By Dale S. Yeazel

Chapter 5  

Markers.

“Markers” are credit extended to players that have a pre-determined credit line with the casino. They are issued in units of $500 or in some smaller casinos, in units of $100. When a player asks you how to get credit you should direct them to the casino cage or call your pit or shift boss. Don’t answer any questions pertaining to what the qualifications are for credit or the length of time it takes to get approval, as this is the cage’s domain and you certainly wouldn’t want to give a player wrong information. 

For the purposes of this chapter I need to distinguish between a “marker” and a “table marker.” A “marker” is credit extended to a player where the player signs a note promising to pay the casino a specified amount of money and is then given checks from the rack. A “table marker” is usually in the realm of a call bet in craps or a player that wants to double down on his $100 bet in blackjack but doesn’t have the checks in front of him. 

Of course the first consideration when a player requests a table marker is whether or not you the supervisor is going to give it to him. If this player has already flashed a huge wad of cash when he originally bought in, the answer is usually obvious: give it to him. Now you might be wondering what happens if this player refuses to pay. If you can tell your supervisor that you know for a fact that this player has on his person the money to pay the table marker, I can’t imagine you getting in trouble for giving it to him. It will be up to your supervisor and security to extricate the cash from the deadbeat. 

Now suppose you haven’t seen a large wad of cash, what other factors might cause you to grant the approval for a table marker? 

This is a well-known and respected patron. 

The amount of money this player loses or at least puts at risk in this casino if far greater than the amount of the table marker he is requesting. 

The player has a credit line with available credit. 

The possibility that if this player complained to your supervisor that you refused to give him a table marker, you would be in more trouble than if you had given it to him and gotten stiffed. 

You work for a boss that isn’t a control freak and doesn’t mind if you occasionally make a decision that doesn’t work out well. 

So now that you have decided to grant the player’s request for a table marker, the very first thing you do is “mark it up” with lammers or checks. It is absolutely crucial that we “mark up” the table marker before the dealer gives the player any checks, as this is the only proof we have that the player owes us money. In craps and blackjack setting checks or lammers in front of the paddle marks up the requested amount. Some layouts have circles indicating the player’s position. In roulette the lammers or checks are set on the wheel head. Lammers are always preferred, especially in blackjack or roulette. Sometimes a call to surveillance is required, either before a table marker is granted or as soon as possible afterwards. 

In craps, the boxperson or floorperson will ask the player for the money to settle the table marker on the next seven-out. The player will not be asked before the seven-out regardless of how many checks he might have in his rack. In blackjack, the player will be asked to settle the table marker at the conclusion of the hand, after the dealer has collected all the cards. In craps or blackjack the dealer will say;” Coming in against the marker!” and wait for approval before bringing in the checks. If the player is paying back the table marker out of a buy-in or marker: the total amount of checks will be prepared by the dealer and approved by the supervisor, then the dealer will bring back the amount required to pay the table marker and set it in front of the table marker. 

The very first concern of the floorperson asked to issue a marker is confirming the identity of the player doing the asking. A player’s card or even a card issued to a credit player indicating he has an account is not sufficient. If you know this player or if another supervisor is willing to confirm his identity, then further identification is not required. If you don’t know this player and there is no one available that does know him, then you will have to ask him for an ID. If the player becomes disgruntled at this, I always say something like;” I’m sorry but I’m sure you wouldn’t want me giving your money to the wrong person.” 

If the patron shows you his wallet or her purse and doesn’t remove the ID, then be ready to write down their name (correct spelling) and their date of birth. You may need the player’s date of birth to differentiate this player from others in the system when you get to the computer for the second step of the process. 

The next logical step is to confirm that this player does indeed have the credit available. To do this using the CMS system: 

Type <3>

Press <tab>

This gets you to the “Input Data” field where you will type the player’s last name, then comma, then a space and then the player’s first name. You can also type the middle initial if available (leaving a space between it and the first name).

Press <enter>. 

Or if you are lucky enough to have a completed marker for this player nearby, you can take the account number from it and enter it in the “Customer#” field instead of entering the player’s name. 

This will then take you to the “Alphabetic Customer Display” screen. 

Since we were clever enough to include the middle initial of this player, we are now only faced with two choices instead of two thousand. As you can tell from the D.O.B. both lines are for the same player. The letter “M” under the “Typ” column indicated that line “1” is for a “marketing account” and is for comp purposes. If you were unfortunate to choose that account number, you would be surprised to find out that the player has no available credit. We want to choose line “2” since that is for a “C” account which stands for “credit.” 

