ZorkFest is a two-track conference that connects travel rewards and casino rewards. While different, they’re not far apart, and tips from one can often benefit the other.
Many of you know I come from the casino world. Rewards from my gambling hobby became important to me when I saw my friend, who only played video poker, earning better rewards than I did while spending less than I did at the tables on each visit to Atlantic City.
I dove headfirst into maximizing my gambling spend and eventually learned that the same budget could get me much more: great suites, endless food and drinks, and upgraded experiences during my visits.
Fast forward many years, and I wanted to apply that same approach to other parts of my life. I’m not nearly as obsessed with points, miles, and other rewards as many of you, but at the very first ZorkFest, I learned simple tricks I could use every day.
We all have different priorities for earning rewards, but here’s one example from this morning. Before sitting down to write, I started a grocery order at a store that offers 5x points for gas rewards on Friday pickup orders. On top of that, I paid with a credit card that gives me 3x cashback for groceries. I’ll save on gas and get cashback from this normal weekly order. I never would have done something like this before ZorkFest.
There’s so much more to learn, but these kinds of “hacks” (I prefer to call them adjustments) that take minimal effort are what I find most valuable. I know I could optimize further, but I’m using a no-fee card from the same company and ordering from a closer store instead of driving a mile away. Easy peasy.
ZorkFest remains a place where I can stretch my budget both inside and outside of the casino. I’ve already learned a lot and look forward to picking up more.
You can see the list of speakers and some of their bios on this page. I’ll highlight some of them that speak most to what matters in my home life, work life, and hobby life.
Before I do that, I just want to shout out the attendees once again. The TravelZork community is made up of like-minded people who want to learn and are willing to share their personal experiences.
The combination is what makes ZorkFest a great conference.
ZorkFest Gaming Speakers
I’ve lived by the motto eat, drink, and gamble for years because those are the things I enjoy most in a casino. Mixing the fun side of gambling with maximizing rewards has proven to be the right path for me.
ZorkFest highlights both of these worlds. I don’t use everything the presenters share, but knowing it all helps me make smarter choices.
Take Anthony Curtis, for example. He’s one of the smartest Las Vegas casino observers I know. He’s also one of the nicest people you’ll ever meet. His Las Vegas Advisor is an incredible resource for information and deals.
Not everything he covers applies to my day-to-day casino life, but it informs me about what’s available. I use that knowledge as a baseline for what to look for when I’m out at casinos and bars in Las Vegas.
Similarly, John and Kristina Mehaffy are an intelligent and incredibly kind team. They do outstanding work uncovering the best odds and prices around town. Their information is unmatched, and their Patreon is well worth it if you’re looking for insider guidance.
I use their research to decide where I might want to gamble to stretch my budget. Of course, some of the best odds and prices are at places I’ll probably never visit. Like Anthony, they give me a baseline of what to look for when I walk into a casino.
Then there’s Justin Vacula, host of the Hurdy Gurdy Travel Podcast and Hurdy Gurdy Travel YouTube channel. Since he started contributing to TravelZork, you may have seen me refer to him as “Hurdy Gurdy Justin” for short.
Unlike Anthony and the Mehaffys, Justin doesn’t live in Vegas. He comes from a different world that includes online gambling and travel. He knows far more than I ever will about squeezing the most out of both in-person and online casino rewards. I’ve learned more about rewards that can be used in Las Vegas and elsewhere in the country from him than he’ll ever realize.
Finally, Viva VegasDuffy! Josh Duffy ends his speaker bio with a truth I live by: Vegas and gambling should be fun for everyone.
PREACH! That enthusiasm, combined with the wisdom of these and the other panelists, is probably the best way to “do” Vegas.
ZorkFest Travel and Rewards Speakers
This side of ZorkFest is a little foreign to me. I live in Las Vegas and, honestly, I hate to travel.
That said, I look to these presenters purely as educators since I only dabble in this world.
Personally, I’m stoked to see so many new panelists added to the roster of smart people I’ve been following since the early days of ZorkFest.
Gary Leff and his View From The Wing blog are both fun and educational. He mixes practical Vegas content with outlandish travel stories, giving readers a broad look at what’s happening in the travel world.
I’ve also been following Edward Pizzarello and Dave Grossman for years and have learned a lot from them about maximizing rewards outside of casinos. I’m guessing most of you have, too.
Thanks to their insights, I now understand the practical ins and outs of how to get the most from non-casino rewards that actually apply to my life outside of casinos.
Unlike gambling and casino rewards, this isn’t where I spend most of my time. I’m going to be traveling more than I like in the next few years, and I’m hoping to learn how to maximize my impending cross-country travel from the rest of the speakers.
Marc grew up on the mean streets of the South Bronx. He's the rare combination of Yankees and Jets fan which explains his often contrarian point of view. He learned about gambling at a young age working down the street from a bookie who took action on anything from the mainstream sports to the last three digits of the purse for certain horse races. Yeah, that's a thing. Today Marc is a freelance writer and social media consultant which allows him to work anywhere there's a wifi signal. This allows him to work from the sportsbook at Red Rock Resort or the food court at The Venetian where you’ll find fast and free wifi. Writing about steak, booze, gambling and Las Vegas is a tough job but somebody has to do it.