Two publications worth checking out

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As a casino value-seeker both by inclination and bankroll, I look forward each year to the Las Vegas Advisor’s member rewards booklet and to the new edition of the American Casino Guide.

Both are on my desk now, and I look forward to plotting out how best to use the coupons they contain.

The Advisor, a monthly guide to all things Las Vegas, was my inspiration for starting to write about casinos. Wouldn’t it be cool, I thought, if I could bring the kinds of tips it gives Las Vegas players to the Chicago market. The publication still remains a favorite, well worth the $37 it costs for an online membership or $50 to get a copy in the mail each month.

The member rewards booklet puts it over the top. Even a once-a-year Vegas visitor should be able to more than make up the subscription price with this collection of 129 coupons for dining, shows, rooms and gambling. One that intrigues me this year is for Fitzgerald’s, where you can get $5 in free play for every 50 points earned in a 24-hour period, up to a $100 reward. Visit lasvegasadvisor.com.

The American Casino Guide is a solid resource for players. It lists every casino in the United States, along with their amenities, websites and phone numbers. It also has a number of articles on games and strategies.

In the back are coupons from many gaming markets. In the Chicago area, Harrah’s Joliet checks in with a buy-one-entree, get-one-free offer at Mosaic or the Reserve Steakhouse, while Majestic Star in Gary has a buy one, get one offer at the Passports buffet and a free coffee at Jackpot Java.

The guide is on special for $11.75 at americancasinoguide.com.

FAREWELL, JOHN BUSAM: For the last 16 years, I’ve written regularly for Midwest Gaming and Travel magazine and spoke four or five times a month to its publisher, John Busam. He’d always preface a story request by saying he wanted, “The usual … you know, award-winning, orginal, never-been-done before.”

John died unexpectedly, of pneumonia, on Jan. 16. He was 64. My sincere condolences to his family. I feel the loss, too.

John Grochowski is a local free-lance writer. Look for him on Facebook (http://tinyurl.com/7lzdt44); Twitter (@GrochowskiJ) and at casinoanswerman.com.