Coupons
The simplest form of comp and the most prevalent is the “match-play” coupon. In one form or another almost every casino offers this sort of incentive for players to belly up to the blackjack tables. Match-play coupons generally come in denominations of $2 to $10 and are obtained from casino promotion booths or from their registration desks. They are often found in “fun blogs” along with all kinds of discount coupons. Match-play coupons should be considered equivalent to “free casino money.” Using them will always overcome the highest blackjack house advantages even for noncounters. Here’s how they work:
In order to use a match-play coupon, simply slide it under your bet. At a $10 minimum table you are often allowed to play a $5 coupon under one red chip in order to make up the minimum wager. If you lose the hand, the coupon is taken along with your $5 chip, but if the hand is a winner, you are paid off as if you had bet the whole amount in casino chips. Each coupon can be used only once. You may as well use coupons to bring your wagers up to the amount you would be betting anyway. In other words, if the TC warrants a $20 bet, playing a $10 coupon under two reds instead of using entirely your own chips makes perfect sense. Using the coupons in addition to your normal wagers, however, would be equivalent to overbetting.
There are two good reasons for using coupons whenever you possibly can. First, they represent free playing chips. If you are not counting cards, $50 worth of match-plays will net you $25 even if you are playing by BS alone, since you can expect to win at least half of your hands on the average. Using the coupons and playing a conservative MBS is virtually a certain way of winning money every session.
Another good reason to use match-play coupons is that they are usually associated with unknowledgeable, beginning players; therefore, you will more likely seem to present no threat to the casino whenever you use them. If you look like a novice, the pit bosses will be less inclined to view you as the danger to casino coffers that you actually are.
Remember that you are playing blackjack primarily to make money from the game, not to get a few free dinners and shows. Be careful that you don’t start focusing upon the “something-for-nothing” idea instead of playing blackjack optimally. It would obviously detract from your making any really substantial gains. But, on those days that you plan to sit at a table for a few hours at a time, you are selling yourself short if you don’t profit from some of these extra bonuses offered by the casino, regardless of how much money you win without them.
