PLayers Club Cards

[Dos Vistas]

I play at a small town Casino. I go once a week. I have been a winner for 3 years now and so far this year I am up $ 3,000. Am I likely to get kicked out? I don't want this to happen! My friend goes a lot more than me he is up $15,000 this year. They know that we are associated with each other, and we have started using the players club cards and getting lots of free stuff. Are we being dumb? By using the players cards they know exactly what we win. Am I being paranoid? Any feedback will be appreciated.

 

[Victoria]

Every place is different and some places are very lax. If it is a small place and you have been there about once a week for the past three years then they should already know who you are, card or no card.
The thing about the card is that it can bring your history right up to their eyes on a screen and the freebies are probably not worth the amount that you are taking from them.
It may take a change in personel or a meeting of management but if you continuously win it should just be a matter of time.

I use a card at certain places. Some things to do perhaps are give them your card only if you are down during a session and remind them how much you already bought in for (you might find that you can boost that amount)
If you play any VP, always use your card for that. Same goes for any game besides blackjack. At a local place where I play, the ratholing of green chips is easy while black and purple are watched. I actually saw my name on a computer screen while playing last week and it showed me up about $2700 while I know I am up over 3 times that amount in that place.

I am sure the more experienced here will have much more to add.

Victoria

 

[ZOD]

Be a mullet

Unless you're being extemely careful, your days are probably numbered. But it's possible to have your cake and eat it too. I've played in a couple of local casinos for nearly a decade now using a valid comp card. To do so, you just have to be the perfect gambling mullet. A few suggestions:

Always "filch" chips to skew the numbers southward. Stay consistent with the amount. And don't get too greedy. At only a chip every other shoe, you'd be surprised at how much losing that equates to in the casino's eyes over the long haul.

Nurture relationships with casino personel. I can't even tell you how many times a friendly pit boss has asked me for verification on my buy-in. If there have been several rebuys, I always inflate the numbers. I've even asked them to fudge on my account a little to help me make up for "all these damn dealer blackjacks." That request always gets a chuckle and sometimes results. I've also learned a great deal about casino operations, shifts, and people to watch out for.

Make sure that your counting is almost subconscious. Use numbers in your conversations with the pit boss. Talk about that dealer seven card 21 that drilled you or about the ages of your children or what you paid for that steak dinner at the other casino. (In cse you're wondering, I use one of those obscenely easy unbalanced counts. No matter what the distraction, if I can see the cards, I can keep the count.)

Vary the time of your playing sessions and shifts. Gamblers sit at the table for hours when they have time. Gamblers stand and play for ten minutes when they're "meeting some friends" or are "headed to the craps table" or are "waiting for that cocktail." Gamblers don't play particular shifts; they play when life allows them to get to the casino.

I know all this may seem a little over the top, but 75% of my play is at casinos where I'm known by my first name. The dealers and pit personel like me, I couldn't possibly be counting cards while I'm visiting with them, and casino records show me to be a loyal patron with substantial lifetime losses. Like, I said, the perfect gambling mullet.

Hope some of this helps. Best...

ZOD

 

[Tom]

You're no threat.

I think you're getting paranoid. An average win of only 20 bucks a week is peanuts.

 

[SammyBoy]

I disagree.

If you show up on their reports as a consistent winner your days are numbered. You've got to rat hole chips. Rat holing chips at the craps table is the easiest way to look like a gambling loser. Beat them at blackjack but make it look like you're giving it back to them at the craps table.

 

[Stealth Bomber]

Once you start using a players card you can't just quit especially at a place that knows you so well. PC's would wonder why you don't want to be tracked and to get all the free stuff. Just roll with it. Rat hole the chips some. Make yourself look like a ploppy. Cash in the chips during different shifts and especially upon entering the casino. Nobody knows your there yet. If your really worried, have somebody you trust cash the chips for you sometimes.

 

[Tom]

I disagree.

He's absolutely no threat. Only an ignorant casino that's on the verge of going bankrupt or so paranoid they sweat nickel action would waste time trying to chase every nickel a player has won. It would be total Kaos'.

I've been winning consistently at many of the same casinos for over 10 years. On that note even ploppies can have positive flux and be winning for a long time. Only the ignorant would kick out winning players who are no threat.

 

[Stealth Bomber]

Re: I disagree.

I got booted for 6 months worth of breaking evening as a red chipper in my early days. The day I was backed-off, I was in the hole about $150.

Envy, or maybe I hit on the wrong girl may have been a factor. Let's face it though, if they have determined that you're good enough not to loose $, you are of no use to them and they may send you packin'.

I'm of the mind that if they think you can beat them out of a dollar because of special intellectual abilities, it pisses them off.

 

[Tom]

Being paranoid can ruin your game.

Everyone has their own act and beliefs. Just because a sweaty casino barred you for betting nickels, does not mean casinos barr every nickel player who may be winning more than usual.

Most competent casinos do not barr anyone unless it's absolutley neccesary, or they are a threat. Barring is bad for the casinos business. A cop who hit's you over the head for calling him a jerk, does not mean all cops hit people who call them jerks,does it?

Being paranoid can ruin a card counters game and may cause much stress or headaches,...as a card counter,it's something I can certainly do without. I think nickel players(especially newbies) need to concentrate more on playing a winning game than getting all stessed out and paranoid over being barred.

What's Dos Vistas observe? He's the one that's been playing at this casino for years. Are you getting shuffled up on,..comps pulled,..have counter measures been taken,..are you getting hawked at..half-shoed,etc.?

What's your honest opinion Dos', do you feel they're getting ready to kick you out? You should probably know more about this than we do.

Tom

 

[SammyBoy]

You make some very good points

 

[ZOD]

On the other hand...

"I think nickel players(especially newbies) need to concentrate more on playing a winning game than getting all stessed out and paranoid over being barred."

Point well taken. Only Dos can determine what constitutes paranoia at this particular casino. However, when playing choices are limited, it is probably wise to err on the side of caution.

Best...

ZOD

 

[Dos Vistas]

Re: Being paranoid can ruin your game.

I have not had any problems yet in the casino. But I have always avoided using players club cards. Since me not using the cards is drawing attension I am now using the card but am worried that they will now know exactly what I win, hence the reason for me posting the original message.

I went to the casino last week and rat-holed $500 and they marked me for a small lose. ( yet I won again) So I like that technique, I even bought in twice which made them happy. I am also thinking of raising my unit bets to blacks as basic unit, but again I think the the greens keep me for being noticed that much, so raising may be a bad plan???.

Thank you all for the feedback.

Sincerely

Dosvistas