How Would I Tell if I’ve Been Excluded From Drawings?

[NickelsParticipant]

Figured I would throw this out there; and I’m pretty sure this has happened to me before at smaller casinos. Hopefully there’s a few video poker players here, or at least people who have played marginal slot edges to rack up drawing entries.

There’s a casino I’ve maintained top-tier card status with for several years. Promotions change throughout the years, but it has held true that I’ve had my name called by the promotions people a ton for drawings, point-chasers, all sorts of promo events. This year they started running these weekly drawings that take place at the start of the weekend. I haven’t been as aggressive as driving out there every week, but whenever I’ve gone, it has been pretty easy to just get a huge share of the entries and usually be the 1st or 2nd name called out of 14, since I can get there before the average customer is off work and I play the biggest VP game they have. The prizes are variable and based on a promo game you play on stage, but the EV of each winner as far as I can tell is identical, may only win once per week, must be present to win.

Recently, I made a trip out there to play this drawing, and had an even bigger share of the entries than usual since the other AP that plays this wasn’t there and it wasn’t a holiday weekend where the casino gets jam packed. This was the first time my name wasn’t called, despite there being tons of no-shows on top of it all, so I had a bigger share, and more chances to be called. I don’t know how many total entries were in the pool, but I know that playing dollar ten play, on a 99.7% game, I end up with way more entries than the average dime triple-play VP player or 75¢/spin slot player. The only other player in the ‘high limit’ room, was playing $5/spin slowly on Dragon Cash. For the first time since they started running these, not only was I not called as one of the first two names, but I wasn’t called at all.

My room was still comped, my host (who is new to the casino and the business), didn’t give me any indication that something was up, my food credits worked, my free play offer works. It feels like I may have been excluded from winning drawings going forward, but I’m not sure how I would go about getting that information.

It is possible, but very unlikely, that I truly just whiffed on all 14 plus the redraws for no-shows. There was also a stretch of 6 no-shows in a row early on in the evening, in which someone sharing my first name (which isn’t terribly common) got called first, and I almost wonder if the promotions person was reading the wrong line or something on her computer screen for last names, because it’s hard to imagine that many no-shows in a row, when they had to be present to activate their entries in the first place.

I’ve definitely been excluded from drawings before or had misreads of my name that were so bad they had to have been intentional at other casinos. But in those situations, it was easy to tell, those were much smaller casinos where I completely dominated the drum, they had imposed some other type of countermeasure/messed with a game was playing before the drawing, a comped room got welched on, etc. There were other indicators.

This is not a big casino, but it’s not so small that I’m a 2 in 3 favorite on each draw, more like 1 in 2.5 to 1 in 3 on each draw. So, while it would be a pretty bad run…it’s possible that I could just run that bad and whiffed on 25 or so draws (including the no shows).

Is there any use in asking someone about it? It feels like that might be too direct and might confirm to them that I’m an AP. They run these drawings every week, maybe I just run it back on my next visit and see if the same thing happens? Any other suggestions on this? 

[Ben RosenthalKeymaster]

I would ask someone about it. (But, see last paragraph.)

I don’t think you’d be raising any suspicion that isn’t already coming your way. Maybe this is their countermeasure for people they’ve deemed APs. Maybe this is the first and only thing they’ll ding you with (hopefully). Maybe it was a simple mistake, which you mentioned. Maybe they’ll be taking away everything soon and escorting you out the door the next time you drop by (fingers crossed it’s not). But you won’t know without asking, and I think you could be mostly honest about it (without mentioning the other AP being out of town lol).

Hey, I often get my named picked, and I happened to have been gambling more than I usually do. I just wanted to see if there might have been an error or something, as I haven’t missed a drawing yet.

That sort of thing. If anything, saying that makes you look like a big-time whale, not an advantage player.

That said, if you think they’re unlikely to retroactively award you with anything, perhaps there’s no point in bringing it up. You could see what happens next drawing, where missing it sounds like a mathematical impossibility. So although I would personally ask someone about it because not knowing would bother me, if this isn’t the type of casino to give you anything and nothing positive could come you way, perhaps it’s smarter to leave it alone.

[John JamesParticipant]

I think you beed to give it one ir two more drawings just to be sure.
I had one place that changed thier drawings so yoo could only win once per day. After a few drawings of nor being called I asked them about it and the said they forgot to put my name back in the system. They claimed it gad to be done manually.

 

In my experience they normally tell you when youre excluded from drawings. That being said I never trust them, especially when uou get called alot people get jealous and complain when the same people always win.

[RMunchkinParticipant]

I know Bob has talked about this on the show.  The other players complaining got him backed off of drawings so he started not going after them every month.  He would skip a month  (Or maybe 2) if he won.

[NickelsParticipant]

Thanks for the input everyone.

They give out bonuses for different thresholds of tier points earned, I’m close enough to the next one that the VP should be +EV to play next time even without the drawing so I think I’ll try it again on a later visit and see if it changes. Hopefully that’s enough time that civilians aren’t annoyed with me getting called.

[NickelsParticipant]

Just wanted to give an update on this situation in case somebody finds use in it.

I was familiar with this casino’s policy to respond to all 0/10’s in the survey they send after staying. So I left a 0/10 and shared my concerns on the comments section.

This resulted in acknowledgement that something went awry at that last drawing, but no clarification of what that was. My best guess is that there was a mistake in reading the last names, which would explain the long string of no-shows. The other possibility is they forgot to put me back in the barrel from the previous drawing.

I took my chances with it this week to see if it got corrected, and wouldn’t you know it, I was the first name called, back to the status quo. My host also loaded extra free play onto my card, didn’t mention why, but I wonder if the survey comments had something to do with it.

Now if these royals would just show up every 40,000 hands 🫠

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