IamA VIP Host at a Las Vegas Strip Club AMA!

Any celebrities or famous people walking into your place? Whats the most amount of money you have seen someone spend?

$150,000 was the most I've ever seen spent. It was a husband, wife and their son who came in at 5am and didn't leave until around 3pm. They each had their own VIP room with their own stripper. The guys had a female stripper and the wife had a male stripper.

How strict are strip clubs about following the rules regarding prostitution? Is there a sense of "for the right price?"

In Vegas they're pretty strict about it. If a club is caught allowing that then they are at a serious risk of having the entire operation shut down. Vegas really markets itself well with the "Sin City" tag, but it's not quite as "anything goes" as people think. Even some cities in the U.S. have more lax rules than Vegas.

How has constantly being around a highly sexualized environment affected your perspective and interactions with people in the 'real' world?

You get to see some of the more primal side of people. It's interesting seeing wealthy businessmen, a lawyer, a teacher, a doctor, etc. behaving in a way that you just have a hard to imagining if you were to see them in their daily work environment.

It is a common belief that strippers have personal issues in their life that lead to this career path. What do you think of it? How much of it is true.

Also, compared to female dancers, how do the male strippers compare in terms of income?

It is a really common belief. It exists because there is some truth to it. There are those who have issues, grew up in really shitty situations, etc. and feel like they don't have a lot of options to make a lot of money. Many see dancing as a quick way to make a lot of money. The problem is that many of them spend their money as fast as they get it.

The men can make good money, but their earning potentially overall is nowhere near what the women can make. Most women don't spend very much money. It's men who are spending serious cash inside the club.

Would you ever date a stripper?

It would depend on the person she is. I've come across a few that were in it temporarily until they had enough to reach a certain goal like build a home, start a business, etc. That's the small minority though. A lot more become dependent and attached to the work with practically no future plan

The men can make good money, but their earning potentially overall is nowhere near what the women can make.

1) What about gay men as patrons.

2) Why aren't there any good gay strip joints in Vegas?

Gay guys come to see male strippers sometimes, but the strippers often times don't want to dance for men.

The market is only so big for straight women to see male strippers, let alone for gay men to see male strippers. There's only 2 strip clubs in Vegas with male strippers. I think one gay nightclub has some male strippers on occasion, but I'm not sure.

What are the girls like at work vs. not working?

When they are at work, they are in a different mentality because they have to make money. They know that they have to get guys interested to get them to spend money. Outside of work you wouldn't even know that a lot of the girls are actually strippers. I've seen plenty of strippers that I would never think do it for a living if I were to see them out in public.

What is your favorite place to party in Vegas and why?

Edit: no spell good on mobile

I'm not the biggest party person (it helps me keep my sanity while working in nightlife and avoid burnout), but any of the popular nightclubs will do if you want to go hard. Hakkasan and Omnia are really popular since they're newer and so massive. Other clubs like Drai's, XS, Hyde, etc. are fun too. I actually think that the day clubs and night swims are more fun than nightclubs. Rehab was the first day club I went to, and it was awesome. XS night swim is something I encourage everyone to try during the warmer months.

How many people go just for the free buffet?

A lot of the locals

I take it cover during day shift is a bit lower than the 40 dollars?

Locals never pay a cover.

Not a Vegas local but go a lot and a friend IS a local. We frequent the Crazy Horse (sorry OP). I've learned that the fastest way to get girls to ignore you all night is to tell the first one that sits on your lap, "Am I here for business? No. We're locals." And then... woooooooooosh. You can drink in peace for the rest of the night.

When I lived in Las Vegas I found if someone was bothering me on the Strip I would just say "I live here." and they would stop. It was a very different experience from Boston or NYC where that doesn't work as well.

Because Vegas depends on tourism much more than NYC or Boston.

Yep! The entertainers usually don't bother with locals. No worries about liking Crazy Horse. I know some of the guys over there.

What’s the deal with dances in line for the bathroom?

I don't think I've ever seen a guy get a standing dance while waiting in line to use the toilet. I've seen girls dance and grind on guys while they're trying to get money out of the ATM. This is so that they keep the guy's attention.

Whats the craziest thing you've seen in there?

