Biggest High Rollers In Vegas

1. Las Vegas is open for business, though, and Aria is ready for high-stakes tournaments. At the end of January, Aria welcomed a couple dozen players for the resurrection of its High Roller events. With many precautions in place and players willing to give it a go, the Las Vegas Strip casino hosted three High Rollers with $10K buy-ins.
2. High Rollers (also formerly called The New High Rollers) was a high-stakes, dice rolling-themed game show where 'every decision is a gamble, and every move can be your last.' The show was inspired by the board game Shut the Box. 1 Gameplay 1.1 1974–1976 1.1.1 More Pictures 1.2 1978–1980 1.2.1 Alex & the Girls 1.2.2 Contestants 1.2.2.1 Gene Snook 1.2.3 Rolls 1.2.4 Other Pictures 1.3 1987.
3. 28-30, the ARIA in Las Vegas played host to three $10,000 poker tournaments. Find out who took home the biggest chunks of the $770,000 in prizes.

1. High Roller Vegas
2. Biggest High Rollers In Vegas 2020

When talking about high stakes gambling, it’s important to make a distinction between the term “whale” and “high roller” since in the eyes of the casino they are two very different things. While there is no exact definition of what constitutes each category, a general assumption would be that a high roller has a gambling budget of anywhere from $100,000 up to around $1M for a typical 3 day weekend trip to the casino. When we start to get over the $1M bankroll mark, this is when the casino would probably start considering the player a whale.

Whales typically have a budget (front money or a credit line) ranging anywhere from $1M to $20M and in a weekend could easily be up or down millions.

Akio Kashiwagi, a mysterious real estate tycoon from Japan who is said to have. A high roller, also referred to as a whale or cheetah, is a gambler who consistently wagers large amounts of money. High rollers often receive lavish 'comps' from casinos to lure them onto the gambling floors, such as free private jet transfers, limousine use and use of the casinos' best suites.

They are usually betting over $25,000 per hand and enjoy the absolute cream of the crop when it comes to comps, freebies and other perks from the casino.

Looking To Play Online? Here’s Our Top Sites

Players who don’t have that kind of budget can still enjoy a great casino playing experience by playing in casinos online because they tend to treat players like a VIP as soon as they have some betting volume. We have reviewed dozens of casinos to assess their VIP treatment and our top 5 truly offer a great casino playing experience and excellent customer service to all their players. If you are not a whale yet but still want to be treated like a VIP, we recommend the following casinos:

Throughout the world, it’s estimated that there is probably less than 200 mega whales ($10M bankroll and up) so the casinos are fiercely competing for this segment of the market since it can have a huge effect on their profits each quarter. So who are the biggest whales of all time? Below we’ve compiled a comprehensive that profiles some of the most prolific and high rolling gamblers ever to grace Las Vegas:

