To Host or Not to Host?

If you are player enough, chances are a host has reached out to you at one time or another. This might actually spook you out. Do I need a host? Will they expect me to play more? What should I ask for?

A host is great! They are a free perk that came with your historically rated play. A host did not pick your name at random, you did something well enough to garner their attention.

Maybe I'm just a fucking weirdo, but I often feel like I need to impress my host. If I book my own corporate offer, who gives a shit what my play looks like? A faceless computer algorithm says I get a free room plus $250 in free play. Awesome, I'll call or book myself. Using a host makes me "feel" like I'm being watched or judged on my action.

As if I don't have enough of that at home! So should you use a host even if you already have corporate offers? Probably... If you know the game, and you think you are being rated lower at the place you want to go, a host might be able to fix that. I have often sent offers from a comparable casino directly to my host and got them to double my free play or bump me up a room category.

If you have an offer for a discounted night, a free buffet and $10 in free play. Tracking down a host and asking for Limo Pickup just aint going to happen.

But if you do book through a host, and you gamed bigger than normal, they could probably use your offers as a base, and then say double the Free Play on there if your corporate offers haven't caught up to your recent level of play.

"But Grid, I already have an offer, why should I let someone make a buck off of me?"

They might be able to book that offer into a better room, higher floor, better view ETC. They can probably muscle in your offer on choice dates, where as if you called yourself the nerd at the booking end might just tell you it is sold out. You now also have someone to review your play at the end of the trip.

If you over kicked your coverage, and played more than what you historically have, they might be able to pull some additional comps for you. So charge stuff to your room just in case. But don't go on an eating spree assuming it will get cleared.

So having host is nice, it is good to have a buddy on the inside. Some of my hosts have sent up a fruit basket before, on my anniversary my Luxor host sent up chocolate covered strawberries and champagne. So they might not be able to move mountains for you, but they are nice to have around.

So if a host does reach out to you, take them up on their offer to help out. After years of being a degenerate gambler, some of my hosts have turned into personal friends. And if a host tells me that I didn't "play enough" on my last visit, I say "OK" and book my own offers once more. Fuck them, but it never hurts to take one out for a spin!