To the untrained eye, casinos are pretty much the same. The ones that I play at all have craps tables, but that is generally where the similarity ends.
Before I left on my Caribbean romp, I was in the middle stages of developing a betting method for those casinos which offer high-multiple Odds wagering, so for some people, where they play, is predicated on where the casinos with the highest odds are. Sam’s Town with 100x Odds would be one example.
If you are an occasional visitor to Las Vegas, Laughlin, Lake Tahoe, Reno, Atlantic City, Tunica or Biloxi, you might tend to find all casinos alike. Some tourists like the heapin’ helpin’ of buffet food that fills their plate for prices they just can’t get back home in Taterville, Idaho or Fishjump, Maine. For others, it might mean seeing Cook E. Jar perform at Harrah’s, or the fabulous Sunspots at the Plaza’s Omaha Lounge. Even along the boardwalk in Atlantic City, each casino has it’s own unique offerings.
Some folks may like a casino because of a friendly door-man who welcomes everyone with a key-chain and a fortune cookie when they step off of the tour bus, or the free buffet-lunch coupons, and “bounce-back” vouchers that are offered for day-trippers from out-of-state. A few casinos cater to “kids with parents”, and not the other way around.
Bettors who play on a regular basis, but don’t necessarily win on a regular basis, may think the best casinos are those where gaming rules maximize players’ chances to win. When you hear that Main Street Station has 20x odds, you may feel that your chances there are better. Even if you are uncomfortable putting more than 2x Odds behind your Pass Line bet, and would never even consider 20x, it’s nice to know that it is available, and that may increase your comfort zone.
On the other hand, you may gravitate towards houses with people that are generally equal to you in age, appearance, income and lifestyle. The young hip posse at the Hard Rock Casino is certainly different from the suburbanites that mostly populate the yuppified-MGM Grand and the conventioneers at the Venetian. Likewise, the hard-edged and gritty flotsam and jetsam at El Cortez are certainly a world away from the freshly-bathed and pampered crowd at Mandalay Bay and Bellagio. The baby-stroller set of Excalibur, Circus Circus and Luxor, are distinct from the crusty gatherings at Binion’s Horseshoe, Main Street Station or Arizona Charlie’s.
All of those differences are not a bad thing, and we should celebrate our diversity. I’m as comfortable at Bellagio with the Gucci tassled-loafer and Rolex perpetual-date President crowd as I am at the Western Casino with the parolee/escapee, weekend-pass crowd. It’s been quite a while since I was in my 20’s but I personally like the Hard Rock with it’s surgically-enhanced, lipo-suctioned, collagen-injected, silicone and saline-inserted, fashion-forward, “I’m trying soooo hard to be cool” look. Conversely, I also like the Castaways (formerly The LV Showboat) with its slower walker and wheel-chair pace. It may be God’s waiting-room, but it has a more polite and civilized feel than the testosterone-charged, estrogen-filled air of the Hard Rock Casino, although it does smell a bit like Absorbine Junior.
You should feel comfortable wherever you play, and that includes a feeling of safety, security, familiarity, confidence and well-being.
The experts may suggest that the best place to play would be at casinos that cater to and fully-comp your level of “action”. I can’t begin to count the number of times that fellow players have complained that their “favorite” casino where they drop thousands upon thousands of dollars only offer a “casino-rate” room, and they have to lick the feet of the Pit Boss just to get a coffee-shop comp. One of the worst offenders would be the kind-hearted folks at Mirage, Monte Carlo, Bellagio and Caesars Palace.
At the same time there is an abundance of other hotels offering “the entire run of the place” for relatively small bettors. In that case, it makes sense to match the casino comp policy and expectation to your level of play. Don’t get me wrong, I think the drapery fabric in the $385 per night suites at the Paris Resort are very nice, but how important are they to you? By what percentage does your enjoyment increase if your fully-comped three-room suite doesn’t include free nightly shoe-shines, but your Visa-charged $210 per night ten-foot by ten-foot room does? Here is a typical fully-comped “$10 table-action” suite at Boulder Station. I dare you to compare it to a “paid-for-with-Mastercard-room” at your usual haunt.
Other players will tell you that they like the way staff members treat them, and so they will frequent the houses that have the most Dale Carnegie-type of “How to Win Friends, and Influence People” graduates working there. If you too, like to be treated with warmth, dignity and respect there are some companies that genuinely put that at the front of their priorities, not just on the front page of their Annual Shareholder’s Report. A couple of places like that which come to mind are: Suncoast, Golden Nugget, Mirage, Regent Las Vegas, Fiesta, Sunset Station, Gold Coast, and the Hyatt Regency Lake Las Vegas.
As for me, I track which casinos I make the most money in during an average session. Some tables are more advantageous to shoot on, and I will seek them out. I like certain restaurants and “headliner” shows, so I also play at those houses where the comps are commensurate with my action, although I do not alter my style or level of wagering to get a comp. In some cases, I actually prefer to pay for some things rather than playing in non-advantageous conditions. I’ll give you a small hint at where my greatest profits have been earned without relying on freebies and comps.
Good Luck & Good Skill at the Tables…and in Life.
By: The Mad Professor
