Some of my friends who are Stardust regulars inform me that they are being steered by Stardust hosts to its sister property - Orleans.

Probably because they are about to tear it down.

QL

Makes sense. Since the Stardust will be gone in early 2007, better to get people comfortable with a sister property vs the competition.

I will miss the Stardust.The sign is still so gorgeous!
Never had much luck there-but they were always nice to me.

They will be shut down before New Years Eve... very sad, my guess is that they will close some time in November... Orleans doesn't really compare, but --- the Southcoast might be a pretty good option for 'dust regulars --- of course, location of both the Orleans and Southcoast are pretty horrible, in comparison to the 'dust.

Ugh...don't like the Orleans...guess it's time to go hunting around again for other options. Maybe GVR or the new Red Rock casino sound like a good idea, but we'll just have to travel around and see what seems like the best option.

Oh well. If we can plan it right, it might be fun to be out there for the closing and have a last little hurrah.

The South Coast is not the Stardust. It's locals-oriented: cheap food, small stakes (2x craps odds).

I agree, but GVR is locals oriented, and out of town folks seem to love it; but, alas, I don't really put South Coast in the same league as GVR and Red Rock.

'dust only has 3x,4x,5x odds --- which I know is better... guess I'm just spoiled by the 100x odds in Indiana --- though, I never back up more than 10x since the table minimums are always $5 or $10 --- but, guess it is nice to have the option. ;)

I'm thinking of spending a couple of nights on an upcoming visit at GVR. I keep hearing great things about the hotel and the gambling. Any thoughts or recommendations? Also, if anyone has ideas on how to book for less than their Web site rates (I've never had a Station Casinos' player's card), that would be appreciated as well. :)

If you have a host from another property --- I am certain they would be able to verify/confirm play with a host at GVR --- getting you, at minimum, casino rate. Regarding GVR hosts, I have heard good things about Pat Traficant --- and mixed things about Dan Skinner (some say he is great... others... not so great) --- of course, this is based on information from last year --- and people tend to move around a lot so YMMV.

FWIW, nobody at Harrahs will ever give you a STRAIGHT ANSWER regarding total rewards points and table games.... BUT....

from what I have been able to calculate, total rewards base points for table play at Harrahs Properties in Las Vegas :

Game : Big Baccarat; Average Bet $125
So, with a $125 Average Bet one hour of play should yield 150 Base Points per hour (at Baccarat)

This was based on a short session I recently had at RIO. Since CP now is based on the total rewards system, I assume the formula would be the same for CP and all Harrahs properties in Vegas.

I would also assume that BJ would be similar (with regard to rating) to Baccarat --- but, I haven't tested this yet (since I hate BJ), so YMMV.

I'm going to AC for July 4th week and staying at CP --- and plan on mostly playing dice, so I will be curious to how the points work out... of course, I will report back.

Good info. Thanks.

Thanks for the insights...

Big Baccarat is a much slower game than BJ (far fewer decisions per hour.)

Furthermore, the house edge at BJ is harder to calculate given the huge effect a player's skill or ineptitude has on the results of the game. Some players are suicidal and others are, well, pretty d*mn good.

I believe that for comp purposes baccarat is considered a lower house advantage game, but with Harrahs mystery calculations we may never know.

I have one "matrix" from a casino to determine comps; I think for BJ they use a mid-range estimate (like 1.50% to 2.00% house edge) for comps; though a good player at a table with good rules should approach 0.50% or less house edge; that being said, my matrix shows the following :

Mini-Baccarat House Edge : 1.15% Hands/hour: 100
Big Baccarat House Edge : 1.15% Hands/hour: 70
Blackjack House Edge : 1.75% Hands/hour: 65

On my next multi-day trip to Caesars AC, I am planning on sticking to $5 9/6 Job Video Poker, but each day, I am going to do one table game session (playing a different game) --- just to see if I can figure out how Harrah's determines their points. Of course, I might just get sucked into a dice table for 6 hours :D

Just back from a week at Caesars - they have removed many of the BJ tables (near the forum shop entrance), and I could only find 1 table with a $10 limit during the week. Was staying 2 days on comp gambler rate, and got a great room in Augutus tower, and then had to downgrade to Forum tower for the rest of the week on a paid rate. The staff seems really confused by the promotions/rates/Reward Credits rules. Got different answers each time I questioned the front desk and Total Rewards folks about earning/using credits, and trying to redeem some of the offers they had sent me.
Interesting that they sent me a promotion for a free Coach handbag a few months ago, and it didn't require earning any points to redeem. Just received a note they "extended" this promotion, but you now have to earn 500 base reward points before you can redeem. One TW rep tried to tell me I had to earn credits, but I showed them the card and got the bag without a problem.

Also interesting that I just completed an online survey asking about all the different rewards programs offered by casinos and how I perceived them and the comps they offered....which was not related to my stay there, came from a random survey group I participate in. One of the casinos must know their program is not up to par...hopefully Harrah's.