Getting extra out of a slot machine host requires a bit of seduction. It’s the type of seduction common in sexual situations, only you keep your clothes on (I do, anyway!). Flattery, small gifts, gentle talk, and other niceties all have their place. For this reason, people usually do better with slot hosts of the opposite sex. I can flirt with a female slot host and get results, but the bonding I do with a male host doesn’t buy me as much.
These gifts you bring to the slot machine host can be tangible or intangible. I keep a file. I write down things that the hosts tell me. For example, I know that Kathy at Casino A has two kids, lives and dies by the Lakers, and is on a diet. Janice at Casino B has a sweet tooth. Sally at Casino C always wants to talk about her grandkids. Last time I was in Casino A, Kathy and I spent 10 minutes discussing Shaq’s improved free throw. At Casino B, I brought a piece of strawberry cheesecake along (from a camped dinner, of course). And at Casino C, I never forget to ask how little Gina and Joey are doing. These hosts treat me as an honored friend. I make their day a little nicer, so they, in turn, help with mine.
Comp Hustler or Machine Hustler
Don’t start asking for stuff in the first hour of your first trip. Coming on like a comp hustler won’t buy you anything good. Remember, the art of seduction works best if you let them think there seducing you. It doesn’t hurt to exaggerate your losses or misstate how you did last trip. Slot hosts won’t always look up your action and sometimes sympathy will get you dinner in a better restaurant than what you’re otherwise entitled to. Careful here. Whining gets real old real fast. Interaction with slot hosts becomes more important as your level of play increases. For example, nickel players on traditional machines never need to be concerned with slot hosts: Their theoretical loss will never be high enough to generate much in comps. But the new nickel nine-liner slots that take 45 nickels are creating highly valued customers deserving of big-time comps. These tournament players can easily lose well over $100 per hour.Quarter players can usually get a meal or two off their play, with or without a host (using traditional slot club routes).
And at the high end playing $25 per coin or more you can get whatever you want from any casino online. It’s the dollar and five-dollar players who have the most to gain with hostmanship. If Casino A thinks you’re also playing at Casino B and they value your business, they’ll give you more. If you’re setting up a competition, real or imaginary; make sure it’s believable. No host at Monte Carlo will be very impressed if you tell him that you normally play at the Boardwalk. Despite being next door to each other, these casinos have few patrons in common. It also works the other way around. No host at the Riviera will believe that your choice is between them and Bellagio, two casinos in totally different markets. But Monte Carlo hosts realize that they’re trying for the same customers that Australia-Australia gets, and the Riviera is working on the same customers who visit the Sahara. So make a claim that will help you, but be aware of what will fly and what won’t.
If your slot host does a good job operation for you, ask if you can write to his boss to let him know that you’re a satisfied customer. Then make sure to write that letter and the next time you’re in, the sky’s the limit when you want something. Calling a female slot host a “slot hostess” is a good way to reduce your comps by 50%. Australian is a sexist country. “Slot hostess” feeds on the stereotypes and many women are sensitive to the term.
Getting extra out of a slot machine host requires a bit of seduction. It’s the type of seduction common in sexual situations, only you keep your clothes on (I do, anyway!). Flattery, small gifts, gentle talk, and other niceties all have their place. For this reason, people usually do better with slot hosts of the opposite sex. I can flirt with a female slot host and get results, but the bonding I do with a male host doesn’t buy me as much.