I certainly would not dispute this observation, but it certainly is a turnabout from twenty years ago.
When I was playing blackjack and card counting, I started out shunning players' cards, not wanting to provide any ID that could contribute to identifying me if I were detected. After a few barrings, I looked around at the "regular" blackjack players so that I could try to look more like them, and one of the things I observed is they were constantly using their players' card and asking hosts for comps for meals, etc. etc. -- so I started doing that (I also bought some "bling" and made sure I was sharply dressed to match my level of play, among other things). I did much better after that in terms of avoiding being barred, and I also did much better in terms of the freebies I got, with limos, suites, and comped meals every night at gourmet restaurants.
My point is that my initial attitude of "don't tell 'em who you are, it might hurt you" proved wrong back then, but it appears that it now may be the correct way for an advantage player to approach games. If I ever take up blackjack again, I'll keep that in mind.
I certainly recognize that the value of players' clubs is greatly diminished from those days (and that today, asking hosts for comps rarely gets anything without burning points, other than perhaps the courtesy of making a reservation for a player), so I can see how things may have changed. Personally, I still use my card, knowing that I get very little in the way of benefits, but since I'm not seeking out advantage plays as actively as some (although I always keep my eyes open when I'm walking around a casino), I also don't see that I have much to lose, and it does cover my meals on casino trips and lets me avoid the long lines, and takes a little bit of the bite out of playing games with a small casino edge (yeah, I do that, but at least I know I'm doing it -- I guess I'm really a recreational player at heart, although I do make some effort to reduce the cost of my recreation).
--BG===================
3a. Re: Scot Krause's Slot Club Spotlight - 8 MAR 2016
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Makes a lot of sense especially since a lot of card clubs these days have such meager benefits. You see more and more gamblers refusing to play with slot cards and refusing tracking at table games. It's funny sometimes when you see some casino employee going around offering to get players slot cards and you see the reactions of the players against even the mention of "slot card". I've seen players just cash out and walk out which makes the nice casino employee, generally a nicely dressed young lady, look like some sort of escort or drug dealer or panhandler or something. More and more players don't like being treated like criminals if they should happen to win something in a casino.
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