How Do Casinos Define What A High Roller Is?
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The phrase ‘high roller’ evokes feelings of prestige, status, and big money in casinos. However, it’s often thrown around liberally without much thought.
In short, the casual definition of a high roller is described as someone who spends a substantial amount of money betting on casino games. They make big bets regularly and are treated favorably by the casino. Comps and freebies offered on the house are associated with being a high roller.
The true definition of what constitutes a high roller to casino management is much more complex than that, though. The only way to accurately describe a high roller is to look at things objectively from a casino’s point of view. Otherwise, it is all relative to throw out random, arbitrary numbers to describe high rollers.
There are gamblers that you might view as a high roller, but in actuality, they may be smaller bettors to the casino than you would be led to believe. No, gambling in the high-limit room does not necessarily make you a high roller. With table limits starting at $100 in most instances, high-limit rooms cater to average and mid-level gamblers as well.
What is a high roller? We are getting to the bottom of the matter and revealing how casinos categorize high rollers. Also, are high rollers playing at the best online casinos?
There are a few variables to consider when categorizing high rollers. As we noted, it is not as simple as randomly assigning a high-roller tag to gamblers. Casinos have an objective formula that is based on data to label high rollers.
All the money that is gambled by players is monitored in a computer database. The algorithm will decide who is a high roller and who is not. The theoretical loss that a player generates determines their status as a gambler.
Casino hosts also have some input, but the algorithm dictates their decision-making regarding comps, which can be slightly different depending on the casino. Let’s evaluate the factors that go into this formula below.
The casino you are gambling in has a significant impact on your status as a high roller. If you want to be big fish in a little pond, then consider gambling at a “cheaper” casino.
For instance, with Las Vegas as an example, betting $100 per hand on blackjack will go a lot further at a downtown, off the strip casino than at a premium casino on the Las Vegas Strip.
Betting $100 a hand of blackjack at the Cosmopolitan or Wynn will fail to get any attention. However, $100 blackjack will garner some attention from management and the computer algorithm at Fremont casinos. You will need to bet more than $100 per hand to be considered a high roller, but the point stands.
It’s important to understand that if you want to be a true high roller at an expensive luxury resort, which is typically where the big high rollers gamble, it is going to take well over $1,000 per bet on a table game.
Consider betting closer to $10,000 and above for online blackjack for real money, baccarat, and craps for casinos to consider you a high roller. However, there are exceptions based on the game being played.
The higher the house edge, the less that will have to be wagered per bet to get into high roller territory. Consequently, a $10,000 roulette bet will be looked at more favorably by the casino than the same wager at blackjack.
For the best real money slots, true high rollers are betting on the $100 or greater denomination games. Slots require smaller bets to be a high roller, but the quick-paced gameplay and high house edge result in more lost wagers per minute.
On a $100 slot machine, you can easily rack up over $1,000 wagered in just one minute. You have to remember that a max bet can be much more than $100. The $100 denomination only represents one credit. Extrapolate that for an entire hour, and you can see how a $100 slot machine can get expensive.
With multiple seats occupied at a blackjack table, it will take over a minute for one hand. And this is on a game with one of the lowest house edges in the casino. The same applies to craps and baccarat online or in person, and other casino games with low house edges.
Do not think you are a high roller because you walk up to a roulette table and plop $20,000 down on red. That’s an impressive bet size, but the time played is more important than one wager. Casinos would prefer a gambler that plays for longer hours with smaller bets than a hit-and-run bettor.
High rollers are not afraid of betting large amounts for hours in a day.
Generally, casinos want to see high rollers play for an average of four hours or more when they are gambling. There will be longer and shorter sessions on trips to the casino, but playing for extended periods is a high-rolling move
Furthermore, the software will track how many bets are being made per hour. In other words, you can’t milk your slot session by betting every couple of minutes while waiting for free drinks from the cocktail server. Also, sitting at the blackjack table and only jumping into the game occasionally will hurt the total theoretical loss.
All the factors that we mentioned above will go into a player’s theoretical loss. Generally, the formula is:
bet size (x) hours played (x) bets per hour (x) house edge = theoretical loss
In short, the theoretical loss is the expected loss of a player whenever they gamble. Wins and losses do not impact a player’s theoretical loss.
The casino’s tracking software considers all of these variables. Of course, gamblers must be playing with their casino’s member card, or a casino host monitoring their action.
The numbers go into a blender and crunched to provide a player’s theoretical loss. The total theoretical loss is the most important criteria for categorizing a player’s gambling status. High rollers will rank high in three or four of the variables.
The house edge is a tricky one, though. Blackjack and baccarat are popular games amongst high rollers. House edge is a criterion for calculating house edge, but high rollers will make up for it with the $10,000+ bets they are making every minute.
That would be considered a high roller in most casinos throughout the world. There are bigger high rollers, but every casino would be thrilled to have him as a customer.
High rollers frequently play at online casinos. Gamblers from around the world are risking huge dollars on a daily basis. The convenience of the top online gambling sites makes becoming a high roller easier than ever.
There are online casinos that have $10,000 limits on their live dealer blackjack games. We classify a high roller that plays table games roughly a $10,000 per hand bettor. Consequently, there are high rollers routinely laying down the big bucks online.
Online casinos take care of their high rollers too. Special offers that are only exclusive to high rollers will be applied to their accounts. This mostly consists of free bonus cash to play with in the casino. However, there are a variety of different offers that only high rollers can take advantage of.
If you want to deposit high roller money, as a precautionary step for money laundering and problem gambling, casinos will ask for documents to prove your income. Land-based casinos have similar anti-money laundering procedures in place as well.
Do you want to join the ranks of high rollers online? It is crucial to ensure that you sign up at the right online casino. There are online casinos that do not have the highest limits. If you want to be a high roller, these are the casinos that you want to avoid.
At Bovada, the table games and slot machines accommodate low and high rollers alike. Currently, you can play the slots for one penny a pull or over $100 on a single wager. Additionally, Bovada has two $250-$10,000 live blackjack tables.
The minimum bet is $250 and the max bet is $10,000 in these blackjack games. Typically, these tables have fewer players, so finding a seat should not be difficult. That is one of the perks of being a high roller.
If you aren’t a slots or blackjack player, Bovada is equipped with several other casino games. You can find live baccarat, live dealer roulette, video poker, craps, online Texas Holdem games, and much more at Bovada. Deposit at the Bovada online casino to receive a generous casino bonus for new accounts.
