Dave,
I'll take your "knowledge is power" at face value and offer some input: You're attributing some power to some external factors that are irrelevant to what you're seeing in casino offers ...
-- Bally's AC has been my "home property" for 6+ years (well, in March, I was told I was transferred to Harrah's Chester/Philly, where I've had no play in 10 mo, and I doubt that curries me more favor). That's never had any impact on the strength (or weakness of my offers in other venues such as NOLA or Tahoe/Reno).
Harrah's offers generally are based upon your play average in the local casino to those offers. Exceptionally, they may be driven by your national average (such as 7* events). To my knowledge, your activity at your home property never is a direct factor in on-going offers in other markets. (And you can take the explanation of the cancellation of the NOLA junket at face value, and not fear you were excluded on some other factor.)
-- Harrah's/7* Star benefits have NEVER been strong enough to "chase" (unless you were part way through the year and found that you had been motivated to put through 70,000 or 80,000 tier motivated by other factors).
If you've been inclined to put through the requisite play for other reasons, the 7* bennies are a GREAT perk, and among the strongest to be found within in any casino group for that level of play. But play directed at Caesars primarily for the sake of those benefits is certain to meet with disappointment.
-- My personal take on Atlantis (FWIW) is that it's a wonderful smorgasbord of attractive play options. But the economics of the play there is roughly on par with the best that Harrah's Reno or Tahoe have to offer, when offers are taken into consideration.
I would never contemplate a return to Atlantis without including play at one or both Harrah's venues in the area.
-- It's no secret that Harrah's/Caesars AC stripped the theo out of the Jacks machines effective late last spring last year. (And I suspect the properties did themselves a disfavor in such a drastic cut.) How long did you persist in play there when you weren't getting much in return?
-- I don't commend Harrah's play to anyone as advantageous over several other options, but there's considerable value to be selectively found. I can't help but suspect that you've cut yourself off imprudently in the last few months.
All extended merely as FWIW.
- H.
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--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "Dave" <haaljo@...> wrote:
Lost $30K in 2010 chasing 7 star. Started the effort on 9/6 JB Multi-strike at Harrahs Laughlin (crack cocaine of VP while it lasted); Did $400K action then paytables downgraded.
$100K at NSUD in New Orleans (what a City) and then $700K mostly on the FPJB AC Ballys with a little sprinkling on the FPJB at Reno Harrahs. Got slaughtered at AC Ballys. ~4% loss. One 3 day trip lost $10K on $100K action. This stuff happens.
I'd say we got about $10K back in "comps" if you count Spirit airlines and several cruise ship trips as bennys.
In 2011 the 7* bennys were lame. I think they cut way back but also believe it was because we got tied to Ballys in the Harrahs computer. Our biggest mistake was going to AC. Our host (out of Harrahs new england office)pushed hard to do this. Our offers from New Orleans and Reno/Lake Tahoe went way down.
This year haven't been in a Harrah's casino. Moved all our play in Laughlin down the street to Aquarius where they have $1 FPDB progressive; Atlantis in Reno where they have the same instead of Reno Harrahs. Then in vegas there is the LVH (Hilton); Station and Boyd casinos all with FPVP.
We were looking forward to a Harrahs junket to New Orleans that would have been two weeks from now. But trip was cancelled as "not enough interest" but sometimes wonder if it is because we have gone elsewhere.
You can do 7* as a fair bet in New Orleans and Indiana but not in New Jersey. Bob Dancer had an article as to how it was an advantage last year in Vegas even with 9/6 JB. The article involved signficant free play that he called "show up money" and it may not work for him this year.
I can't find the article but have re-read quite a few good stories at:
http://www.bobdancer.com/articles.cfm
Knowledge is power,
Dave in Boston
--- In vpFREE@yahoogroups.com, "jim_mason7" <7711-jimmason@> wrote:
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> Coach V
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> 9-6DDB is a 99% game at best. At the $1+ levels that you play,my rough estimate for your action, based on your posts, is a minimum of $5 million annually. This could translate to a potential negative(loss) of $50,000 cash on cash out of your pocket per year. Do you get enough comps, cash back and casino perks, etc. to at least break even? Good luck aside, the math always seems to balance out any winning streaks. I am not being critical, just curious.
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> Jim Mason
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