Freerollin' at Harrah's

Harrah's recently offered me two free nights along with $50 in free play, so off I went. Sure, "free" meant I still had to pay $18 a night in resort fees, but since I cashed in $53.75 on my slot play, as the Underwear Gnomes would say: "PROFIT!" I had a very nice room with a flat-screen TV, ethernet-cable internet, and a TV in the bathroom! Although I still haven't figured out how that one turns on. At hotel registration they also handed me a coupon book with buffet and restaurant discounts, two-for-one show tickets, free play and match play at sister casinos, and a free Million Dollar slot pull. On the latter, you could win a $20 dining credit or up to $100 in free play; I'm always happy to collect the Harrah's shot glass you win no matter what. Dining options include Kerry Simon's KGB (Kerry's Gourmet Burgers) and a Ruth's Chris Steak House (mmm...broiled in butter). Entertainment options include the Million Dollar Quartet, Mac King's afternoon comedy magic show (which this attendee heartily enjoyed), and The Improv at Harrah's, where Charles Fleischer, the voice of Roger Rabbit, just finished a stand. Harrah's is a bit of a labyrinthine maze to navigate until you get used to it, but the low-ceilinged casino is always buzzing, as is the Carnaval Courtyard outside. 

Off-Strip: The Tuscany

I was at the Tuscany the other day to use a $5 match play coupon, and since it won me $10 at the blackjack table, I'm favorably disposed. As faithful readers will no doubt recall, they have one of those rare blackjack tables in this town that allows Surrender. Some new offers since last I checked: New players get up to $500 in free play and a Funbook. They also have a sort of an extended Senior Happy Hour; between 3 a.m. and 3 p.m., seniors get double comps at the table games, so I guess this is the ideal hangout for geriatric insomniacs. (255 E. Flamingo Rd.)

Heads Up: Tomorrow IHOP will be giving away a free short stack of pancakes between 7 and 10 a.m. Do think about donating to the Shriner's Children Hospitals while you're gnawing away.

Off-Strip: The Rampart

Today we head up West Charleston to the tony suburb of Summerlin, turn onto Rampart, and find ourselves at the Rampart Casino, attached to the lovely Mission-style J.W. Marriott Resort. Signing up for the player's card here got us all kind of nice bonuses, like a two-for-one buffet coupon, and getting to spin the wheel for points (I earned enough points for a Rampart hat and t-shirt). They're pretty generous with the comps at the table games, too. Playing blackjack at a $5 table for an hour or so earned us two lunch buffets. That buffet is usually $9.95 (it only goes up to $19.95 for dinner on "theme nights") and it's good hearty fare, with an interesting selection at the ice cream freezer (Hawaiian Vanilla! Sea Salt and Caramel!). Naturally they have fun promotions to keep the regulars coming back. Like Plinko! And their Bonkerz Comedy Club features some of the same hilarious comedians that we've seen playing the clubs on the Strip. What's even sweeter: The Sunday has coupons for two-for-one tickets, good through March 27.

Why We Love The Silverton

Take Dean Martin south of Tropicana and just keep going, and you'll come up on the Silverton to your left. With its rustic lodge motif, and a huge Bass Pro Shops next door separated by an interior waterfall, this is one of our favorite Vegas casino resorts. A big aquarium greets you as you enter, with glass alcoves you can stand in to replicate the underwater experience, and the occasional mermaid gliding by. Speaking of which, the Mermaid Bar is decorated with big porthole-shaped tanks of floating jellyfish. If you have kids, they could find hours of amusement here. If you don't, you could. They get some big-name entertainment in their showroom, too; my friend Steps insisted we make a return visit to Vegas solely because she saw Randy Travis was going to be appearing here. They have an equestrian center here that can hold rodeo events, although I personally haven't taken in any.

When I signed up for my player's card, I got a nice ceramic pitcher as a welcome gift. When I brought my poker buddy along, he quickly comped a free buffet for earning a minimal number of points; in fact after playing just a couple of sessions of blackjack, we earned so many comps we could both get free buffets for two days in a row! Their Seasons buffet is no slouch either, with as wide a selection of sushi as I've seen, peel-and-eat shrimp that met my poker buddy's high standards, and, on Hawaiian luau day, a roast pig. (They have several other fine restaurants as well.) They also upgraded both of us from Silver membership to Gold...and remember, my buddy had only been

a member for a couple of days! On our most recent visit this morning, we were pleasantly surprised when we swiped our player's cards at a kiosk and discovered we each had between $15 and $25 in free slot play, and another $9 to $19 in points that we also used for free slot play (although we could as easily have used it for food or shopping). Don't think the money we won didn't come in handy, either. The Silverton takes really good care of its players.

If that's not enough, the cocktail servers will bring you complimentary Starbucks coffee if you ask. What more do you want?

