Great Gift Wrap Up at the Flamingo -- Report

[Alan Mendelson]

What I got were a Vitamix blender as a gift for a friend (retail value about $350), enough Shell gas cards for a year (I hope), some Starbucks gift cards for gifts, a bunch of gift cards for Marshalls/TJ Max for shopping, and a new Garmin.

I did ask if the free play could be used at Rincon but the answer was only in Vegas. Too bad. I would have loved the free play for Rincon where there are full pay games and regular tier credits.

[Perdition]

Cool thanks for the update and the overall trip report. As someone that will probably never attain this level of play, it is interesting to read your experiences as well as the other 7 star members that post like sassycat.

[Alan Mendelson]

As someone that will probably never attain this level of play,

It doesnt matter what your level of play is... if you can be in Vegas for one of the GGWU events you should get whatever you can, even if it's a $10 gas card.

I think everyone should take advantage of every promo and offer that they are entitled to as long as they don't make the mistake of playing just for those promos and offers. In other words, you never play for comps but you should claim your comps.

[regnis]

I agree with Alan--it is a fun event and they don't jack up the prices too badly. Unfortunately for me, you earn no points for the GGWU event for play at my local Caesars property--the Horseshoe Hammond, Indiana. I have no idea why but you cannot earn anything for the GGWU there. So I am getting all these great offers to go to Vegas for the GGWU, but I would get nothing in gifts. It is almost an insult to keep getting the invites.

[Perdition]

It doesnt matter what your level of play is... if you can be in Vegas for one of the GGWU events you should get whatever you can, even if it's a $10 gas card. I think everyone should take advantage of every promo and offer that they are entitled to as long as they don't make the mistake of playing just for those promos and offers. In other words, you never play for comps but you should claim your comps.

The thing for a quarter player like me is there isn't really a great VP option at almost any CET property now. Rincon is what 99.40% I think and most CET places on the strip cater to higher level players($5+). Maybe when I have a larger foundation of playable money, I could reassess my options but at this point playing regularly at higher amounts would be tantamount to degeneracy for me. If I tried now, I would just be comp chasing and that would probably end up as a lose/lose proposition.

That's why I said it is great seeing your guys' experiences and seeing what maybe could be if I started grinding on TR in the future. Sadly it looks like CET seems determined to make VP options worse and worse for their properties. Maybe if CET can get out the massive debt hole, things may change in that regard.

[Alan Mendelson]

Rincon still has full pay Bonus and Aces and Faces at the 25-cent level. 99.2% plus their cash back and regular free play comps and GGWU points included plus assorted comps.

[Dan Druff]

What I got were a Vitamix blender as a gift for a friend (retail value about $350), enough Shell gas cards for a year (I hope), some Starbucks gift cards for gifts, a bunch of gift cards for Marshalls/TJ Max for shopping, and a new Garmin.

I did ask if the free play could be used at Rincon but the answer was only in Vegas. Too bad. I would have loved the free play for Rincon where there are full pay games and regular tier credits.

Alan, did you seriously price out the Garmin and the Vitamix, and see if you could have gotten it cheaper on Amazon or elsewhere?

When I was at the 2012 GGWU, I walked around with my iPhone and looked up the price of every appliance/electronics item I was interested in. Every single one of them was a bad value, with the exception of the iPad 4.

When I say "bad value", I don't mean the value compared to the retail price. I mean the value compared to the ACTUAL PRICE you would pay if you were buying the item yourself with cash.

For this reason, I bought one iPad 4, and took the rest in freeplay and gas cards.

You should use the 300-points-per-dollar method of determining value.

So if an item is 90,000 points, then it's costing you $300 in points.

If you can buy that same item on Amazon for $229, you've just really screwed yourself value-wise.

[Alan Mendelson]

Alan, did you seriously price out the Garmin and the Vitamix, and see if you could have gotten it cheaper on Amazon or elsewhere?

Of course they were cheaper at the GGWU. They cost me ZERO dollars out of my pocket.
Amazon or elsewhere would have involved real money.

Now, you can argue "opportunity cost" for using GGWU points for buying something else vs. buying the Garmin and the Vitamix but I preferred to obtain the Vitamix and Garmin with zero personal expenditure.

If you can buy that same item on Amazon for $229, you've just really screwed yourself value-wise.

If I bought the same item on Amazon for $229 it would have cost me $229 vs GGWU points which had zero "real world" value.

[Count Room]

Of course they were cheaper at the GGWU. They cost me ZERO dollars out of my pocket.
Amazon or elsewhere would have involved real money.

Now, you can argue "opportunity cost" for using GGWU points for buying something else vs. buying the Garmin and the Vitamix but I preferred to obtain the Vitamix and Garmin with zero personal expenditure.



If I bought the same item on Amazon for $229 it would have cost me $229 vs GGWU points which had zero "real world" value.

Alan: What about those Shell gas cards you mentioned earlier that could sell for 90 cents-plus on the dollar? Were they part of the GGWU?

