Total Rewards inflation

[Automatic Monkey]

The 1:8 to 1:10 ratio represents an actual annual loss--and was based on slot play where $5 of money in on slots equaling 1 Tier point, so with 11,000 Tier points required in a year, that's $55,000 of money in on an annual basis (the range in the ratio represents camo in the likely event of HET monitoring).

Please define RBF.

Yes, Reel Rewards are free slot play for your next trip based on how many Tier points you earned on your last trip. No apparent formula.

This kind of loss entitled me to half a dozen trips when I wanted them. No coupons, just pick up the phone and call the host.

Still seem like such a good deal now? Because reaching Diamond takes incurring some pretty heavy losses on slots if you earn Diamond on an annual basis (unless you're extremely lucky of course). And I've heard the VP machines at Harrah's are the worst around.

As far as the daily requirement of 3000 Tier points in 24 hours to make Diamond is concerned, I can make it with BR of 2K-3K on slots. What kind of BR do you need on VP? Since slots require $5 of money in to equal 1 Tier point while VP requires $10, I'm guessing you'd need a 24-hour BR of $4,000 to $6,000 to make 3000 points?


Best regards,

FD

VP always has much higher variance than blackjack, but we're still talking absolute EV, and on those VP sessions where you hit a royal you will walk away very happy and with an expanded bankroll. Your BR approximation sounds about right, all depending on the denomination of the machine. If you fear the variance (understandable) you might be better of putting in a long weekend at a $1 machine instead of a $5. Same EV, much smaller swings and you have an decent chance of hitting a royal in a 22,000 hand session at a 9/6 JoB machine, a snap calculation tells me it's around 1/3. 800 hands per hour is no problem for VP, and you can often find 10-unit machines or multi-line machines that are full-pay and will speed up your job considerably. I would avoid using slots for this because they also have high variance and are so slow.

HET has some excellent VP opportunities even in AC, in Las Vegas it will be far better, and they may even have a few machines around with a payoff greater than 100%.

 

[shadroch]

Diamond in a day is not 3,000 points unless they recently lowered it. I don't believe its been that since 2004, perhaps earlier. Its also a one time thing, you'll can't give them one great day a year and keep Diamond status.
Reel rewards are based on your last trip, so if you stay there and stiff them, you'll get a coupon for $5 or $10.
If you are in Vegas and play at Harrahs, then go next door to the IP, thats two visits, so your days points get divided in two for the all important ADT.
A Gold player with a high ADT will get better offers than a low ADT Diamond.
I'm also not aware of Harrahs offering cash back. Which casino does this? I have not gotten a dime back in the last several years in Vegas.

 

[Finn Dog]

Diamond in a day is not 3,000 points unless they recently lowered it.

You're right: I just checked Harrahs.com and they raised it to 4000 points (evidentally raised it for 2008 when they raised the annual from 10,000 to 11,000). If I'm not mistaken, the daily was 3,000 as recently as 2007 (when the annual was 10,000).

So if the source on the 11,000 going to 15,000 is right for 2009, I guess that means we're going to be looking at 5000 to 5500 now for the 24-hour requirement--so ramp up the daily BR requirements accordingly!

 

[21forme]

Latest I heard is all the hosts are getting a lot of grief over the planned tier staus raise and they may be reevaluating it.

My HET offers have been pretty good, even before I hit Diamond:
Ballys AC - $15/wk cash and 2 buffets/mo
Showboat - 2 buffets/wk
The above are usable at any time. I also get all sorts of other offers for weekends, but I rarely go there on weekends.

 

[shadroch]

You're right: I just checked Harrahs.com and they raised it to 4000 points (evidentally raised it for 2008 when they raised the annual from 10,000 to 11,000). If I'm not mistaken, the daily was 3,000 as recently as 2007 (when the annual was 10,000).

So if the source on the 11,000 going to 15,000 is right for 2009, I guess that means we're going to be looking at 5000 to 5500 now for the 24-hour requirement--so ramp up the daily BR requirements accordingly!

I used to be Diamond. I think 2005 was the last time they sent me something about DIAD, so I could be mistaken. I milked Diamond status for all it was worth, but since all I want from Harrahs is rooms, I don't need to play their silly reindeer games any more. Twice a year, I get a card giving me either 5,000 or 10,000 Reward points just for playing on a certain day. I try to make that day, and get my $100 in food comps. Right now I have $180 in comps, which is enough for my food needs in 2009.

 

[Thunder]

This year, I've gotten 655 Reward points. I've gotten 12 free nights in Vegas, twenty something in AC, more buffets than I can eat and have recieved marketing offers for cash that total well over $1,000 if I had gone every day they offered something.On Thanksgiving Day, they sent me an offer I almost couldn't refuse. Earn 250 base points (run $1250 thru a slot machine or $2500 thru a Video Poker machine) and receive a card guarenteed to award anywhere from $250 to $1000.
harrahs games do suck, but I think their comps are the best I've come across.

I'll give you that Showboat is much better in terms of comps than say Bally's. (They give me reel rewards of like $15 and buffets) Bally's doesn't give me crap. They stopped giving me $15 to come visit when I stopped playing their horrible games and I've never received anything else from them and trying to check in there is a royal pain in the butt unless you're a diamond card member or better. I've gotten the offers for Vegas rooms too and then every now and then I'll get a thing for a slot tournament which is a waste of time if you ask me. I don't really count rooms in AC as a comp because pretty much every property gives me those. The Borgata on the other hand gives me $30 in slot play every month plus some days where they give $20. They also give me $15 in comps and their games are much better across the board. The people who play there are generally a better crowd too. I'm going to have to start playing at the Trop more though given their great bj games (in comparison) but I ahte the fact that they only have two casino restaurants to choose from so you end up having to wait forever in lin if you get a comp to them.

 

[21forme]

I still get my $15 cash weekly from Ballys and free buffets weekly from Showboat. Nothing from Caesars or Harrahs Marina.

Currently, my best comps come from Hilton. $80/week in slot play, a few free buffets/mo and next month (for the first time) 4 free dinners at 2 of their restaurants.

Regarding my original post in this thread, appears that Diamond is still 11K points, as of today.

 

[Finn Dog]

I still get my $15 cash weekly from Ballys and free buffets weekly from Showboat. Nothing from Caesars or Harrahs Marina.

Currently, my best comps come from Hilton. $80/week in slot play, a few free buffets/mo and next month (for the first time) 4 free dinners at 2 of their restaurants.

Regarding my original post in this thread, appears that Diamond is still 11K points, as of today.

And it's still 4,000 points in a 24-hour period.