ask trying2learn about casino player ratings & the host position - Page 15

Borst · #**141** 04-07-2006, 12:09 PM

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for people interested in a glimpse of this world, i suggest Steve Cyr's book - Whale Hunt in the Desert. you can get it just about anywhere and it's a quick and fun read.

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Great thread, some interesting stuff in it. I just got this book yesterday (ordered it when you recommended it) and I'm only 50 pages into it and it's a great read.

Any other Las Vegas/Hosting/Casino book recommendations? I also picked up Sharks In The Desert by John L Smith because he wrote Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn and No Limit: The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and Las Vegas' Stratosphere Tower and I really liked both of those. I have a pretty large library of poker/gambling/Las Vegas books but maybe you or others have read and liked some I haven't.

Penny · #**142** 04-12-2006, 10:49 PM

Can someone be over comped? I am staying at the Bellagio and getting (RFL?) limited food and beverage? Last October was my first stay there and I received RFL for 4 nights. A few months before my first stay I contacted a host and he looked at my play from the Mirage from my previous visit (first time stayed and played there)and offered RFL. Funny thing is, I contacted the Mirage to see what that can offer for the same time frame and was told she could comp 3 of the 4 nights. So how was my host at Bellagio able to offer me RFL and Mirage could only give me just 3 nights with no food comps? I am going again next month for 4 nights and my host at Bellagio offered me the same.

On my last 4 day visit I received almost 40,000 points playing VP and I played around 8 hours of BJ at $100 per hand. Am I being over comped? If I am, why is my host being so generous and lastly does he have to explain to his supervisors why he over comped?

Thanks so much,
Penny

trying2learn · #**143** 04-15-2006, 12:28 PM

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Any other Las Vegas/Hosting/Casino book recommendations? I also picked up Sharks In The Desert by John L Smith because he wrote Running Scared: The Life and Treacherous Times of Las Vegas Casino King Steve Wynn and No Limit: The Rise and Fall of Bob Stupak and Las Vegas' Stratosphere Tower and I really liked both of those. I have a pretty large library of poker/gambling/Las Vegas books but maybe you or others have read and liked some I haven't.

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I really liked the Bob Stupak book also...but I haven't read the others, or have any other suggestions for you - sorry.

ps - sorry I've been gone for awhile all...I was out of town for about 2 weeks, but I won't take so long to respond anymore if there happen to be further questions.

trying2learn · #**144** 04-15-2006, 12:33 PM

[ QUOTE ]
Can someone be over comped? I am staying at the Bellagio and getting (RFL?) limited food and beverage? Last October was my first stay there and I received RFL for 4 nights. A few months before my first stay I contacted a host and he looked at my play from the Mirage from my previous visit (first time stayed and played there)and offered RFL. Funny thing is, I contacted the Mirage to see what that can offer for the same time frame and was told she could comp 3 of the 4 nights. So how was my host at Bellagio able to offer me RFL and Mirage could only give me just 3 nights with no food comps? I am going again next month for 4 nights and my host at Bellagio offered me the same.

On my last 4 day visit I received almost 40,000 points playing VP and I played around 8 hours of BJ at $100 per hand. Am I being over comped? If I am, why is my host being so generous and lastly does he have to explain to his supervisors why he over comped?

Thanks so much,
Penny

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There are players overcomped all the time. If a host gets too many of them, that's when they can start feeling some heat. I've seen some players RIDICULOUSLY overcomped. Thing is, there's often plenty of reasons to justify it. It's just another one of the grey areas that can be played with inside of Casino Marketing.

As to the question of whether or not you personally are overcomped - that's all going to depend on where you're at. It sounds to me as if the Bellagio host is much more aggressive than the one at Mirage. This (most likely) means you are slightly overcomped at Bellagio. You comps should go a bit further at Mirage - not the other way around. Again though...it's all about finding the right guy/girl to take care of you.

Also, yes hosts have to justify actions...but there's so many ways to do that. Just a few examples off the top of my head; a big player's relative or referral, a referral from another host, a player who had a problem with accurate ratings, a player who had many casino related problems, etc...

these things would then be noted - and harder to use again - but overcomping someone is done by many hosts quite often.

PanchoVilla · #**145** 04-17-2006, 02:21 PM

My .02. I just got back from staying at the Monte Carlo. I played about 6 hours of $25 a hand BJ. Just out of curiosity I swung by the casino host and talked to the guy there. My play was worth 0. I thought maybe I could get free breakfast or something. He said that he looks for about 7-8 hours of $100 avg bet play for a room comp. Maybe next trip I will try the El Cortez. Maybe I can get a free room which might compensate for the extra risk of getting stabbed.

Pancho

CCx · #**146** 04-19-2006, 01:34 PM

T2L, sent you a PM - any help you can provide would be appreciated, thanks!

KennyBanya · #**147** 04-19-2006, 03:36 PM

T2L,

I would like to play Shadow Creek someday.

Do you know what kind of Blackjack play would get me on to the course. Assuming 4 hrs of BJ play per day, what would my average bet have to be to qualify for a comp like this?

Thanks,

KennyBanya

illguitar · #**148** 04-19-2006, 05:00 PM

t2l,

I am not a casino player. I simply play live poker for a living, or I have for the last year and a half or so. I moved out to Las Vegas about a month ago with a plan to play for awhile but to find a job. I have been very interested in being a casino host because it's a job I think I could be great at. I noticed that early on you gave some mention to getting a job; you said that it was all about who you know. Well, as a recent college graduate who knows NO ONE out here, is there any other way? You mentioned something about being a slot host, etc. You also said these were bad jobs. Any suggestions on how to network without the use of friends in power or current coworkers? Do a lot of these people play poker at the Bellagio or the Wynn? These are the only places I really spend my time on the strip. I would appreciate any advice you could give. If you can't offer anything more to the group than you already have in your earlier response a short pm would be fine. Thanks so much!

-Dave

PS- Responses from others would help to!

bakergolf · #**149** 04-20-2006, 01:50 PM

Thanks for all your help here. My question is about marketing offers vs. using a host. Currently I use marketing offers and generally do not use a host. My coin-in is not strong enough to justify a host most of the time.

Are the marketing and player developement departments totally different from each other? I know that you can receive an offer from marketing and call the host to see if the host can match the offer or increase it. I have done this previously at the Stardust.

When evaluating a person play at the end of the stay does your computer bring up past marketing offers use?

Thanks for your help to this forum.

Mark in Kansas City.

BigPlayer · #**150** 04-20-2006, 02:31 PM

Trying2Learn,

How much do the casino hosts know about their video poker players' skill level? Do they generally know about the machines in their casino that can be beaten? Are the hosts responsible for not comping the professionals as well as the bad players, or do they just trust the software to spit out a number?