HOW TO GET COMPS PLAYING BLACKJACK

Get More Back For The Bucks You Bet

The first thing you need is a players card. This allows the casino to track your play. How often you play and the amounts you buy in for are all recorded, in addition to the other factors that are considered in calculating comps (short for complimentary).

Present your card each and every time you buy in at a blackjack table. If you buy in for a large amount at a high limit table you will earn comps at a faster rate and most likely get preferential treatment. As a general rule, the more money you put into play the bigger the comps.

Here’s basically how comps are computed at the majority of casinos in Arizona. As a general rule, most casinos figure that they will win 2% over the average blackjack player for every dollar that they put into play. Of that amount, the casino is usually willing to return 40% of that in comps. These could be in the form of free buffets, free concert tickets, free hotel rooms, or anything else you can imagine.

For example, if you play for 2 hours at $25 a hand on average, the casino will estimate you play about 60 hands per hour, and will wager around $3,000 for that hour ($25 per hand x 60 hands per hour = $1,500 x 2 hours = $3,000) and they will make about 2% of the $3,000 or $60.00 from you.

When you ask for a comp, the pit boss will usually give you a comp for about 40% of that amount or around $24. It could be a food comp or a host of other things.

This is where it gets interesting! If you’re a perfect basic strategy player your actual loss is around 0.5%, not the theoretical 2% that the casino uses.

In addition, you can slow the game down from 60 hands per hour to fifty or less by playing at a crowded table, taking longer to make your decisions on hands, taking bathroom breaks, cell phone breaks you get the idea. Then your real theoretical loss would be $12.50 ($25 average bet x 50 hands per hour x 2 hours x 0.5% house edge = $12.50).

Your expected loss playing this way will only be $12.50 but the casino will nicely give you a comp of $24, almost twice what it should be!

This is just an added way to reduce the overall house edge and get something back from the casino for your loyalty.

Just remember, slow play is the key to coming out ahead in this situation. So don’t be too hard on the player that takes a while to make their decision on a certain hand. They probably read this column as well! $

Writer TJ Jorgensen has been a professional Blackjack player for over 25 years. He is well known for his tournament play and has beaten some of the top tournament players in the world. He has also won the World Series Of Blackjack. His newest book “How To Become A Blackjack Jedi” is available online at Amazon.com.