Whale Hunt in the Desert: Secrets of a Vegas Superhost

A top casino host reveals the truth about the lifestyles and motivations of the world’s biggest gamblers, the whales, and how the casinos harpoon them. This definitive exposé reveals the shrouded world of ultra-high rollers and the Faustian pacts they forge with their hosts, the casino representatives whose job it is to part them from their fortunes, using an arsenal of weapons including complimentary suites, private jets, diamond jewelry for their wives (and/or mistresses), front-row seats to sold-out events, and other shadier tricks up their sleeves ... This third edition includes an extensive update about Las Vegas, the greening of gambling, the nightclub and day life scenes, the evolution of the host position, and much more--all in the words of superhost Steve Cyr.

Deke Castleman wrote six editions of Nevada Handbook between 1988 and 1999 and seven editions of Compass Las Vegas between 1991 and 2003. He’s contributed to Fodor’s, Frommer’s, Unofficial, and Access Las Vegas guides, as well as numerous Nevada and general travel magazines and websites. As editor at Huntington Press, he’s edited 100 books on gambling and Las Vegas. Whale Hunt in the Desert is the culmination of his 25-year career in travel and gambling writing and publishing.