What
are comps?
The term "comps" is short for "complimentaries",
or things that the House will give to
its patrons for free in exchange for
playing at their Casino. Comps come
in all shapes and sizes. Examples of
comps include:
- Free room upgrades (from a standard
to a suite, for example)
- Free chips to play with
- Free meals (breakfasts, lunches,
or dinners)
- Free gifts (keychains, pens, hats,
cards, etc)
- Free tickets to shows
- Free drinks
Comps vary in size based on the individual
player, the casino, the circumstances,
the pit boss, and luck. The largest
comp I've personally heard of was a
casino gifting a free total stay at
their casino for a week - including
airfare, meals, and accomodations in
their top-of-the-casino suite! These
large comps are rare and usually reserved
for those who gamble the most, however
other types of comps are available to
most everyone if you know how to get
them.
Why
do Casinos offer comps?
Casinos offer comps for basically one
reason:
They
offer comps to make you come back
and spend more money in their casino
This is obvious to most, of course.
But it is important to remember. When
you ask the casino for comps, if they
don't think you are going to come back
anyway, they are unlikely to just give
you free stuff. Sure, they want you
to be happy in their casino, but if
a player isn't coming back, they are
unlikely to offer comps. The fact is
that 75-85% of all comps go to "the
little guys".
Even more fascinating is that you
don't necessarily even have to gamble
in order to get comps. The casino
industry is about all forms of entertainment.
Casino revenues come from gaming,
lodging, restaurants, sporting events,
entertainment, and a host of other
inflows. Visitors that stay at casinos
will often receive comps via the mail
after their stay encouraging them
to come back for low prices and sometimes
even for free. But those "mail-offers"
aren't the fun types of comps. The
rest of this article will deal with
the "comps" that you get by requesting
them from the casino while you are
there.
Casinos recognize that there are
lots of players out there that are
just trying to get something for free.
As long as the cost is small enough,
the casino is likely to do it. But
for any substantial comps, the casino
has to think you are going to payoff.
In other words, you need to be coming
back.
There is one other circumstance
where the casino will offer comps.
That is to make sure that guests don't
leave their casino completely irate.
Many visitors to casinos chose the
casino based on recommendations and
referrals from friends, co-workers
and family. As such, if a player walks
away unhappy, even if they are never
coming back, the casino may offer
the player some comps. Mistakes are
made everywhere, and Casinos are no
exception. So, when major mistakes
are made, some casinos will offer
comps to placate the angry customer.
What
is a comp card? How do I get rated?
To increase your chances
of getting comped, the casino wants
to know that you spend lots of money
at their casino. The best way to do
this is to allow them to track your
gaming progress via a "comp card". Most
of the major casinos offer comp cards.
Once you have one, you are officially
"rated" -- Congratulations!
Always use your comp card. If you
gamble without using your card, the
casino doesn't know that you are spending
your money with them. Make sure you
hand your card to your dealer whenever
you play.
When you use a card in slot machines,
the casino keeps track of exactly
when you started playing, how much
you won and lost, and when you stopped
playing. When you use your card at
a table, the casino basically tracks
the amount of time you spend playing.
If you do spend a lot with them, the
dealer or pit-boss will manually mark
that on your record. Make sure you
get their help to recognize the amount
you gambled before you leave the table.
Note - because this is a manual process
- if you just play for 5-15 minutes,
you may not get anything marked
on your comp card.
How
are comps calculated?
Remember - comps are about making the
player happy and making sure the player
comes back...
Comps are calculated differently
at all casinos. Roughly, the casino
determines the comps based on the
amount of time you played, the average
amount you are betting in a hand,
and the type of game you are playing.
When you play $5 blackjack for an
hour at a casino, don't expect to
be comp'd much. The casino has roughly
a 2% edge in blackjack. Playing for
about 1 hour, you can play about 60
blackjack hands. So you are gambling
a total of ~$300. The 2% edge provides
$6 to the casino. The casino is willing
to comp you about 25-35% of that for
that round of play.
Notice that when playing at the
tables, its important to play for
a significant amount of time. Don't
expect to be comped well if you play
for only a few minutes unless you
are placing large bets.
Tips
for maximizing your comps while playing
Here are some tips to keep in mind while
you are accumulating "points" on your
comp card:
- Stay in the hotel at the same
casino where you play most.
- Try to stay for at least two nights.
- Always use your comp card when
you play.
- Always be polite while playing.
- When you sit down to play, stay
for at least an hour.
- Don't be greedy. Don't ask for
comps prematurely.
- Dress nicely.
- Tip the waitresses and dealers.
- Save your comp card for when you
return!
- If you use the restaurants, charge
it to your room.
- If you use other casino/hotel
services, charge it to your room.
Tips
for redeeming comps
How do you redeem your comps?
First, understand that it tends
to be more difficult to earn comps
at the well-known mega-resorts since
visitors are attracted to their casinos
based on other factors. Further, the
fancy casinos attract high-rollers,
who receive more attention than the
average player. In my opinion, your
best bet for great comps is at the
less-popular casinos.
Also, remember that comps are about
enticing more money out of
your wallet. If the casino Host thinks
you are about to leave and never come
back, he's not incented to help you
much.
- Always be polite. If you are rude
to the Host, he's not going to be
interested in helping you out. Make
his life easier and he'll make your
life easier too.
- Don't be greedy.
- Don't feel intimidated. The casino
staff are there to make your stay
a happy one. They don't mind being
asked for comps
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