‘I’m Their Friend First,’ Says Casino Host Who Can See Their Credit Line
Corinne Ashby has been a VIP host at the Golden Parlay for nineteen years. She remembers every birthday, and roughly what each one is worth.
Corinne Ashby meets us in the Lantern Room at the Golden Parlay Casino, a lounge with no windows and a bowl of fruit that is replaced every ninety minutes whether or not anyone has looked at it. She has been a VIP host here for nineteen years. Her phone, face down on the table, buzzes throughout.
What does a casino host actually do?
Ashby: I look after people. A suite, a steak, a car to the airport, tickets to the fight: I make it happen. I’m the friend who always picks up. I know your wife’s name, your kids’ names and your average bet to the nearest five dollars.
How do you decide who gets the suite?
Ashby: There’s a number. We call it the theo, short for theoretical loss, which is what the house expects you to lose based on how long you play and how much you bet. Friendship is a percentage of that. Usually around a third. Some hosts go to forty, but I think that sends the wrong message.
Friendship is a percentage of that. Usually around a third.
Have you ever told a player to go home?
Ashby: All the time. Go up to the room, I tell them, get some sleep, you’ve had a long night. The room is upstairs. I’m not a monster. I’ll even send up breakfast, which is on us, which, if you think about it, is on them.
The phone buzzed again. A player in Section F was celebrating his wedding anniversary, and Ashby excused herself to arrange flowers, a cake and a fresh marker on his account.
