Is it better to cash points in for Free Play or actual Dollars (Cash
Back) when you are trying to increase your Bankroll to play higher
denomination VP?
Free Play
Skip/57 Ethel/46 wrote:
Is it better to cash points in for Free Play or actual Dollars (Cash
Back) when you are trying to increase your Bankroll to play higher
denomination VP?
I'll argue the cash back is marginally advantageous over Free Play.
When playing through Free Play credits, you don't typically earn
points/cb. If you instead insert cash to buy the initial credits, you
earn points from the first hand of play.
Second, Free Play is somewhat inconvenient in the case you find that
you want to move machines shortly after you begin play (e.g. the
buttons stick, or a loud or smoking player sits next to you). You
can't cash out until you play through the initial Free Play credits
once (i.e. place wagers equal in total to the FP amount downloaded
into the machine).
Unfortunately, I've never encountered a Free Play opportunity where I
had cash as an alternative.
- Harry
Harry wrote: I'll argue the cash back is marginally advantageous over
Free Play.
I disagree. While the arguments Harry presented are valid, there are
reasons to prefer Free Play, and to me, these reasons make free play the
preferred method receiving casino cash --- at least for me. One such
reason for me is that Shirley or I can pick up free play for both of us.
This division of labor means that we both don't have to go to each place
where we get free play. Even for unmarried folks, sometimes you are out
of town when you can collect the free play. Having a friend do it is
possible with free play and not with cash back.
It's rare that you can pick up someone else's cash back, although at
Ellis Island (before we outroyaled our welcome), a $2 tip each time
would allow either one of us to cash both $30 every-three-days vouchers.
Another reason to prefer free play is convenience --- especially not
having to stand in a line. Trying to cash anything at a cage on a Friday
afternoon at a casino with a paycheck promotion is a time-consuming
process. Playing at a machine and then using a ticket-cashing kiosk is
much faster.
But as Harry noted, you don't really get a choice. If you patronize a
particular casino, you have to follow whatever procedures they have in
place.
There are folks who prefer the "guarantee" of cash back versus the
uncertain results of free play. For me this is a non-issue. I'm going to
be playing at that casino anyway. What difference does it make whether
you get guaranteed cash and put it into the machine to gamble, or get
free play?
Bob Dancer
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