Book your 2014 Signature Event! Oops... did I tell you one of them is sold out?

[Rob.Singer]

That reminds me of going through Flagstaff, Arizona on Interstate 40. Desert scrubland, then up into snowy mountains, and back down to desert scrubland again.

Minden/Gardnerville isn't desert at 4700 ft. Those flatlands are mostly huge farms. We're amongst that right now, but we're going up to the Hyatt at Incline Village again tonight. It's a beautiful 70 degree day here today, and there's nothing better than sitting on the Lone Eagle Grille's patio gazing out over the lake and the snow-capped mountains at sunset. And afterwards, I'll go into their casino and win a hundred just for fun. We're taking off tomorrow. This is how retirement was meant to be. Or....it could be like it is for Dancer--getting involved in a humiliating divorce, grabbing the ex's nearest friend for spite, losing more than half your net worth because of such blatant stupidity, and cursed with having to look forward to spending every day inside stinky casinos. God bless him.

[Count Room]

Minden/Gardnerville isn't desert at 4700 ft. Those flatlands are mostly huge farms.

Rob: Yeah it's been a long time since I drove through that area. More than a decade. I was on my way to Vegas for the first time and I just remember how freaky it was to drive through that area.

Also seeing the lights of Vegas at night while cresting a large hill going north on 93 for the very first time in my life was an awe-inspiring experience.

Today I just fly out there, LOL.

[Alan Mendelson]

Is everyone going to ignore redietz' advice about cashing in comps before a possible reorganization of Caesars??

[Count Room]

Is everyone going to ignore redietz' advice about cashing in comps before a possible reorganization of Caesars??

If you hang onto your RC's in the hopes of building more of them onto your TR account to spend them on something bigger later with the risk of reorganization wiping them out, would that provide the same dopamine rush as gambling actual money in the casino?

[Dan Druff]

I might shed some of my RCs via freeplay at 1.25/1 this summer.

I agree that $2300 worth is excessive, though I do want to keep enough to be able to spend them on meals (both avoiding paying real money for food AND saving the sales tax).

[Alan Mendelson]

I should mention that when General Motors went thru reorganization that the bonuses associated with the GM credit card were NOT affected.

[Dan Druff]

BUMP

So I decided to do the Vegas signature event, basically because I will be there anyway because a friend is also traveling to Vegas that week.

I want Caesar's Palace, which I can book any time (given 48 hours notice) and get a room, given my Seven Stars status.

This Signature Event isn't valid for me at Caesar's.

Can you believe this crap?

I have to stay at Planet Hollywood.

Seriously a joke. So if I go to this "event", I can't even get the hotel of choice of which I am normally entitled. Now I am considering just forgetting about the event (and the $100 freeplay plus other stuff) and staying at Caesar's.

Awful.

[Rob.Singer]

This is just too funny.....

[Alan Mendelson]

I want Caesar's Palace, which I can book any time (given 48 hours notice) and get a room, given my Seven Stars status.

This Signature Event isn't valid for me at Caesar's.

Can you believe this crap?

I have to stay at Planet Hollywood.

There may be a very valid reason for this. Your "home casino" cannot be chosen for a signature event. Your "home casino" is considered to be the casino where you do most of your play.
I was surprised to find out that my "home casino" is now considered to be Rincon -- even though I have a history of playing at Caesars for about 17 years and I've been playing at Rincon only for about three years. Rincon now gets more of my play than Caesars -- hence it is my "home casino."

Because Rincon is my "home casino" I can use Caesars for a signature event.

[Dan Druff]

There may be a very valid reason for this. Your "home casino" cannot be chosen for a signature event. Your "home casino" is considered to be the casino where you do most of your play.
I was surprised to find out that my "home casino" is now considered to be Rincon -- even though I have a history of playing at Caesars for about 17 years and I've been playing at Rincon only for about three years. Rincon now gets more of my play than Caesars -- hence it is my "home casino."

Because Rincon is my "home casino" I can use Caesars for a signature event.

That's not the reason, though.

I'm also not allowed to go to Paris or the Cromwell.

They are just being really stingy with me.

This also happened two years ago, but I wasn't overcomped yet, so they let me do the signature event as a non-lodger, and then I booked Caesars on its own. They refused to do that this year.

[Alan Mendelson]

That's not the reason, though.

I'm also not allowed to go to Paris or the Cromwell.

Did they give you an actual "reason" or just say those hotels are exempt? And what hotels were you qualified for? Paris is a mid-level hotel for Caesars. It's better than the Rio, but not Caesars Palace.