How About Free Music? Mickey Gilley is finishing a three-night stand of free shows at his namesake club at Treasure Island, tonight (Saturday Feb. 1) at 7:30 p.m. Sorry for the late notice, but I had to scramble to find the latest issue of the Weekly. Speaking of which...

On A Sadder Note: City Life, one of Las Vegas's free alternative weeklies since 1996, announces that this week's issue will be their last. In a crowded landscape that includes the Weekly, Neon, and Seven, it must have been tough to survive in today's fragile economy.

Heading Back to Vegas & Free Rooms Update

We set out from Colorado towards Vegas today, making stops in Albuquerque and Rio Puerco to pick up free promotional chips and free play, and cash in some of our comps for free gas. Since I posted our itinerary, we've been offered two more free nights, from The Quad, so we've extended our trip another two days. Caesar's Entertainment Group, which owns The Quad, is pretty generous with the free nights once you're in their good graces; the only condition for accepting this offer from The Quad was that I hadn't stayed in one of their properties for free within the previous 48 hours. I've received a flyer from them offering three free nights at most of their hotels once a month in March, April and May, and that's in addition to the many special events they invite me to which always include two or three free nights and either a shopping spree or free casino play.

We were thinking of adding on an additional two nights in Laughlin, since we have two-nights-for-the-price-of one coupons from the American Casino Guide, but I found an ad from one of the tour bus operators offering free one-day excursions to Laughlin, including a free buffet and free show tickets, so that might suffice for this trip. We also got an invitation to a birthday party while we're in town; having friends who live in Vegas is a good thing. I also received an invitation to a media seminar at the Orleans from the Las Vegas Review-Journal and thought: why not? They might have some free goodies to scoop up.

My New Favorite Book in the Whole World

The day after Christmas, I was browsing the bargain books table in the back room of the Gamblers Book Club, and what did I come across but the 2013 edition of the American Casino Guide. This book is noteworthy for its rundown of every casino in the country, lots of articles on gaming by some of the most reputable writers in the business, but above all for the hundreds if not thousands of dollars worth of casino coupons tucked into the back. It lists for $18.95, but because there were only a few days left to use up the coupons, it was marked down to $5.

I grabbed a copy and as I was getting ready to drive away, phoned by poker buddy back at the hotel.

“Dude!” he said. “Grab me a copy and I'll give you five bucks when you get here.”

Well, duh. Like he was going to be content to follow me around and watch while I hopped from casino to casino using up these free slot plays and match plays.

We wound up breaking even on our first two stops, within walking distance from our home base at the Rio. The Gold Coast, although the coupon was for a $5 match play, actually gave us a free $5 bet (it's just how they roll), but neither of us won our blackjack hands. All right, across the street to the Palms, then, which had a coupon for a $10 match play. We each pulled out a $20, bet $10 of it on a hand of blackjack with the match play coupon, lost, looked at each other, each put out another $10 bet, won, and left even.

“Dude,” I said, “I don't know how soon this book is going to recover that $5 for us.”

Pretty quick, as it turned out. We headed downtown, as the $10 free slot play at the El Cortez had to be used that night. We each made a pretty penny on that, then headed to the Las Vegas Club. We each laid down a $5 match play, and then bang, blackjack, blackjack. We headed to the Golden Nugget to buy $60 worth of poker chips for $50, sat around to play our blinds, complained about the maniac who was shoving $65 into each pot without looking at her cards, cashed out our chips and left each up another $7 for the night. We went to the Plaza, won a few bucks on $5 worth of free slot play, decided to sit down and play a few hands of blackjack before moving on, and left nicely ahead for the evening.

Our last stop for the night was Jerry's Nugget, where we each had a free match play (I got a blackjack, my buddy won on a double down) as well as a free drink. While we were there my buddy swiped his card in a kiosk and found out he was getting $20 cash just for showing up a month or thereabouts since his first visit. Yeah, this book was definitely going to pay for itself.

We hit all the other free slot plays and match plays in the book over the course of the next afternoon and evening, and figured we were each up probably $125 to $150 from using those coupons. And that was with only two days before most of them expired!

Also in the book: Two free tickets to the Riviera Comedy Club. You can often find two-for-one coupons in the local entertainment guides, which at $19.95 is quite a bargain, but free tickets? A steal, and I was particularly excited over this find, as I'd already read that this week's headliner was Jimmie “J.J.” Walker of Good Times fame. I even got to meet him after the show and get a signed copy of his new book (at almost nine bucks off the cover price, too). Meeting Mr. “Dy-No-Mite” himself? Priceless!

While a lot of the downtown coupons, like those for the El Cortez, had expired on the 27^th, we still had a two-for-one coupon for the buffet at The Golden Nugget, so we hit that up for breakfast on our way out of town.

