This is an extremely broad and deep topic, one about which an entire book could easily be written.
Fortunately, an entire book has been written about it (though it wasn't easy). Whale Hunt in the Desert -- Secrets of a Vegas Superhost is in fact the only book ever written about casino hosts and their world: who they are, what they do, how and why they do it, how they get paid, what kind of obstacles they face in plying their trade, all the perks and benefits that come with being the keepr of the keys to the casino candy store, and all the tricks, both clean and dirty, they use to harpoon the casino Mobys, the whales. Simply put, Whale Hunt is a behind-closed-doors tour of the high-roller scene, from both the casino's perspective (as seen through the eyes of the hosts) and the gambler's.
The book's main source is a superhost, Steve Cyr, the only high-level casino marketing executive to bare his soul for the sole purpose of answering your question, which has been asked and wondered about by thousands of other casino gamblers and patrons.
Cyr spans two generation of casino hosts. The sharp-dressed, smooth-taking, street-savvy, old-school marketing executives all rose through the ranks of operations (dealer, floorman, pit boss, shift boss, casino manager). But then Steve showed up, a brash 22-year-old telemarketer with a degree in hotel management from UNLV and a burning desire to live the life of a player-development representative for the big casinos. Thus, his story embodies both the old school and the new, mirroring the evolution of Las Vegas itself, from the bygone days when Cyr first arrived, when a high roller laid down maximum bets of $250, to the New Vegas, when whales from around the world wager up to $250,000 a pop, hand after hand, hour after hour, day after day. Most hosts today come from the Steve Cyr School of Casino Marketing, which is described in detail in all its glamorous, debauched, and morally ambiguous glory in the book.
The last few copies of the first hardback edition of Whale Hunt are available for the low low remainder price of $5 plus shipping; click here.
The updated version of the book, which will be released in print toward the end of the year, is now available as an e-book, which you can order for a total price of $6.78, then receive it instantaneously on your computer. To order the e-book, click here.
And to find out more about Huntington Press titles available at 60% off the cover price as e-books, click here.
