Steve Striker of Striker VIP might be one of the older VIP hosts I have met, perhaps mainly because he is not the typical VIP host we have come to associate with in this city. As he will tell you, he is the VIP’s VIP.
The term “VIP” is used in this town the way “rehab” is used in Hollywood—it doesn’t mean anything, and nobody cares unless you truly are somebody. The title of VIP host is ambiguous; it is an entry-level position in casino marketing to some, a fast track to nightclub management to others. Regardless, they are in place to make sure you can have whatever you want, whenever you want it, provided you are willing to pay handsomely for the privilege of feeling like a rock star.
Striker, though, who is an independent host, was different from the start. Mark Steines of Entertainment Tonight once told me about Striker, whom he met through Forty Deuce club owner Ivan Kane: “He’s the best,” Steines said. “He can do anything for you. You’ll roll like a movie star.” Steines has a little celebrity to throw around on his own; the fact that he deferred to Striker was interesting. I had to meet the guy.
Wandering in his 50s, Striker is built like a house in a custom suit (he used to be a professional fighter). He greets everyone with a hug, and he seems to know everyone, or—better put—everyone seems to know him.
We met last Saturday. I was anxious to see if a man who was close to my father’s age was really plugged into the fast-paced Vegas nightlife. And, as with my father, I got a good spanking for thinking I knew something I didn’t.
On this evening Striker was personally entertaining three daughters of a very prominent Chicago businessman. When I first met them at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant (with seats perfectly positioned over the Bellagio fountains) I thought these three girls were part of Striker’s gorgeous female entourage. No, these were the clients: Patricia, Terra and Rena. The night was off to great start.
After dinner he made sure the gals had front-and-center tickets to Danny Gans, then whisked me off to Maverick Helicopter Tours over by McCarran. I thought we were just killing time and checking the place out. The manager greeted Striker with a hug, and within minutes we were flying over the Strip. Our pilot, J.R. Swinderman, wasn’t afraid to make my recently ingested sea bass swim a little with a couple of sharp turns. It was part ride, part sight-seeing, all luxury. This is the way to live!
During the ride we talked about Striker’s other modes of transportation for his clients. He usually books his clients on a private jet, then, if they wish, he has a connection to a fleet of Lamborghinis in which to cruise the town. Sometimes he books helicopters just for golf excursions, and he can hook you up to fly your own L39 fighter jet in a mock dogfight. Suddenly, getting a table at a club seems like chump change.
“I cater to the top tier,” he said. “I don’t mind taking care of a bachelor party, but if they are looking for free tickets and cheap drinks, I am not their guy. If they are looking for the best, that’s when they call me. I am not on sale, I am for sale.”
That statement rang true after Warren Buffett’s banker called Striker for a quick favor; then we met the gals at Moon. The line parted like the Red Sea. After four bottles of booze showed up at the biggest and best table in the club (the fact that Godsmack lead singer Sully Erna asked to sit down was a small indicator), Striker made sure the girls had prime seats to play a little blackjack with the bunnies at their own table downstairs. Even as a nightlife writer who knows his way around pretty well, I found myself saying, “I’m with Striker,” just to make things easier when getting around the club.
Around 2 a.m. he handed me a Striker-branded Cohiba. “I help people get past the politics of exclusion. I don’t provide VIP packages, I provide VIP experiences.” A puff later or two later, I figured out what VIP truly felt like.
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Justin Jimenez firmly believes we should draft beer, not people. And he always sees better through the bottom of an empty glass. The associate editor for Las Vegas Magazine, he can be reached at [email protected].