Oh, we also picked up copies of the 2014 edition, because the book also includes 15% off at (of course) The Gamblers Book Club. (I bought another friend a copy of the 2013 as a Christmas present.) It's already paying for itself: included was a coupon for the El Cortez, buy one night for $30 and the second night's free. We may even stay in Laughlin on our way out of town on our next trip, because we can get two nights there for $39...at two different hotels. Oh, and while the bulk of the coupons are for Las Vegas, there are also deals for casinos scattered throughout the country, so you might be able to use them at casinos on your route when driving to Vegas...or even in the casino near your home town.

Our recommendation? Buy the book! Save Money! Make money! Heck, the free Girls of Golden Gate Calendar alone should be enough to sway you.

Just some of the deals you can get in the 2014 edition:

Free Slot Play: Club Fortune, The D, El Cortez, Golden Nugget, Las Vegas Club, Palms, Plaza, Silverton

Match Play: Bighorn, The D, Ellis Island, Golden Gate, Jerry's Nugget, Las Vegas Club, The Orleans, Palms, Rampart, Riviera, Silver Nugget

Free Shows: Riviera Comedy Club, Mac King Magic Show (with one $9.95 drink per person)

2-for-1 Tickets: X Burlesque, Mike Hammer Comedy Magic Show, Gordie Brown, The Improv at Harrah's, Defending the Caveman, The Orleans Showroom, Divas, Recycled Percussion, Frankie Moreno, Pin Up

Free Drinks: Clarion Hotel and Casino, Sam's Town, Santa Fe Station, V Bar

2-for-1 Meals or Buffets: Arizona Charlie's, Bighorn, Binion's, Boulder Station, Fiesta Henderson, Fiesta Rancho, Magnolia's (at the 4 Queens), Golden Nugget, Green Valley Ranch, Haagen Dasz, Johnny Rockets, Nathan's Famous, Palace Station, Rampart, Red Rock, Silver Sevens, Suncoast, Sunset Station, Texas Station, Venetian (and the Grand Canal Shoppes)

2-for-1 Admission: National Atomic Testing Museum, Erotic Heritage Museum, Madame Tussaud's, Roller Coaster at New York New York, Eiffel Tower Ride at Paris, Stratosphere Tower

Cashing In: 3 Weeks in Vegas on a Shoestring

Want a view like that for free? Or close to it, anyway. As faithful readers will no doubt recall, one of the reasons you always sign up for a player's card when you first visit a casino, and use it whenever you play, is that casinos will shower you with offers, even of free rooms, to (a) get you back if you haven't returned in a while or (b) reward you for your frequent play...it's a win-win. As a case in point, here's the itinerary for our next trip to Vegas. A caution: These days, with most of the casinos adding a "resort fee," even the "complimentary" nights cost you something. The Cosmopolitan's fee is the highest at $25/night...but if you saw the room you get for that 25 bucks I doubt you'd complain. Besides, it will generally get you in-room wi-fi (which otherwise you'll usually get charged for anyway) as well as access to the fitness center and pool (assuming it's pool weather), which is not necessarily a horrible deal. Also, many of these offers include goodies like free casino play and free meals, which will offset that cost. Anyway, here's our trip-on-a-budget schedule:

The Grand (Downtown, on the site of the old Lady Luck): 2 free nights (plus $10 free play, $10 food credit, & a free deck of cards...woo hoo!)

Stratosphere - 3 free nights (and I won those two free show tickets online, too!)

Gold Coast - 3 free nights, plus choice of $25 Macy's gift card or $20 casino play

Harrahs - 3 free nights, free poker tournament with $25,000 for first place

Cosmopolitan - 2 free nights

Gold Coast - 2 free nights, plus $25 food credit (2 buffets' worth) & $30 in free bets, per day

El Cortez - 4 nights on a Buy 1 Night for $30/Get 1 Night free coupon

Paris Las Vegas - 3 free nights, $50 in casino play

Riviera - 3 nights at $12/night...plus $5 table games play, two free show tickets & a free drink

That's actually 24 nights or three-and-a-half weeks...Don't bother adding them up and challenging my math; two of the hotel stays overlap one night because they're tied to specific events at the respective casinos. And my poker buddy and frequent Vegas traveling companion will be getting his own room at The Gold Coast for three of those nights, having received his first comp offer by e-mail. All were promotions offered to me by mail or e-mail by each casino, except for that coupon at the El Cortez...and I'll explain how I came by that in a future post, real soon.

By the way, I just got offered three free nights at Bally's in March, which will accomplish my goal of having stayed at every one of the Caesar's Entertainment properties in Vegas.

Moral? GET THE PLAYER'S CARD. USE THE PLAYER'S CARD.

