Any disadvantages to getting a "Players Card"?

[chson]

Obviously the casinos use these cards to track your gambling habits but does anybody really care? I personally don't have a card although I play 3-5 hours a week.

Anyway, since I don't have a card, can anybody tell me how they keep track of the amount of hours you play? Do you have to check IN and OUT with the pit bosses?

[BradleyT]

They reward players with free buffets, free trips (I won a $17,000 free trip - I had to turn it down though for tax purposes), free meals, bonus coupons in the mail, etc....

Who cares if they know how much I gamble? I'm gambling that much anyway, why wouldn't I want to get part of it back in the form of comps?

When I lived in Kansas City and played poker they would give you a free buffet for every 12 or 16 hours played. I was using my card but didn't know about this. When I finally asked what I had for comps, I had 22 buffets that I could get whenever I wanted. So on prime rib and crab leg nights I was eating good for weeks on end.

It's there for the taking, you just gotta take.

[midas]

I never had a card until recently. Played about 10-15 hrs at Foxwoods a month and didn't care about the 50 cents per hr. About 2 weeks ago, I was playing late and wanted to crash in a room - the rate difference was about $50 if I had a card, than if I didn't - so I signed up. Also, I probably would have received a betted discount if they had tracked all of my previous play.

At, FW you give your card to the floor person and you sign-out at the list board. If you don't sign out - you will forfeit your hours for the most recent play.

[chson]

Just what I was looking for. Thanks for the info guys.

[FatLoser]

"<font color="red"> (I won a $17,000 free trip - I had to turn it down though for tax purposes)" </font>

Where does a $17,000 trip take you? The moon?

FatLoser

[BradleyT]

Paradise Island for a week. Suite at the Atlantis resort. Seven days of island hoping via private lear jet. $1,000 spending cash. It was a hell of a trip plan.....

I'm a poor SOB though and couldn't afford the $4,000+ for taxes. If it had been a Vegas - Reno - Tahoe package instead I probably would have taken it.

[Toonces]

Bradley...you could have probably submitted documents to the IRS that the "true value" of the rip was far less than $17,000 and paid taxes on that.

The only risk you take in signing up for a players card is that there will be a good sign-up offer in the future that you may miss out on. Aside from that, take the free food anyday.

[Dylan Wade]

I had a player's card at Hawiian Gardens. Logged a lot of hours into it and then I lost it. I think it was one of the dealer's who stole it ... ah but that's another story.

The point is, I asked for a new one and they wanted $3 for it, I believe. I thought that would be -EV so I refused.

[TheGrifter]

Wow, nice trip. You should have taken it and sold it. I'm sure you could have gotten at least 8K for it, the Atlantis is very nice, I won a trip there through work once.

[jayadd]

i actually have a voucher for the atlantis for a 6 night stay. A friend of mine is sueing them for a jackpot malfunction est. $247,000. So they gave her 2 vouchers and she gave one to me. The rooms there are expensive.