[Alan Mendelson]

Yes, the Shell cards were part of the GGWU and I got enough. My friend asked for a Vitamix as a gift. I needed a new Garmin. And my wife shops at Marshalls and TJMaxx and goes to Starbucks. Everything was covered.

Dan might dispute the "value" of gift points vs "retail value" but I still look at it this way: I'll be filling my gas tank, giving a gift, shopping at Marshalls, and my wife will be drinking Starbucks all for no out of pocket expense.

[Perdition]

Speaking of Starbucks I guess for the next few days they will be having 2 for 1 drink specials there between 2-5 PST. Don't know what it applies to but the Holiday drinks were pictured. Maybe a way to get some extra value for the cards earlier than expected.

Edit: Just checked it out. Goes from 11/13-11/17 2-5 pm Buy one get one free on any Holiday Drink.

[Dan Druff]

Yes, the Shell cards were part of the GGWU and I got enough. My friend asked for a Vitamix as a gift. I needed a new Garmin. And my wife shops at Marshalls and TJMaxx and goes to Starbucks. Everything was covered.

Dan might dispute the "value" of gift points vs "retail value" but I still look at it this way: I'll be filling my gas tank, giving a gift, shopping at Marshalls, and my wife will be drinking Starbucks all for no out of pocket expense.

The reason I hate paying more than "actual" value of gifts at the GGWU is that I can instead use the points to buy either freeplay (which I can convert, on average, at 99.54% value to real cash) or gas cards (which are 100% value to me, since I will be driving for years to come, and spending a lot on gas.)

I agree that if the choice is between getting a $229 item for $300 in points or spending your own $229 cash, the choice seems obvious to spend the points instead of real cash.

HOWEVER, if you can use those same points to get other items that either can be directly converted to cash (freeplay) or otherwise would have been bought for cash (gas), then it makes no sense.

My offer still stands to buy Shell gas cards at more than the current going rate online, by the way.

[Alan Mendelson]

Thanks Dan but I got enough gas cards for the next year.

My only "problem" with the free play option is that there is no guarantee that using free play on a 99.54% return game will get you 99.54% of what the free play is worth. We've all been there. We've all put a thousand dollars into a full pay game and ended up with 50% or 120% or maybe hit a royal. It's gambling. There's noting wrong with using your GGWU points for free play but you just can't "bank" on the return.

[Alan Mendelson]

When I checked out from the GGWU I was told 1,100 points remained. Out of curiosity I just went to the GGWU website and discovered I actually have more than 4,200 points remaining. Obviously that is not a significant amount -- it's enough for a $10 gift card. But the point is their tally of points is not necessarily accurate and the computer might credit you with points days after you play.

[LizzyM]

Thanks Dan but I got enough gas cards for the next year.

My only "problem" with the free play option is that there is no guarantee that using free play on a 99.54% return game will get you 99.54% of what the free play is worth. We've all been there. We've all put a thousand dollars into a full pay game and ended up with 50% or 120% or maybe hit a royal. It's gambling. There's noting wrong with using your GGWU points for free play but you just can't "bank" on the return.

Hi Alan,

May be it's just me, but I have found that Free Play does not seem to respond the same as when you put cash in the machines. I have also found that the downloadable FP seems to work better than the Coupon FP, but still not like cash.

I just have experimented playing two machines at a time, many times and switched
around what I am putting in and then switching back to cash. This is mainly slots I am talking about, so maybe VP is different. I am going down tomorrow for the $100,000.00 Slot Tournament, I will let you guys know what happens and how organized it is and if any winning goes on Best, e.

[Alan Mendelson]

May be it's just me, but I have found that Free Play does not seem to respond the same as when you put cash in the machines.

It's not just you: many players comment that they always seem to lose on free play!! But that's only a perception. I have stories about putting in free play and then winning big. There was the time when I hit a straight flush on a $25 game using free play at Caesars, and there was the time when I used $350 of free play at Rincon and cashed out $8,500 and another time when $800 of free play turned into $13,500.

Good luck in the slot tournament. I wanted to go to it but I have to work and can't possibly make the "early bird session" at 5:30pm which you should play in to get an advantage.

[Alan Mendelson]

The Garmin arrived today. That was fast.

[Alan Mendelson]

As of today, almost everything I ordered has arrived. I got all of the Shell gas cards today, and previously the Starbucks cards, Garmin, Vitamix arrived. Still outstanding, gift cards to TJMaxx and related stores.

[sassycat]

Thanks Alan,

Headed to Laughlin and Vegas tomorrow. Spending a night a Laughlin and then going over to Vegas for the GGWU. Staying at Paris and planning on checking out the event on the afternoon of the 4th. Playing some - catching the Million Dollar Quartet show either Wed or Thurs. and then going back Friday morning to cash in.

I have already packed my stuff= do you remember what time it opens?

[Alan Mendelson]

Opens at 10am, closes at 6pm. I might drop in for a few hours one day this week. I have a client who wants to meet and I might drive up just for a day. I won't be able to stay over, but I would like to if I can also book the December promotion for $400 free play plus $400 for gift shops/meals.

I was toying with the idea of just booking it, taking the free play and stopping by a gift shop and leaving without even staying in the room.