Using Total Rewards Table Games Free Play in Vegas

[Alan Mendelson]

I have a question about using the free play vouchers or chips at Caesars and Las Vegas table games.

To the best of my knowledge all of the free play for table games is for even money bets. This means at craps, for example, your free play bet can't be put on a hardways bet unless you want to be paid even money for it -- and that would be stupid given the high house edge. You also could not use a free play bet for a number at roulette.

At craps, you certainly could use a free play bet for the passline or come bet, because these are "even money." In roulette you could use it on black or red, odd or even. I think you can use the free play bets at blackjack but if you got a blackjack would you only be paid even money or would you be paid 3:2 or 6:5 ?

But getting back to craps: I was thinking of a way to use a free play bet on the place bet numbers and I was wondering if this would be okayed by the casino -- using the free play bets for "put bets."

A "put bet" in craps is where you bypass the come bet and immediately make a flat bet with odds on a number -- such as the 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, and 10. I know that Caesars allowed put bets in the past with real chips -- but would they allow it with free play bets?

If so, I was thinking of using the free play bets to "put bet" the inside numbers -- 5, 6, 8 and 9.

When I've played with free play chips in the past I used them on the passline and come bets only. And I've been in situations when my free play bet was on the passline with a point of 4, but the shooter kept making 6s and 8s. Wouldn't it have been nice to "put bet" the 6 and 8 in those situations.

[FABismonte]

Hi Alan:

I cannot answer your specific question but want to share that Last April at a Harrahs Las Vegas craps table there was one player who had a handful of $20 paper vouchers. He asked the dealers if he could place them in the field. He was told yes but he could only get even money if a 2 or 12 was rolled. Although he had money on the pass line he intermittently put a voucher on Field. The first five times he won that Field bet. The sixth time I joined him on the field and lost.

After that we had a new box man and he refused any of those voucher bets on the field from then on. I was scratching my head over why he wanted to play those field bets capped at 1 for 1 odds, but figured it was his money. I was also surprised that Harrahs was not consistent on allowing that bet

[Alan Mendelson]

I've been told that the vouchers can be used on the field... but as you pointed out, they can only be paid as even money.

In the case of a put bet, the flat bet (first bet made with the voucher) would be an even money bet. My question is will they allow a put bet with a voucher?

By the way, many new dealers don't even know what a put bet is. About a year ago at Caesars I had to call over the pit boss when a dealer questioned me making an additional bet on the passline with odds. I simply said "its a put bet" but the dealer didn't know what I was talking about.

The "senior" dealers at Caesars of course know.

[regnis]

In the past they did allow the use of coupons for the "flat" part of the put bet because it is an even money bet. Of course as you point out, you first have to get them to understand what a put bet is.

I am always amazed by "come bet" players who make a come bet, have the number repeat, and then make another come bet because they don't understand that as a put bet they can leave it up. So if there is a series of sixes, they get paid every other whereas as a put bet, they get paid on all of them. That is why, where put bets are not allowed, I prefer place bets.