"The intelligent way to start the day; by tying a noose around your neck"

By Dale S. Yeazel

CHAPTER 3 Part two

Introduction to “CMS”

Back to Fills and credits

You may have to sign on to the computer before using it. This isn’t the screen where you use your user-name and password: that will be the next sign-in screen. The user-name and password are identical on this screen and usually any previous screens that you might be unfortunate enough to encounter in the case of total system crash and reboot. The user name and password is usually five letters, such as: “YCCMS.” Notice the last letters are “CMS.” 

The cursor is the white box in the user line. In case you were to accidentally move the cursor, you would have to move it back using the arrow keys. 

Type <YCCMS>

Press <tab>

Type <YCCMS>

Press <enter>

Avoid using the <enter> key on the numeric keypad as it doesn’t work on all screens. 

You will now see a screen that looks like this:

This screen is just some kind of nonsense, all you really have to read is where it says; “Press Enter to continue.” 

Press <enter> 

You now get to the sign-in page that will require your personal user-name and password:

Type your user-name and password, if your user-name was THC and your password was BUD420 you would type: 

Type <THC>

Press <tab>

Type <BUD420>

Press <enter>

This will bring you to the “Casino Main Menu” which is the gateway that will take you to the two main screens you will work with in your job.

We want to go to option #2 “Pit Menu.” You might not see all of these options on this screen, since your user-name and password won’t be authorized. 

Type <2>

Press <enter> 

At this point it is worthwhile to note the instructions on the bottom of the screen. These instructions can be of great value when you don’t know what to do. “F3=Exit” is the most commonly used and gets you back to the previous screen. If you wanted to go to “F23=More Options” you would hold down the shift key while pressing F11. Holding the shift key adds a value of twelve to any “F” key you press.

This is the “Casino Pit Menu” which is the first of the two menus that you will most often work with. The second being option #22, the “Player Tracking Menu” which we will be using in the chapter on player’s comps. 

We are almost to the “fill screen.” All we need to do is choose option #14. 

Type <14>

Press <enter>

If you work in a casino that changes the drop boxed after every shift, the cursor will be in the field that indicates the shift. You choose “1” for grave, “2” for days and “3” for swing. The cursor will then move to the “Type” field. You will choose “F” for fill or “C” for credit. The cursor will then move to the field for game type. 

The “game type” will always be two letters: “BJ” for blackjack, “CR” for craps and “RO” for roulette. If you are unsure of the game code there is probably a reference guide taped to the monitor or you can ask one of your co-workers. If you guess and are wrong, the screen will prompt you to re-enter the code after you try to finalize the fill by pressing enter. The cursor will move to the game number field after you enter the game type. The game number can be entered as a one, two or three digit number. If you enter a one or two digit game number, you will have to hit the tab key to move to the next field. When ordering fills it is especially convenient to use the “+” key on the numeric keyboard to move to the next field. However, if the cursor is before an entry, hitting the “+” key will erase everything that comes after it in that field. 

You now can enter your amounts by denomination using the numbers above the top row of letters and using the tab key to move to the next field or the preferred method of entering numbers from the numeric keypad and using the “+” key to move to the next field. Enter amounts in whole dollars only, with no commas or decimal points. 

The most common and embarrassing mistake that you will make is to enter dollars in the wrong field. The “1.00T” field is for ordering tokens and the “1.00C” field is for ordering one-dollar checks. If this mistake isn’t caught before you receive your fill, your only choice is to send the fill back and call the fill bank or the pit manager to have the fill voided. You can order a new fill while the security guard is on his way back to the fill bank. Another common mistake is to get the cursor so far out of position (in a “protected area”) that you can’t get it back by using the arrow key. In this case it is sometimes easier to just press F3 and back out of the screen you are in and re-enter the screen and start over. 

After you have all of your amounts entered you press enter and the program will prompt you to check you inputs. It is a good habit to follow the program’s suggestion. If your entries are correct, you will hit the enter key again and a dialog box will open with the cursor in the field to enter your user-name. After entering your user name, press tab, then enter your password and press enter. A message in white fonts will appear at the bottom of the screen indicating that the fill you have just requested has been printed.

You will now insure that you have time-stamped the back of the yellow copies of the fill slip and return it to the game so it can be signed with the original when the fill arrives. That is unless you aren’t required to drop a copy of the order for fill with the fill slip that comes with your fill and you took the liberty of pre-signing the “Rec’d by” box. In this case you will put the yellow copy in the designated place on the podium and leave the white copy on the game. 

