Four important things you should refrain when you attain a high roller status
You must have read or heard stories of high punters being restricted to enter the casino to play again. Such players have build their name and fame betting high stakes on casino games and winning millions of dollars but because of their few mistakes they are refrained from playing at the casinos. So you see that it is not easy to gain high roller status in the brand casinos like Macau or the Vegas Strip, but it takes it very easy to lose it in a minute or few moments of the day at the casino. While you enjoy the benefits of being a high roller at the casino having luxury and glamour at your footsteps you need to take care of four important things which you need to refrain yourself to maintain your high roller status.
1. Don’t get caught counting cards
You must have heard of stories where high limit punters have lost their casino rights when caught in card counting system. While not illegal, getting caught using a card counting system is a sure fire way to earn a lifetime ban from any casino. Counting effectively allows the player to anticipate which cards will be dealt in subsequent hands, thereby reducing the casinos house edge. Some counters claim that using a system properly can reduce the house edge by as much as 2 percent, actually giving the player the overall advantage.
So the catch is that you have to do it discreetly, making yourself appear like an ordinary blackjack player. This means being able to count cards while interacting naturally with the croupier and other players. It also means refraining from making massive bets, which are bound to catch the attention of the croupier, who is trained to spot counters. These things require more skill than counting itself.
Blackjack superstar as well as counting and team play pioneer Ken Uston was banned from all Atlantic City casinos in 1979 after being caught running a large counting operation in several casinos. He sued the casinos and actually received a favorable Supreme Court ruling in 1982: counting was not a form of cheating so casinos couldn’t legally ban players for it. However, this ruling never applied to other jurisdictions and Atlantic City casinos just drum up other justifications to boot counters.
2. Winning too much money
This is what most casinos do not wish honestly. Pennsylvania businessman Don Johnson was in the news when he took Atlantic City for $15 million dollars over the course of two separate weekends. One 12 hour hot streak at the Tropicana netted him $6 million. The run wiped out the casino’s monthly profit and resulted in CEO Mark Giannantonio, who authorized Johnson to make $100,000 bets, being fired shortly after. This came after he won $5 million at the Borgata and $4 million during a run at Caesar’s, which resulted in him getting a lifetime ban from all Caesar’s casinos worldwide.
Tropicana casino managers first considered that he had netted such a successful run by counting. But video footage showed no evidence. Don Johnson does things the old fashioned way, using only impeccable knowledge of the game and flawless casino strategy. In Johnson’s case, being too good at blackjack has landed him a lifetime ban from Atlantic City’s casinos.
3. Refuse to pay your debts
As a high roller you receive special treatment from the casino and often this means being extended large lines of credit. The thinking is that one must be wealthy to be a high roller, so that they have the means to cover any major losses. In one of the most shocking high roller cases ever, American businessman Terry Watanabe lost $127 million at Harrah’s Las Vegas over the course of a few years.
Watanabe paid $112 million of that upfront. The other $14.7 million was extended to him on credit by the casino. He refused to pay it, claiming that the casino exploited his betting addiction by supplying him with alcohol and pain medication and encouraging him to make large bets. That did not sit well with Harrah’s, who is suing him over the debt. According to the Wall Street Journal, Watanabe was charged with “four felony counts in district court for intent to defraud and steal from Harrah’s, stemming from $14.7 million that the casino says it extended to him as credit.”
Considering that Watanabe has already put more than $100 million into Harrah’s coffers, the case against him looks like kicking him while he’s down. It just shows the price one pays for running afoul of a powerful casino.
4. Abusing the croupier
Nobody likes to deal with an with a player who is abusive. This often means more than simple lack of casino table manners: swearing, acting drunk, being aggressive or confrontational, behaving sexually inappropriate towards the croupier. There is a certain amount of this that high rollers can get away with, because casinos are dependent on their money and are willing to coddle them to keep their business. Many croupiers anonymously complain about regular mistreatment from high rollers.
But in the tech era there are lines that are no longer allowed to be crossed as you are constantly under the surveillance of the camera. Physically confronting a croupier is rightfully going to get you the boot. Macau is even mulling a law that would protect croupiers from abusive gamblers, including making it more difficult for casinos to fire croupiers who refuse to accommodate the whims of high rollers.
So next time when in casino as a high roller you need to take special precaution of the above four things and avoid repeating the mistakes that often lead to total ban at the casinos.