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All Casinos have several ways to find the casino slot host and you really just need to know a little about their function to know which way is the best regarding how to find the casino slot host. The most obvious one is the slot card office that every casino has. They often call it the winners circle, or the slot card host or some other name. It is often near the cashier’s cage and sometimes it is even the same group of people.

They handle the day to day slot host requests such as free slot play, coupon awards etc. You can also talk to them on the phone by asking for the casino slot host. There are at least two other interfaces for those people who spend a little more money in the casino. They will actually have an office and you can usually walk in and ask for their help if you qualify.

How to find the Casino Slot Host

The first tier or lower tier is for people who qualify for a slot host but are not considered whales. They spend a lot of money and they qualify for free rooms, meals and entertainment.

You can meet the slot host in their office which is a semi-private place just off the main casino floor. If the office is not staffed 24/7, there will be a phone that you can use to be connected to a slot host or to have one paged to come and meet you.

The next level is a very plush area, usually off the casino floor, for VIP’s often set up with small snacks, drinks and comfortable couches and chairs to relax in while you wait for your personal casino host.

This host will make arrangements of all kinds for you again based on your play. They will provide upgraded free rooms, VIP seating in restaurants and shows and perhaps even transportation.

Finally there are the whales, the truly big spenders at the casino. Anything they want is offered and the host might even be assigned to them 24/7 while they are in town. Very few people qualify for this level.

For more details about slot cards and how to use them, click here.

What are the attributes of a good slot host and how do you find one that delivers the services that you are looking for? Most people are so excited to find out that they have a slot host. They forget the fact that to qualify for a slot host, they may have spent thousands of dollars in the casino. The bottom line the only way to get a slot host is to play a lot. That means time and money are spent in the casino. If you don’t do these things your not going to qualify. Or all of the comp’s that go with it. Assuming that you have qualified and have been assigned a slot host, how do you know when you have a good one?

How to find a Good Slot Host

The answer is pretty simple. If you do not like the first one, then try another or ask for a different host to be assigned. You will need some good reasons so that no one loses face in the discussion. The St Louis River casinos have an Asian slot host team. For example the cater to the visiting Asian customers and anyone else that prefers someone from that culture.

Aside from language and culture, you may also want someone with similar interests or age group. These criteria are all about bonding and nothing to do with discrimination. If your host cannot discuss sports and does not know anything about them, then what are the chances they are going to score tickets for you to a local sports activity. Same thing with entertainment etc. Older people like to bond with someone their own age. Finally, if personalities click then you may feel that you have a better chance to receiving the comp’s that you enjoy. A host who is a stickler for following the rules may not be the best choice for you.

If you feel that you qualify for a host, visit the VIP casino slot office, and meet with a host. Find out what is needed to be assigned a host and if you qualify. You may have already qualified or about to. They may be able to provide you with some comp’s such as free meals, free tickets, and rooms as well as transportation. You do not know until you ask!!!

This topic of Best Casino Bonuses
was inspired by an online question we read recently. Basically, a player was wondering if you had $1000 to play with, would you be better off from a casino bonus or comp perspective playing a nickel machine or a dollar machine? The answer that was given was a simple answer in our opinion and basically indicated that the casino might give better comps to the dollar player vs. the nickel player. This answer was based on the fact that if the dollar player plays for a few extra minutes he or she will go through more money than the nickel player and the casino could benefit more as a result. All things being equal as the expression goes, this statement would probably be true. However, there are a lot more variables to consider than just this one aspect. Let’s explore a few of these.

Best Casino Bonuses

There are other factors and we will go through each of these factors that determine how much you might be comp’d based on a fixed amount of play.

How Much You Bet Each Press of the Slot Button

Every machine has a maximum bet and a minimum bet. I have seen some dollar machines as high as $10 per press of the button and some nickel machines as high as $5 if you play all lines to the maximum allowed. Some people believe they can play longer if they play the minimum and others feel that they might lose out on a major win if they do. Bottom line is that you can still earn the same number of slot points, regardless of how long it takes you.

