Cruzino fact: In the early 1900's, some illegal casinos paid a bonus if a two-card 21 was made up of an Ace and a Jack of Clubs or Spades. This is how the game of 21 got it's common name 'Blackjack'.
A Guide to Understanding Casino Comps And How to Improve Your Chances Of Getting Your Fair Share from Cruzino.com
How to Play Before You Ask for a Comp
Now that you know how much play they're looking for to earn you the comps you want, you can better plan your strategy of how you're going to accomplish your goal. Some pointers are:
1.Play at a full table instead of an empty one. When you are at a full table, it takes the dealer 7x as long to deal a game to seven players as it does to deal only to you. This means you'll be risking 1/7th the money you'd be playing per hour if it were just you and you'll stay in the game longer. If you find that the tables are empty, politely ask the pit boss if he will record your average bet to be higher since you're getting in more hands per hour.
2.Try to find a table that does NOT have an automatic card shuffler. When the dealer has to break every once in awhile to shuffle several decks, you get to sit there and relax. You're still being tracked but you're not making any bets since the game is on hold. This is getting to be more and more difficult however as many casinos are installing shuffling machines to speed up play.
3.If you are playing at the same table as a spouse or friend(s), ask the pit boss if he would include their average bets on your ranking. Although this isn't normal, some won't mind doing so as long as the others aren't being tracked too. If they resist, let them know that you are hoping to log enough time to earn food comps for everyone.
4.If the pit boss won't do as you asked in #3, be sure your spouse or friend(s) have a card too. This way you can approach your host later, explain that you convinced the group to come to their casino with you and that you would like their action to also be taken into consideration. This gives the host another opportunity to increase your comps instead of basing their decision on only your play.
5.Again, do not "chase comps". In other words, don't ever say, "Normally I wouldn't keep playing but I really want to earn the comp for xxx!" Doing this rarely goes well, and can make your whole vacation quite depressing should you lose and suddenly realize that you were willing to risk your hard earned money for a comp you could've bought for 1/10th the price!