How To Extend Your Stay & Play At A Casino

If you decided to build a new home, would you start construction without first developing a plan or blueprint? Or would you begin a new business without having a business plan? Would you go to war without knowing your enemy and having a predetermined plan for victory? Well why do you go to the casino without a plan for winning?

Winning is what it is all about. I have never lost money at a casino and felt good about it and if you are honest, neither have you. I work hard for my money and when I go to the casino I want to know I have extended my very best effort towards winning. It is a small consolation when I lose and I do lose a lot but I also win a lot.

Here are a few tips to extend your next gambling vacation or casino day trip:

Plan Your Trip

Make your visit to a casino more enjoyable by calling ahead and finding out what is happening at the casino you plan to visit. Ask questions about available comp promotions and entertainment options. Are tickets available to upcoming shows? Inquire about food establishments, when they are open and if they are offering any specials?

Also never nail yourself to one casino. Find out if there is a neighboring casino. If so, call them and ask them the same questions. You may want to plan a visit there.
If you do plan to visit more than one casino, ask how much rated play is required at your host casino to have your room comped both at Casino Rates and fully comped (If you do not know what I mean by this, read Comps 101 or The Ask Game.).

Count Your Money

Before you go to a casino you should determine how much money you have to spend. Decide how long you plan to stay and divide your money up accordingly. If you have $200 and you plan to stay two days, plan on spending $100 per day.
Or if you only plan to stay several hours you can divide your money by how many hours you staying.

Set your stop losses and stay with them.

Plan Your Play

Plan your play based on your bankroll. How much money you have should dictate how much you can wager on a single hand, throw of the dice or pull of the wheel. Use common sense and decide this before you leave home and stay with it.
You should always have a good knowledge of the game you are playing if you play table games. Start slow and see if you are hot or cold. If you are winning, put some back for later. If you are losing, walk away. The tables will be there all night long. Do not try and create a hot streak.
A good slots system should be studied and used if you play slots. Slots pay in trends. Take your time and look for a trend. Watch what is going on around you and make your decisions based on what you are seeing. If you are winning, put some back for later. If you are losing, walk away. The slots will be there all night long. Do not try to start a trend.

Take A Break

You should have planned other activities when you called ahead to the casino. Stay with your plan. Go to a show or eat your meals when planned. Get away from the action and clear your thoughts. If you have friends at the casino, meet with them and get their opinions about what is happening. My dad always said two heads were better than one even if one is a goat head.

Plan On Taking Money Home

I have visited casinos where every penny I put in the slot was gone with the pull and I was not smart enough to walk out of the casino. Do not be afraid to leave. Many people won't leave a tight casino because they have just got there. You are not there to give your money away. You are there to have a good time and losing every dime you have is not having a good time.
Leaving when you are broke is easy. No decision to make, you just leave. On the other hand, it is hard to head for the door when you are winning. In your planning you should always set a time to go to the room or to go home, win lose or draw.

If every time you hit a jackpot or have a hot streak at the tables you put some of your winning away and do not touch it till you leave the casino, you will never have a long ride home.

Setting a game plan and staying with it requires a lot of self discipline especially in the bright lights and hot action of a casino.

Happy Gambling!

Gambling Comps 101 or The Ask Game

I don't know who did it or when it happened, but someone shortened the word complimentary to comp and made it an industry standard.


In casino language, comps are cash or gifts (freebies) that the casinos give to their customers as a reward for gambling with them. It promotes good will and also entices players to be loyalty to the establishment. In order to get comps from the casinos, you must play the ask game.

Most players think that comps are only for the guest who spend big bucks at the casinos and therefore don't ask for them.

This is wrong. There are many different comps given out by the casinos and it depends on how much money you play which comp you might get.

Casino properties give away everything from free candles to promotions that offer free rooms and food.

A small comp that a casinos gives away to everyone is free drinks. Most casinos will give you a beer or cocktail as long as you are playing. I have seen high rollers ( big money gamblers) ask for special drinks such as a rare Scotch Whiskey and the casino would get it to keep him there and gambling.

There is another comp that is generally easy to obtain and that is Casino Rate. The casinos like you staying and playing on property. They are willing to give you a discount on the hotel room rate and if you play enough you can probably get a full room comp.

In order to qualify for comps you need to do two things:

First of all you have to get your play rated. This means you must sign up for the casinos player's club and use your card whenever you play the machines. When you play table games you have to ask the pit boss to rate your play.

The second thing you must do when looking for a comp is to ask for it.
No one will ask if you would like a free meal or a free hotel room, you will have to ask for what you want. If your play qualifies for the comp you are looking for you will get it. If not you are told you don't have enough play. You can then inquire as to how much play is required for the comp you are seeking. Most of the casino employees will bend over backwards to keep you on property and playing.
So to recap:

Most casinos will give food and beverage comps freely if you ask.

Some will give the hotel rooms fairly easy during off peak times and sometime during peak times if you ask.

If you gamble big denominations, the sky could be the limit, if you ask.

A friendly smile and a polite inquiry can land you right in the middle of some very nice freebies. Aways play the ask game when you visit a casino.

Happy Gambling!