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Reason I like Bodog #5:
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Intelligent
Bonuses
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Many online casinos give you a big matching
bonus when you sign up and make a deposit,
but there's a
catch. You have to do a lot of betting
before you're allowed to cash out your winnings,
and play on the most popular games doesn't
count! It's common for blackjack, craps,
baccarat, roulette, and Jacks or Better to be
excluded. Sometimes it's everything but slots.
And sometimes you can't even find the fine
print. Many casinos put their 100% bonus in big
screaming letters but make you hunt all over the
site to find the rules.
That's why Bodog is a welcome relief.
They allow play on just about every game to count
towards the wagering requirement (everything except Pontoon and Caribbean 21). It's that simple.
Just no opposite betting, like both red & black
on roulette at the same time. All casinos ought to
be as easy as Bodog about this.
Bodog's signup bonus is a modest 10%, but it's simple. The wagering requirement in order to cash out the bonus is 15x the deposit plus the bonus, and play on just about every game satisfies the requirement.
Finally, at some other casinos if they think
you're abusing their bonus offers, they'll actually
seize your winnings. Frankly, that's
criminal. But if Bodog suspects you of bonus abuse
they'll still pay you, they just might not offer
you any future bonuses.
Play for free, no B.S.
One click and you're in.
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Example of a comp offer I just in
an email from Mandalay Bay:
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How to get casino comps
My #1 tip on this website is to sign
up for a free Player's Card at every casino you visit, because then
they'll send you offers for severely discounted or even free hotel
stays. Even if you don't gamble, you'll likely get some of
these offers, just by having signed up for the card. This is the
easiest discount or freebie you'll ever get. Sign up for the card!
Of course, if you do gamble, you can get even more
from the casino. They'll give you meals, show tickets, or
free or discounted
rooms as a reward for your gambling. They'll generally give you
back about 30% of your expected loss,
in the form of comps -- if you ask for them. In fact, between
comps and offers to come back to the hotel,
Atlantic City casinos give
away almost two-thirds of their hotel rooms for free. I don't
know the figures for Vegas, but it's got to be significant.
Don't play just to get comps! That's like spending a
dollar to save a quarter. If your expected loss is $100 and the
casino
gives you $30 in "freebies", those freebies have still cost you $70. In
fact, I'd like you to consider not gambling at all. That's
because the odds are stacked against you and you'll probably lose.
But I know you'll probably gamble anyway because that's why
everyone comes to Vegas, so if you must gamble then please at least choose
the games with the best odds:
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Don't play
- Slot machines
- Video poker (unless you're an expert)
- Roulette
- Modern/Novelty table games
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Do play
- Craps (Pass Line and Odds Bets only)
- Blackjack (using the strategy card
from the gift shop)
- Baccarat (bet on banker
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You get less comps by playing the better games because you
lose less money, but that's to your advantage. Again, you
don't
want to lose more than necessary just to get a "free" meal. For
example, for four hours of play:
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Slots, 25¢ x3
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Craps, $5
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Est. Loss
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$89
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$16
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Est. Comps earned
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$28
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$5
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Net loss per 4 hours
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$62
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$11
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Slots get you more comps for sure, but only because you're
losing more. If you play craps instead you'll save $51/hr. on
average. In fact, your savings from playing craps could let you
buy a
couple of buffets and not even have to worry about comps.
Here's a more complete list of games for four hours of play.
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Slots,
5¢ x5
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Slots,
25¢ x3
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Slots,
$1 x2
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Video poker,
25¢ x5
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Video poker,
$1 x5
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Blackjack,
$5
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Baccarat,
$5
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Craps,
$5
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Roulette,
$5
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Other table games, $5
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Avg. Loss
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$35
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$90
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$200
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$60
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$160
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$11
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$17
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$15
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$40
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$20
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Avg. comps
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11
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27
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60
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18
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48
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3
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5
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5
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12
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6
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Net Loss
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$24
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$63
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$140
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$42
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$112
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$8
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$12
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$10
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$28
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$14
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See
assumptions.
This means if you do play, play the games in the green boxes
to lose the least amount of money. And make sure to use the proper strategy.
