You’ll see teams of Chinese folks do this at plenty of casinos. Some of them are trying to “build” multiple players cards at multiple casinos and rack up as much free play and other perks as they can. It’s illegal but potentially lucrative.
I’ve gone slotting with friends before, but nothing like what some of these guys do. It can be useful in scouting big must-hits, but personally, I don’t find it all that beneficial most times (other than a fun social experience).
You’re cutting your money in half, essentially. I also like to “work” oddball hours and go at my own pace.
It can useful if you want to sell a dangerous play. For instance, if I find $50 Phoenix Link plays, I’m often looking to sell some of that kind of action to trusted friends, as I generally just want the comps and don’t want that kind of variance in my life.
Along the same lines, sometimes people are broke but know at least something about advantage slots. You’ll see this a lot in places like Vegas. They’ll then try to sell some of these finds to other APs. This isn’t exactly what you’re asking, but I figured I’d mention it.
Of course, if you do involve friends and you want to split things up (casinos, winnings, losses), you need to have total trust. Then there’s the whole, “I was out for 10 hours today; you were only out for five hours. Why am I giving you half of my profit?” It can get a bit messy.
Ben Rosenthal