How Much or How Often Do You Win

Some slot machines pay a lot of small jackpots. Most players just keep playing until they win a large jackpot or until their money is gone. I once play blackjack for 3.5 hours. I started with a $20 bill and walked away with $15.00. Although I did not win any money, in fact, I lost $5, I was comp’d for over $200 in food that trip because I played so long. I won a lot of small stuff which kept me going for that length of time.

How Fast You Play

Some people play at a sedate pace, while others play as fast as they can. If they both win the same amount they are going to gain the same number of slot points. However, to the slot host, the faster player has a betting rate that is a lot higher and will attract more attention as far as comps are concerned.

How Many Different Machines Do You Play

Do you try different machines all of the time and do you make sure your slot card is always inserted?  If so this is a good thing, since you are getting all of the points that you should. But many people routinely forget their slot cards and miss out on points that they would have otherwise gained. Make sure that this is not you.

Payout Rates of Machines

Not all slot machines have the same payout. They seem to definitely go in cycles and some are just plain set higher to attract attention and gain interest, particularly with new machines being introduced to the players. Playing a losing machine for a long time is just not going to cut it as far as points and wins are concerned.

Special Points Days

Some casinos will have days during the week when they know that business is regularly slow. They will have bonus days where you can gain 2 times or sometimes even 3 times points. On these days the players can gain a lot more points towards their slot comps than on other days. It can be definitely worth your while to play on these days. In many casinos, these points add up towards free meals in restaurants that you can deduct right off your card at the cashier to pay for your meal without having to charge it to your room.

How Well You Know the Slot Host

Get to know your slot host especially if you go to the casino often. They cannot always help you with comps since it does depend on your play, however, they sometimes can bend the rules a bit to get you tickets for a show that is sold out or reservations at a restaurant that is already full. It never hurts to ask them for help. They will be glad to help if they can.

Other Variables Beyond Your Control

There are lots of things that occur during travel and trips. Sometimes knowing the slot host, having a slot card, or just grabbing a quick meal can really make a difference in your trip. If you are a high roller, there are lots of comps and ways for a slot host to assist. We cannot name them all here since they are as varied as the number of people that go to the casino.

Slot players, you will love the Horseshoe casino in Tunica! You can now order your drinks at the slot machine by touch screen using your Harrahs Slot Cards! All you do is activate the little screen on the slot machine that normally shows your casino points to show the drink menu and then order the drink you want. The casino waitress shows up five minutes later with your drink! Don’t forget to tip the waitress, this is how they make their living. The casino pays them very little and also limits their hours so tips are really important.

The RoadHouse Casino is also part of the Harrahs chain and they have implemented the same feature. We were in this casino early in the morning and there was really no one there except us and the employees and a few people playing at the tables. There is usually only one waitress at this time of day serving drinks. You can wait a long time for a coffee or something stronger at this time of day. We used the new screens to order our drinks and she was there with our drinks in less than 5 minutes. This is a great service.

We cannot wait to go to some of the other Harrahs casinos to see if they have implemented this feature to other locations as well.

Harrahs Slot Cards – Order Your Drinks

It is really great in the mornings when there are not many waitresses on the casino floor. Just order , the bar makes the drink, and the waitress picks it up for delivery! No more waiting to flag a waitress or playing at a machine just to be near the bar to get a drink! Order whatever you want – water, coffee, beer, wine, mixed drinks, and special drinks such as Irish coffee’s and liquors.

Needless to say we used this new service at the Horseshoe and also at the Road House Casino.

Call Slot Attendants

If you are having trouble with your slot machine you can call a slot service attendant the same way. They usually arrive within five minutes. Harrahs casino resorts is really leading the casino competition with this new service.

Slot Cards

In case you have not used a slot card, we cannot emphasize enough why you should always have a card when you are playing the slots. Some of the features of slot cards include:

• Free meals
• Free play
• Point play
• Meal and merchandise discounts
• Free rooms
• Free airport pickup ( High Rollers)
• Free airline fees ( High Rollers )
• Free gifts
• Invitations to slot tournaments or table games tournaments
• Free tax report( more on this later)

Frequent players can expect more while less frequent , or low denomination players will take longer to build up their comp’s. With all of these features everyone should have a slot card.

