Whether you're planning a trip to Vegas or hitting an International gambling destination, you should have casino comps on your mind. Besides saving you money and maximizing your gambling dollar, good casino comps let you see sights and sounds you very well could have missed completely otherwise. If you're interested in learning more about (and where to find the best) online casino comps, read all about it in our online gambling section.

If you think comps are just for high rollers, you simply haven't learned how to get them yet! More than 80% of a casino's comp marketing money goes to medium and low rollers, and taking into account the fact that the casinos spend a good portion of their overall marketing budgets on comps, that leaves us in a pretty good position. The process of actually getting casino comps is simple, but relatively unknown to novice gamers. To learn how to have you're next meal free, read on!

The first and last thing you have to do to get comped at the casino is join a players club. This means you have to give up your personal information (oh no, they might mail you more free offers!) but you get a shiny plastic card out of the deal. This 'players card' is what the game is all about. You can use it at the tables or at the machines; all of your play can be credited. Many people have the concept that to get casino comps you have to be playing big money, and eventually a croupier will simply walk up to you and slip you something subtly. While this may look like what's happening, the real fact is the player the casino comps has built up a good number of points by playing over time and always using their comp card.

Getting one is easy and free, just find the right booth and ask, fill out a form and hang on for a second. It's never a bad idea to ask for a second copy of the card (say you always lose them, should they ask for a reason). If you are at the casino with a friend or partner, one of you can play at a table with one card, while one of you uses the other in a machine or at a different table. They require that you write your name on the cards, so if you both sat at the same table you couldn't earn points simultaneously. There is more benefit to having one players club 'account' between the two of you than a separate one each, because there is a slightly exponential aspect to how the casino comps are rewarded. You'll get dinner for two at a fancy restaurant for earning 500 points (completely arbitrary numbers here) on one account, or you'll get two dinners for one at a crappy restaurant for earning 250 points on two different accounts (and oh yes, there definitely are crappy restaurants in Vegas, and the fancy ones are a whole heck of a lot better!). That example was of course just to get my point across, the 'number' of points is arbitrary, and truly only relative to the length of time you've spent gambling and how much you've spent.

So the process of getting comps is simply to grab a players club card so that the casino can track your play. You can insert the card into whichever machine you're playing on, and the casino automatically knows how long you've played and how much, which directly affects which comps you are eligible for. At table games just put your card down with your chips or cash as you sit down to the table, and a croupier will take your information and track your play. One tip you may hear is to keep your place at the table if you need a break. Just ask the dealer to place your spot, and while you're gone you are still recorded as having sat there. This means you're being credited for the time you're at the table, and you're building your comp points up. Don't leave for long stretches for very often though, or you may be politely refused a held place.

When it comes time for you to actually receive your comp, you don't have to wait for a croupier to offer anything (and they may not, as it could be impolite to let you know you're eligible for a free dinner, when your intention may be to gamble a lot more and get a great comp, which of course the casino would love to see you do) you can control it all yourself. Just walk right back up to the booth you got your card from, hand it over, and ask if you've got anything coming to you. It's that easy! The casino will then print up a comp or grab your show tickets or whatever it is you're getting for free!

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