Tiffany's gift cards

[Dan Druff]

Okay, Alan, since you fail to understand the Zappos gift card thing, despite numerous posts on the matter, I'll explain in even simpler terms.

Let's say there was a casino with 8/5 Bonus Poker at the $5 level, meaning $25/hand.

Now let's say each hand you played at max bet ($25), they would give you a $25 Zappos card.

Would you play that machine all day and all night?

Unless you're a complete fucking idiot, the answer would be YES.

Why?

Because it would be almost a freeroll. Even if you lost the hand, you'd get a $25 Zappos gift card, which you could sell for at least $20.

Now, that wasn't the play. I'm using an extreme example.

But let's change it to a $5 Zappos card for each $25 coin into the machine. Would you play that?

Again, yes. That would again be huge value.

So it was something like that, except not as straightforward and obvious.

But yes, the situation was very +EV -- whether you keep the Zappos cards (because you have use for them) or sell them at approximately 80%.

If you still can't understand, I can't help you.

[Alan Mendelson]

Those are all wonderful examples Dan that explain true positive gift card promotons. But wasn't this the real 2012 promotion?

https://vegasinc.lasvegassun.com/bus...-cosmopolitan/

And please explain how you managed it.

[The Boz]

Those are all wonderful examples Dan that explain true positive gift card promotons. But wasn't this the real 2012 promotion?

https://vegasinc.lasvegassun.com/bus...-cosmopolitan/

And please explain how you managed it.

Alan, you stupid fuck, what Dan played was NOT the public garbage you posted.There are no details listed on how players earned cards, was there? Even you know from Caesars, they have public plays and private plays. They offer Handbag or Gift Card drawings to the general public and have different offers for PLAYERS, with minimum guarantees and the opportunity to earn more. It’s obvious Dan was invited and played one of these deals. I know you are not that stupid, you just posted that to try and discredit him and anyone who made a play. As you always do and then deny you ever do.

As he said above, no one can help you when you choose to be this stubborn.

The better question is why it bothers you so much that he played this promotion and benefited from it.

Another question you should asking is why Robbo played there with no promotion and bad paytables. That makes ZERO sense.

[Alan Mendelson]

Before you call me a stupid fuck again Boz let me remind you that gift cards are awarded at a rate of one quarter of one percent of coin in. Unless you are playing a game with a ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED RETURN of 99.75% or you get lucky and win the gift cards are costing you money. Now stop the bullshit and talk facts.

[The Boz]

Again, show me the EXACT details of the promotion Dan played and that it paid .025 and I’ll apologize to you immediately.

You are talking out your ass with no clue of the promotion. As many of us know, Cosmo had multiple juicy promos that were positive in their first couple years when they couldn’t get players in the door. Identity had some of the best cash back rules back then as well, with high multiples for higher card levels. Put it all together and there was opportunity, sorry you missed them. The smart player took advantage of it as long as they could, it’s really that simple.

[Dan Druff]

Before you call me a stupid fuck again Boz let me remind you that gift cards are awarded at a rate of one quarter of one percent of coin in. Unless you are playing a game with a ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED RETURN of 99.75% or you get lucky and win the gift cards are costing you money. Now stop the bullshit and talk facts.

I didn't run $2.4 million in coin-in to get my $6k in gift cards, or anywhere close to that.

Come on, Alan, I'm not going to be dumb enough to run credits to net a whopping 0.25% worth in Zappos cards.

As I said, there was a certain way of doing this to where it was definitely worth it, and very few people knew about it. It didn't even require an invite. You just had to know how to do it optimally.

As others have mentioned, there were also some nice offers generated from it, and those were redeemed, as well.

I decided to just hold the gift cards, and my family has been getting free shoes ever since, and will continue getting free shoes for the next several years.

[Alan Mendelson]

Dan why don't you make Boz happy and give the details of how you became the king of shoe cards.

And contrary to your attempt to insult me I fully understand how gift card promotions work and I brokered several promotions for clients for casino giveaways.

I'm also surprised no one has mentioned the best AP move and this even has been used at Strip casinos: you hang out just outside the giveaway area or room and buy the cards or vouchers on the spot for cash and at substantial discounts. Even at CP the vouchers for Forum Shops shopping are immediately bought/sold outside the ballroom where they are handed out.

But Dan my initial comment about you was this: why would you even bother with a promotion for shoe cards? For a guy who can't get a host, can't get comped rooms for the WSOP, and can't even get the casino to send Gatorade to you when sick, why are you bothering with Cosmo which won't help you for the WSOP?

I'm sure the Cosmo didn't give you $6000 of gift cards because you played double super times play bonus poker for $1,000 of coin in.

[Dan Druff]

Dan why don't you make Boz happy and give the details of how you became the king of shoe cards.

And contrary to your attempt to insult me I fully understand how gift card promotions work and I brokered several promotions for clients for casino giveaways.

