Your Table Rating Decides Everything
Comps are pretty simple. If you play a lot, you’ll get a lot. How big your comps are depends on your table rating, which factors in your average bet and time spent at the table. Your pit boss is key here. I always say, “Please rate me,” when I place a max bet of $311 at my home table.
What Comps Actually Get You
Comps come in all shapes and sizes, from free drinks and food to lounge access, rooms, concerts, limos, free airfare and even ocean cruises. Total Rewards has one of the best comp programmes in the United States, with flights between Vegas, Mesa, Rincon, Laughlin, Tahoe and Atlantic City. I suggest using Total Rewards.
Tier Points and Reward Points Are Not the Same Thing
Total Rewards lists both tier points and reward points. Tier points establish your ranking, while reward points can be spent on food, drinks and other items. This brings me to tier status. Playing Mississippi Stud Poker regularly can take you towards 7 Star, the highest status. You’ll receive every perk, excellent service and major comps that can make a real difference to your casino experience.
Your Card Is Your Status
Your card is your status. The better the card, the more things you can do. There are four levels: Gold, Platinum, Diamond and 7 Star. The casino gives Diamond and 7 Star members free food and drinks in lounges. They also have shorter lines and more freebies in weekly giveaways, such as pans, blankets, beer and similar items.
What a 7 Star Card Changes
I can attest that when you pull out your 7 Star card, people take notice. Service happens, free stuff follows and things seem to turn in your favour. You won’t pay cash-advance fees at the cashier, wait in ticket lines or have trouble getting Total Rewards airline tickets or limo service. There is a level of deference given to 7 Star card holders by fellow players and casino staff.
The Day I Lost $3,100
Losing happens. Just don’t make a habit of it. I remember sitting in the Diamond Club to reflect on my biggest loss during a winning week. It hurt. I lost $3,100.
The casino wouldn’t be open if you won every single day.
I didn’t blame the dealer, but I still reached 7 Star thanks to a 15x tier-point bonus. It was a moral win, with the endless benefits described above. The cards didn’t cooperate. Some days they simply don’t fall in your favour. So, I called it a day and finished a shade under $45,000 up for the week. Still a great week.
Losing Well Is a Skill
The key to losing is not getting used to it. I got beat while following my Mississippi Stud Poker strategy and didn’t make mistakes. I was beaten by a rare dealer run, with bigger straights, flushes and even a dealer three-queen hand. Ouch. I still got to play, multiply reward and tier points, so I took it in good stride.
If you followed my rules, you only dropped $300. Not too shabby, my friend. I hit a lot of pairs, and my cards weren’t much different from other days that week.
Remember, everybody loves a winner, but nobody likes a bad loser. I still tipped, visited with fellow players, made new friends and enjoyed drinks and food. I also had my usual fun with the dealers and pit bosses. They always want to see players win.
Watching Other People Lose Badly
The most troubling part of losing is watching other people do it consistently.
I watch amateurs play daily and am amazed at how they throw away their money. They bet badly. They are too conservative. They put a red chip on each circle and wonder why they run out of cash so quickly. Their winning ante bets get erased by losing Third Street and Fifth Street bets. For the average player who puts in $200, I usually wave goodbye after two hours as they leave mumbling about being unlucky. It is not luck. It is poor play.
These players don’t listen to dealer tips about betting. Some don’t even listen to my advice, despite the wall of black, green, red and white chip stacks decorating my play area.
On a Select Few Days, You Will Lose
Losing is a short chapter, but one you must understand. On a select few days, you will lose.
The sun will rise the next day. You return positive, armed with your bankroll and your Mississippi Stud Poker strategy, ready to play again. By this time tomorrow, you could be smiling at the cashier cage and cashing in black chips.
The figures above are one player’s own account of their own sessions, not a typical result. Comps are calculated from how much you bet and how long you sit there, so chasing tier status means losing more on average, not less. Mississippi Stud costs about 4.91% of your ante with perfect play, and no card level changes that. If a session stops being fun, the right play is to leave. See Responsible Gaming.