How to be a High Roller

So you want to be a high roller?

Ah the life of the high roller – playing big, winning bigger, and enjoying huge perks and bonuses with every bet you place. Is there really any other way to play?

Sure, being a high roller can be all about private jets and limo rides and five star hotel rooms, but what’s it really like behind all that glitz and glamour – and, more importantly, how do you reach high roller status in the first place? Let’s take a look.

What exactly is a high roller?
Depending on which casino you’re at, a high roller can mean different things, but in general the term refers to someone who places big bets – usually around $100 or more at a time at tables or $25 on each spin of a slot. Don’t make the mistake of thinking you can just waltz in, place a few $100 bets and automatically reach high roller status however. It’s not just about how much you bet, but how often you place those bets as well.

Casinos want to know that when they’re investing in a particular player, it’s an investment that’ll pay off – so unless you can afford to make high stakes bets consistently, and for a significant period of time, high roller status isn’t something you’ll reach until your financial position changes. Not only that, there’s a hierarchy within the high roller world itself as well. Sure you might get some perks from consistently betting $100 on a hand of Blackjack. But think about what the person who bets $1,000 is getting – definitely way more incentives, and way more attention from the casino.

This is the difference between the high roller and the whale – a high roller is someone who’ll typically spend up to $1 million in a long weekend casino visit, while a whale is someone who’ll play with up to $20 million over the same period. The more you bet, the more valuable you are to the casino, and the more rewards you’ll earn in return. It’s an expensive business for sure, but if you can afford it, it’s one that’s worth it and then some.

How do you become a high roller?
We’ve already mentioned one of the ways you can go from ordinary player to high roller – by betting big, and doing it often. Of course, you’ll need to consider that what counts as big at your local casino may not be so big when you get to some of the premier casinos, like those on the Vegas strip. If you’re looking to be a high roller in Sin City, you’ll need to be looking at bets of at least 5 or 10 times that, so take that into account before you start raiding your savings to put together a bankroll.

However, there’s more to being a high roller than just betting big – take a look at what else casinos consider before giving you their highest accolade:

Big deposits
Casinos are always going to love people who give them money, and the more the merrier, especially where high rollers are concerned. Go into a casino, deposit anywhere from $10,000 to $100,000, and you’ll instantly be in their good books – because players who deposit big are willing to lose big, right?

That’s the thinking at casinos anyway, and it’s why if you make a sizable deposit, the casino will be more willing to extend you a line of credit, in order to cover any potential losses. They may even offer you a complimentary hotel suite too, provided the line of credit you ask for is big enough. Don’t be surprised if they do an initial background check though to ensure you can pay what you owe – gambling is business first, and fun second, and no casino is going to just blindly give you money and perks without being sure that they’ll get their money back in the end.

Smaller casinos
Remember how we said that Vegas casinos need substantial bets from you first before considering you a high roller? Well, that’s not true for all casinos. In fact, as we stated in our introduction, often smaller casinos will class $100 bets as reaching high roller status. So if you’re happy to be a big high rolling fish in a small casino pond, stay away from the bright (expensive!) lights of Vegas and splash out at your smaller local casino instead.

Lose $5,000 in Vegas and the pit boss will barely bat an eyelid. Lose $5,000 at the casino down the road, and you’ll make a name for yourself – the kind of name that gets you the high rolling perks you’re looking for. Who cares if you don’t get those big ticket Vegas perks – there’s still plenty to be said for red carpet treatment at smaller casinos, so enjoy every bit of it!

Don’t gamble
Yes, we know it sounds vaguely counter-intuitive. But in fact, if you’re at a casino and entertainment resort with a decent loyalty programme, you can become a high roller without ever having to place a single bet.

How? By enjoying everything that their loyalty programme has to offer of course! Most casinos will give you a physical rewards card when you sign up for their programme, and the more money you spend with it, the more you’ll move up their loyalty tiers and earn huge perks for yourself at the same time. Pay for your hotel room, meals, entertainment, amenities, events and more, and the casino will soon recognise you as a valued member of their programme – and if you’ve invested enough in them, you’ll find more rewards coming your way as a result. You’ll still have to spend the same amount as you would at the tables, but you’ll have a different kind of entertainment to enjoy.

Finally, if you really want to know how to become a high roller at any particular casino, a good rule of thumb is to speak to the casino host or concierge and find out exactly what it takes. As player liaisons, it’s their job to keep you happy – and once you know more about how to make a name for yourself at the casino, you’ll be developing a relationship with them anyway, so it makes sense to start sooner, rather than later. Often it’s not what you know, it’s who you know, and connecting with the casino host could be the first step on a journey that takes you right to the top!

Happy Spinning 🙂