I'm also surprised no one has mentioned the best AP move and this even has been used at Strip casinos: you hang out just outside the giveaway area or room and buy the cards or vouchers on the spot for cash and at substantial discounts. Even at CP the vouchers for Forum Shops shopping are immediately bought/sold outside the ballroom where they are handed out.

But Dan my initial comment about you was this: why would you even bother with a promotion for shoe cards? For a guy who can't get a host, can't get comped rooms for the WSOP, and can't even get the casino to send Gatorade to you when sick, why are you bothering with Cosmo which won't help you for the WSOP?

I'm sure the Cosmo didn't give you $6000 of gift cards because you played double super times play bonus poker for $1,000 of coin in.

I'm not going to post the play for reasons I won't get into. Even though it was six years ago, it could still have repercussions today.

I will go as far to say:

Yes, it was a +EV move on my part to earn those gift cards.

Yes, everything was legal.

The rest of what you wrote isn't relevant. Caesars hosts wouldn't help me because of the way I went about earning my status there. I basically did the bare minimum to earn Seven Stars for the maximum amount of time. This contradicted the "what-have-you-done-for-me-lately" model that hosts use in order to comp you. You're incorrect that I couldn't get WSOP comps. I got plenty of WSOP comps, some through my Seven Stars free room benefit (except this year), and some through "other" means. Most years I didn't pay a penny to stay at hotels during the WSOP, nor did I spend any RCs. That's why it hurt so much (psychologically, that is) to have to use RCs to stay some of the nights in 2018, in absence of the Seven Stars benefit.

The problem here, Alan, is that you seem to operate too much "by the book", according to how casinos want you to play and stay. Sure, your host might send Gatorade up to your room when you get sick, but at what overall cost?

Think about that one.

[Alan Mendelson]

Dan you made my point. Somehow Mr Cheap who won't play more than the minimum miraculously found the AP secret sauce to win $6000 of gift cards. Congratulations. You earned your secret decoder ring. You're on the team.

[RS__]

There was a gift-card promo at a casino a while back that I was planning on playing anyway. May as well play when they're doing a gift card thing. Read the rules and figured there's a small chance they may fuck it up. Figured it was worth a shot (I'm gonna play anyway, right? GCs are just a small bonus). Turns out they did fuck it up and I got about 15x as much in gift cards than I should have gotten.

[redietz]

The exchange here between Dan and Alan was surprising to me. Alan pretty much blew his cover as objective naivete questioner, like the Titanic on an iceberg. Clearly Alan knows about the various promotions, but he posted a link to purposefully misrepresent to the public what Dan did. Alan knew that was likely NOT the play, but posted the link anyway.

So that leaves one wondering, "Why do that? What is the motivation?"

Alan kept framing the promotion with questions he knew had no bearing, like the .25% question. So why do that? Who, exactly, is Alan's audience? His family? His son? The half a dozen recreational players reading the forum who have gambled like Mr. Mendelson? I don't get it. I don't even have a good theory.

The obvious go-to theory, and not a good one, would be that someone has creditors who need explanations of how/why he has lost what he did SINCE HE HAS ACCESS TO AP INFO VIA THIS SITE. So then he has to convince the creditors that the AP stuff is all hokum. Maybe the creditors don't believe him and think, with access to all of the plays and lessons here, maybe he's lying and has stashed funds somewhere. Then he must keep trying to debunk every positive play.

Or maybe, my back-up theory, and also not a good one, perhaps he has entered into an arrangement with casinos to debunk APs. The reasons could be various, including working off markers or contracts.

I just do not get it. Trying to debunk a Zappo's gift card post with links that he knows have nothing to do with the promotion? Why do that? That's semi-sick.


I don't know if this is related, but as soon as mickeycrimm mentioned my spread record in the Northbet college contest in another thread, Mr. Mendelson adopted Rob's use of the word "tournament" and started a thread that attempts to relate a season-long sports contest to one-day or one-weekend craps tournaments. What the hell does one have to with the other? I notice in that thread that he settled on calling them "tournaments," which echoes "Singer's" response. Nobody else, just those two.

If anyone can offer theories as to why Mr. Mendelson does this, please post them. My two theories are poor, but they are all I have.

[pkspins]

There was a gift-card promo at a casino a while back that I was planning on playing anyway. May as well play when they're doing a gift card thing. Read the rules and figured there's a small chance they may fuck it up. Figured it was worth a shot (I'm gonna play anyway, right? GCs are just a small bonus). Turns out they did fuck it up and I got about 15x as much in gift cards than I should have gotten.

Well that was a nice fuck up for you!
I did a similar play. I was going to play anyway and there was a for every $x played over a period (2 weeks I think) you would get $10 in gift cards on a future date. At pickup it turned out that all the casino had ordered were $10 denomination cards, so people were leaving with boxes full. I earned $200-something, which I had assumed would be distributed in larger increments and figured I would use them as gifts. As it was we spent them ourselves in a couple very long transactions.

