HET ups Diamond to 11K Points!

It's on the HET site. (I went to look after Rob told me that it was official. They posted it on the web).

How odd, eh? $110,000 in VP action for Diamond. It does make it more difficult for non-locals to attain Diamond, and that's a bummer. Add that to the fact that they are now sending different offers to people who have the same Tier status. (It messes up group play if everyone's premium offers are different. Hmm, we'd better go to quiet hand signals. :-)

TP - Need Host for Weekend Rooms?

Friday's were just added to my comp room offers at TP. Yipee! But the problem is that no Friday's are available. Flip? JM? Do I need a host to book a weekend? I'm thinking that maybe hosts book up all the weekends in advance and it's not really possible to get one if you wait for your online offer.

I'm losing consistently at Trump, so maybe this is the time to meet a host.

New Links from Flip

We've added two new links to the site, thanks to Flip. They are to Atlantic City Tripping and Casino Connection: Atlantic City Edition. Casino Connection has feature articles on Atlantic City and general gambling topics. Atlantic City tripping is more of a general travel information site, with resources, reviews, and pictures about various properties in town. There is also a discussion forum.

Burned TP just as my offers went up!

Help! Advice please.

I stayed at TP for two week nights and gave them no play. (I didn't plan on this, but my work schedule was out of control and when I was already checked in, suddenly I did not have the time to play.)

I came home to get my mail and my OFFERS HAVE BEEN UPGRADED! They added Friday comp rooms and my bonus cash went from $5 to $15. (ELEVEN specific days out of the month!)

Do you think they'll forgive me this one time if I give them a lot of play next time?

I worked so hard to get these offers and I know it takes a while for you to be upgraded or downgraded.

Sigh.

Whaddaya think?

HET C/B - Bally's Rules

The cashback at Bally's is definitely the best of the Harrah's properties in AC. I've been keeping better records related to my coin in and games played. I assumed that possibly I was receiving more cashback from Bally's because of play on triple play Bonus Poker which only has an EV of 99.1.

But... I recently put $4940 coin in at mostly Pick'em, some 9/6 JOB and a smidge of triple play Bonus Poker. I just got my postcard for $12 in cashback. .24% That's the sweetest cashback in AC (at least at the quarter level).

It's very interesting that Bally's does not short the cashback on Pick'em. I'm thinking that possibly it's because these quarter machines play slow. I don't know that for a fact but it's something to think about.

What Are Atlantic City's Top Values?

This may not be an original idea, but that doesn't mean that folks aren't interested in value when they visit any casino destination. However, in Atlantic City value isn't always easy to find. Thus, my preliminary list of best values is limited to a few items of varying degrees of usefulness and the ability to save you money while still getting a desired service in return.

Here's what I have thought of thus far:

• Trump Marina Free Slot Days - $50 in slot/video poker losses returned to anyone on their next visit is an excellent incentive to seek out one of the few playable machines in this otherwise mediocre casino (NOTE TO READERS: I don't see the next scheduled day on the calendar at this time
• Bally's New Player Slot Rebate - If you're the last person on earth that Harrah's doesn't have in their database, then sign up for a Total Rewards card at Bally's at Harrah's will refund $100 in losses, but play big because the current deal pays you back for your first 30 minutes of losses. Anything after that is on you.
• Diamond Lounges - While this is of no value to the casual visitor, but for Atlantic City regulars Harrah's proves that there is such a thing as a free lunch and it comes with free booze and doesn't cost you any comp dollars
• The Irish Pub - Unless you're getting comped at your machines it's hard to find reasonably priced beer on the Boardwalk. OK, this is a few steps down from the Wooden Way, but for cheap eats and drinks it's the best deal in town. No celebrity chefs or fancy menus here, but if you want a burger and a beer it's a best bet.
• Free Parking - Harrah's offers this for all members now (except for Showboat, where you "pay" on your way into the garage), though "Gold" card holders have to earn 25 points in a gaming day; Trump Marina has followed suit, while other properties reserve this perk for premium cardholders (I guess Borgata think it adds to the "snob appeal" of being Black Label)
• Atlantic City Historical Museum - This tiny collection of pictures and memorabilia on Garden Pier, just North of the Showboat, reminds visitors that Atlantic City has a long history as a tourist destination and entertainment mecca and the price is whatever you choose to donate. Who could ask for a better value?

