So Platinum level players at CET are now to be charged resort fees. There is quite a hubbub on the boards, much talk of loyalty and such.
Here was my comment:
Well, I still think of booking hotels as part of a poker game, with the casinos as my opponent.
Loyalty to institutions whose primary focus is to collect one armed bandits to fleece customers seems ludicrous.
No casino is my friend.
Booking is part of the game as are taking advantage of coupons and sales and anything that gives me an edge.
I just returned from Vegas where 24 nights in various hotels on average cost just $9.25 a night. Five of those were on the strip where I paid only resort fees, 3 with MyVegas points and 2 on a coupon my kid gave me for Planet Hollywood.
I don't gamble on the strip except to play a bit of live poker, and then only sometimes. My kid did not care, did not really understand why he got the coupons to give away. While CET was rearranging their fees to take just a bit more from their "loyal" customers, they also were giving practically everyone who ever breathed in a CET hotel cheap resort fee only rooms. I had an extra one I could not give away. Everyone had them already.
I almost booked twice there, but the pool was to be closed after my first visit.
I did get well absorbed in the 2-6 spread game at MonteCarlo and actually got in enough hours for a freeroll which I quickly lost. Some of those hours were late night with there or four at the table willing to play Pineapple with just a one dollar rake. Man, I love that game.
And the Gold Coast has a heated pool as does the Orleans. I was still swimming outside on November 14th.
A heated pool is a true amenity and well worth the resort fee I did not have to pay.
And while the "free" MyVegas rooms charged a resort fee, there too I found an actual resort amenity. Those lazy rivers, early in the morning, without a tube, were just a wonderful workout. I had them in October pretty much to myself when they first opened. That exercise, along with dancing in lounges, great choices of food at buffets brought my sugar level down to normal and hopefully balanced it so I can continue to not take medication.
Vegas is an inexpensive diabetic health resort.
As long as there are decent VP paytables around Vegas, I'll gamble at those spots. I don't see anyone doing the mathematics seeing the local places as less expensive. One trip to the nearest local casino, New York's Turning Stone costs $40 in gasoline. My entire transportation costs on Vegas buses cost me $32 for unlimited travel, safe when tired or drunk, and with the continuously changing entertainment offered by folks boarding and deboarding.
I am not a fan of the Deuce. But all the other routes are just grand.
I had a losing trip with no big wins this time to bail me out. The entire time, in quarter play I never hit Royal, 4 Aces, Deuces, Treys, Fours. I lost almost $1000.
But where could I go and stay and eat and play cheaper?
My gambling losses are always computed as the difference between what I get in value and what I pay to the casino. I always pay as little as possible for rooms, food, for the poker rake, for shows, for alcohol to cover my losses. So this was still a cheap trip by any measure.
Casinos are coming soon to New York. I can drive to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun and Atlantic City. But I will never get the VP and the bargains in any of those places, let alone the cosmopolitan collection of interesting strangers.
As long as I can manage to play my booking hands and beat each casino into a frugal trip, I'll go to Vegas.
I just have to adjust my strategies as the fleecing game takes on newer and more complicated dimensions and angles.
Sometimes I eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats me.
In poker terms, booking there is a "soft" game and generally I win.
I left Vegas this time knowing that I had seeded plenty of casinos for offers for my next trip.
I added The Plaza to my list this trip. JOB at the bar with comped Guinness and some decent old live jazz as well as the cheapest poker tournaments I've ever seen in my life. Full pay VP all over the place.
Perhaps I'll stay there next trip.
With moderate play the Orleans comps rooms with no resort fees. I had four nights there. Booked on senior day the food is free with miniscule play and the bookings come with $10 free food which (with 80 cents) buys a fine lunch buffet at the Orleans. I pumped quite a few nickels in the triple play chasing $450 progressive royals that refused to be caught, so I expect to still get a couple nights every six months.
With Moderate play the D sends 2 for 1 mailers and does not charge resort fees even on the paid nights. Resort fees there are used to raise the cost of the rooms for nongamblers, but keep the basic rates for moderate gamblers. But I did not hit one progressive at the Vue Bar VP. Not even the quads.
I did overspend there on food because I got addicted to oxtail soup for breakfast.
Staying there meant half price Scinta tickets.
And the Four Queens still has no resort fee and it is a challenge to actually eat up the new comp dollars. I went in with $40, ate prime rib a few times, paid for one $24 room and still left with over $80 in comp dollars for my next trip.
But I go on the frugal end.
Even with my oxtail soup addiction, I ate for an average of less than $12 a day.
I expected this trip to include some nights at Arizona Charlie's out Boulder. I'd pay for nights at Eastside Cannery just to not have to ride the bus back from dancing at Claudine Castro's Latin Lounge Act at 1 AM.
Neither of those spots have resort fees.
If I still wanted to stay near the strip I'd book at Super 8 at Koval. No resort fee and a heated pool, lots of coffee, free wifi, free airport shuttle.
However, I have no argument with all the folks who posted here of loyalty, the "it's only money" folks who just line up happily to be fleeced by their friendly casino.
As old board poster Gherig, years back on the old Cabby board, used to point out.