Express Comp’s

Harrahs has had this feature for some time, and MGM Grand hotels has just introduced this feature on their new MLife cards. Basically you build up comp credit on your card as you are playing slots. These comps can be used to purchase meals in any of the restaurants associated with the hotel your card is associated with.

All you need to do is present your card to the cashier at the restaurant you are dining in and they will deduct the amount of the bill from your comp’s. You do not need to see your slot host and you do not need to line up either. This convenience is another reason why slot cards are a must-have.

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MGM Grand has changed their slot card from MGM Mirage to “MLife” over the past few months. They have also updated features as well. We assembled some of the new features for MGM Grands New Slot Card MLife as described to us by a slot host at the Gold Strike in Tunica, MS.

This is the new slot card from the MGM Grand group, renamed and now called MLife. It still has all of the casinos that are part of the group listed on the back of the slot card. Several new casinos have been added and at least one removed. Treasure Island was sold and is now called TI. It is no longer part of the MGM grand group. MGM has so many properties and each of them have their own 1-800 number so they all have to be listed individually. Makes it tough to read for some of us who need better glasses. There are a total of 12 properties now listed on the slot card and your new MLife slot card can be used at each one of them!

MGM Grands New Slot Card MLife – Express Comp’s

MGM has added “Express Comps” to the screen readout. These Comps are used at the restaurants to pay for your meals. MLife  Comps cannot be used for merchandise. Use these express comp’s at any of the MGM properties all over the US and also at one property in Canada. This is also a great convenience which their competitors have had for some time. Watch our next post for an article about a competitors improvements to their casino slot cards. To find out more about slot cards in general, click here.

This saves a lot of time. Before you had to go and talk to the slot host to see if they would comp you for a meal. Now you go straight to the cashier at the restaurant and hand them your slot card. Now the cashier will deduct your meal from the express comp’s balance on your account. You can even use these express comp’s to pay for your hotel bill at the end of your stay.

Slot Hosts

Of course slot patrons should also talk to their host before checking out. There may be additional meal Comps they might have coming to them. It never hurts to ask. We have had several nights and meals written off amounting to several hundred dollars. It is the same as winning a small jackpot!

Also many people either are uncomfortable about doing this or cannot be bothered. One couple we know do not even bother to get a slot card. As a result pay top dollar for their rooms and all of their meals. They never get comp’d for anything. Of course they are forgoing thousands of dollars sometimes in lost comp’ds.

Provide Comments about MGM’s Mlife slot card. New enhancements or deals that our readers may have come across. Spam comments are deleted.

We just have to leave a post about this subject to show how cheap and sad the OLG really is. The Ontario Lottery Corporation is a running a month of OLG Give Aways, actually it is not even a full month, but then who is quibbling! OLG is run by the government and of course they see casinos as another source of income without the negative that taxes are perceived with. Here are the giveaways.

OLG Give Aways – 21 Days of Giveaways

January 3-9 You could win an all-expense-paid trip to Ottawa from January 29 – 31, 2011 to see country superstar Brad Paisley perform live!

Prize package includes:

• Concert tickets
• Transportation, accommodation and dinner
• $500 in spending money

Plus, we’re giving away 21 daily instant cash prizes of $100*!

January 10-16 You could win 100,000 Reward points!

Plus, we’re giving away 21 daily instant cash prizes of $100*!

January 17-23 You could win a Home Entertainment package!

Prize package includes:

• SONY Bravia 55″ TV
• A SONY Blu-ray player
• SONY Surround Sound System
• Tech Craft LCD Mounting Stand
• La-Z-Boy Diplomat Recliner

Plus, we’re giving away 21 daily instant cash prizes of $100*!

Minuscule Prizes

These are nice prizes, however what is so sad is the smallness of these prizes. Other casinos will give away huge prizes in the thousands of dollars, while here you might win $100! or one of the other prizes. And they really do not say how many of these prizes are being won or given away each day, so you can be sure there are not many.