Winning Your Way to Comps Online

Oh brave new world of the Internet, where you can earn real casino comps by playing virtual games online. You may have heard of myVegas, where you can play slots on Facebook and earn real comps at the MLife family of casinos (MGM Grand, Mirage, Excalibur, Luxor and the like).

The Stratosphere has its own online poker site, ace|Play Poker (named for its players' club) where you can win seats in their live poker tournaments, show tickets, merchandise, and all kinds of stuff in general, including buy-ins to other tournaments. I very nearly won a free seat to the Heartland Poker Tour in Black Hawk, Colorado, when I went heads-up in an online freeroll (my set of Queens lost to a set of Queens with a better kicker; still not over it, sigh). Tonight I managed to make it as far as fourth place trying to win one of those live tournament seats (lucky stiff called my all-in with King-Queen on a dry flop against my Ace-Queen then turned a King...sigh), then took a shot at a second tournament where the prize was a pair of tickets to any of the Strat's shows. And what do you know, after taking an early chip lead, which I lost briefly along with two-thirds of my chip stack, I managed to recoup and take down the whole thing. Claire Sinclair, here I come, eh?

"Welcome Back, New Member!"

Hi! This is my new blog with tips for visitors to Las Vegas that I've picked up on my many trips there, written as a frequent visitor for new or frequent visitors. I learn something new every time I go, so hopefully sharing some of my discoveries will help some of my friends, old and new, who decide to take the plunge and head out for Sin City. I'll include some of my thoughts on game strategy as well.

We'll start by pretending you're new to visiting casino towns and ask this question, which will serve you as well if you're visiting any casino, near your home or far away:

Q: What is the first thing you should do when you visit a new casino for the first time!

A: Find their Players Club and get yourself a player's card! Players clubs may go by many names in different casinos but if you ask the first casino employee you see for directions to the player's club, they'll let you know where it is. When you sign up for a player's card, be sure to give them your e-mail and mailing addresses as well.

Then, be sure to insert the card into a machine every time you play slots or video poker, or to the dealer every time you sit down at a table game and buy in. Why?

Well, first, because the casino will track all of your play and reward you with points and comps. And second, because many casinos will reward first-time signups with such goodies as free slot play, match play for table games, gifts, free or discounted buffets and shows, and the like.

If you've never tried this, you'd be amazed how well it can work. On one of my first visits to downtown Vegas, I signed up for the player's card at Binion's. I'm not even sure I played any games or machines there, just signed up for the card. The next thing you know (well, the next January, to be precise), they're mailing me an offer for three free nights at their hotel.

On my first visit to the Wynn after it opened, I found the table limits a little too high for my taste, so I put a few bucks in a penny. To my delight and surprise, I hit a $30 jackpot. I was so excited I tipped the cocktail waitress five bucks for bringing me an orange juice. That was the extent of my interaction with the Wynn. A year or two later, I get an e-mail from the Wynn offering me a free hotel night and $100 in slot play! I went there with a friend for our joint birthdays, and not only was the room, overlooking the waterfall on the Wynn golf course, to-die-for fancy and comfy, but we made $478 cash back on the free slot play, so they basically paid us to stay there.

I visited the Cosmopolitan once, played one session of blackjack for a $100 buy-in and left a little ahead. A couple of years later, I'm checking my e-mail in my hotel while visiting Vegas, and danged if the Cosmo isn't offering me two free nights there. So hello to two extra nights before we leave town. And if you thought the rooms at the Wynn were nice...Wow. If you can get one of the rooms with a private terrace overlooking the Bellagio fountain show...I'm just sayin'.

So, always get the player's card, and use it every time you play. Or elsewhere in the casino and the accompanying hotel: It may get you discounts in the restaurants and shops. It may even turn out you've earned enough points to get your meal for free or pick up a little item at the shops for nothing or next to it.

In fact, if you've sat at a table game for at least an hour, before you leave, ask your dealer if you can speak to the pit boss, and ask if you can get a comp. They'll often give you a voucher for a free meal at the buffet or restaurant, especially if you're a cute young couple or a great tipper. If you consider yourself a high roller you can press your luck and ask for show tickets or even a room.

Another thing about player's cards: Many casinos now have kiosks where you can scan your card and find out what promotions and drawings you're eligible for. Always remember to scan your card when you visit. You may have earned a free meal, free promotional chips (you can't cash them in but you can put them down on a table and keep the money you win), match play, gifts, drawing entries, and what have you.

Case in point: My buddy Brian and I visited Jerry's Nugget in North Las Vegas in November. In December, we dropped by again, and Brian decided to scan his card in their kiosk to see what kind of points he had. This greeting suddenly popped up on the screen: "Welcome Back, New Member! Here's $20 cash for coming back to see us!"

There's a lesson for all of us. Always use your card, because the casinos want good customers like you to keep coming back.