Steven Cyr is a development executive at the Ellis Island Casino & Brewery. He also works as an independent casino host at casinos outside of Las Vegas.[1]
Early life
editCyr grew up in Salina, Kansas. His father operated a Howard Johnson Hotel, at which Cyr regularly worked. Cyr set out to take over the family business and moved to Las Vegas in 1983 to attend the University of Nevada-Las Vegas (UNLV) hotel management program.[2][3]
Education
editAt UNLV, Cyr took many gambling-related classes– including casino management, marketing, and mathematics- in order to gain insight into casino games and player psyche.[2]
During his senior year of college, Cyr was selected for an internship at Barbary Coast, where he worked under casino mogul Michael Gaughan.[2]
Career
editIn college, Cyr sold vitamins over the phone[4] before beginning casino work at Barbary Coast in the sports book for $50 a shift.[3]
In 1991, Cyr began his career as a slot host at Caesar's Palace. Next, he became senior host at the Hilton and was consistently the largest producing casino host.[2] He received his first big break after searching a dumpster for lists of high-rolling gamblers.[5] By 2002, Cyr was named Las Vegas Life's Best Casino Host.[2]
As of 2015, Cyr had worked in the casino industry for the past 28 years. He maintains a roster of 70 active high roller clients referred to as “whales.”[6]
In 2010, Cyr founded ISC Consulting, an independent consulting company consisting of a network of professional casino hosts who pair players with casino properties.[2] His compensation as an independent host varies, depending on state law. In California casinos, Cyr receives a percentage of his clients’ losses.[3]
Cyr also serves as a guest lecturer at Cornell University.[2]
Media
editCyr has appeared on over 20 TV shows, including appearances on the Discovery Channel and the Travel Channel as well as interviews with Montel Williams and Piers Morgan.[2][7]
Cyr has been featured in print publications such as Cigar Aficionado and Details.[4][5][8]
Whale Hunt in the Desert, a book based on Cyr's career,[9] is required reading for students in Cornell University's Hotel School casino elective as well as in NYU Stern's MBA program.[2]
References
edit- ^ Kaplan, Michael “How to Get the Most From Your Casino Host” Maxium, November 13, 2013
- ^ a b c d e f g h i “ISC Consulting”
- ^ a b c Wiser, Rob (October 2007), “Whale Hunter: Firing it Up with High Roller"
- ^ a b Kaplan, Michael “Confessions of a Man Who Wins Big When You Lose it All in Vegas” Thrillist, August 6, 2015
- ^ a b Kaplan, Michael “The Whale Hunter” Cigar Aficionado, May/June 2003
- ^ Graney, Ed (April 27, 2015). "'It's going to be crazy' in Vegas for Mayweather-Pacquiao". Las Vegas Review Journal. Archived from the original on July 5, 2015.
- ^ Leach, Robin (April 15, 2015). "Steve Cyr spills secrets, payouts, big-time wins and losses of 'whales' in Las Vegas". Las Vegas Sun. Archived from the original on April 19, 2015.
- ^ Kaplan, Michael (January 2001), “Midnight at the Oasis”, Details
- ^ Burghart, D. Brian (November 11, 2004). "Gambling fever". Reno News & Review. Retrieved 2019-12-25.