Players Card Points -- How do they work ?

**Ohio740** · 03-25-2010, 08:55 PM

Just curious as to how casinos award points on your card while playing slot machines .. at times i tried to watch my points to see how many dollars it took to equal 1-point but could never figure it up or got tired of trying.
I do know me and the wife spent $1500.00 in 2-days/nights playing slots and thats not including credits won and replayed in machine. At the end of our stay we went to Casino host to see if we could get a free meal and was told we didn't have enough points as we only had 1580 between us both, he gave us the impression we were " nobody " .. i told the guy i know we spent the entire $1500 bankroll we had for slots plus alot of times we would have a machine up and play it out ( YESSS should have cashed out )

SO .. just wondering if anyone can touch on how the players cards work and how much money you need to play through a machine to get a point? and what is your experience with players cards points and comps at your casino you visit

Thanks

**Jennybean25** · 03-25-2010, 09:51 PM

The only casinos I find worthy are Vegas casinos. All our local NA casinos are garbage for comps. Pretty much not even worth it. I think it has something to do with the amount of time you spend on each machine and how much you are betting. If you like to move around a lot (like me) you may not rack them up as fast. One trip to Vegas we stayed at the Rio. I was playing the dollar slots like crazy. I spend several hours playing the same machines and I was earning comps like crazy! I was also drinking a little bit and that may have been the reason I was gambling like a maniac ;-)

**Ohio740** · 03-25-2010, 10:02 PM

LOL Jenny ... We tended to gamble like maniacs to when we were in Vegas and i agree it has alot to do with the FREE drinks .. i can't even remember the names of some of the drinks me and wife had but they all tasted good ! We never maded it in the Rio as we spent most of our time in Caesars Palace, MGM and Venetian

**eileen** · 03-25-2010, 10:27 PM

in the NA casinos in ct...$100 cash in= 1 point.

**Ohio740** · 03-25-2010, 11:43 PM

Ok they are different here at the casino i was at in Indiana cause when we left after 2-days i have over 1200 points on my card and my DW had over 700 points and all we received was $15.60 in comped money towards our lunch buffet which was $12.95+tax / each for lunch

I know when we was in Vegas in 2008 we signed up at the Venetian for there Club Grazie card and we probably didn't even gamble $300 that night yet we are still getting offers to this day for free room and free play.

So, you answered my question .... every casino has there own set way of rewarding points etc. obviosly the riverboat casino we was at in Indiana sucks as far as comps go

**YoungSlots** · 03-26-2010, 03:43 PM

At the Black Bear in MN im pretty sure that every $12 dollars played through earns you a point and 300 points is worth 10 bucks

**JoeyAnyc** · 03-26-2010, 04:05 PM

That's the worse feeling when you feel like a casino just doesn't care. I don't know what options you have for casinos, but trust me - there's a casino out there that will appreciate your business. You just have to scope them out.

My partner and I have been going to the Borgata for 6 years. That's our home casino. Well things have changed BIG time over the past year. They pulled back on so much there. We took a one off trip up to MGM @ Foxwoods and let me tell you - it's a night and day difference with the service. We are now planning future trips up to MGM.

It's sad that a casino can't comp a dinner after spending $1,500. It's embarrassing. If you have a choice, check out some other places. Let them know you are a member elsewhere and you are changing casinos. They may even give you some bonus slot dollars.

As for points - every casino is different. In Vegas, we charge everything to the room, and at the end of the trip they comp what they can. Here in AC (Borgata) you have Comp Dollars in dollar amounts (same as cash) and Slot Dollars (which are earned). Then you get BONUS Slot Dollar offers in the mail. There's no guess work. You know how much you earn as you play in Comp Dollars. They rack up on your card right away. The Slot Dollars are added AFTER your trip, to ensure you return.

Most other casinos use a point system which I never can figure out. I just hand any restaurant my players card and let them figure out if I get anything covered.

Unfortunately, the casinos I've been to won't tell me what the formula is for their points or dollars earned. I would think you want your players to know.

Always ask for something. All they can say is no. But if you hear "no" too often, then time to move on to another place that will say "YES".

