Have you been rated for comps?

Hi,

I plan to be rated in my next trip. Since I have never
done it before, I have a few questions.

* How long does it take them to rate a player?
Ten minutes? An hour?
* If I'm aware that they are watching, is it a good idea
to make some bad plays?
* How do I claim the comps? Only at end of the trip,
with the receipts for room and food?

Could anyone share the experience with me? Thanks.

TJ

First, get a copy of Comp City by Max Rubin.

* How long does it take them to rate a player?
Ten minutes? An hour?

Longer. They rate you by average amount bet per hour for how many hours you play. An example of what the computer says about a player might be "15.5 hours at an average of $77.53/hour". They will also evaluate the games you play and your level of playing skill to determine how much they think they can expect to earn off of you per hour.

* If I'm aware that they are watching, is it a good idea
to make some bad plays?

If they suspect you of being an advantage player, you are not going to be welcome, let alone earn comps.

* How do I claim the comps?

Many ways. If you are drinking at the tables (God forbid!), your drinks are free as you play. After an hour or so at the tables, you can ask for a buffet comp. After a few hours, if you are betting high enough, you can ask the pit boss for a restaurant meal comp.

My advice is to look at a group of casinos, determine from which ones you can extract money, and select one or two that have better rooms and restaurants, but have less desirable playing conditions, and are known for loose comps. Use heavier cover at these places, and only get rated at those casinos. If, after a hard day at advantage play, you like to sit back and have drinks while you play, you might want to just be a basic strategy at your comp locations.

After a while, you will start receiving comp offers by mail. If you take them up on a mail in comp, make sure you don't "comp & stiff" unless you do not want to stay there again.

If you are staying at a comped room and playing at that location, make sure you charge all your drinks and meals to your room. You may find that the casino writes off everything, or at least heavily discounts it all.

Do not get greedy. If you receive a comp for a dinner for you and a date, do not get the most expensive bottle of wine in the house unless you have that type of comp coming. Also, tip like you are paying full price.

Talk to a host, and let them know that you would like to honestly know what type of action they expect for what kind of comp. Do not, of course, talk about skill.

Only at end of the trip,
with the receipts for room and food?

It varies, like I said, you get comps in advance (mail-in), while you are playing, and at the end.

I hope this helps.

I am sure some others will pipe in.

I know that they'll input the playing time and average bet
to the computer.

From the books, I learned that Casinos rate your play in the
following way: 1 means good basic strategy player; 2 means player
with mistakes; and 3 means total loser (which they welcome most).
I'm interested to know how long they come to a decision
about your skill. Obviously the evaluation won't take
15 hours.

TJ

;-)

I always try to hide my skills whether I get comped or not, but I didn't know they had a systematic rating system for player skill levels. I would also be interested in hearing more if anybody on this board knows about it.

~Black Jack in the Box.

There is no one way that casinos rate players for skill. Some casinos do a good job of it, some do a bad job of it, and some don't do it at all. Some will use a computer to rate your skills, although I doubt if they do that with every player. There has to be something about your play to make the time it takes to watch and analyze your play with a computer worthwhile. Some will simply have a person in the pit crew watch your play for awhile and make a rating based on simple observation. There are not always enough skilled folks in the pit to do this. If they are busy, they can't accurately analyze every person's play, so again, there must be something that calls you to their attention. I think in most cases, if they are analyzing your play at all, they are doing it based on an occasional spot check as they rate your overall betting levels. Obviously, the more time you show them, the more they will learn about your skills. I also believe they are more likely to rate your skill based on your bet levels. If you are betting small, you won't get much attention. If you are betting large (and "large" can mean something very different from casino to casino), they will scrutinize your play more.

How well this works depends on your level of action, of course. Don't try to earn comps based on hours of play. Go get a players card at each casino and then briefly splash money. Do this at as many casinos as possible. After you get a hot shoe or deck and make several big bets, hit the door and go some place else. When you are a big loser ask for comps on the spot, lunch or dinner, etc. After that just wait for your comp offers to come in the mail. Taking advantage of comps by mail does not involve your having to expose your play to additional scrutiny. You will get coupons coming in the mail from casinos you haven't visited in years.

I wouldn't count on them evaluating your skill and leaving it at that.

They are going to continue to evaluate you, especially if you are not just a minimum flat betting player.