Some floorpersons will take this opportunity to add the fills to the sweat sheet and expect you (if you are his relief) to work around the numbers until the fills actually arrive. This isn’t that difficult. The presence of the white copy of the game should tip you off to the fact that a fill is on its way and you merely have to mentally subtract the amounts on the slip if you are checking the sweat sheet to close out a rating card. 

You might be required to call security to let them know you have fills ordered.

When security arrives with the fills, it is polite to allow him to decide which games he wants to start with. However, there are some circumstances that I will “take the lead” and decide to fill certain games first. It might be a table that is running low on checks, or a dead game that is better to fill first before a player arrives or a game where the dealer has just finished a hand or shuffle. 

The security officer will hand you the fill slip from the cage and you will check it for game number, date and insure it was time stamped. The officer will then set the racks on the layout and the dealer will prove the amounts. You should check it against your order for fill form even though if it doesn’t match, you might accept the fill anyway and fill out a new order for fill form to match the fill slip from the cage. 

If everything checks out, you sign the slip and have the dealer check the slip and sign it. Make sure both you and the dealer put your employee number legibly if it is required. Then dealer will now fill the rack. If you haven’t yet added the total of the fill and the individual amounts to the sweat sheet, now is the time to do it. Don’t make the guard wait for the dealer to unwrap silver. Have the dealer put the rolls of silver in the rack, then drop the slip. 

If the fill is wrong then you have the guard take the fill back to the cage and then notify your pit manager, 

If you are required to drop a copy of the request for fill, make sure you sign it. Then place the original in the designated place on the podium. If you aren’t required to drop the copy, you will put the copy on the podium and either discard the original or staple it to your sweat sheet.

A credit is done to send excess checks from a table game to the cage. Some of the circumstances that can create this need are: 

Changing a layout or moving a game can necessitate sending the entire bankroll to the cage. 

To send smaller denomination checks to the cage to make room for larger denomination checks that have been ordered to accommodate a big player. 

To return purple checks or large amounts of black that was put on a low minimum game to accommodate a big player.

If you need to credit and entire rack, you will: 

1.) Call surveillance and notify them that you will be doing a credit and what game it is.

2.) Call security and tell them you are doing a credit, what game it is and how many check racks to bring.

3.) When security comes have the dealer prove the checks on the layout, including coins.

4.) Fill out the request for credit form, including signing the “ordered by” and “filled by” signatures

5.) Have security sign the “rec’d by” section of the request for credit.

6.) Time stamp the original.

7.) Either call surveillance again or have security radio them with the exact amount of the fill.

8.) Give security the original of the request for credit then take the copy to the computer and enter it.

9.) Indicate the credit on your sweat sheet and fill out a “zero” closing slip for that game.

10.) When security returns with the credit slip from the cage, check it for accuracy then have the dealer sign it and then you sign it. Then drop the slip in the drop box.

11.)Time stamp the back of the copy of the request for credit and put it on the podium with your fill slips.

Remember that credits can be done in whole dollar amounts only. If there is an extra halve or one, two or three extra quarters on the game, they will be dropped in the drop box. Also, remember that you will be so accustomed to entering “F” in the fill or credit screen, that is will be easy to forget to enter “C.”

If you need to send back a known amount of checks, such as ten thousand in purple, you will: 

1.) Call surveillance and tell them you will be doing a credit, how much it is and what game it is.

2.) Fill out the request for credit and enter it in the computer.

3.) Time stamp both copies.

4.) Call security and tell them you are doing a credit, what game it is and how many racks they need to bring.

5.) Put both copies by the drop slot of the game.

6.) When security arrives have the dealer prove the checks on the layout and put it in the rack.

7.) Have security sign the request for credit.

8.) Give security the original of the request for credit.

9.) Indicate the credit on your sweat sheet.

10.) When security returns with the credit slip, check it, sign it, have the dealer sign it and then have the dealer drop it.

11.) Put the copy of the request for fill with your fill slips on the podium.

If, when receiving a fill, you find that you don’t have enough room in the rack for all of the checks, you can call the eye and tell them you are doing a credit and putting the checks in a rack and setting them next to the float. You can them fill out a request for credit and give security their copy and enter it in the computer while security is on the way to the cage. 

I hope that I have given a good overview of how fills and credits are done. Please don’t get overly hung-up on the details I have given. Things are done at least a little bit different from casino to casino. By comparing the procedures I have described to how things are done where you are working can give you insights to the common denominators of procedures everywhere.

Chapter 4

Rating Cards

Transferring cards.  

Back to Table Game Supervision

Main Index