HIGH ROLLER SECRETS
by Juan
Get rated for four hours
of play by wagering for only thirty minutes
To my fellow gaming enthusiasts: If you
are a $25.00 average bettor* or higher and play
blackjack, craps, roulette, or baccarat, you should be earning free rooms,
meals, and beverage at least, and possibly more.
*Check with your casino host
for specifics in order to qualify for RFB.
As more and more new casinos open each
year, the business of attracting players to their properties becomes more
competitive. As a gaming enthusiast for over thirty years, it took me a
long time to realize that being a VIP player is a very good thing.
However, having said this, I have also witnessed many fellow gaming
enthusiasts, who have become a victim to the casinos lure of free rooms,
meals, shows, and more. I am convinced that too many of these fine folks
lose far more money than they should. They have fallen victim to the
casino's lure of freebies, in exchange for four hours of action per day at
a certain sized wager. I am convinced that most of my fellow gaming
enthusiasts should re-evaluate how they go about earning RFB (Room, Food,
and Beverage) status with the casinos. There is a technique which turns
things against the casino at their own game. Let me explain how I do it.
The casino will determine how much they
will give to any player, based upon the amount of time that she or he
plays each day, and the amount of their average wager. If you win or
lose, it does not affect your comp status. Do not be afraid to win. In
fact, I am going to preach to you, that your main goal should be to win. I
just think that there is a better way to earn RFB status, than is normally
written about.
I consider craps to be the best game to
play to earn RFB status. (Room Food Beverage) There are many reasons why
you should earn your freebies at the crap tables. The single most
important reason is, that you can easily "spot play" this game, and get
credit for hours of play, when you only have your money at risk, for a
small fraction of the total time you are at the tables. There are a number
of important additional reasons, why craps should be your game of choice,
as well.
1. Craps offers one of the lowest basic
odds against the player. However, there is a specific wager that lowers
the house edge against the player even further.
2. Craps is a game that the casino cannot
manipulate. The players hold the dice. The players choose which dice to
roll, and all rolls are independent of house control, with the exception
of dies landing out of play.
3. The game can be easily evaluated for
favorable betting conditions, prior to the time you actually begin
wagering.
4. With the exception of suspected
cheaters, the house does not place "heat on your play".
5. You can easily allow other players to
finance your playing time. Allowing other players to finance your
playing time is the most critical element to earning your comps. You
can continue to earn playing time credit, even when you do not bet. This
will be fully explained in the next section.
6. Craps is the easiest game to "spot
play". It is not uncommon that I may not have any money in action for 10
to 15 minutes at a time. Aside from baccarat and roulette, craps is easy
to sit out for extended periods. It is difficult for most blackjack
players to sit out much of the game. I do not wish to offend anybody, but
I do not consider playing machines to be a good venue for earning comps.
The house's edge is far too great. Remember the average edge against the
player is 20%.
HOW TO BECOME A VIP:
I was told recently by one of the pit
bosses at my home casino, that about eighty percent of all players at the
craps tables bet less than a $25.00 average wager. What you want to do is
to stand out from the crowd. To be perceived as a valued patron, you need
to become more visible with your play. As such, you will earn more
freebies from the house. Here are some of the tricks that I always use
when I am putting in my four hours per day at my home casino.
1. Always play where your minimum bet is
higher than the table minimum bet. Example: If you are going to wager
$44.00, do not play at a $10.00 game, you should be at a $5.00 game. By
the same token if you are going to wager $110.00, do not play at a $25.00
minimum table. Note: The wagering amounts listed here, represent a
standard set-up for the inside numbers as a place bet on the 5, 6, 8, and
9. I use $220 as my standard wager in my regular gaming at craps. I will
explain the reasons for this wager in the betting details section.
2. Make the largest buy-in you can. A
larger buy-in get much more attention from the pit personnel. You do not
have to gamble the entire buy-in.
3. Do not make large bet variations until
you are confident that the pit boss is familiar with your wager size. I
will try to position myself at the table, so I can look at the rating
slips from time to time to see what the pit boss has recorded on my rating
slip. Do not be bashful about asking how they have rated your play. This
will give you insight as to how each table boss works. Always try to play
in games where the table boss is more liberal in his assessment of your
wagers, if you vary the sizes of your bets dramatically.
4. Follow the rules for the place betting
strategy I have included in the next section, part II. This is absolutely
crucial for your goal to win money while earning your RFB status.
5. Never play for recreation in your home
casino. If you want to play at lower betting units, than you make during
your 4 hours to earn comps, you must move to other casinos. Playing a
lower unit will drop your overall average bet size, and this can adversely
affect your RFB status.
6. Carefully select your home casino. You
want it to full fill the maximum number of your desires. Good rooms, good
food, atmosphere you like, pit personnel you like, and any other amenities
you want to take advantage of as a VIP.
7. From time to time, be sure your
average playing time exceeds the 4 hour per day minimum by a comfortable
margin. You want to appear to be a bigger gambler to your casino host than
you really are.
8. Cultivate a good relationship with
your casino host. He or she will be the most important person to you,
apart from the personnel in the craps pit. From time to time, you may want
to consider tipping your host. The more personal your relationship with
this person, the better treatment you will receive.
9. Always conduct yourself in a friendly
manner. You want the pit personnel to like you. Tip the dealers for good
service, and get friendly with the table bosses. There may be times when
they can also do you little favors. Besides that, it adds to your overall
gaming experience, when you are in a friendly and positive environment. I
find that as a player, I can have a very positive effect on the overall
table mood, and comfort levels. So smile and be friendly!
10. Having said what I said in number 9,
never lose sight of the fact that you are there to win. Earning the RFB is
merely part of your overall plan to take money from the casino.
11. Never! Never! Never! Feel guilty
about getting freebies from the casino. The Casinos give about 5% of their
net gaming revenue out as comps. You are not hurting their bottom line at
all. Try to take advantage of midweek specials as part of your overall
comp strategy. The comps are given more freely to mid week players.
However, as you establish yourself as a VIP at your home casino, you will
be able to get rooms whenever you want. Many times, you can do this on
very short notice. Always book your rooms with your casino host. This is
very important.
In the beginning you may not fully
qualify for full RFB's, but be sure you keep asking for all you can get.
Note: If you are able to make an average wager of $220.00 or more
for the four hour period, then you will fully qualify for full RFB, at any
of the major resort hotels you may choose to stay at. For those of you who
will not be able to wager at those levels, I suggest you check out many of
the outlying casinos. Simply call the hotel, and ask to speak to a casino
host. They will be happy to explain their RFB policy to you. Then you can
visit the property, and decide if it matches your expectations.
12. I recommend that craps should be the
only game played to earn comp status from a casino as it is the easiest
game to have other players finance your inactive periods, of the three
games offering the lowest edge against the player.
Next month we’ll get you going on the
nuts and bolts to establish your status of VIP.
...To be continued in next
month’s Dice Setter Newsletter. “High
Roller Secrets Part II”.
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