[Chimp]

Dan, you mention being a non-lodger. A few weeks ago I was in Vegas with my Mom. We were staying at Paris but she had a freeplay offer only valid at Ballys. So my host gave it to her as a non-lodger. I had never heard of that before and there have been many times in the past where she sacrificed any freeplay because it was not available where we were staying. Is it a standard thing that can be done?

[Dan Druff]

Dan, you mention being a non-lodger. A few weeks ago I was in Vegas with my Mom. We were staying at Paris but she had a freeplay offer only valid at Ballys. So my host gave it to her as a non-lodger. I had never heard of that before and there have been many times in the past where she sacrificed any freeplay because it was not available where we were staying. Is it a standard thing that can be done?

They will do the non-lodger thing for frequent or high-limit players who aren't "overcomped". As I've explained before, "overcomped" means you've been using more benefits than your play would normally entitle you.

It sounds like your mom is NOT overcomped, and perhaps you're not, either. As long as you are generating regular play for your host, they should be willing to do these non-lodgers for you. It's an often-overlooked option.

I cannot get it done anymore, but that's because I am one of the most overcomped players in the CET system.

[Alan Mendelson]

Dan, regarding certain promotions:

I'm also not allowed to go to Paris or the Cromwell.

They are just being really stingy with me.

And regarding certain privileges such as non-lodger comps:

I cannot get it done anymore, but that's because I am one of the most overcomped players in the CET system.

What do you think is next for you?

[Rob.Singer]

"Overcomped"? Sounds undercomped to me.

[Alan Mendelson]

"Overcomped"? Sounds undercomped to me.

Rob sometimes you come up with something that's "right." Dan has gone from being overcomped to being undercomped. It's as if Caesars wants to take back all of his "overcomps" and more.

(Rob: don't let this single valid observation go to your head. For the most part your observations are strictly self-serving and the rest of us know it. )

[Dan Druff]

No, I am still overcomped, and I will remain overcomped.

I have known for a long time (and stated it out here) that CET hosts will not do me any favors, aside from ones at specific local properties where I am giving action at that moment.

But the good thing about the Total Rewards program is that it has guaranteed benefits that do not correlate with my play.

30% rakeback on WSOP.com regardless of how much or how little I play? Check.

Free hotel rooms at any property for 4-5 nights, with 48 hours or more notice? Check.

$1200 airfare and a $500 folio credit once a year for my annual trip, which I then turn into a road trip or other form of vacation I actually want to take? Check.

NCL cruise benefit, which I have learned how to extract the maximum from? Check.

$500 annual dinner? Check.

And then there are the smaller perks, such as the annual gift, the ability to register in the priority line to WSOP events, the ability to get "squeezed in" at full restaurants, the ability to get exceptions made to stupid policies, and the priorty cashier/front desk lines (even though they don't always work right).

They can't take any of these things away from me or refuse to provide them.

So they can't take anything further from me, unless they take from the whole TR program. And yes, this might happen, but at that point I will reassess whether I want to continue earning Seven Stars.

Now, if I hated video poker, I wouldn't bother with all of this. But I do enjoy video poker (not as much as some of you, though), and I like being able to play it, knowing that I will at least get some pretty valuable benefits if I lose.

I am actually proud of being overcomped, because it means I have essentially beaten the system and become one of their outlier customers who costs them more than they gain, even with my 150k tier credits per year and failure to hit a royal thus far.

[Chimp]

Thanks for the info Dan. I certainly am not overcomped for the level that I play so that makes sense.

[Rob.Singer]

Rob sometimes you come up with something that's "right." Dan has gone from being overcomped to being undercomped. It's as if Caesars wants to take back all of his "overcomps" and more.

(Rob: don't let this single valid observation go to your head. For the most part your observations are strictly self-serving and the rest of us know it. )

Let me say this about that. It will not go to my head, because as the winningest, most intelligent vp player ever, my comments and opinions--especially about an inexperienced losing player who's somehow talked himself into that he gets any more slot club fluff than the majority of other 7-Stars members--are simply put forth for the under-performers to improve and the interested to comprehend. And that portion of my head really cannot get any bigger anyway. Play the limits I have and win over the years as I have, and you'll understand as well as snicker at all the little people comments.

[Alan Mendelson]

Rob you're a gem. And we all have you figured out. But you raise an interesting question.

Dan how do you know you are overcomped? Is there some sort of formula you use to determine what is a fair amount of comps or under comps or over comps?