“War For The Soar”

The “Lock It In” Challenge at Mohegan Sun

Today’s guest post is from NETG gambling friend Joe “Reload” Freda. Joe has supported NETimeGambling from the very beginning. He brings tried and true tips on maintaining a high level of gambling. Joe has been an avid gambling writer for the past two decades, covering casino and sports wagering.  Freda can be reached at joe_freda@yahoo.com or through Twitter (@ReloadSports).  While this post was released last year, Joe’s approach is sound. The “Lock It In” promotion just ended at Mohegan Sun. After reading this, you might want to approach your next six months differently.

Introduction

After a recent rest from visiting Connecticut’s casinos, I was hit up with a unique “Lock It In” promotion from Mohegan Sun that was worth exploring.  The offer designates a specific four-day period where your current Momentum player status tier can remain achieved without further visits needed.  In my case, it would take earning 500 points through play over the four days to lock in Soar status, which is the highest published level of Mohegan Sun’s five tiers.

The Soar status normally takes 4000 status points over six months to achieve for the next six months.  Even with scattered double or triple status promotional days, this is still quite an undertaking.  I recall only reaching it once before a few years ago. Since then I have had the second-highest level, Ascend.

The same four-day period also featured several overlapping comps. To further enhance the visit,  Mohegan Sun offered me a $500 free bet, $300 of Players Perks and a coveted Sky Suite to stay in.  While gambling is not on the minds of many as the holiday season approaches, it can be a promising time to strike with casino offers!

The challenge in obtaining 500 points over this span would be a hefty one.  I needed the right planning and bankroll management.  I only had two of the days free, so I faced  some lengthy action without going bust.

Early struggles in my “War For The Soar”

In trying to conserve for a long haul, I opted to start with some commission-free Pai Gow Poker. Commission-free Pai Gow Poker has a low variance.  Pushes happen at over a 40% rate, which make it your best chance for your money to last.  You can also set your hands at times to more conservatively play for a push instead of going for a full win.

My $500 free bet won early and provided some breathing room. But the rest of my first night was a downward spiral of losses every hour.  I even missed out on a Royal Flush progressive payout of $2900 by not ponying up the game’s $5 side bet. While that may sound disappointing, playing an extra $5 a hand through a longer trip like this would have lost back almost all of that.

I ended up lasting until 5am in that session for 188 status points. I was still down 75% of what I came to Uncasville’s mothership with.  It was back to the Sky Suite for some rest, room service and planning the strategy for the rest of the visit.

“Soar-ing” back and enjoying the ride

As the next day of action approached, I opted to tighten risk even further. I split my wager into two hands of Pai Gow.  This would allow my average bet to still be high enough in getting the points needed, but lessen the chance of sharper drops money-wise.

I knew it would take a lot of time but my luck was holding serve well out of the gate. I played two hands. Normally, it’s tougher to surge upward. playing two hands at a time. But, I managed to double my stake after the first couple of hours.  Even with more chips to work with, I remained conservative in the betting style so I could still last long.

As the clock struck 2am, I reached a good stopping mark. I had won back 70% of what was lost the night before.  I checked my status points knowing there was only a four-hour window left in the “Lock It In” period.  Thankfully, I reached a total of 495 points and just needed a few more!

I finished the night with some video poker in the “Hall Of Lost Tribes” and curled up to a “9/6 Jacks Or Better” machine.  In this mini-session worth seven status points, the gods of “quads” came through with four of a kind twice.  It felt nice to end with some extra winnings after all I had been through.

The next day, Mohegan Sun sent me a mailer. My Soar status was extended thanks to achieving 502 points.  I also enjoyed using the rest of my “Players Perks” in picking up an Under Armor hoodie from Denali. At the soon-closing Margaritaville restaurant, I also picked up a couple of hats.

I ended up losing about 10% of my bankroll over the trip. But, the overall experience and comps achieved made this a memorable one.  I felt five-star service the whole time and will be looking forward to another six months of Soar benefits. That’s the Mohegan Sun way!