Never mind celebrities, the people you really want to get to know when you're in Las Vegas are those in charge of dishing out the comps - the casino hosts. You don't have to be a big-shot to get comped; the small-timer can, by playing it right, get the odd free slap-up meal at a restaurant (see our article in InsideEdge issue 9).

In the pre-1990s corporation era, hosts rose through the ranks from dealer to casino manager to marketing execs, hosting a handful of established and big-money players. Then a high-octane young telemarketer fresh out of the Las Vegas Boiler Rooms showed up.