Junkets
“Junkets” are a type of casino comp that is less common these days but is still worth considering, especially if you plan to take a blackjack-playing holiday somewhere anyway. Junkets consist of groups of people who all agree to risk at least a minimum specified daily amount of money at a particular casino. Their return airfare and accommodation at this casino are provided “free of charge” by the casino management at the end of the excursion. The justification of such a good comp lies in the fact that most unskilled players lose far more than the comps actually cost the casino.
Every junket is different. Some require substantial deposits, which are nonrefundable if a player fails to meet all of the terms of the junket contract. Others have such high daily playing minimums that you would have virtually no available time outside the specified casino, especially if you were to play stricdy within your means using proper money management. (Naturally, the casinos want you to wager more than 2% of your bankroll on each hand, because you will more likely achieve “gambler’s ruin” that way i.e., lose your whole bankroll, and then some.)
Being a good blackjack player, however, you can expect to rarely lose money on a junket. Even without counting, you often break even (or slighdy better) by simply following correct BS and careful money management techniques. The main drawback is that you are restricted to playing in only one casino, and therefore subject to possibly undesirable playing conditions, e.g., crowded tables or table minimums as high as $25 a hand. Junkets to casinos that have poor rules variations can end up costing even skilled counters more than the comp is worth. Be sure to check out all such relevant factors before automatically signing up to go on the next junket you hear about. (For more about a typical junket, see chapter 15 of Adrian Waller’s The Gamblers.)
