Just what is the motivation behind Caesars' Total Rewards Changes?

I have to admit that I am confused by the new Total Rewards tier schedule plus the bonus tier points that are being given.

According to the latest mailer I got from Caesars Total Rewards, I and everybody else, should be hitting our appropriate tier levels even faster because of the bonuses for "longer play" and Caesars suggests that the new bonus tier points could put players in a higher tier level under the new system.

Until now we've been talking about how raising tier levels would help Caesars save on comps. And now we find out that Caesars is doing more to life tier scores. So what's going on?

The surprise in the new Total Rewards plan is that if you play a certain amount in one day you will get additional tier points as a bonus. Here are the examples Caesars gives:

Earn 500 tier credits and you get a bonus of 125 tier credits.
Earn 1000 tier credits and you get a bonus of 1,000 tier credits.
Earn 2500 tier credits and you get an additional 5,000 tier credits.

So if Caesars is making it easier to get more tier credits, why did they bother to raise the tier score requirements for Platinum, Diamond and 7 Stars?

In the mailer I got, Caesars said that in my case, if I played the same as I did in 2012 I should be getting a bonus for 50%.

The mailer does, for the first time, officially mention Level II and Level III Diamond players.

Under the new plan you need 15,000 tier credits to make the first Diamond level, but you will need 40,000 points for Level II and 80,000 points for Level III.

And there are going to be bonuses for these higher levels of Diamond player, including free play, more free hotel rooms, and a better exchange rate for exchanging comps for actual free play.

I really believe the new tier system with bonuses is to encourage the player that only comes in to play their freeplay or a small amount to play more so they can at least reach platinum.

I think CET also wants those of us that get close to 1000 or 2500 points a day - to keep playing (and many times losing) until we reach that point that we can get a bonus.

I looked back at my play over the year and under the new system - I would have 120K more points than I did this year. However, with this new bonus system, I will stop at 2500 or so instead of getting 3425 or 4771 as I did in several cases.

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Originally Posted by sassycat

I looked back at my play over the year and under the new system - I would have 120K more points than I did this year. However, with this new bonus system, I will stop at 2500 or so instead of getting 3425 or 4771 as I did in several cases.

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That's very interesting. There is now a new "advantage play" connected with the new bonuses. What you are talking about is playing to the point of securing the tier score bonus and no more for each day's play. In effect, a new way to "work the system."

I just saw a post on vpFree about that....how less play is actually required this year for 7Stars vs. last year, IF you do stop at 2500 each visit until you have enough to qualify.

I still question the wisdom of playing for the points over playing for the money. Makes no sense now and never has to me.

Rob, of course you don't want to keep playing for points if you are losing money. But if you are winning you now have a new "factor" in setting your win goal.

I live several hours away from my local so I usually spend 2 nights when I go and play. However, I have several friends that live locally and they go every day.

They are diamond, and one seven star but they go over at lunch to get a comp meal, pick up their free gift, play their free play, scratch off, etc. They don't stay very long and get only a couple of hundred points or less (unless they are really winning). This system will hurt those players the most.

Because they don't play a lot on one day and spread it out over a week, their ADT is low and they don't understand why their freeplay amount is so much lower than mine. It is really hard to explain it people because the hosts really can't explain it to me either.

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Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson

Rob, of course you don't want to keep playing for points if you are losing money. But if you are winning you now have a new "factor" in setting your win goal.

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For you, maybe. But for me, if I set a win goal and begin playing as planned, then hit it, it's game over. Points and slot club status have no meaning to me compared to the result.

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Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson

That's very interesting. There is now a new "advantage play" connected with the new bonuses. What you are talking about is playing to the point of securing the tier score bonus and no more for each day's play. In effect, a new way to "work the system."

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On $1.00 3 line VP, how long does it take to get the 2500 so as to get the bonus? I have no sense in my mind of how long this takes.

With video poker every $10 of coin in equals 1 tier point. So playing a 3 line $1 game, each push of the button (each play) is $15 or 1.5 tier points. You would have to make two plays to get 3 tier points.

Now here is how the "tier credit bonuses" work.

For every 500 tier credits earned in a day you get a bonus of 125 tier credits
For every 1,000 tier credits earned in a day you get a bonus of 1,000 tier credits
For every 2,500 tier credits earned in a day you get a bonus of 5,000 tier credits

Look at the bonuses: as you play more the amount of bonus credits increases dramatically. Big players actually get double their actual coin-in.

So, to return to your 3 line $1 vp game or $15 per push of the button:

1. to earn 125 tier credits as a bonus, you would have to have $5,000 of coin in which is 334 plays at $15 each.
2. to earn 1,000 tier credits as a bonus, you have to have $10,000 of coin in which is 667 plays at $15 each.
3. to earn 5,000 tier credits as a bonus, you have to have $25,000 of coin in which is 1,667 plays at $15 each.

Thanks Alan-I play very fast. Is it safe to assume about 10 spins per minute so 600 spins per hour. So I would hit 1000 tier credits in a little over an hour.

Yes, that would be right. 667 plays at $15 per play on a three-line $1 video poker machine. And in 7 and a half hours on seven and a half different days you would be a Diamond.

Any idea what they are giving for tier credits in craps these days? That is where I used to get diamond in a day. But my VP play is way below my former craps play.

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Originally Posted by regnis

Any idea what they are giving for tier credits in craps these days?

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The formula used for table games has never been spelled out publicly. And even if it were, it would vary with the observations and record keeping of the dealers, pit boss or floor man.