Expert Comps Hints

Everyone likes freebies! Here is some advice on how to get more freebies in a casino, those wonderful complimentary “gifts” we refer to as comps.

 Look for comps that don’tJean Scott is known as the "Queen of Comps" and encourages smarter casino gambling. She appears on network and cable TV, especially on the Travel Channel. Her down-to-earth practical suggestions will save you both time and money in your quest to make your trip to the casino more fun and more profitable.  Jean's website is www.queenofcomps.com  require you to risk any money playing the casino games. A perfect example, in most casinos, is valet parking. Pull up and leave your vehicle with a valet parker, go into the casino and stay as long as you want, and when you pick up your vehicle, no employee is going to ask you whether you gambled or spent any money in the casino and charge you a fee if you didn’t (although you'll want to give him a tip). Another possibility is a coupon freebie; we have snagged many small souvenir and food items over the years by redeeming a coupon before we had put even one nickel in a slot or video poker machine or made one bet at the tables.

Look for comps that require very little bankroll risk. Free drinks are the best example here. You can sit at the lowest denomination machine in the casino – that’s pennies in many places these days – and play as slowly as you wish. It won’t be long before a cocktail waitress will come along and you can order the most expensive drink they offer.

Join the slot club – more and more frequently called the players club to include all games – whether you plan to play at the machines or the tables OR WHETHER YOU DON’T PLAN TO PLAY AT ALL. You can do this at the club booth when you are actually in the casino, or a growing trend will allow you to join, or at least sign a guest book, online. During slow periods some casinos will send offers for free meals or hotel rooms to everyone in their database, even those who have played very little and sometimes even to those who have never actually played a game in their casino. And many casinos offer what I call “partial comps,” discounts on rooms, meals, retail shop purchases, and attractions to anyone who is a slot club member, with no gambling requirements at all.

Concentrate your gambling at just one or two casinos where you can reach at least a basic comp level instead of spreading your play around a number of casinos and not reaching a minimum comp level at any of them. I recommend choosing one “core” casino and playing there until you can regularly get room and/or food comps. Only then should you branch out to qualify for comps at other casinos. Too many players bounce around from casino to casino and never “establish” themselves at one where they play enough to earn any comps.

Avoid playing in the newest and fanciest casino resorts and choose the lower-level casinos if you want more bang – comps - for your risked bucks. A casino giant may not give much to a quarter slot player or a $5 table player; one of the smaller casinos may show their appreciation for your play with a shower of comps. You may find it is better to be a big frog in a small pond.

Try to make it a habit to never risk any money in a casino unless you are earning some kind of comp credit. That means not playing without a slot card in a machine. For table players that means choosing a casino that will “track” your play for comps at the level you want to play; if you want to play $5 blackjack, don’t play at a casino that only tracks green chip ($25) action.

Learn all you can about the comp system in the casinos where you play. There is more to this comp game than reading the slot club brochure. You need to learn the ins and outs of the club: how much you have to play to get direct mail offers, what comps you can get without using your points; when points expire. You need to find out if there are slot hosts. If there are, you need to talk to one and ask what other comps you can earn beyond those given at the club booth. If you play table games, you need to talk to a pit boss or a table-game host and ask what comps you can earn at the level you play. A few casinos spell out their comp systems, but the vast majority does not. So you have to use that powerful tool I am forever recommending: ASK!

And finally, remember to never play beyond your bankroll or your comfort zone just to earn comps. But, on the other hand, work to get all the comps you have earned. The casinos have put comps in the budget to reward their players; be sure you get your share.