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Thread: Total Rewards Offer: $1000 Gas or $1000 Free Play

  1. #1
    I called my Caesars Ent. Host for a room. He said I qualify for 5 free nights and a choice of $1000 Gas Card or $1000 Reel Rewards-Free Play. Am I a "sucker" for opting for the Free Play? I don't even know what Reel Rewards are and guessing that I Free Play is like a $1000 casino credit? Please enlighten me and I apologize if this has been discussed before.

  2. #2
    I use offers like this. The gas cards have no strings attached.
    If you take table free play the vouchers are for even money bets and will be 25 or 50 denomination bets. They're good till you lose them.
    Reel Rewards vouchers can be used on video poker or slots.

  3. #3
    When I received offer options like that I would always take the sure thing/100% value, and in this case it's the gas card. You don't even need to stay there if you have another place you can stay on a comp that you like better. Just check in for the minimum required, grab the gas card, go up to the room and ID it as Do Not Disturb, write down your room # & their phone no., then on checkout day give the front desk a call to say "Sorry, I was running late and had to rush to the airport, so please make sure I have no charges to my room and check me out." I've done this at least a thousand times and as many as 7 times on the same trip.

  4. #4
    So Rob how often can you pull that trick?

  5. #5
    $1000 Gas Card is the safe sure thing without question. The gambler in me envisions turning the $1000 in Free Play to $10,000. As this will be my first experience with the Free Play, I will try that option and see what happens. If I lose it, well then the Gas Card would have been the way to go.

    I've checked in to comp rooms at MGM and CET properties at the same time before although I did gamble at both properties during my stay. Overall CET has given me better offers than MGM properties but in my opinion MGM Aria and Bellagio has nicer rooms and superior Restaurants to CET.

  6. #6
    Any expiration date on the gas cards? That would be my only concern if you don't use a lot of gas. I use about $400 per month so not a concern for me.

  7. #7
    Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson View Post
    So Rob how often can you pull that trick?
    How often? It's not a trick; it's taking full advantage of as many offers as I can on a single trip. I did the multiple hotel check-in/get the free cash or gift thing, hundreds of times. I still do it today when 2 nearby casinos send me offers. It's only 2 now because I play little compared to a few years ago.

  8. #8
    What's really most important is this: If you take the $1,000 will you be playing with cash out of your pocket? If you are, it just might end up being a "wash" for your bottom line.

    If on the other hand you intend to pocket the $1,000 in gas cards and play with less than a thousand of your own money then you definitely can come out ahead with the gas cards.

    But if you have a gambling budget of $5,000 for the trip (and if you're getting $1,000 of free play or gas cards you probably have gambled that much or more) then you might as well take the free play option instead of the gas cards.

  9. #9
    Originally Posted by Rob.Singer View Post
    How often? It's not a trick; it's taking full advantage of as many offers as I can on a single trip. I did the multiple hotel check-in/get the free cash or gift thing, hundreds of times. I still do it today when 2 nearby casinos send me offers. It's only 2 now because I play little compared to a few years ago.
    It's a "trick" because you can't pull this thing off forever. Eventually your play level will not warrant the offers and the offers go away. Various casinos usually update their "offer rosters" every six months or less. So again, how often can you pull this off before they catch you and cut your offers?

  10. #10
    Originally Posted by Alan Mendelson View Post
    It's a "trick" because you can't pull this thing off forever. Eventually your play level will not warrant the offers and the offers go away. Various casinos usually update their "offer rosters" every six months or less. So again, how often can you pull this off before they catch you and cut your offers?
    What's how long it can be utilized have to do with it being some kind of trick? When I played heavily I always made sure to spread the play around to increase my chances of receiving as many of these offers as possible. And I never had a single problem anywhere. Use them when you can and carry on without them when they're gone. I learned the computer-generated offer system at most places, and I stayed away from hosts and all those marketing types like smart gamblers do that other players drool over because they THINK they're "working" them and/or they want to believe they're something special.

