Free play is used as an enticement by casinos to get players to return and play. As such, how you use it can matter, not necessarily for the visit that gets you in there, but what happens after that. Today’s question is a great opportunity to explore the topic:
Is it ok to play free play on ultimate Texas holdem and then leave? A casino offers $25. If you cash in $300, can I just play the $25 while paying the $1 commission and leave before dipping into the $300. Will a casino be mad if I do this every day? Am I violating any policy or law by doing so? Sometimes I do play a bit extra and sometimes in order to place a max bet I will use part of the $300 but I’m mainly going in and playing two hands and leaving. I noticed that the pit boss pointed to me on my way out and said to the other pit boss “your buddy is back” so they have definitely taken notice. Please advise. The way I see it is they just want me to lose and that if I don’t want to lose that’s my choice. It is called “free play” after all.
WIlbert M.
First off, you won’t need to worry about the pit boss – they don’t have any hand in calculating your offers, except for what you’re rated at when they plug you into the computer. You also don’t need to worry about breaking any laws, as that isn’t at issue here.
You can play your free play however you want. The casino, however, can decide if that’s the plat they want, and determine whether they will continue to extend that free play to you. It’s not about the casino getting mad; it’s a cold, calculated marketing decision.
Casinos extend an offer based on your previous play, with the goal of getting you to come back and play some more. Their calculation is if they extend an offer based on a player’s play history, odds are pretty good they’ll play similarly if they come back.
What we expect you’re now doing is playing differently. If you just play the free play and leave, casinos tend to catch on to this fast. Some will be more aggressive than others, but if not right away, within an offer cycle or two you’ll see those offers either dry up or get much smaller. You’re starting from $25 in free play so there’s not a whole lot of reduction before they can just cut it down to nothing.
Offer calculations tend to look at the theoretical loss expected based on how long you play, what you play and how much you wager. When you go from playing for awhile to playing two hands and leaving, casinos will see the difference and your offers will reflect it.
So while you’re able to do this, you should anticipate your offers going away. Casinos aren’t looking to bring people in to play two hands and leave; they’ll opt to reallocate that marketing effort to a player more likely to play.
You’ve already earned that free play from previous visits, so in that case you can do as you wish. Just don’t expect the casino to be generous forever if you stop giving them the play that led to the offer being extended in the first place.
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