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A WHALE IN THE DESERT? THAT'S UNLIKELY ... UNLESS YOU'RE IN NEVADA, WHICH IS THEIR natural habitat. No, not Ahab's prey, those massive cetaceans swimming the world's oceans. These whales are a different type of big fish, the kind that gamble mind-boggling amounts of money in casinos. And Las Vegas is where they often can be found.

Even more interesting is that the Las Vegas these whales inhabit is very different from the one you've visited. There's an invisible city within city, where pretty much anything goes for this small group of extreme gamblers, a group said to include the Sultan of Brunei, arms dealer Adnan Khashoggi, Penthouse publisher Larry Flint, and athletes Dennis Rodman and Charles Barkley.

And it all begins even before they arrive. While most of us hop in the car, jump on a bus, or board a plane, whales receive free airline tickets and often the services of a small fleet of private planes to ferry them, and their friends, to and from Sin City. One hotel is known to have a Gulfstream V--a favorite of movie stars and top athletes with salaries in the stratosphere--at its disposal, and has even sent it overseas for certain guests.

RFB, as in "room, food, and beverage," is a phrase that's music to the ears of these Vegas regulars. It means the hotel they're visiting will pick up the tab for the aforementioned--and possibly much more, depending on the amount of money the gambler is prepared to lay on the table.

Somehow, receiving free cocktails while at the gaming tables doesn't seem like such a big deal anymore. But then, how many of us are ready, willing, and able to risk huge amounts of money on a roll of the dice or the turn of a card? And what's the shibboleth that gets you the keys that open this grown-up candy store?

"Whales are million-dollar events," says Bill Hunt, executive director of casino marketing for the Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, of the legendary big gamblers. "To me, a whale is someone who's going to win or lose a million dollars."

Hunt, who worked as a casino host (whose duties primarily involve taking care of whales and other potentially lucrative gamblers) before landing in his present position, has seen changes in the whale population over the last few years. "During the `dotcom' days, there were quite a few," he says, almost wistfully. "Today, there are 100, maybe 150."

Their very scarcity makes them a much sought after species. "Landing one is what everyone dreams of," says Steve Pelzer, a hotel executive presently at the Lodge at Torrey Pines and formerly of Las vegas. "Casinos will do anything--from gifts of clothing to diamond jewelry--to keep a known and noted player happy."

Hotels have entire departments (and often overseas offices, because some of the biggest players are asian) dedicated to finding whales, bringing them in to the casino, and, most importantly, keeping them content. "That's the job of the casino host," Pelzer explains, "to have a relationship with these people: play golf with them, travel with them, keep them happy--and coming back."

And as these men--it's almost an entirely male population, according to Hunt--have become increasingly rare, the casinos, in Las Vegas and around the world, are willing to do more and more to lure them in.

With such a severely limited number of whales out there, the casinos are on the prowl for other big gamblers. They have people on the floor looking for new patrons willing to bet larger than average amounts, and stay at it for hours at a time. There are many levels of players, from grandmothers with oversize plastic cups full of quarters to young executives with cash to burn, and the casinos want them all.

As anyone who has ever broken up with someone has been told, there's more than one fish in the sea. And if you recall your marine biology, the order of cetaceans includes not only whales but some smaller aquatic mammals--dolphins and porpoises, among them--that are pretty big fish, too. The number of these high rollers, according to Hunt, is in the thousands. "There's a very large number of wealthy people who like to gamble. Some," he explains, "enjoy video games or Trivial Pursuit, and others enjoy gambling, whether it's betting on sports, playing cards, slots...."

The casinos also treat these men and women--and more than a few high rollers are female--extremely well. And why not? They're risking serious money, if not the millions that whales are willing to offer up. "A high roller is someone who can play four hours a day," Hunt says, "at $1,000 or more a hand, or sit at the $100 or $500 slots for three or four hours a day." The Rio has a staff of 23 hosts and two player development executives who try and lure in possible remunerative players.

We may be the ones typically placing the bets in Vegas by throwing our $5 chips on the table or dropping our change into the slots. However, when a casino lays out tens of thousands of dollars to court a potential high roller, it's making a riskier-than-usual wager. If the casino can keep the whale at the table long enough for the laws of probability to take effect, the chips will almost surely migrate away from the gambler's side of the table. But more than one whale has been known to leap up from the table after a hot streak and walk out with his winnings, which can run into the millions.

Knowing they'll win in the long run, the casinos want to keep the whales happy, and keep them coming back over and over again, even if the establishments occasionally suffer huge losses to these individuals. This desire to please has resulted in new levels of luxury in Las Vegas hotels. Most of the major properties have, at the very least, incredibly luxurious suites that cannot be rented by the public. These exist only for invited guests, and are decked out with impressive amenities, from fully stocked bars (at no charge, of course) to private pools and beyond.

In the past, great secrecy surrounded this facet of Vegas, but lifestyle and travel-TV shows focusing on luxury hotel accommodations have recently brought much of it into the open.

The Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino, part of Harrah's empire, opened its Palazzo Suites in 1998, and the nine-suite, $86 million building is strictly for high rollers. There's a private entrance, a private pool, and works of art by such artists as David Hockney, Jasper Johns, Pablo Picasso, and Auguste Renoir hanging in the suites and communal areas. Anything that looks gold on the furnishings is--gilded in 22 karat. And where guests see the shine of silver, well, that's white gold, also in 22 karat.

The pampering doesn't end with the comped airfare, airport limo transfers, and luxurious accommodations (which range in size from 4,000 to 14,000 square feet). When the Rio has invited you and your friends to stay in the Palazzo Suites, there's plenty more. "Butlers pack and unpack for you, and they'll get whatever you want, 24/7. And purchases in the gift shop are comped," says one regular, who shows up every other month or so to try his luck at craps. "There was a $500 gift certificate for Nordstrom waiting in the room on check-in last time, and sometimes they'll give you $1,000 in chips to start out."

The Rio is far from alone. Virtually every hotel with a casino and a gaming license does something to court high rollers. It's the upscale version of what the less expensive hotels do with their clubs for slot players. The Mansion is the name of a similar setup at the MGM Grand. There are 29 Tuscan style villas that surround a glassed-in garden, while the main building is home to several similarly luxurious VIP suites. Paris and Caesars also have their own special suites, some as large as 21,000 square feet. And most of that is available to a serious high roller.

For a whale, Hunt says, "The sky's the limit." In his jobs at various properties in Las Vegas, Hunt has personally given extravagant gifts to extravagant gamblers: cars (including a Mercedes 500 sedan, worth more than $100,000), diamond jewelry, custom-fitted golf clubs from Callaway and Taylor Made, and even lessons. "We can send a guy out to our course, Rio Secco, and have the guy fitted for clubs, and get him private lessons from Tiger Wood's teacher, Butch Harmon, who has a school there."

"Any amenity you can think of." That's what Gordon Dixon, Aladdin's director of casino marketing, says is possible for someone willing to gamble serious amounts of money. "It's regulated ... [all] legal," he quickly adds.

These players can certainly be demanding, but each hotel has a complex formula to calculate how much to spend on each guest. "The needs of the customer are greater," admits Dixon, "but as far as the profit, it's obviously to our benefit to retain that business." At different hotels for different customers, that can mean anything up to and including bottles of Chateau Petrus, which cost thousands of dollars--if the high roller is putting enough at risk when not dining and drinking.