The benefits email I received in December 2017.

Today I received an email from Total Rewards detailing the 2018 benefits.

We want our valuable guests to be the first to hear about the 2018 Seven Stars® benefits!1

Not so valuable anymore…

I was not planning to strive for Seven Stars in 2018, but now I may never strive for it again. While the two main benefits of Seven Stars remains, the retreat and the dining folio, the Aspirations are gone and the free play is reduced to $1 per 200 instead of $1 per 125.

Additionally, the signature events are reduced to Atlantic City or Las Vegas only. I was hoping to take another trip to Lake Tahoe, but I guess that won’t happen. I hope they will still have my renewal event there, if they didn’t eliminate that as well.

I also saw no mention of the Norwegian Cruise benefit, though it still exists on the website.

No more Diamond Aspirations in 2018

This is puzzling to me that they’d completely eliminate the Diamond Aspirations, instead of increasing the point requirements. I know many players that do just a little extra each year to reach 40,000 or 80,000. I can easily see those same players taking their play elsewhere for the whole year without that carrot to reach for.

Seven Stars Complimentary rooms gone

No mention in the email or on the website of Seven Stars Complimentary rooms. Though, in reality, it was sometimes like pulling teeth to get these rooms, with the change of language I expect it to become impossible and will in the future be based solely on a host’s discretion with the only concern being the type of on-property play or a pre-invited property promotion.

Never Seven Stars again

Even for me, the Aspirations were a major benefit for putting in play. While I had tentatively planned to skip Seven Stars for 2018 while earning it again in 2019, I may decide it is never again worth earning, especially with more options for playing poker available to me now. I may plan to spend more time outside Nevada.