Question of the Day - 08 December 2024

These were questions posed in the comments on the late-November Question of the Day about squeezing and creasing the cards at baccarat. We certainly couldn't ignore them, so here you go.

High-roller bad behavior at casinos usually stems from the entitlement some wealthy gamblers feel due to their status and the significant amounts of money they wager. And the voracious casino is only too happy to look the other way when it has its hands deep into the deep pockets of these players, no matter how obnoxious or plain noxious they get.

The most prevalent behavior that the casino countenances and to us, the most shameful, is disrespect toward the staff. Instances of whales berating dealers, floor supervisors, credit managers, and hosts are legion and stiffing the cocktail waitresses isn't uncommon. Similarly, high rollers have been known to manipulate staff by dangling tips in front of them and withholding paying them until their unreasonable demands are met. We've heard stories of big-time players keeping servers running all over the casino to fetch peanut M&Ms from the sundries shop, a bowl of caviar to accompany top-shelf champagne, eggs Benedict from the French restaurant, and the like. One player insisted that Motörhead, one of the loudest heavy-metal bands out there, be piped at full volume through the VIP pit. 

A close second is drinking to excess, with all the attending pestiferousness. The most mild of it is creating a scene by yelling, pounding fists, and strewing chips all over the layout. Particularly loathsome is blowing cigarette or, worse, cigar smoke in everyone's faces. More than one casino has had to clean up after a VIP player urinated, inadvertently or deliberately, at the table. Interfering in the game is also a typical drunk's pastime.  

And when a smashed player is on a losing streak or even just loses one big hand, batten down the hatches. Breaking chairs, flipping over tables, and flinging drinks, their own and others', might be in the works. 

And all that's just in the casino. Plenty of high-roller suites have been trashed during wild parties. High rollers have been known to put hosts, limo drivers, and casino bosses in awkward positions by demanding escorts, prostitutes, illegal substances, and crooked games. Sexual harassment isn't unusual, especially of cocktail servers, waitresses, and housekeepers, along with other employees who cross a high-roller's path. 

Then there's the bad financial behavior, in which VIPs make it difficult for the casino to collect on unpaid markers. This is, finally, where the joints draw the line. In the heat of the moment, much if not all of the above can and will be endured for the sake of the bottom line and shareholder value. But start messing with the money and even the biggest whales will face consequences. Whale Hunt in the Desert has a few choice stories of high rollers being arrested and sued for unpaid debts and Joe's Dash has an entire chapter on the lengths to which the casinos have to go to collect from international whales.

Of course, most high rollers are well behaved and George. But at the place where the rich, the adrenaline of big money at the table games, alcohol and drugs, and service intersect, you'll see the worst impulses of the highly indulged class.