I am not a huge player and the reason I can get some comps is because of my relationship with my hosts. I have taken them golfing have tried to give them tickets to shows or fights. I usually send them a nice bottle of wine at Christmas.
It has always been my experience that people don't play the necessary time. If you buy in for a dime and lose it in 15 minutes- that is not of benefit to you. They may show you a loser of 1,000 maybe- but that is not what they are after.