When I was working at a previous club, there was a guy who puked in his private booth during his 30 minute session with a dancer because he just drank too much. Once he was done puking the dancer continued to stay and finish the time even though she didn't have to. That one was strange.

Are the free limo ride and other offers given out by “promoters” a scam? If not, how much does it actually end up costing the patron?

Promoters on the strip have a reputation for being some of the biggest scumbags and liars in Vegas. The shit that they tell people to get them to the club sometimes is absolutely ridiculous. That's part of the reason I even started a youtube channel was because I knew there had to be a better way to reach people before coming to Vegas, and informing them of how clubs work.

Promoters have deals that they can do based on contracts worked out with clubs. You won't know what deal they can get at any particular club, so you're at a real disadvantage. I suggest planning ahead and not even dealing with street promoters. Many of them will lie through their teeth about prices, what they will get you (a free dance, a free bottle, a VIP table, a ride back to your hotel, etc).

Many Vegas strip clubs charge anywhere from $40-50 for entry. I've seen groups come to the front to get told what the cover charge is only to say that the promoter told them it was $15 or $20, and that was supposed to include drinks, a bottle booth, a guaranteed table because they're his "VIP"' customers, blah, blah, blah. I say don't bother with them because there's a good chance you won't get what they are telling you, and it will cost you more than what they are telling you.

How did you get into this line of business?
What are the best and worst parts about the job?

I actually started working in nightlife in CA back in 2006. I did it during the off season from football while I was in college. In CA I mostly worked nightclubs doing security and management operations. After finishing my MBA, I had a ton of debt from school. The cost of living was really high in my part of CA, and they just passed another state tax increase right before I left. I had experience in nightlife, I knew in Vegas you could make good money doing it, and once I saw how cheap it was to live there (plus no state in come tax), I was pretty sold on the idea.

Best part about the job is that it's not a "normal job" in the corporate world. Plus, being in Vegas, you meet a lot of cool people and make connections at other clubs and in the hospitality industry.

The worst part is just some of the bullshit that you have to put up with-drunken idiots, people wanting to fight, threatening to sue, false complaints made about you to try to get you in trouble, unbelievable entitlement some people exhibit, people lying to you, people trying to haggle prices like they're at the flea market, etc. Sometimes it comes from customers, sometimes it comes from dancers and sometimes it comes from coworkers. If the club is managed well, then that stuff can be kept to a minimum and they know when something has merit or it's just bullshit.

I'm organizing a bachelor party in Vegas in a week and trying to find unique stuff to do. What's your favorite place to eat or do down there?

For bachelor parties, I recommend eating at a steak house at least once. There are a ton on the strip, but I also encourage you to look off the strip. Especially at the Brazilian ones where you pay a flat fee and can eat until you're totally stuffed.

Shooting ranges, ATVs, renting exotic cars, zipline, are all cool things to do in addition to bars and clubs for bachelor parties.

Love the actual honest answer and you didn't just default to promoting your own club.

COME ON DOWN TO HUSTLER CLUB. NO COVER FOR YOUR PARTY. LADIES LADIES LADIES ALL NIGHT LONG. BOTTLE SERVICE VIP GREY GOOSE RED STRIPE RED STRIPE LIGHT.

I'm pretty sure that promoters say that so much that they do it out loud in their sleep.

Do you guys serve food?

Yes

I’ve know a few strippers, seems like a lot of them sleep with guys that work at a strip club. Do you notice any of that?

I wouldn't say a lot, but it happens. I've seen hosts and managers who openly or secretly date and sleep with dancers. The policy really depends from club to club on their attitude towards that.

Can I get a drink that isn't watered down?

Yes lol

Have you ever thrown out a celebrity?

I was at the front when we turned away rapper V-Nasty at one place I worked. I had two coworkers who said that they had to turn away Three 6 Mafia and his group at the front door.

What was your worse night like involving workers or customers?

I had to tackle a guy once who punched an entertainer in the VIP room, and tried to run out of the club. I was working the door, and was the last guy with a chance to take him down. I had to make an open field tackle like I was a safety lol. I got him down, everyone else jumped on, and we cuffed him until the police showed up. He had at least one warrant out for his arrest. I don't know if it was my worst day, but it was nuts.