How to earn casino comps
To get credit for your play, you'll need a free Player's
Card. Go to the Player's Club desk and sign up for a free
card. You
should get a card even if you don't intend to gamble much, because just
by having one the casino will often mail you offers for severely
discounted rooms, sometimes even free.
Okay, so you've got your card. If you play slot
machines (and I hope you don't) or
video poker, just stick the card in the machine before you play.
If you
play table games, just set it down next to your money when you're
buying chips. When you're playing machines the little
printout on
the card reader will tell you how many comp points you've earned,
and the better casinos will have a brochure at the Player's Club desk
to tell you how many points you need in order to get a buffet, a room
discount, etc. For table games, use my table above to see how
much comp
credit you earn. Here's how you can figure it yourself. Let's say
you're playing roulette and betting $20 per spin. The casino would
figure your average loss as:
$20/spin ×
38spins/hour × 5.26%
house edge = ~$40/hr
If they rebate 30% of that to you, you can expect to get back
about $12/hr. in comps.
Comps are usually based on how much you play, not
how much you lose. You'll still get comps even if you
win. The
casino knows that $X of wagers is worth $Y of profit to them on
average, so they just look at the amount you bet and pretty much
ignore whether you won or lost.
One exception is that you can get more comps if you have a large
loss. What qualifies as "large" depends on the size of the
casino.
The smaller the casino, the less you have to lose to get your
consolation prize. At the Hard Rock Casino, which is pretty
small, a
loss of more than $4000 can net you 10% of your loss in comps.
Another exception is that you can get big comps if you have
a large win. When you win big the casino will comp
the
hell out of you to keep you in the casino so they can win their money
back from you. You might be surprised that when you win big the
pit
boss won't be sour, s/he'll be happy for you, and eagerly
congratulate you on your good fortune. You can also expect to
stay in a
nice comped room or suite -- for as long as it takes for you to lose
the money you won.
Sample Comp Offers the casinos sent me
Aria, June 2010
- 3 nights free
- $50 in freeplay
- Free access to spa for 2 people for 2 days, plus $50
credit towards spa services
Hilton, May & June 2010
- 4 nights free
- $200 in bonus chips
Luxor, Jan. & March 2010
- 2 Complimentary Midweek Nights & a $30 discount
per extra room night
- Complimentary Room Upgrade to a Tower Room
- $25 in Promotional Gaming Chips
- Players Club check-in at Main Lobby
- Complimentary admission to Nurture, the spa
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How to claim your comps
To get your goodies you generally have to ask for them.
If you
play machines, go back to the Player's Club and they can hook you up
with buffets or whatever else you've earned. For table game
players,
ask the pit boss. (The person in the suit who supervises the
dealers.)
If you're not sure how much you have to play to get what you want,
ask.
They usually won't give you a very specific answer, but they can give
you a good clue.
Milking comps
When you play table games your comps are based on your
average bet size. The pit crew looks at how much you're
betting and
punches that figure into their little computer. The most
important bet
is the first one you make when you sit down, and the next few are the
bets right after that. If you bet higher than normal for the
first few
hands, the pit boss may record a higher average bet size for you in
the system.
Another way to milk comps is to slow the play down.
Play at a full table, and take your time making decisions.
The
slower
you play, the less you'll lose -- but you'll probably get comped as
though you were playing at normal speed. Of course, don't
slow
down so much that you annoy the other players!
You can read more about taking advantage of comps
in the books The Frugal Gambler and Comp City.
Assumptions
for the expected loss/comps table above: Proper strategy assumed. All
results are rounded. Comp credit = 30% of theoretical loss. Slots house
edge at 7%, 6%, and 5% respectively on 5¢, 25¢, and $1 machines. Slots
played at 500 spins/hr. Video poker house edge at 3%, and 2%
respectively on 25¢, and $1 machines. Video poker played at 400
hands/hr. Blackjack = 0.75% house edge and 70 hands/hr. Baccarat 1.2%
house edge and 72 hands/hr. Craps 1.6% house edge and 48 rounds/hr.
Roulette 5.26% house edge and 38 rounds/hr. Other table games 2% house
edge and 50 rounds/hr.
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| a d v e r t i s e m e n t s |
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