This coincides with their slot cards which give away a minuscule amount of money and meals to patrons of the casino compared to US casinos. We go once a year to Tunica and stay at the Goldstrike there and we receive free rooms every year. We are only there for two days, yet we get all of these free rooms! The OLC does not even come close.

Government Taxing Canadians and Americans

Governments, which the OLG is part of is taxing Canadians to the hilt and taking even more money through casinos. Americans who do not live close to Vegas, Tunica,  Atlantic city or Biloxi are having the same thing happen to them. These casinos are built for one reason only, they are to bring added revenue into the states. The OLG has a casino in all of the major cities in Ontario and where there is not a casino, they place one at the race tracks close by. There is no competition and there are certainly no significant perks for patrons.

We recently saw an interview of a government representative about casinos run by local governments. There attitude is that their constituents are going to gamble anyway, so they may as well gamble in their province and the province may as well collect the revenue instead of losing it to Quebec or to the states. The state governors in the US feel exactly the same way. As a result you see all of these casinos springing up, spread all over the place which means no competition between them and poor payouts as well as poor perks.

OLG Lack of Giveaways

Or should we say OLG poor giveaways? These giveaways are only being done to try to keep Canadians from spending money in the US or in Quebec. January is a slow month, consumers have to pay their Christmas bills and there is less money to go around.

I really think that people living in Ontario should boycott their casinos for just this reason. The Ontario Government is just offering small baubles to entice you to go to the their casinos.

Comments are welcome. Maybe you agree with the writer or perhaps not. We would like to hear your opinion on this subject!

We are starting to receive advertising for the spring of 2016 from the casinos we have visited over the past year. There are lots of free rooms, buffets and also free play available if you can take advantage of them all. Casino comps are one of the casinos primary advertising methods. They reward their customers and attract business to their venues. Of course we are talking about the casinos in the United States since Canadian casinos do not provide significant casino comps. In fact they are down right tight on these sorts of things.

Casino Comps – Free Rooms, Free Buffet and Freeplay

These rewards of course depend on your play and also how busy the casinos are, however with the economy the way it is they all seem to be doing everything they can to get their customers to come back to their hotels, their casinos and their restaurants. We have found that when there are major conferences and trade shows taking place, the room comp’s are not as great or you need to have a lot more play to qualify. On the other hand if the casino is not busy, they work hard to fill rooms and bring people to their property and that often means many more rooms are offered to the slot players who also have a slot card, even if you are not a big player.

How Do You Qualify for Free Rooms?

It is pretty easy. First you need to register with the casino’s slot program. It is free to sign up and make sure you give them your email address, since they will send you deals and information about shows by email. You can choose the regular mail if you prefer, however most people go for email because it is faster and it is eco friendly.

Always use you your slot card when you are playing the slots. Just insert it in the card reader on the slot machine before you start playing. You will have to also insert money as well, either cash or a ticket that you got out of another slot machine. As long as the card is inserted, they will track your play and then based on your play you will be sent invitations to free rooms, meals and shows. Of course if you only play for 5 minutes, don’t expect to receive any free items!

Sign Up for Slot Cards Everywhere

We always sign up for a slot card and now we are receiving all of these offers. Of course we will not take advantage of all of them, but so far we are receiving 6 free rooms, several meals and also some free play. That’s over $800 depending on what you assume a room costs these days! A small jackpot!

Heavy Players

We do not fall into this category, however if you play a lot, then you will likely receive far more that what we have just discussed. Everything from free rooms anytime, free meals, even free airfare if you are a heavy gambler. Note that we are not advocating gambling or playing a lot. However if you do play, you may as well take advantage of these perks as much as you can to enhance your trip and make it more exciting.

Collecting Free meals and Free Play

Most casinos will either send you a voucher which says you will receive free meals and free play. If you get one of these vouchers, then all you have to do is to go to your slot host. They will actually add it to your slot card. Then you can go to the restaurant and enjoy your meal on the house. Same with free play.

