LAS VEGAS -- "How do I get comps in Vegas?"

That's still the No. 1 question I get from readers, so I thought I'd take a space in this week's column to cover comps and players' clubs again.

First, a definition. A "comp" is something that the hotel or casino gives you for free, whether that be a meal, a show, a room, or whatever. Comp = complimentary.

Comps used to be handed out fairly liberally, as the hotels used to give away things in an effort to lure people into the casinos and keep them there once they arrived. This was the same era when hotel rates were so low it was almost ridiculous, when $20 rooms on a Saturday night on the Strip were not impossible.

But those days, for the most part, are gone. As Vegas has grown and become more corporate and structured, so to has the concept of comps, with most hotels only giving them out when you reach predetermined levels of play in their casinos. That's where the players' clubs come in.

Before we go any further, though, let me give you the harsh reality on getting comps in Vegas: They are perks, rewards, and bonuses for gambling away much more money than you would have spent if you just went and bought the show ticket, paid for the meal, or rented the hotel room yourself. You should never gamble in order to get comps. Instead, if you gamble, you should take advantage of the system and get those bonuses whenever you can.

So your first stop at any casino should not be that shiny slot machine or the hypnotically alluring roulette wheel, but the players' club desk. Every casino has one, and if it isn't immediately obvious where it is, all you have to do is ask any employee and they'll be happy to point you in the right direction.

Once there, all you have to do is sign up. You can do this with a valid driver's license or a passport, and the most you'll have to do is fill out a simple form, although many don't even ask you to do that. True, you'll have to give away some of your personal information like address and e-mail, but I guarantee you it'll be worth the junk mail you'll get. That's where you're going to find some remarkable bargains, believe it or not.

After you've signed up, they will give you a little plastic card with a magnetic strip on it, like a credit card. You can insert that card into a special reader at any slot machine or video poker machine, or give it to the dealer at any table game. The machine or the pit supervisors will monitor how much you're playing and betting and will reward you with points on your account.

The more points you accumulate, the greater the rewards, but be realistic about it. You're not going to get a free Saturday night room at the Venetian for gambling for 20 minutes on a nickel slot machine. It just doesn't work like that.

Most of the slot machines have readers that will tell you how many points you have accumulated and will often notify you when you have reached reward levels. If you aren't sure where you are at, stop back by the players' club desk and ask them to tell you how any points you have and how close you are to a reward.

I know a lot of you out there are thinking that you don't need to go this route. That you can just walk into any casino, sit down at the nearest blackjack table and within an hour or so you'll have the pit boss throwing free show tickets in your lap. And you may be right. But anything less than $25 per hand on blackjack, for instance, won't get a second glance at most casinos on the Strip. And if you can afford $25 per hand, why are you worrying about comps?

But with your players' club card, even $5 tables will allow you to get points and get noticed.

And the bonus offers you get through those junk mailings can be surprising. I'm a moderate gambler at best, usually sticking to the $1 slots and $10 blackjack tables, and I get free or heavily discounted room offers all the time from the various clubs I'm a member of. And these offers often come with discounts on restaurants, shows, spas, or even free gambling tokens.

So, again -- don't gamble just to get comps, but if you're going to gamble anyway, why not use the system?

The following is a list of the major players' clubs for the casinos around the city:

MGM Mirage players' club -- Eventually all of the hotels in the MGM Mirage chain will be covered under this one umbrella players club. That will include the MGM Grand, Mirage, Bellagio, Treasure Island, Golden Nugget, and New York-New York, plus casinos in Detroit, Atlantic City, and Biloxi.

Mandalay Resorts Group One Club -- In addition to all of the Las Vegas properties -- Mandalay Bay, Luxor, Excalibur, Circus Circus, Monte Carlo, and Slots-a-Fun -- the One Club also works at this company's hotels in Laughlin, Nev.; Tunica, Miss.; and Reno, Nev.

Park Place Connection -- Covers Caesars Palace, The Flamingo, Bally's, Paris, and the Las Vegas Hilton, with points you earn at one hotel redeemable at any of the others in the chain.

Station Casinos Boarding Pass -- This club is one of the most generous in town, although locals get a lot more perks than tourists. It can be used at Green Valley Ranch, Palace Station, Boulder Station, Santa Fe Station, Texas Station, and Sunset Station. Plus, points on this card can be redeemed at the two Fiesta properties.

Harrah's Total Rewards -- Harrah's and the Rio are the only two hotels in Las Vegas that are covered by the Total Rewards program, but Harrah's has more than 20 casinos across the country, and all of them are covered by this players club.

Ultimate Rewards Club -- This is a relatively new club that covers the Stratosphere and Arizona Charlie's East and West.

All of the other major hotels on The Strip -- Tropicana, Aladdin, Imperial Palace, Venetian, Riviera, Sahara, and the Frontier all have their own individual players' clubs.

This Week's Trivia

Q: How tall, in feet, is the Stratosphere Tower? ANSWER

The Weekly Trivia Question is sponsored by the Online Memorabilia Museum at Vegas4Visitors.com

The Full Story

Even Losers Can Win At Stations Casinos
Web Sites Offer Hints About New Vegas Attractions
Use Players' Clubs To Get Bonuses
Other News: Mirage Revamping Look
Vegas Q&A: Did Rick Really Win Big On TV?
Vegas Q&A: What's Getting Torn Down Next?

In Next Week's Column

Next week: The latest from Las Vegas.

Plus, don't forget to send me your questions about Las Vegas. I've got room for more, so send them in today!

Click here to go to the main page of Vegas4Visitors.com and see all of the fantastic resources Vegas4Visitors has to offer you when planning your next trip to Las Vegas.