Over the years I've come to love the comment "I'll take care of it," especially when it comes from a casino host. On a recent trip to Las Vegas the results of "I'll take care of it" were not what was expected! So what do you do when things don't turn out as expected.

About a month before our last trip to Las Vegas I called our casino host and checked on the availability of a four-night stay. "No problem on three nights, I can take care of that for you, but not the fourth" he said. I told him that three nights would be fine as I could find a room for the fourth night.

Now when a casino host tells me that they will take care of three nights, I expected to get comped for the three nights. I should have paid more attention and made sure that we were going to get the three nights comped. This was a new casino that we had only used a couple of times. The host was also new for us and had only helped us out on one other visit. However, his service on that first trip had been great.

I read somewhere that when things go smoothly for you that you don't learn anything new. It's only when life gets a little rough that you learn new things. If that's the case, this trip turned out to be an exceptional learning experience! You get the benefits of what I learned.

We arrived late on Saturday night and as usual I had brought along a little gift for our host. In my little manual Casino Comp Basics - A Manual for the $10 and Up Bettor, I cover the importance of taking care of your casino host, pit bosses, and dealers. As we were checking in, I saw our host and stopped by to say hello, thanked him for taking care of us, and give him our gift.

Later that same evening he stopped by, thanked me for the gift and reiterated, "Let me know if you need anything and I'll take care of it for you." My wife wonders if it was like the much over used statement "Let's do lunch sometime" that is often used without ever intending to "do lunch."

On Sunday afternoon I was checking the cost of some long distant phone calls and to my surprise, I noticed we were being charged the casino rate for the room! I was a bit upset but knew I could probably talk to our host that evening and get things straightened out.

You can imagine my surprise when I found out that evening that our host was off until Tuesday evening! By then we would be gone! How was I to let him know if we "needed anything?" Now I was upset!

Sunday night and Monday I talked with more than five other casino representatives, from pit personnel to host staff. No one was able, or willing, to solve this situation we found ourselves in. As a "low roller" you will occasionally run into this. You need to learn to persist!

On Tuesday morning I was at a blackjack table that was just opening up. The dealer reached over and patted my arm and said, "I want to thank you for yesterday. Before you stopped by my table, no one was betting for me. You got things started and when I went on break I had more than $100 in tips. It was all because of you!" And then he asked, "How are things going?"

Needless to say, I let him know. He was furious! He called the pit boss over and asked him if he could help me out. Within five minutes the situation was solved! I couldn't believe it! I had been trying for a day and a half and all of a sudden someone steps up and takes care of it! Do tips make a difference? Does cultivating some friends between dealers and pit personnel make a difference? You bet they do!

So what lessons can we learn from this? First, and most important, find out from your host who to call if they're going to be off during part of your stay. Don't be left to deal with someone you've never met, that doesn't know you from the next guy, and could care even less.

Second, make sure when a host says "I'll take care of it," that they really mean it in the "complete" sense. Also, when they say "let me know if you need anything," what that really means. Don't take anything for granted.

And, finally, cultivate other contacts within the casino, namely with the dealers and the pit personnel. Show your appreciation to those that go out of their way to make your stay enjoyable. I once wrote a short note to a pit boss commenting on how I appreciated his friendship, and that he was setting a great example for the other pit personnel. I had simply used the hotel stationary to communicate my appreciation. He almost cried, and commented that in over 20 years, no one had ever done anything like that for him!

Your gifts and thanks must come from the heart. You should never give based on what you "expect" to get in return. Give and say thanks because the other person deserves it. I believe in the old statement that "what goes around comes around."

And remember, when you know how it's easy!

About the Author: Paul Enockson is a teacher, lecturer, author, and computer software developer. He is the author of "Casino Comp Basics - A Casino Comp Manual For The $10 and Up Bettor". For details on his manual, visit his web site at http://www.compbasics.com/compbasics/. His most recent accomplishment is his new Las Vegas web site at http://www.aGlitter.Com, a site containing a wealth of information on Las Vegas Room Deals, Casino specifics, shows, attractions, tournaments, winning tips and much more!