Sometimes the slot host will tell you to charge all of your expenses to your room. Once you are ready to leave, they will ask you to come and see them. At that time, they will decide how much to give you or write off for you. If you played a lot, they may write off all of your meals, expenses and room charges. The down side of this if course is that you have to eat within the casino or hotel. Any meals that you eat outside of the hotel you are staying at cannot be written off by your host.

Why Not take Advantage of these Offers

With all of these complimentary meals and rooms available, players would be crazy not to take advantage of them. Sometimes you may have really bad luck at the slots, and recoup the equivalent in comp’s! It is also a bit of payback from the casino for all of your losses.

What a great deal if you play your slot card and comp’s right. If you have comments or know of deals that our readers will benefit from, let us know. Leave a comment.

I did not know if I should file this one under the general title of slot cards or whether I should file it under the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. This post is really about slot cards. However the example I want to use involves the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino. Although it could be any casino in the country. All casinos offer special events and other special activities to attract their customers to their casino.  Some will use free slot play. Others will offer free meals and some will offer special draws. They all offer these specials to their slot club members. So it is really important that you have a slot card from each casino that you play at. If they do not know about you, there is no way they can offer specials to you or give you deals.

Slot Cards – Hot Seat Awards

The following is an example of what I am talking about and it happened to me while playing at the Akwesasne Mohawk Casino a few months ago. We often go to this casino and although it is about an hours drive for us to get to it, we enjoy the atmosphere and the buffet. Let me digress for just a moment. If you have not been there, go just for the buffet. Although the decor is not outstanding, the buffet is excellent quality and priced right. It is definitely worth the trip!

Anyway, I am sitting at one of the slot machines playing the machine. My slot card is inserted into the card reader so the casino is tracking my play and will give me comp’s as usual based on my play. If you are knew to this, check out our post on slot cards to get the full details and learn why you always want to have a slot card. There are many benefits, however in this case I want to describe a special award to emphasize the why you should always have a slot card.

Slot Cards – Turbo Car race

Each slot machine has a little screen that displays how many points you have, advertising and special events. This is a great way for the casino to advertise restaurants and shows that they have at their casino show rooms. Anyway, the sound of a car race suddenly comes from the speakers on my slot machine. Llittle race cars are running around a track. All of this is show on this little screen I mentioned. Next thing I know the race is over and the race umpire is waving a flag and a message comes on my screen showing that I had won the turbo race.

I had no idea what a turbo race was, nor did I know how I even was entered in the race. Turns out that anyone with their slot card inserted in a slot machine is eligible to be in the race ( remember no card no race, no reward) and by random draw, I won the race. This is a progressive slot jackpot that gradually increases until it reaches $1000. It must be won before it gets to $1000.  I won $647 just for having my slot card inserted into a machine!

The Casino management came over to the machine a few minutes later, check out the machine and said congratulations. Next thing I know I have $647 in my hand.

What a great deal? The moral of the story, always have a slot card. Always have it inserted into the slot machine, just in case there is a mystery draw!

No Longer offered

The Mohawk TURBO is guaranteed to hit before it reaches $1,000. There is a second slot award, The Mohawk NITRO which is guaranteed to hit before it reaches $2,500! They also have the Mohawk SUPER Jackpot guaranteed to go out before it reaches a whopping $100,000!  Always use your slot card when you are playing the slots and get rated if you play on the tables.

If you have experienced something similar, we invite you to post a comment. We would love to hear about your stories and what you won. Spam comments will be deleted.

For more details about slot cards, click here.

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Many people use casino slot cards all of the time, while others are afraid of them and have misinformed ideas about these cards.  For starters it is a good idea to understand exactly what they are so that there is no misconception.

The cards that casinos encourage their customers to use are plastic cards similar to a credit card that you place in a slot machine while you are playing  the slots or playing the tables. The casinos use this card to identify you while you are gambling and keep track of how much you gamble, how long you gamble and what kinds of games you like to play. They are not a credit card!

What do they do with all of this information, you ask?

