Casino...

[Clearwater AL]

Vitra, interesting point. Comp rooms are based on how much you have played
over the past year. Don’t really know if I should explain this… there is Gold Status,
Platinum, Diamond, Diamond Plus, and Seven Star. For every $5 dollars bet…
you get one tier credit. I am Diamond Plus, It takes 25,000 tier credits to reach
Diamond Plus. As Diamond Plus I am entitled to a comp room and with Reward Credits
to eat no charge meals and drinks. I’m smart enough to realize I really paid for that.

There are a lot of people out there with a lot of money… It takes 150,000
tier credits to become a Seven Star player. There many many Seven Star
players in that Casino. Remember, $5 dollars of betting for one tier credit.
They have $100 dollar slot machines. It’s called the “High Roller Room.”
People sit down at those machines with one or more bundles of one hundred
dollar bills. And… the room is always busy. You have to walk through it
to get to the horderues and bar room. Guess what’s behind that? Stop and
give one a try.

Ok. I did not spend my own money to Diamond Plus. I used winning money to
keep playing thus adding to my tier count. Next year at 12:01 AM I will keep
my Diamond Plus status, with all the perks for the next year, but… my tier
count goes back to zero. I doubt I’ll keep Diamond Plus next year . Don’t know
how much more I’ll be able to go now. I’ve been going to the Casino for 18 years.

It’s been fun, I’ve had bad days… no gambler wins every time. Turned up the
radio all the way home. Always... "maybe next time" But… I’ve had some very very
good days. Never played with scared money, took so much... that's it.

I know this topic isn’t for everybody that’s why I put it here. It’s my thing.

I’ll always have the memories.

 

[Clearwater AL]

Ooops... correction. It takes 50,000 tier credits to become Diamond then
75,000 tier credits to become Diamond Plus. Platinum, is 25,000 tier
credits. And that's at January 1st 2022 at 1201 AM my tier credit count goes
back to zero. I will keep my Diamond Plus status for perks for 2022.

 

[wmilo]

Al, in your "Got away" thread you said, "I don’t think about anything back home, doctor appointments, money matters or things that will have to be done to the house coming up."

I'm not a gambler, but I enjoyed fishing and playing softball and I noticed the same is true of those activities - you are completely in the moment. Your attention is completely focused, and you're not thinking about anything else. Part of the enjoyment; they take you out of the routine for a while.

 

[Clearwater AL]

For the possible few (maybe none here) or others who read this.

Over the years I’ve learned a lot of discipline. If you have room
reservations for two or three nights or more for a getaway of
fun, fine food, sometimes shows or something different.

First and foremost, like a vacation… what you can afford to spend.
On the first night if you aren’t doing well whatever games you
are playing… stop. Go get something to eat at one of the fine
restaurants , walk around see the things the property has besides
the casino. Go up to the room… chill out.

I see people hang in there thinking their luck will change.
They end up going to the cashier to get more money… and
maybe the next day too. Oh yea, the casino will easily extend
you a line of credit within a few minutes of the application.
Nope… think twice.

When I’m there, every day I don’t go down to the casino until
one or two o’clock in the afternoon. About six o’clock I get
something to eat and go up to the room till about 10 or 11
clock at night before I go back down to the casino. I might
play until 2 or 2:30 in the morning, a little later if I’m winning.
Even then I get tired and have to quit. Brain fog.

Ok, I’ll wrap up with this… I’ve gone on vacations back down
to Florida, the beaches here and fishing trips. On none of those
have I ever signed a W2 that more than paid for them.
Again, “My Thing” isn’t for everybody. I’ve signed my share
of W2s… it doesn’t mean you will. But…

 

[wmilo]

Hey, Al. For myself and other non-gamblers: what does it mean that, "On none of those have I ever signed a W2 that more than paid for them." If you win do they make you sign a W2 to report the winnings?

Are you saying that you did not win as much as you spent on the vacation? If so, the additional money was well-spent, so that you could enjoy the "getaway of fun, fine food, sometimes shows or something different."

If you were able to win back some of the cost, that's great. (Also that you had the discipline to play that way.)

 

[Clearwater AL]

Anytime you win, cash out - over $1200.00 here in NC you have to sign a W2.

"I’ve gone on vacations back down to Florida, the beaches here and fishing trips."

While on those vacations I've never signed a W2 to pay for them. Whipped out my
credit card about every turn, fed a bunch of fish expensive bait, tipped everybody
in who did anything - even some I'm not sure they did anything , the souvenir
shops (for Ann). (Being from Florida I've seen every imaginable sea shell, plastic Blue
Crabs, pieces of drift wood, small fish nets with all kinds of shore junk fastened to
them.)

But... my getaways at the casino on a few times I brought home much more than
I took.

Another thing I consider "winning" is when I bring home close to what I took.
Being honest, there's been a few rides home where I had a hellava less than
I took. That's gambling. Turn on Sirius XM, hit the 50s, 60s and 70s channels, crank
'em up... enjoy the ride.