known Member
My MGM card was accepted at a $15 Mandalay Bay table and a $10 MGM Grand table (i.e. at the very least they pretended to enter me into the system). I was told that I'd need to average $25/bet for 6-8 hours/day for room comps, but I was never told that they wouldn't rate lower play.
Are you ruling out other types of gambling specifically? Other people on this board claim that the easiest way to get comps is to play slots at HEI properties, as they give very generous rewards for that.
Shoeless Joe
New Member
I pretty much just play blackjack. I do a little bit of sports betting but have been told you have to bet A LOT to get any credit for it.
MGM Grand told me they would not rate me for less than $25 per hand as my card was returned to me. Ironically, they gave me three free nights, despite never having played at the required level or previously stayed there.
Just for kicks, I tried giving my card at Bellagio playing $15 per hand and the snooty table games supervisor turned up his nose at me and practically laughed in my face.
New York New York doesn't give me full comps, but does give me very nice discounts, compared to the posted rates, playing $15.
MGM Grand told me they would not rate me for less than $25 per hand as my card was returned to me. Ironically, they gave me three free nights, despite never having played at the required level or previously stayed there.
Just for kicks, I tried giving my card at Bellagio playing $15 per hand and the snooty table games supervisor turned up his nose at me and practically laughed in my face.
New York New York doesn't give me full comps, but does give me very nice discounts, compared to the posted rates, playing $15.
standard toaster
Well-Known Member
the stratosphere will rate you for any game play
they wanted my card no mater what even if it was $5
they wanted my card no mater what even if it was $5
callipygian
Well-Known Member
lol ... I still remember when my $5 flat bet action got the "you sure you don't want to sign up for a card?" treatment from most of the Strip.
If only I had a time machine and could go back in time to smack myself upside the head ...
I actually asked and was told by pit bosses at New York New York, the Trop, MGM, and Paris that they don't pay much attention until you bet $15 minimum. I was told that $15 is pretty much the standard across the board at the majors. It's not that you won't garner points betting lower average but you aren't going to get much out of your play. I watched the pit bosses pretty closely last week and I'll have to say they don't spend much time watching the play at a $10 table.
ChefJJ
Well-Known Member
Shoeless Joe
New Member
I am fine betting $15 per hand, but don't always have the bankroll to play $25.
Sandy Eggo
Well-Known Member
The timing of this topic is perfect as we're thinking of a holiday run to LV, and I was debating where to go for building a little tracking time.
I'm just used to buy-ins/walk-aways being counted not bet size tracking as well. Guess that's due to SY being so-low priced on their tables.
I'm just used to buy-ins/walk-aways being counted not bet size tracking as well. Guess that's due to SY being so-low priced on their tables.
Granted I did up my buy-in even at $10 tables but I'm not convinced that made much difference. Obviously because of the amount of money being bet the pit bosses pay a lot more attention to $25 tables and less to lower tables. To be honest you have to bet a pretty good bit of money to get comps of any real size and you can easily get trapped into "paying" $500 for a $11.95 buffet if you're not careful. I don't set win limits but I do set loss limits and I'm not going to stay at any table where I'm lossing regardless of how positive the count just to run up comps. If I'm lossing I'm lossing and I walk. All in all we came back with $500 more than we left with and while not a lot of money it wasn't a bad return on the $2,000 I had to play with this past visit.
standard toaster
Well-Known Member
you walk away regardless of how positive the count is while your losing? Thats when you have the advantage! you wont win every hand... you wont even break 50-50 but you should def stay there and sit it out. Math is on your side! dont let a little negative variation scare you away thats against everything you know!
moo321
Well-Known Member
It's no wonder you're losing. Leaving in a positive count because youre losing is superstitious and wrong, and you'll never make money until you stop doing it.
Well, I do make money playing but I'm not a professional and probably, like some here, not really a hardcore counter. I have a nice but limited amount of money I can or am willing to put at risk. Call it superstition or whatever but positive counts don't guarantee winning and anybody who has played enough knows that. At least for me there are times you just have to walk away and if that makes me wrong then fine. I don't give up easily or quickly and I didn't mean to imply I do. I'd rather be "wrong" and have the assets to come back to the table for another session instead of standing there with empty pockets saying "but the count was positive".
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moo321
Well-Known Member
There is no correlation between whether you lost the last hand and whether you will lose this hand. Law of independent trials.
The only correlation between winning and losing is the count, which you are ignoring.
If you don't care about winning, that's fine, have fun. But recognize that you will lose more and win less by leaving positive counts.
callipygian
Well-Known Member
Actually, if I understand Randy correctly, he will win less but not lose more. He walks away whenever he loses too many hands in a row, regardless of where the count is. Presumably, if he's winning at positive counts, he'll continue to play. And, of course, walking away at negative counts, whether you're winning or losing, is always the right move.
Leaving if you're upset or you've hit a stop-loss, regardless of how high the count is, is good discipline. Especially if stop-losses are there to prevent problem gambling or marital discord.
I think you and standard toaster are confusing "I walk away when I hit a stop-loss, which is sometimes during positive counts" with "I walk away when I hit a positive count, which is sometimes during a stop-loss." I think Randy's making the first statement, and I think the first statement is fine.
moo321
Well-Known Member
Well, in that case it is superstitious, but I suppose it won't really hurt you in the long run. It will slow down how quickly you win.
Moo - This is really not a challenge to you....I'm trying to understand. If I hear you right you're saying even when losing you stay at the table as long as the count is positive. How long? Do you assume that with a positive count the hands will improve in your favor and therefore it's just a matter of time/hands played?
standard toaster
Well-Known Member
The correct thing to do would be to play through the count. But realisticly many people do not have the guy or the bankroll for it. The more you play the more you win over time thats the beautiful thing about card counting. Wether your winning or losing you have the advantage at a high count dont let a little negative variance scare you away.
Think about it when your losing it will be most noticable during your high count when the max bet is out. A few losing hands could scare you away but you should sit through it.