  11. #11
    It's a trick because, admit it or not, you are appearing as a registered hotel guest. And their formula calls for you to give them a certain amount of play and money spent on other hotel services to justify the free play offer. So, you trick them.

    I've used multiple free play offers at different casinos, and I admit I tricked them.

    Once, I drove up to Caesars on a free play offer, and on the way stopped at State Line Primm where I had a "cash offer" of $350 -- no play required. I pulled into the parking lot, walked to the cage, got my $350 cash, and walked out of the casino. But that trick worked one time.

    For about a year, I took advantage of weekly free play offers at Pechanga stopping there either on the way to or on the way back from Rincon. Over the course of a year or so, I watched those weekly free play offers dwindle from about $200 down to $5 and now zero.

  12. #12
    Alan, again, there is no trick. Why on earth do you care what the casino's formula is!? And why on earth would you feel OBLIGATED to give them any play on that trip whatsoever. You're looking at this just like you look at tipping the casino people. For some reason you feel OBLIGATED to bridge some pay gap they may have. In this particular case, you feel OBLIGATED to fulfill the casino's side of some formula that produced the offer!

    Time for a reality check: the casino brings players in on offers HOPING to get as much of their money as possible, and they couldn't care less about the problems it might cause them. I go in with a formula for winning. Sometimes I don't. The casinos bring me in under THEIR formula for getting my money. Most of the time they don't. It's all a game Alan, and the best....the smartest....do the winning. Worrying about possibly "tricking" a giant casino is not on any winner's to-do list.

  13. #13
    Originally Posted by Rob.Singer View Post
    Why on earth do you care what the casino's formula is!? And why on earth would you feel OBLIGATED to give them any play on that trip whatsoever. You're looking at this just like you look at tipping the casino people. For some reason you feel OBLIGATED to bridge some pay gap they may have. In this particular case, you feel OBLIGATED to fulfill the casino's side of some formula that produced the offer!

    Time for a reality check: the casino brings players in on offers HOPING to get as much of their money as possible, and they couldn't care less about the problems it might cause them. I go in with a formula for winning. Sometimes I don't. The casinos bring me in under THEIR formula for getting my money. Most of the time they don't. It's all a game Alan, and the best....the smartest....do the winning. Worrying about possibly "tricking" a giant casino is not on any winner's to-do list.
    Why do you feel obligated to turn everything into an attack? Are you that defensive that you must immediately launch into attack mode as soon as someone points out a consequence of what you suggest someone should do?

    The reality is, you can get away with taking free offers for only so long before the computer systems catch up with you. If you try to "trick" the computers it won't work. They can quickly determine if you are entitled to future offers.

    Of course you don't want to discuss the obvious. Instead you launch into attack mode which includes bringing up issues about obligations to play, tipping, and your history of winning. Why don't we just cut to the chase Rob... go ahead and call me an addict? It is pretty clear that Rob Singer can't take a criticism of his way of doing things. It's either Rob's way or the wrong way.

  14. #14
    Alan, there was no attack--only schooling that you apparently really are in need of. We all saw how you reacted negatively to using offers in this manner on LVA, and it's fine if you don't agree with it. Only a fool would check into a single hotel on a trip when holding four other offers with freebies, and feel "obligated" to give any casino play because of it. And who cares if offers dry up because you didn't play--what's that got to do with any of it being "wrong"? Their job is to rope the player in in any way possible, and it's all based on play you've already given them. You owe them NOTHING at this point. Do you get that? If you don't and still feel the offer is based on hopes and dreams by the casino for your upcoming visit, we need to talk.