**Ohio740** · 03-26-2010, 06:20 PM

JoeyAnyc .. thanks for the reply ! right now our options are limited as we live near Columbus, Ohio. Ohio as of right now has no casinos so we have to travel almost 3-hrs to go to the riverboat. We have basically 3 choices right now wich are Belterra, Hollywood ( the old Argosy in Rising Sun, Indiana ) and Grand Victoria ... these 3 casinos are all within about 45-minutes of each other and i have already decided next trip we are going to go to the new Hollywood and give it a try.
I spent about an hour yesterday writing a letter to the company that owns Belterra ( Pinnacle Entertainment ) and i'm curious if i hear anything back. I explained in detail about the 2-days/nights we were there and how we were treated and how the casino has went down hill bad since we were there last in 2006. I remember we we last went we hadn't been there in about a year a they gave us a great welcome back by comping 1-night stay and also giving me and the wife $25 free play each and a free buffet ... what's sad is this last Monday & Tueday is the most we ever spent there and they didn't want to offer us anything.
Ohio just passed the casino bill and will be building full fledged casinos in Columbus ( 35-minuted from me ) Toledo, Cincinnatti & Cleveland. below is part of an article that appeared in the Columbus paper ...
" Hollywood Casino Columbus, which is expected to open in the second half of 2012, will be a 180,000 square foot casino with up to 4,000 slot machines at opening, up to 100 table games and 25 poker tables, a 4,000 space parking garage, plus food and beverage outlets and entertainment lounge. "
Right now everyone in Ohio either travels to the riverboats in Indiana or to Wheeling Island in West Virginia ... i'd say when these Ohio casinos open in late 2012 the other casinos will have to compete or they will be in trouble.

I'll let you all know if i get a response from Belterra or Pinnacle Entertainment .. i am curious if i will hear anything back.

Just got off the phone with Belterra this morning as they still have not credited my checking account ! when we checked in last Monday the guy at desk said " i need a credit card to hold a $100 deposit that will be refunded " i gave him a visa debit card and upon check out i told same guy i was paying cash for the 2-night stay in room and paid him $176.96 in which he gave me a Hotel cash receipt .. my account still shows they debited $276.96 from my account ... they say it should be credited by next Monday ??? i was telling the woman i understood about the $100 deposit but why did the debit my account for the $176.96 that i paid in cash? she was nasty with me !!!!

**Deb** · 03-26-2010, 06:27 PM

I can tell you one thing... If Dave and I spent $1500 of our own money (not counting what we circulated through the machines) and couldn't get a meal comped we would NEVER go back to that casino again. IMO, you should have room comps too. NA casinos like Jenny said are some of the stingiest. LV really is the best place to get the most of your money by way of comps. Good luck to you!

**The Shamus** · 03-26-2010, 06:33 PM

Originally Posted by Ohio740

Just curious as to how casinos award points on your card while playing slot machines .. at times i tried to watch my points to see how many dollars it took to equal 1-point but could never figure it up or got tired of trying.
I do know me and the wife spent $1500.00 in 2-days/nights playing slots and thats not including credits won and replayed in machine. At the end of our stay we went to Casino host to see if we could get a free meal and was told we didn't have enough points as we only had 1580 between us both, he gave us the impression we were " nobody " .. i told the guy i know we spent the entire $1500 bankroll we had for slots plus alot of times we would have a machine up and play it out ( YESSS should have cashed out )

SO .. just wondering if anyone can touch on how the players cards work and how much money you need to play through a machine to get a point? and what is your experience with players cards points and comps at your casino you visit

Thanks

Hi Ohio740:

If you spend $1500 at a casino, you should be able to earned a lot of comp anywhere. There is a serious multiplier effect when money spent on slots. When you spend $100 -- it will amount to almost $1000 played (on average), if you keep playing the amounts you win (based on a 10% hold percentage). So -- in theory, your $1500 bankroll, would average out to $15,000 in slot play. Although this is an average, even if it was $7,500 in play -- that's a lot of money.

I would have double checked -- the number of point you get for an amount of play, and the number of points required to get a comp. At most places now, it is not a secret. While there is some descretion, it is mostly up to the computer's algorithm whether you are entitled to comps.

I wonder if the points were going to separate cards, or there is a delay between when you play the slots, and when they show up as points (I've seen this kind of timing difference at some places).

My local NA casino (Seneca) takes $180 of play for $1 in comp -- and this adds up. Also, they comp room, some meal bonus and some slot play bonus separately.

/\/\/\/\ the Shamus /\/\/\/\