This is a casino slang term that has changed in usage over the years. 40 years ago, it meant a skillful, classy, and elegant player who could make the casinos sweat just by walking through the doors. Nick the Greek is widely considered the last of the true High Rollers. Today, however, a High Roller is anybody who gambles with large sums of money. Skill doesn't enter into the picture.

High Roller was the first roller coaster built at Valleyfair! family amusement park near Shakopee, Minnesota. High Roller was completed in 1976 before the park's grand opening, but was called simply Coaster when the roller coaster was built. High Roller is a sit-down out and back wooden roller coaster with trains built by the Philadelphia Toboggan Company. High Roller has been awarded the title of ACE coaster classic by the American Coaster Enthusiasts. Many Minnesota natives believe that High Roller was actually transported from the now-extinct Excelsior Amusement Park at Excelsior, Minnesota. The layouts are similar, but this is false, as High Roller began construction in 1974 along with the construction of the rest of Valleyfair! while the Excelsior Amusement Park did not close until after 1976. However, Valleyfair! did happen to buy Excelsior's Philadelphia Toboggan Company carousel which is still located at Valleyfair! today.

The color of High Roller is white, unlike its near identical sister Blue Streak at Cedar Point. Until the last turn of the century, High Roller had actually been operated with a classic hand brake instead of a control panel, which lead to a few screamers (a train that does not stop in the station) and misaligned stops. The main difference between the two is that Blue Streak's trains have the traditional lapbars with adjustable settings whereas High Roller's trains have a single-notch buzzbar (which is a rarity and pleasure for any roller coaster enthusiast). Smaller persons, and especially those that are just over the height requirement or very thin, should be able to get some great airtime over the bunny hills after the high horseshoe due to the one position only lapbar.

Statistics:

  • Length of Track: 2982 feet
  • Length of Ride: ~1:45
  • Top Speed: 50 mph
  • Theoretical Capacity: 1150 riders per hour
  • Height: 70 feet
  • Trains: 2 with 4 cars each. 3 rows of 2 persons in each car.
Sources: http://valleyfair.digital-coaster.com, www.valleyfair.com, www.rcdb.com

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