Hoping someone has better info than me....I heard at a table this weekend that all of the Harrah's AC rooms are reducing the tier points given per hour for poker. I got several different opinions on when this is happening, and what the new tier scores will be. Does anyone have any of the following info?
1. Is this happening? When?
2. What will the new tier point rates be per hour for 1/2? 2/5? 1/3?

Thanks a lot to anyone who can help.

It's true, and it sucks big time!! I've already let the main person in charge of these things know how I feel, and that I (a LOT of other poker players agree with me) feel that it is grossly unfair that they did this in the middle of a year. It should have been done at the begginning of the year, or the begginning of next year - but not in the middle when players have already been working towards their Diamond or 7-Star goal for 5 1/2 months.

It has taken effect at Caesar's, Harrah's, and Showboat. Bally's seems to have a different sort of computer system, so they won't start the new tier rates until tomorrow (unless it was today - doesn't really matter, unless 1 day affects a player that much - which is doubtfull.)

2/4 Limit, 1-5 Stud, etc. pay 10 tier credits per hour.

1/2 NL and 1/3 NL will pay 20 tier credits per hour.

2/5 NL and above (and the 7.50/15.00 PC game) will get 40 tier credits per hour.

The comp amounts will stay the same. $1 per hour for a 1/2 game, $2 per hour for a 2/5 game.

Lee

Will this affect ADT and comps associated with playing besides card tier (like comped rooms and slot dollars)?

I have been looking for an excuse to move more of my play to Borgata in any case....or maybe check out the Golden Nugget room.

The Caesars Corperation made a decision to eliminate the dozen or so 7 star poker players and this was the best way to do it. So Lovesantiques and others will no longer reep the benefits of being a fake 7 stars through a flaw in the system. It was silly that some places were getting 120 Tier Score an hour for a 2-5 game.

After March there were over 100 people on pace to make 7 stars from poker ONLY so the plug needed to be pulled. In addition, too many diamond members were being created. The casino views Poker players as a necessary evil but doesn't want them to gain more then the casino believes they deserve (which is nothing). That being said... there isn't much reason to play at the 4 Caesars properties anymore other then the rewards system. When they reduce that system go someplace else. The action is brutally bad harrah's, caesars and showboat.... and the average grinder should be playing at real poker rooms in town.

tmac&cheese - and the source of all of your information is??? Are you somebody who is really in a position to know these things?

Actually, even with the reduced tier credits, poker players get quite a bit from Caesar's Corp. At least here in AC.

One of the biggest benefits, from my perspective anyway, is that the comps earned at any one CET casino are good at all CET properties. Earn them in AC, spend them in Tunica, New Orleans, Las Vegas, Windsor, etc. And vice versa, obviously.

Poker players still get the same comps - that hasn't changed. Diamond cards are still easy to obtain (especially in comparison to Borgata Black Cards). We're still getting lots of comp multiplier offers, bonus comps, free stuff (deep fryer last week), etc. Still getting lots of free room nights (although of course less during the summer than winter).

And the action, just like anywhere else, can be good or bad at any given table. I've seen tight, no action, tables in every room I've ever played in. And, except for a couple of real tiny poker rooms in Vegas, loose, action filled, tables in every room. All depends on who's at the table.

Want real action in a fun game? Go to Harrah's and play the pink chip games. No dissappointment there - those chips pile up nicely (ok, it's a messy pile but you know what I mean) hand after hand.

Lee

Casinos in general seem to be 'plugging the loopholes' where poker players are getting the same perks as high ranking casino players. At Foxwoods, many poker regs obtained a Platinum card because they play so much (Foxwoods Platinum is similar to Caesars Diamond). The casino put a stop to that. Instead of basing them off your total play over 6 months or the color of your card, they made most perks based on your average play (ADT, if you will), which of course is **** for poker players. This solved the problem in the casino's eyes.

Bad news.

Sounds like Ballys (players) will lose the most since their $1-$3 NL game pd 48 tcs/hr.

So I assume Harrah's 4-8 mini-blind limit game going to count the same as 1/2 and 1/3?

Yea, def no reason to play at Bally's now if 1/2 is going to count the same as 1/3.

When did this change take place? I played about 9 hours on Friday at Harrah's, and my comps/tier still have not been updated on the website. I know this usually takes about 2 days, but it never took this long before.

this development is not at all surprising...but disappointing to say the least

from the math, it looks like it will take me 3 more weeks to make diamond next year

I just called Bally's AC and the person on the phone said the tier credits are the same I don't know if she misunderstood if I was asking about reward credits or just did not know. Can anyone confirm these new changes? This is definitely so no poker player gets seven star unless they play really high limits if those games even run.

It also really hurt those of us who play 1/1 or 1/2 that grind for diamond. It will take around 190 more hours a year (550 vs 366) to get diamond in 1/1 or 1/2 nl.

