Hi Gang:
After two consecutive years of finishing in the black, Hedy and I dropped
back into red numbers in 2010, but thanks to a record amount of cashback
(over 25G) our gambling loss for the year was a manageable one. Taking into
account the comps we received ... rooms, meals, shows, trips, gifts,
cruises, etc. ... it certainly could be considered another "good year" for us in
the casinos.
Thankfully, we ended 2010 on a positive note New Year's Eve at Harrah's AC
and then added another win on New Year's Day to start 2011 off on a high
note. Friday (NYE) Hedy put us over the top immediately when she held a lone
ace and drew the other three and a trey for a 2G handpay. I chipped in with
a set of aces for $800 and fours with a kicker for another $800 and we
went to the party in the ballroom that night with smiles on our faces. We also
had an 11X multiplier that day and put close to 4,000 base points on
Hedy's card.
The party was the usual high-decibel, high-energy extravaganza Harrah's
puts on every year featuring the same-old, same-old shrimp cocktail, salad,
surf-and-turf dinner that is barely edible. But we did have a nice time
enjoying the evening with a host of friends at our table and actually rang in
the New Year standing on one foot, the right. It was Hedy's idea. She said
it was important to start off the New Year on the "right foot!!!" Clever
girl, eh.
New Year's Day was another good one as we made five $800 hits (aces twice
and two's, three's and four's with kickers) plus assorted other $250 quads.
The big news on that day, though, was our mystery multiplier. We were
supposed to get either 3X, 6X or 12X but when Hedy swiped our cards after
breakfast, the kiosk indicated that we both would be receiving 15X rewards
credits that day. Eureka!
So, we hankered down and began to play. After a couple of hours one of our
casino buddies came over to us and said, "Did you hear about the foul-up?"
We asked her what she was talking about and she explained that the kiosks
had malfunctioned earlier and that the 15X was a "mistake." She told us we
had to re-swipe our cards to see what we were really getting. We did and
found that we were both getting the lower 3X multiplier. This was upsetting,
as well as very misleading, to say the least.
Some other friends of ours, who were guaranteed 11X points at Showboat and
Bally's that day, had stayed at Harrah's since they thought they were
getting 15X and had played for a few hours before we called them and told them
the bad news. To say they were unhappy would be an understatement.
We complained to the Total Rewards Desk but were given the same old story
... it was a computer glitch and they were sorry.
We will be back at Harrah's this weekend hoping to continue the positive
trend in 2011. After all, it did all begin on the "right foot."
Regards,
CoachVee & Hedy
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