Casino

There are many casino hotels found in the Las Vegas Strip and its surrounding area. They have large casinos, luxurious accommodations, first-class restaurants, full service spa and salons, pools, theaters, shops, etc.

The MGM Grand is the largest of the Las Vegas casinos. The Venetian Hotel boasts of the world’s biggest suites and the city’s most elegant casino. It houses designer shops and a fitness center and outdoor, you can ride a gondola along the Grand Canal. The Wynn Hotel, the most expensive hotel project, features designer boutiques, renowned chefs, a Ferrari car dealership, a theater, a golf course, a poolside casino and a spa. Bellagio, with its full service spa, plush casino, modern sports book and grand poker room, is adult-oriented. Treasure Island features new games such as Paj Gow Poker, Pai Gow Tiles, Three-Card Poker and Big Six in addition to the standard games. Mandalay Resort is subdivided into the main hotel, the Four Seasons and an all suites domain. Its casino is stylish and casual. Its Coral Reef Lounge is one of the largest in the area. Planet Hollywood (formerly Aladdin) features Upscale London Club Casino, a large theatre, rooftop pools and a shopping promenade. Paris Hotel, a simulation of the Eiffel Tower is classy with its French details and sky-painted ceiling. Le Cabaret is a live music lounge in the casino. Excalibur Hotel is remarkable for great value lodgings. Low bets and a friendly atmosphere add to its charm. Kid attractions are housed in a separate floor. Perhaps the most unusual casino in the world, the Luxor hotel is shaped like a pyramid and its interiors follow an Egyptian motif. It houses a huge casino one can easily get lost in because of its round shape. Caesar’s Palace has a Roman theme in its rooms, casino and pool area. Monte Carlo boasts of European playground, fountains, magic shows, spa, wedding chapel and casino.

The Mirage is famous for its erupting volcano show at night. Its interior features a rainforest, waterfalls, lagoons, exotic plants and a large aquarium and outdoors, there is a garden where animal shows (e.g. dolphins, tigers) are presented. New York New York resembles the Gotham City, where the Manhattan skyline, Empire State Building, Statue of Liberty, Chrysler Building, Library and Brooklyn Bridge are simulated. Stratosphere stands out in the skyline. It features 4 high rides. Flamingo Hotel includes a bird sanctuary, spa, pool, garden and casino. Other popular casino hotels are Barbary Coast, Bally’s, Tropicana, Riviera, Harrah’s and Sahara.

In the surrounding area, there are several casino hotels worth visiting such as Binions, Four Queens, Gold Coast, Gold Nugget, Hard Rock Hotel, Hooters, etc.

By: Jimmy Sturo

Unlike many other jobs offered at Las Vegas casinos, if you want to become a dealer, you need to complete a course at Dealers’ school before you can start work. Many schools in the Las Vegas area offer courses, and some casinos will provide this training to new hires. The course is not a lengthy one; you can expect to finish your training in six weeks or less.

Some dealer schools offer job placement assistance and tips on preparing for interviews in the gaming industry. If so, be sure to take advantage of the help offered. You want to project the right kind of image if you want to get hired by a Las Vegas casino as a dealer.

One Las Vegas dealer job available is that of craps dealer. Working the craps table takes four people. One person, the box attendant, is responsible for supervising the progress of the game. This individual is also responsible for making decisions about whether a particular roll of the dice was a valid one or not. Another person, known as the stick, is the one who pushes the dice toward the player before a roll.

Two craps dealers are located at the other end of the table and are responsible for handling cash and providing players with chips. They make pay the winning players and collect the money the less fortunate players bet in the game.

To be a successful craps dealer, you must be able to think on your feet. This is a fast-paced game and you need to have a clear head to follow the action. Your hourly rate of pay won’t be very high; you can expect to make between $6.00 and $9.00 per hour. Most of the money made by craps dealers is attributed to tips from players. An outgoing person who is able to make a connection with players is likely to do well at this type of work.

You may also be interested in finding work as a poker dealer. Once again, you will be expected to take a course to get the necessary skills before applying for employment. The course you choose should cover such topics as handling cards, techniques for dealing cards, game rules, how to control the table, and how to interact with players.

Blackjack dealers in Las Vegas also need to have completed a special course before getting hired. The course should cover the rules of the game as well as how to deal from a single deck or a double deck. Shuffling machines should also be covered, since this piece of equipment is often used in casinos. You will be shown how to cut the cards, the proper technique for laying out the cards, and how to make payoffs to winners. Being able to control the game is also part of the job, so you will want to make sure that this important topic is covered in your course.

Your first job after finishing your dealer training course may be at one of the smaller casinos. You need to have a certain amount of experience before you will be considered ready for employment at one of the larger gaming establishments. These positions will probably be more lucrative for you, since much of your income will come from tips.

If you are an outgoing person who likes to see people enjoying themselves, becoming a dealer in Las Vegas may be a good job choice for you. Whether you work in this capacity for a short time or make it a long-term career, you are certain to find it a memorable experience.

By: Lisa Jenkins

What Las Vegas jargon names “whales” is in fact the creme of the high rollers species. They are a handful of people that in some opinions don’t exceed 500 individuals in the world. Las Vegas hoteliers are nuts about them; some claim four or five of those whales bet much more than the rest of the thousands customers they receive daily. No wonder they are suspected of going as far as selling their first born child to get one of those whales into their gaming area.
Five tips to recognise a whale

* the size of the bet: $50,000 is the low end; Australian tycoon Kerry Packer likes to play seven blackjack hands at one time; his top bet was $375,000;

* the line of credit: 4 to 5 million dollars for one weekend; a fortune for us ordinary earthlings, pocket money for a “whale”;

* the treat: whales get all the freebies from the hotel they play: fine dining, luxury accommodations, private jet transportation, expensive gifts… often the US visa for the Asian high rollers;

* the escort: it usually includes bodyguards, beautiful gals and close friends; Las Vegas history saved for the record a legendary tale in which the Saudi Prince Adnan Khashoggi dropped for a bet at Stardust with an entourage of a dozen people;

* the generosity: whether they win or loose, everybody’s happy as long as they play; “whales” don’t spare tips & gifts.

While the “whales” number just a few hundreds in the world, the amounts they can afford to lose are purely impressive; that is why hoteliers pay specially trained staff for “whales hunting”. The Asians form a big part of this exclusivist market, about 80 %. The bottom line is to keep them coming in, at the same rate, after nine eleven.

Unfortunately, Las Vegas seems to be experiencing a decrease in whale strands these days. One reason, that all hoteliers agree about, is they don’t get as much privacy in Las Vegas casinos as they would normally get in other gaming destinations of the world. While hotel owners in Las Vegas await their VIP saloons approved, the “whales” gamble in Macau, Monaco or Australia.

By: Iulia Pascanu