"Someone has to pay the light bills."
Here was my comment:
Well, I still think of booking hotels as part of a poker game, with the casinos as my opponent.
Loyalty to institutions whose primary focus is to collect one armed bandits to fleece customers seems ludicrous.
No casino is my friend.
Booking is part of the game as are taking advantage of coupons and sales and anything that gives me an edge.
I just returned from Vegas where 24 nights in various hotels on average cost just $9.25 a night. Five of those were on the strip where I paid only resort fees, 3 with MyVegas points and 2 on a coupon my kid gave me for Planet Hollywood.
I don't gamble on the strip except to play a bit of live poker, and then only sometimes. My kid did not care, did not really understand why he got the coupons to give away. While CET was rearranging their fees to take just a bit more from their "loyal" customers, they also were giving practically everyone who ever breathed in a CET hotel cheap resort fee only rooms. I had an extra one I could not give away. Everyone had them already.
I almost booked twice there, but the pool was to be closed after my first visit.
I did get well absorbed in the 2-6 spread game at MonteCarlo and actually got in enough hours for a freeroll which I quickly lost. Some of those hours were late night with there or four at the table willing to play Pineapple with just a one dollar rake. Man, I love that game.
And the Gold Coast has a heated pool as does the Orleans. I was still swimming outside on November 14th.
A heated pool is a true amenity and well worth the resort fee I did not have to pay.
And while the "free" MyVegas rooms charged a resort fee, there too I found an actual resort amenity. Those lazy rivers, early in the morning, without a tube, were just a wonderful workout. I had them in October pretty much to myself when they first opened. That exercise, along with dancing in lounges, great choices of food at buffets brought my sugar level down to normal and hopefully balanced it so I can continue to not take medication.
Vegas is an inexpensive diabetic health resort.
As long as there are decent VP paytables around Vegas, I'll gamble at those spots. I don't see anyone doing the mathematics seeing the local places as less expensive. One trip to the nearest local casino, New York's Turning Stone costs $40 in gasoline. My entire transportation costs on Vegas buses cost me $32 for unlimited travel, safe when tired or drunk, and with the continuously changing entertainment offered by folks boarding and deboarding.
I am not a fan of the Deuce. But all the other routes are just grand.
I had a losing trip with no big wins this time to bail me out. The entire time, in quarter play I never hit Royal, 4 Aces, Deuces, Treys, Fours. I lost almost $1000.
But where could I go and stay and eat and play cheaper?
My gambling losses are always computed as the difference between what I get in value and what I pay to the casino. I always pay as little as possible for rooms, food, for the poker rake, for shows, for alcohol to cover my losses. So this was still a cheap trip by any measure.
Casinos are coming soon to New York. I can drive to Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun and Atlantic City. But I will never get the VP and the bargains in any of those places, let alone the cosmopolitan collection of interesting strangers.
As long as I can manage to play my booking hands and beat each casino into a frugal trip, I'll go to Vegas.
I just have to adjust my strategies as the fleecing game takes on newer and more complicated dimensions and angles.
Sometimes I eat the bear and sometimes the bear eats me.
In poker terms, booking there is a "soft" game and generally I win.
I left Vegas this time knowing that I had seeded plenty of casinos for offers for my next trip.
I added The Plaza to my list this trip. JOB at the bar with comped Guinness and some decent old live jazz as well as the cheapest poker tournaments I've ever seen in my life. Full pay VP all over the place.
Perhaps I'll stay there next trip.
With moderate play the Orleans comps rooms with no resort fees. I had four nights there. Booked on senior day the food is free with miniscule play and the bookings come with $10 free food which (with 80 cents) buys a fine lunch buffet at the Orleans. I pumped quite a few nickels in the triple play chasing $450 progressive royals that refused to be caught, so I expect to still get a couple nights every six months.
With Moderate play the D sends 2 for 1 mailers and does not charge resort fees even on the paid nights. Resort fees there are used to raise the cost of the rooms for nongamblers, but keep the basic rates for moderate gamblers. But I did not hit one progressive at the Vue Bar VP. Not even the quads.
I did overspend there on food because I got addicted to oxtail soup for breakfast.
Staying there meant half price Scinta tickets.
And the Four Queens still has no resort fee and it is a challenge to actually eat up the new comp dollars. I went in with $40, ate prime rib a few times, paid for one $24 room and still left with over $80 in comp dollars for my next trip.
But I go on the frugal end.
Even with my oxtail soup addiction, I ate for an average of less than $12 a day.
I expected this trip to include some nights at Arizona Charlie's out Boulder. I'd pay for nights at Eastside Cannery just to not have to ride the bus back from dancing at Claudine Castro's Latin Lounge Act at 1 AM.
Neither of those spots have resort fees.
If I still wanted to stay near the strip I'd book at Super 8 at Koval. No resort fee and a heated pool, lots of coffee, free wifi, free airport shuttle.
However, I have no argument with all the folks who posted here of loyalty, the "it's only money" folks who just line up happily to be fleeced by their friendly casino.
As old board poster Gherig, years back on the old Cabby board, used to point out.
"Someone has to pay the light bills."
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