Gaming Loyalty Programs - Phoenix/Scottsdale Casino Programs

Is there much of a reason for the casual player to join any of these programs? I've been to both Casino Arizona and Fort McDowell for an hour or two each in the past. I'd been meaning to spend more time at CA playing poker while I've been on assignment 4 days/month in Phoenix, but it just hasn't worked out as I've been with coworkers.

I play mostly hold-em and pai gow poker, some video poker but those casinos have lousy odds. Would probably play 8-10 hours/year, maybe more if work picked up.

Further away, but with equally lousy pay-tables for most of its VP, Harrah's Ak-Chin (http://www.harrahsakchin.com/casinos/harrahs-phoenix-ak-chin/hotel-casino/property-home.shtml) allows you to accumulate points in the Harrah's Total Rewards Program.

They also have a hotel, which is pretty decent about providing future free room offers.

Of course, if you are semi regular, you might become eligible for some mystery multiplier days.

Such as :

Mystery Reward Credit Multiplier
Monday, October 27
begins at 6am – 5:59am
Swipe your Total Rewards card at the Total Rewards Center on 10/27 and earn a 10, 15, or 20X multiplier to Bonus Reward Credits!

These can be quite valuable. Of course, I speak from AC experience, where we tend to aggressively play off of anything 10X or above. With a 99% game (which are available in AC at 25cent and up denominations) --- the multiplier actually makes it a +EV situation.

I forgot about Ak-Chin - I was actually there three years ago. They had a very sad poker "room" but the fact that I had played a little bit at the Rio a few weeks earlier and then at Ak-Chin yielded some pretty good rate offers for other non-Vegas Harrahs hotels. Stuff like 1 weeknight free with 1 paid, which for a low roller like me is at the high end of what I'd expect.

I had planned to hit both Fort McDowell and Casino Arizona last night, but did better than expected at the former (bragging below), stayed a little longer, and called it an early night.

Fort McDowell (www.fmcasino.com) out on 87 NE of Scottsdale/Mesa is a pretty decent but little casino. On a Thursday from 4:30-8pm, it was mostly regulars - for example, I was the only visitor at my 3-6 Holdem table.

Signing up for the players card got me:
- A nice $10 bill as a thank you
- 4000 players club points (not sure what the redemption rate is)
- If I was to use the buffet, $1 off.
- The ability to not have to stand in line to sign up for the poker waitlists

They did track my play for both $10 Pai Gow and 3-6 Hold-em. Unfortunately, their web site does not let you track points online, so I don't know what I earned. From the poker sign-up kiosk, it looks like poker play might get you discounts on tournament entries. Based on the conversation that the lady in front of me had while signing up, they do mail out play coupons, but I couldn't tell if they were completely random or based on level of play. Points expire after 13 months of inactivity.

Thursday night NFL had both a $250 football pool as well as $100 splash pots on random tables for touchdowns and field goals - I got lucky after a night of terrible starting hands, and landed QQ on the second time our table was splashed, with a Q33 flop. The regulars who had realized that I was playing solid tight-aggressive poker but just not getting hands were all gracious about my windfall (the pot ended up to be just under $300), except for the guy with A3... :)