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Aria
Name of room: Carta Privada
Games available: Blackjack, roulette, craps, baccarat
Table minimums: $100
Rundown: One of three VIP gaming areas inside Aria (the other two: Spin, which is just slots, and Salon Prive, which is exclusively baccarat), this architecturally pleasing space is designed to be flexible. Normally, the area has eight table games. Upon request, however, casino hosts can wheel in additional tables (generally, this is how whales play craps there). The room is welcoming to spectators, with plush chairs, leather couches and a small bar (Note: Drinks aren’t free unless you’re playing). If, after watching the big boys throw down $500 a hand at mini-baccarat you decide you want to play, as well, $25 tables are located right outside.

MGM Grand
Name of room: The Mansion
Games available: Blackjack, roulette, baccarat
Table minimums: $100-$500
Rundown: Hands down, this is the swankiest high-limit room in all of Vegas. It is quite literally a casino within the casino, separated from the main gaming area by walls, windows and a number of restaurants. The lounge has its own bar, its own kitchen and its own entrance for whales arriving directly from Henderson Executive Airport. Despite this aura of exclusivity, The Mansion is almost completely open to the public (there are some private rooms). If you go, remember to observe quietly; a $75,000 bet may represent more money than you earn in a year (or two), but for a whale, it’s chump change.

Palazzo Las Vegas
Name of room: Salon
Games available: Blackjack, baccarat
Table minimums: $200
Rundown: Of all the high-limit rooms in Vegas, this is probably the easiest place to spot celebrities. Over the years, the room has welcomed hotshots such as some Christina Ricci and Jerry O’Connell, as well as former footballer Jason Sehorn. The best spot to watch whales here is the floor-to-ceiling bar smack in the center of the room. The bar carries some of the most expensive Cognac in the world, and serves up tiny finger foods throughout the day. If you wish to stay a while, the Salon also serves a full menu from Zine Noodles Dim Sum, the Chinese restaurant next door.

Luxor
Name of room: HighBar
Games available: Blackjack, roulette, baccarat
Table minimums: $100
Rundown: Technically speaking, the high-limit gaming area is separate from HighBar, which is nothing more than a bar adjacent to the tables themselves. Still, the bar is a great vantage point from which to watch whales throw it down. Though pit bosses generally frown upon onlookers interacting with whales here, the vibe is such that many high-rollers encourage cheering from the peanut gallery. The best part? Whereas drinks require gambling in other high-limit rooms, anyone can buy them here, making it easy for us Average Janes and Joes to come by and watch heavy-hitters for a night.

Red Rock Casino
Name of room: High-Limit Room
Games available: Blackjack, roulette, baccarat
Table minimums: $100
Rundown: Don’t let the Swarovski crystal chandeliers fool you; this is arguably the most approachable of Sin City high-limit rooms. Dealers and pit bosses at this Summerlin local’s casino encourage spectators to come in and watch, sometimes going so far as to open the doors and invite people in. On particularly slow days (or nights), onlookers can even sit at certain tables (usually not baccarat), watching whales do their thing up-close. The in-room bar, designed to look like it’s out of the Art Deco era, provides a gorgeous backdrop. Sadly, though, drinks are only free if you’re playing.

Got a favorite place to go whale-watching in Vegas? Let us know where.