What's one thing you love about your job, and have you ever played host to anyone famous?

I love the fact that it's very different than most jobs. Whenever I tell someone what I do, they usually have a follow up question or two. It's so out of the norm that they find it intriguing. I've come across some famous people. It's usually pretty unexpected. Sometimes the person comes on their own or in a small group and sometimes they have an entire entourage of people with them.

I've come across some famous people.

So it's more than just "hosting" for you?

This is why I love reddit

Do you accept bitcoin yet? They should put QR codes on strippers' asses which corresponds to a crypto transaction when scanned.

Working on it

What is your typical night like?

Kind of depends on what position you're working. I've worked the front door, the floor and the VIP in multiple clubs. A lot of your job is really just facilitating the operations of the club. If you're at the door then you're mostly keeping underage people, weapons and drugs out of the building. If you're on the floor then you're walking customers to tables, setting them up with requested dancers, getting them change, taking them on a tour of the club, setting up their bachelor or 21st birthday boy to go on stage, handling disputes involving dancers, customers, waitresses, etc. You have to put out fires, and do your best to maintain the operation of the club.

[deleted]

We shut down the night it happened, but reopened the next for business as usual.

How important is the biker facial hair in your industry?

Not very important

Is there anything different between a normal strip club and a Vegas club? (other than the income tax)

Off the top of my head-Vegas clubs are usually much bigger, have more dancers, and the prices are higher than most other cities.

Have you met Larry Flynt? Id so how is he in real life?

I have not met him. He actually is not the owner of the club. The company just pays him a royalty to use his name.

What is drug use like among VIP clients? Have you witnessed a lot of drug use since you’ve started? If a customer pays to get a VIP room, is he just free to do whatever the hell he wants in there? Like doing a bunch of cocaine off/with his stripper?

Not really. I've caught a lot of drugs at the front door on people. The clubs still have to operate within the law.

Do celebrities really go into strip clubs and throw down like we sometimes imagine they do? No named needed, but if you feel like naming names/telling stories, go for it.

Not really. The most I've known a celebrity to spend was $15,000. It was a boxer that pretty much everyone knows. I wouldn't say that celebrities regularly drop a bunch of money. I've seen several not spend a dollar.

Has the legalization of weed changed anything for you?

No. It's not allowed in the building or on property.

Okay Jacob big fan of your channel and Vegas , so I won’t waste time with Vegas related questions. Let get to the serious stuff, Marvel or DC? You can’t say both or neither.

MARVEL! I loved X-Men as a kid.

Would you rather fight 10 duck sized strippers or 1 stripper sized duck?

1 stripper sized duck. It's easier to fight one opponent

Have any of the dancers (male or female) had regular customer turn stalker? How does the industry protect the help?

Numerous times I've worked at places where we had to ban someone that was a regular customer getting too close (for lack of a better term), or ex-boyfriends.

Lamar Odom a frequent visitor?

No sir

Any crazy violent stories?

I mentioned earlier taking down a guy a two different occasions. One for punching a stripper and the other for throwing a rock through the glass doors at the front. Also had a guy that turned out to be a pimp inside one night. He smacked a girl that was working for him, and casually walked out of the club. He was banned after smacking her.

Have any contacts for promoters or promotions for Hustler? i'm asking for a friend...

Me

How much can a host, stripper, bartender at a strip club expect to make?

Totally depends on the club, how they operate and how effective you are at making money. Some people may barely scrape $20k a year, and others are in the 6 figures.

In your experience, what percentage of strippers are asexual?

It's impossible to tell, but I'd say it's a really small percent...probably a single digit percent.

Do you instruct your dancers to steal drinks from dudes getting lap dances so they'll have to pay $15 for a new one?

happened to me twice in one night.

Definitely not. I've never heard of that happening, but it wouldn't really benefit the dancer much because dancers don't make money from drink sales. Sometimes a waitress picks up a drink before a customer is done with though. That happens on occasion.

The girls at strip clubs in Vegas are the worst, so hungry for money. Try to pry it out of you. Why?

Also can we please stop it with the cover charge?

It's their job to make money, and sometimes being aggressive works well. The cover charge will not stop any time soon.