Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations, Second Edition [Paperback]

Max Rubin (Author)

Book Description

Series: Comp City | Publication Date: October 1, 2001

Win every time you gamble? Is that possible? It is if you play for comps. Every year, U.S. casinos give away more than a billion dollars worth of amenities to customers in return for their gambling action. These give-aways, known as comps (short for complimentaries), range from parking and free drinks to gourmet meals and airfare. Are you getting your share? From nickel slot players to $500 a hand blackjack high rollers, Comp City has shown tens of thousands of gamblers how to get free casino vacations.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Comp City is a practical, logical, factual -- and hysterical -- guide to bluffing your way into all-expenses-paid hedonism. --New Orleans Times Picayune

Rubin is a comp wizard with an insider's knowledge of the casino industry, and he plays angles that have never even dawned on the rest of us. --John Grochowski, Chicago Sun Times

Amateur gamblers have had the edge on casinos for a long time. They just never knew it until Max Rubin came along. --Jack Binion, Legendary Casino Operator

About the Author

Since the first publication of Comp City, author Max Rubin has been teaching gamblers how to exploit the casino comp system for fun and profit. A former casino executive (and current comp hustler), Rubin has been featured on CBS' 48 Hours, the Travel Channel's 'The Pro's Guide to Vegas,' and Discover Channel's 'Casino Diaries.' Rubin currently hosts The Ultimate Blackjack Tour on CBS.

Product Details

• Paperback: 382 pages
• Publisher: Huntington Press; 2nd edition (October 1, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0929712366
• ISBN-13: 978-0929712369
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #821,781 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #47 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Nevada

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Amusing, but..., January 23, 2002

By 

D. Gere "DG" (MASS) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations, Second Edition (Paperback)

Rubin is an amusing fellow, obviously a debaucher, degenerate, and reprobate. This I admire, along with his writing style and ability to spin an ancedote. What I can't grasp is the cheapskate mentality that would have folks do almost anything for a comp. I go to Vegas to gamble and to win money. I can readily afford the cheap airfares, rooms, and food or I wouldn't go. I can't imagine making large bets into a negative deck just because the floorman is watching and I want to fool him into inflating my rating. Intentionally spill a drink on the table to stop the game for a few minutes so you play fewer hands than reported? Gimme a break. Ninety percent of average players would be far better off learning to gamble intelligently than worrying about sqeezing a few extra comp dollars. Still, some of the stories are laugh out loud funny and worth the price of the book.

52 of 64 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars He is really pushing the definition of "comps"!!, February 1, 2002

By 

LB (Manchester, MO USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book was really a disappointment! We go to Las Vegas frequently and do take advantage of many legitimate comps offered by the casinos. I had hoped this book could give me some further insight into the intricacies of the comp system. Unfortunately, Max Rubin has written a book about squeezing the system dry.

Some of his topics include "Feeding 4 with a comp for only 2" - this sections includes bribing the waitress with $5 and ask her if it is ok for your guests to "taste" your food. He says to
make sure you order plenty of appetizers so you will have empty plates for your guests' portions of the food.

He says that if you are being comped for Room, Food and Beverages, never leave the hotel without taking home at least a couple of extra bottles of booze or champagne. This is not taking advantage of comps, this is stealing.

He also says that if you are offered free tickets to a fight, don't worry if you are not a fan of boxing. He says to take the freebies and resell them and then he says "you're on your way".

A really poor book. Not at all what I expected.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Little Helpful And Funny, July 18, 2003

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Comp City: A Guide to Free Casino Vacations, Second Edition (Paperback)

This book is a good read for any gambler with limited knowledge of casino operations and marketing. Many of the reviewers pan the book for some of his comp hustling ways, but he explains that not all things in the book are for everyone. Max also states that it is for people that would have gambled anyway and were getting nothing or very little. I think this book benefits gamblers that are currently not comped and don't know how to get comps. Max is a bit overboard in his ways, but it is a good primer for people that don't know how casino comps work. Most people play and get nothing because they don't know they can get something. I have friends that I gambled with many years ago, but they don't go very often anymore. These friends are in significantly higher income brackets now and still don't get (or ask for) comps for their higher action during the few trips they make to casinos. This book would be very helpful to them.

The one knock against the book is when Max writes if a game becomes a "magilla," to leave because too many eyes will be on the game. If black chips are flying at a table, I think most people would stop comp hustling and get in on the winning!