In other words do you gamble/play big and are you rated when you play? When you play alot and big ,you get rated by the casino on your play. That determines what kind of comps or freebies you get. Are you a whale???...Probably not.
So just pay for the upgrade. You may get lucky that a room may be available and you can get a discount.. But then that would depend on what night you're looking for.
No need to tip or bribe......just ask when you check in.
There's no free lunch,hombre....

I put in the subject "upgrades" and low and behold check the link to see what I found

In the past it worked for me

Thanks all for the inputs.  I am not a big gambler at all.  I definitely wouldn't rely on my gaming to get an upgrade!  I was familiar with the $20 trick but wasn't sure if it was still used since the last article I read on it was from 2012. I guess it won't hurt to try.  My bigger question was that since I'm kinda at the high end of the non "baller" suites, would it be possible to get upgraded into one of those top end suites/penthouses (G suite, NBA suite, Kingpin suite, erotic suite, 1 or 2 story villas, etc.).  Again, I appreciate the input...especially personal experiences.

Hobby hard, hobby safe!

Have tried it a few times at higher end hotels and it does not work.  What they have been doing is to try and sell you the suite upgrade for about $30 - $40 per night, and they offer that to most customers, so eventually someone is going to bite. The upgraded rooms need to be assigned out with additional revenue, so few check in agents have the ability to give upgrades for free anymore without manager over-ride.

I have also heard of accounts where the $20 tip is accepted, and then the upgrade ends up being to a room with a strip view instead of a city view which is a waste of the $20, because in many hotels the strip view is considered a free upgrade.