campus_chic13 wrote:
> Hey guys!... You've got me spending/losing the same amount each
> trip, but now I'm staying in really nice rooms, eating in nicer
> places, getting comped spa treatments I never would have spent
> money on, and I don't run out of money to gamble on anymore!
>
> ... I think I'd like to make 7* to impress them =P Fortunately for
> me, I am mostly of sound mind, and won't do if it involves losing a
> lot more than I get. I'm trying to assign dollar values to the
> perks, both guaranteed and possible.
>
> ... Sorry this is so long, but we spend probably 10k a year on
> travel, and I'd be willing to lose most of that at VP, if the
> benefits were things we'd enjoy spending travel money on anyway.
>
> I have a feeling this board is full of people like us - can you
> guys shed any light on this? Thanks,
>
> Karen
Karen, 7* benefits are very generous. However, I don't know anyone who would assign anywhere near full economic value to the perks. Further, because of the inherent volatility of casino play and consequent downside risk, I also don't know anyone who would play the bulk of required 7* qualifying play solely for the sake of the benefits.
In fact, I think it's safe to say that most who play to 7* (and above) would be motivated to put in most (or all) of that play through incentives unrelated to 7* benefits. In other words, I'm suggesting that most 7* players see the perks as icing on the cake, and not the cake itself.
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What I'm driving at here is a suggestion that you not consider going for 7* primarily motivated by the benefits. (Rob Singer has replied as much, much more concisely!)
Instead, if, in a given year you find that standard play incentives seem to have you on track for at least 70% of the required 8.25k tier credits/mo on a pro rata basis (say 24K cr as of May 1, or 35K cr as July 1 in a given year), then you might well consider pushing your play through the balance of the year with an eye to earning 7* and the related incremental benefits.
Bear in mind, that a very sizable number of vp players who opt to regularly earn 7* year after year will see occasionally see net losses (after factoring all cash benefits) of $20K or more.
If you're a smart player, you should, of course, fare better in most years. But others will tell you that when ill-luck strikes, there's little that can be done about it, and it's not unusual that it does so with a vengeance. If your motivation for play has been the limited number of 7* benefits, it's likely you'll come away from such an experience with a severe case of "gambler's remorse", rather than being in the position to shake it off and look for better play down the road.
Most importantly, you can look to your own play experience to advise you whether you're prepared to take on the risks of 7* qualification play.
I infer from your post that your current play habits fall considerably short of such a qualification (apologies if I'm mistaken). I don't advise a sharp ramp up in either play denomination or frequency to make the leap. Instead, keep a strong record of your session by session play results through the balance of this year and extrapolate to get a good gut feel for your risks from more active play first.
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A couple of comments re specifics from your post details:
Re 7* annual trip expense allowance: The $1200 is a max allowance for airfare. If not used for air, it generally is left on the table (can't be used for other expenses). btw, just to be clear, the annual trip is restricted to Caesars casino destination cities.
Re 7* annual cruise: This is an separate benefit from the annual trip. Generally speaking, I know of no one penalized for failure to give play while taking the cruise.
Re bf's mother's 7* qualification: As a slot player, where there's little opportunity to reduce expected loss via skill or machine selection, earning 7* typically involves an annual net loss in excess of $20K (the math works out to something like $30K+, assuming 30% of expected losses are offset with casino cash benefits).
It may be that she's simply a hard core player, who get sufficient pleasure from the play itself, on top of tier benefits, to absorb such a loss. However, it may also be the case that for one or two years she's enjoyed the upside of volatility and has managed to garner qualification with a much softer loss -- and may shy away from heavy play down the road when luck inevitably turns sour.
Re comps and ADT: Comps largely go hand in hand with ADT.
In some venues, some attractive ER video poker plays are rated reasonably strong, so that players can see very desirable benefits. But it's becoming more and more the case at Caesars casinos that if you restrict play to the best machines, you'll see only nominal perks. (But 7* tier benefits are secured in almost all cases strictly through meeting the tier credit play threshold, irrespective of actual ADT)
Whatever the case, it's to your advantage to concentrate play to maximize ADT. Play strongly when you chose to play; try to show no casino presence (card activity) on the days you don't play.
Re cruise offers: We've taken 2 NCL cruises via the 7* cruise benefit; taken 4 others earned through casino offers unrelated to 7* status. It's a fantastic benefit, for a regular cruise passenger such as yourself, and not to be passed up!
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Hope I didn't get too carried away in reply, Karen, and trust there's some insight to be gleaned for you. Best of luck!
- Harry