[Peanut]

@AxelWolf,

Would you accept $1,550 cash for your $2,800 Tiffany’s gift cards? I’m interested in purchasing and maybe at Caesars Palace LV in 2 weeks. Thanks!

[Peanut]

@AxelWolf,

Please read the private message and let me know. Thanks!

[Rob.Singer]

It has come to my attention that axel (and likely, there's plenty more "ap's" like him) doesn't really have a grasp on what can be accomplished with Tiffany gift cards. He says his gf doesn't care for the stuff and neither does he (of course, IF he even told her about it). The stuff has no value to him. And actually, I don't much care for it myself.

However, we're told we're dealing with a very savvy "advantage player" here, and after a little research I found that there are indeed a bevy of Tiffany products that have been considered collectables and antiques over the years, and their value increases over time.

Is that not an advantage play....is it not a smart way to use gift cards rather than simply turning them into fast cash at a significant loss? But....when you need the money....

And that got me thinking: I never liked wearing a watch, although I do wear one when we go on a trip or out to dinner. But I thought they'd make good collectables, and since I lived in and spent a lot of time around Europe, I started a collection in the early '80's, and stopped buying in 1999. From my recollections, I believe I've invested over $100k in these, and they're obviously worth much more than this now that it's 20-30+ years later. There's a few that might not hit a thousand, but there are 3 that were 5-figures--two of them healthy 5-figure purchases. It's the gold and diamonds. Something successful people do when they have something called a good job.

This is one way to invest, which I'm sure is not anywhere in the AP handbook. And although none of these will ever be sold in my lifetime and are earmarked to our grandchildren in my will, I do remove them from the safe every now and then to admire them.

One interesting point: there's one watch missing and it's all because of Jean Scott. She and I were among a few hundred people invited to the late but great Mortoni's restaurant at the HRH in 2002 for a his and her Movado watch drawing and dinner. I got called and chose the man's watch. She then got the other call and took what was left--the women's version of course.

Afterwards, she came over to me and asked if I'd like to swap, because she really wanted the man's watch for Brad. I thought about it and said yes, and my wife still wears that Movado a few times a year. I went to a store that carries this brand, and both watches were in the case, with each selling for $999.

So think about the future people and not just money to gamble with. And while most of you have no children or grandchildren, maybe you'll live past 100.

Oh I forgot. This will undoubtedly force a few haters to make dumb comments--which as you all know, I enjoy--and even though I'm saying it, a termite like spock may well appear with his welcome spin. I'm the puppet master after all.

[Deech]

Great post. 15 to 20 years ago I was adamant to get each year’s baseball card of my idol, Mickey Mantle. Everything was through eBay. Back then there were no clocks on the screen. I jumped in when there was a great deal. I had to return the 1952 Mantle due to forgery and lost a few bucks, but I have 1953 - 1968.

I do not do eBay now, for no reason, but back then it was awesome to know you could get things without having to go through a pawn shop or card dealer store.

[coach belly]

I had to return the 1952 Mantle due to forgery and lost a few bucks, but I have 1953 - 1968.

When you get the chance...please lay them out, take a photo, and post it here.

[Rob.Singer]

Great post. 15 to 20 years ago I was adamant to get each year’s baseball card of my idol, Mickey Mantle. Everything was through eBay. Back then there were no clocks on the screen. I jumped in when there was a great deal. I had to return the 1952 Mantle due to forgery and lost a few bucks, but I have 1953 - 1968.

I do not do eBay now, for no reason, but back then it was awesome to know you could get things without having to go through a pawn shop or card dealer store.

Every baseball fan should savor anything Mickey Mantle. I had so many rookie and other highly sought after baseball cards when I was a kid, and I flipped many of them away. One was a rookie MM. Another was a rookie Hank Aaron. Who knows where they are today.

[The Boz]

Great post. 15 to 20 years ago I was adamant to get each year’s baseball card of my idol, Mickey Mantle. Everything was through eBay. Back then there were no clocks on the screen. I jumped in when there was a great deal. I had to return the 1952 Mantle due to forgery and lost a few bucks, but I have 1953 - 1968.

I do not do eBay now, for no reason, but back then it was awesome to know you could get things without having to go through a pawn shop or card dealer store.

Haven’t followed the BC market for years now, but assume it’s best to only buy slabbed certified and graded cards. Am I correct about that?

[Alan Mendelson]

PCGS (professional coin grading service) which started certifying coins and "slabbing" them in tamper proof plastic cases starting in the 1970s created a tidal wave in various hobbies including coins, stamps and cards, as well as autographed memorabilia. Today the market is trained to either have items certified or the price is reduced until it is.