There´s always alot of talk about the mythical "High Roller player" in casinos: shadowy figures who seem to move in different circlesand bet at different tables toeveryone else. But what is the exact definition of a High Stakes player or High Roller?

Well, we have been talking to a number of casinos and investigating just that. By their nature, High Rollers are often private individuals so it is hard to get much information on the subject. But we are persistent!

How much do you need to bet to be considered a high roller in Las Vegas, Macua or Monaco? The casinos classify players according to their betting levels. High Rollers are incredibly important to the casinos- they make up a large percentage of the turnover on the tables (particularly on the high roller favorites like high stakes baccarat and blackjack). Even when you consider that the absolute percentage of high rollers (in player numbers) is small, the money they spend is a very large percentage. Roughly speaking, the 80/20 rule applies here- 20% of players generate 80% of the income.

And if you are a high roller at a casino, you can expect big perks. There´s plenty of competition out there among the casinos and only a finite number of high stakes players. Expect private jet transfers, free limousines free luxury suites.

Categories of High Roller in Las Vegas, Macau, London and Monaco

Whales
Well- the name gives it away. These are the big boys and girls. These players will bet on the order of $1 million on a visit. It is estimated that there are less than 1000 of them and they may place bets of around $100k on a single hand. Their personal wealth starts at $1 billion and they can muster credit lines of around $20m and $25m. There are less of these around today than there were 2 years ago!

Premium Players
The are also important players to the casino. They will be putting down between $100k and $1 million on a visit, and staking up to $10,000 a hand. These bets will go up and down premium players, like anyone, will fluctuate their betting to match their run of luck. Or try to.

"Players"
Everyone at the casino is a "Player" of course, but it depends how you say it. You´re a "Player"  if your chip pile contains from $10k and up. You´ll be attracting attention for sure, and you´ll be seeing quite a few freebies and comps, but just don´t expect to be thrown the keys to the luxury penthouse suite and the complimentary Ferrari 458 Italia. Don´t worry though: you won´t get the Fiat- it´ll be the Alfa Romeo at least.

The definition of a high roller also varies from town to town. Play in Las Vegas, London, Macau or Monaco, and the betting limits are high. But start betting $1000 a hand in Vietnam and you will start getting alot of attention.

Online high rollers tend to spend less than this, due to the fact that it become tricky to move this kind of money around the Internet. So a high roller online would probably be betting at the same kinds of levels as a Premium Player in Las Vegas.

Famous high rollers include Fouad Al Zayat and Kerry Packer. They tend to flock to Las Vegas of course, but Monaco and London deliver the glamour and Macau is fast becomeing the place where the real money is. In Las Vegas they´ll be playing baccarat at the Bellagio, the Venetian, Mirage, the MGM Grand, Caesars Palace and the Las Vegas Hilton.