It's only $3,750 coin in at slots to get Ruby at Boyd. Once you get Ruby you can play whatever you want and get 11x points. I do agree, it's stupid to keep Ruby from getting any points, but the play required to get to the next tier is pretty reasonable for Slot players. I think the real issue is the tier point countdown for VP players is ridiculous and assumes all VP players are advantage players playing perfect optimum strategy. Truth is they aren't...and aren't by a mile. A game like 98.91% Deuces actually returns around 97% vs typical players. Tier countdowns should reflect the actual 3% avg House Advantage achieved rather than the higher 98.91% advantage only achieved by players with optimum strategy. By this measure Illinois (15/9) Deuces should be about $16 per tier credit rather than the current $44. Casual VP players are getting royally screwed not only when getting to the first tier but since marketing offers reflect these low assumptions on game theoreticals the screwing continues once you're eligible for points and multipliers.
My advice, play traditional 3 reel slots in the HL room or look for progressive type slots where you can get or reduce the House advantage to generate marketing offers. Play high return games like Jacks or NSUD during 11x points to generate comps and run freeplay.