Players like Telly Savalas are too smart to pay full price

In the context of casinos, comps are complimentary items given out by casinos to encourage players to gamble. Most casinos have hosts who are responsible for giving out free items and contacting players to bring them back to the casino. Most casinos now require a player to have a player’s club or similar card, so that their play can be tracked and comps awarded.

In the 1980s and early 1990s, [Telly] Savalas appeared in commercials for the Players’ Club Gold Card. These commercials were parodied by Phil Hartman on Saturday Night Live as “The Player With Yourself Club”. The line from the parody was “If you’re a player, you need to be where the action is, and when there’s no action you have to create it yourself. That’s why I’m telling you about the Player With Yourself Club.” Savalas’ commercials also inspired a skit on In Living Color, where Jim Carrey played Savalas, who wields a literal “player’s club” and knocks successful gamblers unconscious, taking their winnings, though tossing them a chip or two out of generosity.