  15. #15
    My intent by starting this thread was to find out if I was making a big mistake or a sucker out of myself by taking the Free Play instead of the Gas Card. Turns out my mistake was starting this thread LOL! thanks to everyone who responded. I have a casino host who I have built a relationship with over the past 7 years and I do not feel stupid for asking him to set me up when I come to town. My Host provides me with nice suites which my wife loves and always reserves the nice TR deals with my free suites: Jersey Boys, Peep Show, Eagles, NASCAR, Great Buffets like Bachannal, Celine, Seinfeld, Penn & Teller... This was my first Free Play or Gas Card TR Offer so I thought I would check with Alan's Informative Forum: Gas or Free Play? Thanks Alan for hosting this. I especially like the Craps Discussion as I love Craps. The comps that come with it are a bonus! Looking very optimistically forward to my upcoming trip and turning my $1000 Free Play in $10,000 when I leave. I wish all the readers of this Forum great luck and generous Comps from their favorite casino! Use a host if you prefer! I love my host! he is a great guy!

  16. #16
    Russkg starting the thread was not a mistake. We need more discussions like this.

    I take the free play option -- and always have -- instead of gift cards because I know I am going to go into my own pocket for more than what the gift cards would have been worth.

    The only exception was when I drove up to Vegas one year for the Great Gift Wrap Up. We didn't play. We quickly parked our car, walked into the Great Gift Wrap Up, ordered a big screen TV, some jewelry, and about $1200 in Shell gas cards, went back to the car and drove home.

  17. #17
    Originally Posted by Rob.Singer View Post
    Only a fool would check into a single hotel on a trip when holding four other offers with freebies, and feel "obligated" to give any casino play because of it. And who cares if offers dry up because you didn't play--what's that got to do with any of it being "wrong"?
    I never said it's wrong, I just said why be greedy and use up offers that you might need in the future? Why check into four different hotels and destroy your theoretical and future offers just to milk the casinos in the short term? You are killing the goose just to get a few silver eggs.

    The offers don't continue when you milk them like that. That's the point I am making here and it's the same point I made on LVA but the greedy comp whores didn't understand that. They just want to get whatever they can today and forget that in six months they won't be getting offers as generous as they had been or perhaps no offers at all.

    Advice to bilk the casinos or to take advantage of multiple offers will backfire. Now, if you don't care, then comp whore yourself till your giddy. But don't expect anything six months from now.

  18. #18
    Thanks for mentioning the Great Gift Wrap! In addition to the Comp Suites, Food, Shows and soon $1000 Free Play, my wife thoroughly enjoys the Annual Shopping Event! Laptop, blender, gas cards, Sears Cards, Starbucks Cards, Godivas etc. Its actually amazing what CET has given me for doing something (craps) I enjoy doing!

    Love your Forum Alan. Depending on how it goes, I may post an update as to how I do with the $1000 Free Play.

  19. #19
    Originally Posted by russkg View Post
    Depending on how it goes, I may post an update as to how I do with the $1000 Free Play.
    Does that mean you will tell us all about it if you turn one-thousand into ten thousand, but you won't tell us all about if it's a point-7 trip disaster? :-)

  20. #20
    Alan, I see where the disconnect is. You basically give the great majority of your play to one casino in LV. That makes you worry over offers and comps drying up. I've never had that problem. I always played everywhere in the state almost weekly, and when I took advantage of offers without playing I learned their system first. Nothing ever dryed up or even came close to that. There were always at least four hotel check-ins for me, with freebies, on every trip, and at least three and sometimes all four received no play because I chose to play elsewhere. The "trick" as you may want to call it, was to pop in to certain casinos whenever it came time to play $10 & higher. Even if you don't play much because of winning and quitting when you hit the win goal, if you've played heavy there in the past, the stop-in actually always INCREASED the offers. I can't think of one major resort in LV, Reno, Tahoe, Wendover, Laughlin or Mesquite that did not react in that manner.

    Russkg, enjoy that free-play. But remember, by being chummy with your host and by not taking the gas card, you are doing exactly as the casino hopes and wants you to do. They usually win when that occurs. That host is not your buddy. His job depends on how much those he brings in, lose. Never forget that.
    Last edited by Rob.Singer; 07-23-2013 at 01:48 PM.

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