There are things missing here. I hope that some folks will share their ideas about the items I posted and those that I may have overlooked.

Spirit Airlines Canceled Atlantic City to Las Vegas Service

Yeah, this is old news to many folks, but I just found out, so I guess a few others didn't realize that local low-cost airline, Spirit Airlines dropped the axe on their service from Atlantic City to Las Vegas shortly after the ball dropped on 2008.

This service was puzzling to me from the outset, as I never understood why either tourist destination would want to make it easier for folks to travel back and forth. However, part of the Atlantic City Press article that describes this referenced casino executives traveling back and forth between the two towns. That alone could probably keep the route alive, but it seems Spirit is focusing their business on shorter routes. I guess that's ok, but let's hope some other carrier steps in to fill this void.

Sources: Barlas, Thomas. "Spirit Airlines to End Atlantic City-Las Vegas Service Monday." The Press of Atlantic City 3 Jan. 2008. 23 Jan. 2008 .

Video Poker Can be a Team Sport

Next time you're in a casino look down a bank of video poker machines and take a close look at the expressions on each woman or man's face. They range from forlorn to no expression at all. One could excuse those who were grinding out small profits playing positive expectation games in Las Vegas, but it's hard to explain the folks I see in Atlantic City. It just doesn't seem like anyone is actually enjoying their time at the machines and even when they score a big hit it seems that most folks say that they just got back some of what they already lost that weekend.

So, what's the solution to the video poker doldrums? Well, you could play slots. For many, there's a rush to hitting those infrequent jackpots or at least watching the amusing bonus rounds while your bankroll is slowly transferred to the casino accounts. However, for those who can't cope with the absurd house edge of the now no-armed bandits I suggest video poker group play. How does that work, you might ask? Well, this can take a two distinctly different forms.

For starters, find a bank of playable machines in your favorite casino and make it your mission to take that over and claim it for your "team". This can be a challenge somewhere like Harrah's Atlantic City, where the only low-denomination 9/6 Jacks or Better in the whole casino is in one bank in the back of the casino, but I've seen our group occupy every one of those Game Makers. The idea isn't just to hog the best machines, but to cheer on your friends when they hit and console them when they're down. If you see a group of goofballs yelling about their pair of 8's, bowing in awe at trip 6's for the Mark of Harrah's, or dancing the robot when they hit a full house then they are probably ECLVA folks. Why bother with such frivolity? Well, aren't we supposed to be having fun? At least, that's why I go to the casino.

Once you have that down you're ready for the ultimate in group play. Pool some money from each member of the group, you can take $10, $20, $40, or whatever is a comfortable amount for everyone in the group, and find some high denomination machine that you wouldn't have the bankroll to play on your own and take a potshot. Winning is fun, but the ride will be great either way, at least if your "team" understands their role in the session. Pick your player, though who is sitting in the chair won't matter since the group will agree how to play any questionable hands, and remember you can always make the call to the bullpen if your starting player isn't getting the job done. Everyone else will cheer the machine on when you hit and jeer, moan, and groan each hand that fails to fill in your draw. Do this right and with enough people and it will sound like a sporting event has broken out amongst an aisle of video poker machines. You will see a lot of puzzled observers walk over to see what the commotion is, but you won't care since even the angriest Atlantic City curmudgeon won't be able to wipe the smile off your face while you are laughing at the absurd scene you have helped create.

So, you see you can have fun playing video poker. Solitary game, eh? Rubish.