Don’t hate the player’s card

“Excuse me, sir. Would you like a player’s card?”

If you’ve been asked this question, a few things are likely. First, you play enough to warrant attention (hope you’ve been watching your trail!), and second, the person asking you is likely a somewhat attractive woman. Of course, neither of those things will speak to the first question that’ll pop into your mind, which is, “Is it worth it?”

Your first feeling is probably that of trepidation. Someone who works for the casino is asking you for your driver’s license number, name, address, etc. So you’re in the system now. If you’re not a card counter, it’s largely irrelevant. If you are, however, it brings up an interesting dilemma. If you accept, the aforementioned transpires. If you reject, however, it’s going to draw attention to you from the pit bosses. And, although it goes without saying, but if you’re under 21, this is where you get caught if it hasn’t happened already.

But let’s say you’re over 21 and you’re not counting cards. You might just not be interested, for whatever reason. You don’t play there enough, you don’t want to deal with it… you might find if you politely refuse, it’s not the last you’ll here of it. They might come around again, they might ask again right there on the spot. In that case, you can offer another excuse – junk mail, anonymity, doesn’t matter. After two refusals, they’ll likely move on, especially if your bets are only around the $25 mark. Anything less and they probably won’t bother. Anything more and they’re watching you already.

On the other hand, if you accept and you play enough, the benefits are actually worth it. You get coupons for tournaments, comps on free meals and drinks, free nights in the hotel and more. If you’re winning, these are added benefits. And if you’re losing, the player’s card benefits are cutting into those losses. That’s the glass half-full way of looking at it. A free dinner might not sound that appetizing after dropping $200 at the table, but it’s better than hitting the fast food joint around the table. And odds are if you play enough to qualify for interest in a player’s club card, you’re familiar with bad beats anyway.

So suck it up and enjoy the steak.