With these new changes, it might be time to look into other casino club cards and see if its worth it to switch. I will be doing some research into the other casinos and seeing if it may be worth it. Any poker players who have experience with the Trop, Taj or Borgata let us know how the rewards compare now.

Thanks so much for the info Lee. I agree that it is completely unfair to do this midyear. In your opinion, is there any way that whoever made this decision might reverse it? Is there anything we can do? Make phone calls, emails, letters, whatever? I'm sure there are a lot of people who would get on board and help. I'm certainly willing to do anything that I can - I just need to know what I can do.

You are correct.

Yes to your first question, no to your second. The 1/3 game plays bigger and, usually, with more action than the 1/2 games. Looking at my stats from last year, I made more per hour playing 1/3 than 1/2. But in neither case as much as I did playing 2/5.

Harrah's is having a glitch of some sort. So far as I know, nobody's accounts have been updated for the past few days. I don't know the details, but I do hope that they fix it soon!

At 40 tier credits per hour (for the 2/5 and 7.50/15 Pink Chip game) it will take 275 hours of play to make Diamond status. 550 hours of 1/2 or 1/3 play. Compare that to needing 500 hours of 2/5 play at Borgata for a Black card - which can also be gotten by showing your Caesar's/Harrah's Diamond card. And, the Diamond card is good at all CET properties in the country, plus Windsor in Canada. The Borgata, Tropicana, and Taj cards are only good at those properties.

So far as I know, there is nothing we can do about this. However, it can't hurt to contact the people in charge and let them know how you feel!

Lee

The sad thing about this is that Harrah's was on the cusp of establishing themselves as the clear #2 room in AC. The pink chip OE game was going almost daily, and it seemed like they were finally getting a semi-regular 5-10 NL game, with occasional games even bigger. But the key to this is the room actually looking busy to attract players, and if they lose half of their grinders because they can't get diamond cards anymore, they are going to lose the destination games as well.

I have a difficult time believing there were 100 player on track to get 7 Star cards....they only way to do this is play 2/5 NL as a full-time job, and on most weekdays, there are only about two 2/5 games going among all the Harrah's properties combined. But giving 96 tier credits per hour to play 1/3 NL during Bally's promotions was pretty silly (and 120/hour as 2/5 only slightly less so). Without all the people who were angling that promotion, they might not have ever felt the need to reduce comps across the board.

I dont know the situation, but i was 7star and am now diamond at CET, but what does that mean? Is that like someone who just keeps presses the spin button playing video games? Cheap but effective and within the rules? How were people angling the promotion?

They've specifically identified a "problem" in their eyes and are taking steps to "correct" it. I doubt complaining about it would have any effect in this case.

People would play one orbit, then get up from the table for an hour, play another orbit, get up for another hour, etc, until they had their 1000 tier credits for the day. It seems like there was one at every table on double tier points days.

I heard one guy talking about his plan to hire a homeless guy to sit in the game for him and fold every hand, because the promotions he got off getting 1000 tier credits/day were worth whatever he estimated the cost would be (I don't think he actually ever did this).

Somewhat less problematic but still poor etiquette, people would get up from the table en masse at exactly 8pm or whenever the promotion ended, often breaking the 2/5 game.

If you were taking up space in the game because you wanted to accumulate a bunch of tier credits and not because you actually wanted to play poker, I would say that was angling.

ahh, makes sense now. obviously i didn't get my 7 star card from poker so didn't realize it was so open to things like this. yeah, that does stink -- and sucks they take away a chance for a true grinder to get to the highest tier level.

that's pretty crazy that it was that high. do the LV CET props have similar promos in the poker room?

I wanna be upset about this, but then I realized that I really don't understand the system, especially as it relates to poker, anyway and the Harrah's website does a pretty poor job of explaining it.

terrible. mid year bull **** CET is out of line.

I'd love to contact the people in charge to let them know how I feel, as I'm sure others would. Who should I contact, and how can I reach him? If a lot of people make phone calls MAYBE something will happen, even if that "something" means this change gets postponed to the beginning of next year, or some other compromise.

I'ld suggest starting with the poker room manager at Harrah's (who's going to kill me for saying this....). I can't name him here, but if you ask they will tell you.

Maybe he can suggest someone else. I didn't think to ask him that.

Lee

I was in AC today (5/25/11) and I still got 30 tier/hour. If they plan to change it maybe they have not yet or maybe they never will. I hope it does not change. The way I figured it was after they clocked me out at the poker room I asked how many hours I had and I waited 30 minutes. I put my card in a slot machine to instantly see how many tier credits I gained. I can confirm it is still 30 tier/hr.

Wait until the Golden Nugget facelift (including renovated poker room) is completed later this winter, and even more so when the Revel opens up next Spring. CET casinos and even Borgata will have to offer more incentives, perks, comps etc. to keep their players around. I don't know to what extent they will try to give more, if at all, to poker players though. Even though it seems -EV, a little slot play can sometimes get you a lot of valuable comps that equal many times more than what you may lose playing them.

Good to know. Which casino was this?

Thanks.

Lee