Barely maded it to Reno this month to cash my welfare checks --
there were so many good vp promo's this month outside of Reno (the
best one was a 105%+ opportunity for 8/6 Bonus Poker Deluxe at $5
with quads clocking in at 113 for 1 due to the promo; I typically
don't play at the $5 level but I tried it since it reminded me of
Sigma's the Max -- in the Max "mode" quads pay 125 for 1 and I had
Jazbo's strategy card as backup). As for Reno, the good news is
there are still lots of great VP opportunities ranging from $15 to
$50/hr, despite the ongoing bloodbath of reducing Full Pay machines
in some casinos.
I love Harrah's free play system; you get vouchers (with expiration
dates), which can be used for future trips. I typically give these
vouchers away as B-day presents; last year, I gave them away as X-
mas presents -- you can always sell them if you must. The other
nice thing about Harrah's is using the internet to check up on my
account, promos, etc. I wish the other casinos would do this as it
makes it easier to sort through my promos.
I didn't look at my Cal-Neva postcard and image my shock when it was
$100 a week in free play during May and June -- typically it had
been $50. That meant I gave up $300 in welfare checks or a car
payment. I went through the rest of my welfare checks that expired
and it was over $800 (inclusive of Cal-Neva's $300) that I lost out
on -- all well, you can't cry over spilled milk.
That's what I like about Reno casinos, there's so much money they
are giving away. I was never really interested in Harrah's until one
cashier told me how high some of these vouchers were {I was like
you're kidding me, right and the cashier was kidding at all}. So I
go back at different shifts and ask different cashiers to get enough
data points and the range of high watermarks was pretty narrow.
Now, Harrah's is my number 3 casino in Reno, especially with the
back door combined with turning points into cash. If I had known
about Harrah's last summer, I would not have played at Siena even
though Siena had the best $1 VP program in Reno at the time. My
reason is because the AP opportunities at Harrah's are sustainable
while Siena's opportunities weren't going to last.