Stories Of The Top Casino Whales Of All Time

• Adnan Khashoggi – an international arms dealer that stiffed the Ritz Casino in London, England for over £3.2M over 12 visits to the casinos in the 1980’s. The son of a the personal physician to the Saudi King, Khasoggi mainly played Baccarat during his gambling sprees and was known to spend long amounts of time playing whenever he was on trips to the casinos in London.
• Archie Karas – on his arrival in Las Vegas, Karas had only $50 in his pocket, and somehow managed to run this up to over $40M before losing it all. Although he’s an avid poker player, his love of Craps is ultimately what allowed for this massive run to take place, which occurred over a number of years across multiple casinos in Las Vegas – he still plays to this day.
• Akio Kashiwagi – perhaps the biggest gambler to grace Las Vegas during the 70’s and 80’s, Kashiwagi was a fearless Baccarat player and often wagered upwards of $100,000 to $200,000 per hand during his sessions. Akio was found murdered in his home in Japan in 1992 and it’s widely suspected that organized crime played a role in his demise.
• Charles Barkley – famous NBA star Charles Barkley is admittedly fond of gambling and estimates he’s lost close to $30M over his life time. His main game is Blackjack and the BestUsCasinos.org team has actually seen him play live at The Wynn hotel before. He usually plays on the main open floor and is very friendly allowing people to watch him play.
• Don Johnson – Mr. Johnson became famous after the media published articles on how he won almost $15M from two different casinos. It turns out that the casino weren’t very good at math and offered Don a comp plan that basically flipped the house edge in his favour. This allowed him to amass huge winnings playing blackjack and working his advantage.
• Fouad al-Zayat – Fouad is a Syrian businessman that is estimated to have lost over $42M over a 12 year gambling binge. Known as “The Fat Man” in gambling circles, Al-Zayat visited some of London’s top casinos over 600 times during the binge and was ultimately sued by one casino for bouncing a cheque for millions in gambling debt. – he says he’s stopped now.
• Kamel Nacif – Nacif is a very successful businessman from Mexico who made his fortune in the textile business. He visits Las Vegas many times per year and as with most whales plays almost exclusively Baccarat, wagering up to $200,000 per hand. He’s said to have a hair trigger temper during his sessions if his luck turns for the worse.
• Kerry Packer – An Australian business magnate, Kerry Packer was one of the most fearless gamblers of all time, constantly risking tens of millions on every session he played and he won a lot. Packer booked estimated wins of $9M from Hilton Las Vegas in 1992, and it’s also rumoured that he won upwards of $33M from MGM in one particular session at $300K per hand.
• Larry Flynt – Larry Flynt is the founder of Hustler adult magazine and has been a frequent Las Vegas visitor for decades. He’s mainly a Blackjack player and risks up to $50,000 per hand when he plays. Historically Flynt played mainly at the Las Vegas Hilton but then moved to Hard Rock and other hotels as new hosts courted his action with generous comps.
• Mo Chan – A Chinese native high roller, Mo Chan went on an infamous run in Australian casinos taking over $10M from the table playing $300K – $500K per hand in Baccarat. Apparently he had a falling out with the casino when they limited his played and he vowed never to return. He’s also an elusive gambler as we couldn’t find a picture of him for the page!
• Phil Ivey – Arguably the best poker player of all-time, Phil Ivey is the embodiment of a true gambler and is known for going on worldwide “craps tours” where he flies to 5 or more casinos in different places around the world. No one knows exactly how much he’s up or down, but he wagers over $100K+ per roll on the craps table and is known to play Baccarat up to $200K/hand.
• Ramon DeSage – Ramon was a very well known whale on the Strip and was indicted in a Fraud scheme by the US Government. It’s estimated that using the funds obtained from his frauds, he wagered and lost close to $175M in various Las Vegas casinos. He’s one of the biggest gamblers of all time to ever grace the Strip and will probably hold onto that record.
• Sultan of Brunei – known as an avid gambler both in London and Las Vegas, the Sultan of Brunei has been known to lose up to $1M per day inside casinos. His main game is Baccarat and he was known to go on long and highly secretive trips where he would spend hours on end at the tables and enjoying all of the comps provided by the casinos.
• Terrance Watanabe – Watanabe is the man who is arguably lost the most ever in the history of gamblers throughout the entire world. While the numbers have never been 100% verified, it’s estimated that he lost upwards of $220M in Las Vegas over a 5 year period. A true house player, Terrance played everything from Blackjack to Keno and slot machines at the casino.
• Zhenli Ye Gon – owner of a huge chemical company in Mexico, Zhenli has been accused of supplying the Mexican drug cartels with precursor chemicals for drug production. He’s also a huge Vegas gambler and is estimated to have lost over $100,000,000 in numerous Las Vegas casinos. When police raided his house, they found over $207M in cash in a room…must be nice.

How Casinos Attract Players

As we mentioned earlier, every casino in the world is faced with the same problem – they all have the same product! There is only so many ways to dress up a blackjack table, baccarat game or roulette wheel but in the end the majority of product offerings are very similar. Because of this, casinos must take a dynamic approach to gain a competitive advantage over the competition which includes the design of their property, its amenities, the level of customer service provided and their rewards program.

Keep in mind that both high rollers and whales are already wealthy individuals who are accustomed to the finer things in life, and will absolutely not risk their hard earned money at a property unless it delivers on each of the criteria mentioned above. The whale world is a buyers market and a finicky player can easily decide to switch properties if they are unhappy with how they are treated during their stay.

Because of this, a great deal of effort is put into making sure every detail of their requests and expectations are met each time they visit the property to build both brand loyalty and long term profits. Below are some of the expectations and incentives that are used to lure whales to different casinos:

Suites & Villas – Always free for these players, accommodations are the first step in courting the biggest players and since they usually are traveling with family and/or friends, we are talking multi-bedroom penthouse suites or villas that are thousands of square feet. These will always include a butler to attend to any needs, personal chef, private pool, massage rooms, fully stocked bars and the list goes on and on.

Casino Host – The casino host is the gatekeeper, confidant and make things happen person that works for the casino and manages the relationship with big players. Their only job is to keep players happy and deal with their requests, which could range from organizing a dinner to getting free show tickets, booking a jet, arranging private gaming tables and much more. The host is the most important player facing person in any casinos operation and a good host can easily help bring in millions of dollars in revenue each and every month.

Comps & Perks – In addition to the host, the player will also have negotiated a list of comps, perks and incentives with the casino in order for their action. This would include things such as upfront cash bonuses, discounts on losses above a certain amount, free dining credit and lots more. The range of comps provided to high rollers and whales can vary greatly depending on their play, but when you get to this level you can be sure that you will receive pretty much anything you want from the casino to keep you gambling within their property.

