Player Rewards Cards and Gaming
A Quick Note About Player Rewards Cards and Gaming – The first thing to understand when talking about casino gaming is to ALWAYS and I mean ALWAYS use your player card regardless of what you are playing or where you are spending money in a casino. Future comps are determined by any activity on your account. Remember, it isn’t what you win or lose when gambling that determines future comps. It is all about an algorithm which uses something called Average Daily Theoretical or ADT. What in the world does that mean?? For example, say you start by putting a fresh $100 into a slot machine and proceed to bet 50 cents per spin. If you didn’t win at all you would show to have gone through $100. Now, let’s say the first spin you win $50 and continue to play down to 0 with no additional wins. That would show you went through $150 even though you only started with $100.
You can easily cycle through the same money over and over even with small wins. This data goes into the algorithm of determining your Average Daily Theoretical (ADT). Again, not about what you win or lose … it is about your ADT. Use your player card and get credit for your gaming activity.
Before Playing
Always set your budget prior to playing. Some people set a trip budget and others give themselves a daily budget. Once you spend your budget you need to stop. The minute you start playing with the desire to “win back” your money it will only end in disappointment. Only budget what you are willing to lose and then you won’t find yourself in the unfortunate spot of NEEDING to get it back.
I will stress the point to always stay withing your budget and DO NOT CHASE COMPS. Slot players seem to always get better comps than table game players. There is a reason for this. The house edge is high on slots and lower on table games. This means you are more likely to lose at slots and that is why casinos love slot players. Stay on budget and have fun. With that said, let’s look at the types of games!
Types of Games
You will find a variety of gaming options in every casino. The games can
be broken down into a few different types. Slot machines, tables games,
sports book, bingo and Keno.
- Slot Machines: There are many kinds of slot machines with different denominations. Most have different amounts that can be bet. The best practice is to bet the maximum bet on the slot machines as many bonus rounds will only be activated on a max bet. Always look at the game rules to make sure. You may find the max bet on the 25 cent or even a $1 machine is actually less than the max bet on some penny slots. Another type of slot machine is Video Poker. You can find these around the casino floor and also bar top machines at most casino bars.
- Table Games: There are so many varieties of table games. Three Card Poker, Blackjack, Craps and Roulette are some of the most popular. Many casinos will offer lessons during the quieter day hours if you would like to learn in a less intimidating setting. Dealers are very helpful in explaining the games. Pick an empty table with a low minimum bet and give it a shot. Be sure to give your player card to the dealer. They will figure points based on your average bet and time played. Typically table games will earn fewer points than slot machines.
- Sports Betting: Just about every casino will have a sports book area. You can pretty much bet on any sporting event at the sports book. The staff is very helpful to explain the different types of bets that can be placed.
- Bingo: Not all casinos have Bingo, but a few do. Definitely a different way to spend some gaming time.
- Keno: You can play Keno on video type machines or at the live Keno area. It is a slower paced way to spend some gaming time.