Hilo21'
It is totally dependent on what your intentions are for a particular casino. Is there a team involved? Do you want to kill the game or milk the game. How much do you want to take from them in a day, week, month. How much seat time. Are they a sweaty joint. Is the pit clueless. Is there value in the card at their sister properties?
Personally, my annonimity is very very valuable to me. They can keep their food, and rooms, and shows.
Last edited by NoID; 04-08-2013 at 07:05 AM.
Comps can be a significant help to your bankroll if you're playing for decent stakes. Folks forget to put the whole picture together though.
If you are a low stakes player and perhaps early in your career I would advise against using a card, particularly if your game is fairly straightforward. You are more likely to be backed off early when you don't know the signs of heat and when you play ABC blackjack. Don't risk your name for a free buffet when it will be much more valuable down the road when comps are cash, airfare, tickets and other items that can go straight to your bottom line. At these stakes cashing out large amounts are also not an issue so you should rarely need to show ID. If you are experienced but still play lower stakes and might never play much higher then maybe you should consider the value of comps.
Once you start playing decent green and especially when you hit black it is incredibly advantageous to be able to play rated for as long as you can. Comps at this point can add thousands just over the course of a weekend. And if you are rated it looks more normal at this level and you don't need to have any concern for CTRs. Just fill them out if they aren't automatically generated. Hopefully by the time you reach this level you'll be experienced enough that your game can stand up to minor scrutiny. You can also afford some cover plays that you can't at lower levels.
Most travelers are I assume hoping to kill the game? So if youre only there two days, wouldn't is be beneficial? On the other hand if you're at a home store attempting to milk it, the pit will realize you're there all the time anyways, so being a refusal is a red flag too. Why not pretend to be a ploppy at your home store and rat hole chips? Regardless of the persuit of milking or killing the game, wouldn't you still want a card for comps? Either youre killing the game and showing ID at the cage after your win, or you're there everyday being a refusal raising red flags and not getting free food every night. Maybe im missingsomething here . But regardless you'll get IDed eventually, so why not play smarter AND get comps. From my experience, looking like a greedy ploppey lasts longer than a refusal who looks like hes there to put on a hurting.
The comps Im referring to that I receive are limos, suites, free play, shows. Ofcourse I've been backed off from one major chain with a card a few years ago, but chalk that up to getting too comfortable. Im a chunky green to black player. So more times than not I'm getting IDed at the cage, which is why I use a card. Unless im at a store I never plan on returning to for a long long time where comps really arent beneficial, then I wont play rated
I can agree with some of the points D.A. brings up regarding comps and low stakes play because until you start to understand the reality of heat and be able to recognize it (in time) you will be noticed sooner or later. A lot of places will take an interest in you even at the lowest levels of play and this will definitely effect your ability to increase stakes there in the future. But if it's a local place that your milking on a regular basis you will almost have to get a players card before too long, and the comps can be a significant value to you anyway. It will not be long before all of the pit people and dealers start to recognize you and you can only refuse for so long before it just looks stupid. It will probably bring more heat, not less, in this situation.Originally Posted by hellohilo21
In my limited expereicne if your playing high stakes bj and spreading and hanging around playing unrated will be hard to do. If your playing other games for high stakes there that have less associated heat so playing unrated isn't an automatic death sentence...I have notice stores that when you play bj unrated an immediate call to survalliance at a certain level or stores will limit your play to 1 hand 1000 max or something like that ( you prob shouldn't be playing these stores anyway). Your milage may vary but this is what I have noticed and experience. My experience has been if you playing high stakes bj you will last longer with a card than unrated. But if you log a lot of hours on a card and show a healthy win you will be under scrutiny at some point. So its a personal decision someone has to make which involves someone weighing the risk of getting your personal name data based and the ease of getting new players card for that individual and the risk associated with that.. There are many ap's on this site that do things other than count so they have found what works for their personal situation and their personal goals. Every player should figure out what works for them and stick with it and always continue to read and always learn more because there is always something a sharp player can find if they keep their eyes open.
Last edited by Goatlife; 04-08-2013 at 12:30 PM.
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