High rollers are gamblers that consistently wager large amounts of money. They are also known as “whales” in the casino industry. They often receive generous “comps” from casinos, to get them to play on their casino floors. Some of these comps include limousine service, the best suites, and free private jet transfers. Each casino has different extra is for high rollers. The top ten casinos for high rollers are below.

Caesar’s Casino

Caesar’s has a huge gaming floor with thousands of machines. There are also hundreds of tables, offering every casino game possible. There are even options to bet on fantasy sports. The Palace Casino hosts 16 poker tables with buy ins ranging from $100 to $150 on tournaments and up to $20,000 on blinds. The slot machines are so diverse that anyone can find a machine of their liking.

Mandalay Bay Casino

Mandalay Bay has one of the largest gambling high stakes floors in Vegas. Over 1,200 slot machines with betting capabilities up to $100 per spin make it one of the top places to play slots. There are many VIP table games with $5,000 limits. The poker room hosts high stakes Texas Hold’em games with buy ins between $30 and $2,000.

Westgate Resort and Casino

The iconic Westgate is also known as the Las Vegas Hilton and has a large variety of high-stake table games including poker, roulette, craps, blackjack, and baccarat. There is a separate High Limit Room which is only open on Friday and Saturday, where tables start at a minimum of $100. The Westgate holds a $50,000 Westgate Fest Blackjack Tournament in mid-October, and a $40,000 Fall Fun Fest Slot Tournament in November.

Palms Casino Resort

High Roller Vegas

The casino floor has all the standard slot machines and table games. Here, too, you will find slots that can bet up to $100 per spin. Or you can choose to sit in the High Limit Room, which is accessible only through an application process. The Palms has one of the best poke rooms and is well known for its ‘High Stakes Poker’ television show.

Aria Resort and Casino

The casino floor alone is well over 15,000 square feet and has one of the largest varieties of gaming possibilities in the city. The Aria has a High Limit Lounge that is open 24 hours for serious Vegas high rollers. Slot machines are numerous, and some allow a bet of $5,000 per spin. The resorts “Ivey Room” is dedicated to serious poker players that love to play high stakes poker. The poker room, with its 24 tables, has seen some of the most famous poker players in the world, like Phil Hellmuth. The Aria offers a large variety of games and tournaments and is the place where some of the world’s highest limit games take place.

Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas Resort

A 100,000 square foot gaming floor is not the only thing big about this hot spot. Slot machines with up to $500 bets per spin are in play. There is a special High Limit Slots are with some great benefits, including FastPay Technology that allows for direct payments of jackpots while the top jackpot in Tarzan slot resets to $20,000. There is also a High Limit Table Games Lounge that features baccarat, roulette, and blackjack. The Cosmopolitan’s biggest bet was on baccarat at $300,000 per hand, per shoe, and lasted for one-hour game session.

Luxor Las Vegas Hotel

Luxor’s High Limit Area is where guests are treated like royalty, from exotic cocktails to special presentations of bets. There are only a limited number of tables for the highest limits. The two most popular are blackjack and maxBaccarat. The lowest bet is $100 and the highest is $5,000. The Luxor hosts seasonal slot tournaments several times per year with a grand prize of $100,000. Slot jackpots total an estimated $16 million per year in payouts.

Bellagio Resort

The Bellagio is best known for Bobby’s Room, a special poker room that is reserved for the highest rollers in Las Vegas. Buy ins are $20,000 minimum. The pots often reach $1 million and more. Bobby’s Room’s reputation is as the highest limit poker play in the world. The Bellagio is also known for its Club Prive, another high limit lounge, that has several $300 minimum bet blackjack tables. For those that like the slot machines, a special High Limit Slots room is another perk. Certain slots offer bets up to $2,000 per spin. It is known to have the best limits for high stakes gamblers in Las Vegas.

MGM Grand

Biggest High Rollers In Vegas 2020

The MGM Grand is one of the largest casinos in Vegas, with a 171,500 square foot gaming floor. There are over 2,500 slot machines with limits of up to $1,000 dollars and 140 table games with high limits. They also have a High Limit Slots area with payouts of up to $500,000. The poker rooms have unlimited Texas Hold’em tables and offer tableside massage services for high rollers. High rollers also enjoy perks by taking advantage of a 5 tier MLife Rewards program that is by invitation only.

Wynn Resort

This is the top high roller casino in Las Vegas with approximately 200,000 square feet gaming floor. $15 tables are the lowest available, some of the higher limit tables can go up to $10,000 on Double Deck blackjack tables. Poker tables for high rollers go no lower than $250 per hand. Serious high rollers can book a suite and host private games with professional dealers to take the experience to the next level. Other high stakes gambling happens at the Wynn Sky Casino on the Encore. To play there, one needs to book a private room with a bankroll of at least $300,000. It is easy to see why the Wynn is the best casino for high roller and high-stake bets.

High rollers have more options than ever when visiting Las Vegas. Each casino has its own set of rules and perks that come with being a high stakes gambler.