Like any good marketing company they use this info, plus the personal info you give them when you sign up in a number of ways , basically to increase customer loyalty, to ensure they have the right games for their customers and to reward their customers for the time they spend in their casinos. This is a very competitive tool with some casinos using this feature more than others. Many casinos in a competitive market will provide better rewards to their customers based on their play than those in non-competitive markets. Las Vegas and Atlantic city casinos probably have the best rewards comp’s , while a small casino at a racetrack without another one for miles around will not provide very much in the way of comp’s.

The Canadian casinos are notoriously poor at providing good comp’s for their patrons. The Canadian provincial governments have a strangle hold on casinos, will not allow any more to be built and will not allow any competition to their government sponsored casinos.

How Do Casino Slot Cards Work?

Signing up for a slot card is easy and it is free. All you need to do is go to your casinos reward desk, fill in an application, provide photo id and the casinos will provide you with a personalized slot card.  Some will even reward you for signing up with a free gift , free slot play or a free diner buffet.

Before you begin to gamble , place your slot card in the slot machine card reader. The system will search for your name and when it finds your name will provide you with a welcoming message.

Next just start playing the slot machine as you normally would. The casino will now record how much you are betting, how frequently you bet and how long you play at that machine. Move to another machine and repeat the same procedure.

After awhile the casino will build up a profile on you about the type of machine you like to play, how often and how much, etc. They will design a customized rewards plan for you to attract you to their casino.  You will receive these rewards in the mail or by email depending on what choice you made when you signed up.

What Kinds of Comp’s Can I Expect?

The answer to this question really depends on how much you play however in general you should expect the following from time to time.

• Free meals
• Free play
• Point play
• Meal and merchandise discounts
• Complimentary rooms
• Free airport pickup ( High Rollers)
• Complementary airline tickets ( High Rollers )
• Free gifts
• Invitations to slot tournaments or table games tournaments
• Free tax report( more on this later)

Frequent players can expect more while less frequent , or low denomination players will take longer to build up their comp’s.

How do I Actually Collect the Comp’s

Every casino is a bit different and the best approach is to ask the rewards desk how and when you should expect to receive comp’s. Having said that there are two very important things to know about getting your comp’s and taking full advantage of your casino players card.

First, if you played sufficiently, the casinos want you back and they will send you various promotions in the mail or by email if you gave them your email address. Sometimes you need to check your junk mail file if you have this feature set up on your email system since new senders usually end up in the junk mail file. These promotions will consist of offers for discounted rooms or free rooms, free meals, free play and either discounts or free tickets to various shows. There will be a telephone number to call to book your next stay and all you need to do is give them your slot card number and your promotion number off the mailing that you received.

Ask for Comp’s

The second way to receive comp’s is to ask for them. Generally what we do is we will book our hotel stay through the casino host ( the number can be found on the back of the slot card or players card) and they will give you a room reservation at a rate that is consistent with your players status. Sometimes they will be at casino rates while other times you will receive a number of rooms nights free.

While you are at the hotel and playing at the casino with your slot card inserted in the slot machine, charge all of your meals etc to your room. Before you check out, go and see the players rewards desk, tell them you are checking out and give them your slot card. They will review your play and decide on the spot if they will comp you for anything. On good stays I have had my rooms and meals all comp’d. This is like winning a jackpot! Don’t try to negotiate, since they have their rules and formulas to follow, just be thankful for having a slot card. After you have been comp’d just check out as you normally would!

Casino Slot Cards – Free Tax Report

One other advantage of  of slot cards is that the casinos can provide you with a tax report. This report summarizes your losses. This is important and perhaps a bit scary at the same time. If you should win a jackpot over $1200, you are supposed to declare this as income and pay the appropriate tax. Some casinos will deduct the tax immediately and provide you with the appropriate IRS form to use in filing your taxes. Your tax loss statement from the casino can be used to reduce the amount of tax you pay on your slot machine jackpot!

Note: In Canada, casino and lottery winnings are not considered taxable!

If you found this helpful, please leave your comments,