Type <2>

Press <enter>. 

This is the “messages screen” and tells you what supervisors have said about this player or what messages this player has requested to be left. In this case, this customer doesn’t want to receive mail unless it is a death threat for non-payment of markers. There may be something of interest to you on the message screen but don’t forget this player is impatiently waiting for his marker. 

Press <F12> 

Confirm the player’s name and D.O.B. and then look at the column at the upper-right of the screen. This player has $3,000 available, just make sure it isn’t “-$3,000” in case he has already been over-extended. 

If the player doesn’t have the available credit then call the pit or shift manager and inform him of the situation. If he does have the available credit, then get a lammer, get over to the game and tell the dealer to give him the money. If there is a boxman on the game, tell him how much available credit the player has. You might also be required to call surveillance. 

We will now take the table card for markers (if there is one) or grab a blank card so we can start one. We are now ready to enter the information in the computer to print a marker. In this example we are giving Mr. J a $1000 marker on BJ-10. 

Type <1000>

Press <tab>

Type <BJ> the cursor should move automatically to the game number field, if not press <tab>.

Type <10>

Press <enter>. 

The computer will now display a message at the bottom of the screen indicating it is now printing out the four-part marker or you may have to complete the manual type of marker. In the following example, I am illustrating the manual type. At this point it is crucial to remember to time stamp the back of all copies of the markers. 

Be it a “manual marker” or the computer-generated type, all markers generally consists of four copies. The top copy or “check” is the part the customer signs and is filled out pretty much as a personal check is. The next copy is the “payment stub” and is completed if the player pays back the marker on the game. Next comes the “posting stub” and is the copy that will be turned into your pit manager if the player pays off the marker. The last copy is the “issue stub” and is the copy that you and the dealer (or boxperson) will sign and drop when you issue the marker. 

1.) Print the player’s last name (followed by a comma) then the first name and middle initial.

2.) BJ 10

3.) Put an “X” in the box for the shift the player is taking the marker on. Remember, even if it is 1 am, if the shift hasn’t rolled, it is still swing shift.

4.) You may be required to print or sign your name and ID number. If you sign, be sure it is legible.

5.) Write the date the player is taking the marker. Again, remember what the “official” date is, just like you did in the “shift” box.

6.) 1000.00

7.) One thousand & 00/100

8.) Write the player’s account number. Remember to use the number for his credit account, not his player’s card.

9.) Print the customer’s name, first name first. 

Don’t attempt to fill out any of the rest of the check, including the date below the marker number (2951), because the cage will fill this out if the check is sent to the player’s bank. 

You will now find a clipboard so you can have the player sign his name in the signature area, above his printed name. Be careful not to bother the player if he is shooting the dice (look to see who the shooter is when you approach the game) or if he is in the middle of playing a hand of cards. 

You will now have the dealer or boxperson sign the issue stub copy of the marker. 

The top section should be completed thanks to the carbons of the copies above it, as should the amount of the marker on the right-hand side. The dealer or boxperson will sign in the designated spot (including ID number). Some casinos also require the floorperson to sign again in the blank area above the dealer/boxman spot, especially if your casino prefers you to print your name in the “issued by” spot in the top section. 

Before we drop the issue stub and put away the lammer, we need to complete the “table card.” 

There will be a “table card” for every game that has had markers issued on it. It is a record that shows what markers were issued and/or paid back. 

Entry #1 – Mr. J was issued a $1000 marker. As with all entries, the floorperson and dealer or boxperson put their initials and ID number.

Entry #2 – Mr. J took another $1000 marker, so his total markers went from $1000 to $2000.

Entry #3 – Mr. J paid his markers back with checks. Marker paybacks are written in red with “PD TB CKS” meaning “paid table checks.” The previous amount being circled indicates the entire amount owed to this table was paid.

Entry #4 – Mr. J took a $1000 marker.

Entry #5 – Mr. J took another $1000 marker, which brought his total back to $2000.

Entry #6 – Mr. J paid back one of his $1000 markers with table checks. The two red lines in the previous entry indicate he only reduced his total owed, instead of paying the entire amount,

Entry #7 – This entry was made at the same time as the previous one and indicates that after Mr. J paid one of his markers, he still owed $1000. The fact that this entry caused us to run into the next section shows why it is a good idea to leave a blank section between players. 

Once the table card has been completed the dealer or boxperson will take one last look at the issue slip to insure it has been signed and time stamped. They will then fold it lengthwise and drop it in the drop box. The dealer or boxperson will then put the lammer in the designated place, which on a blackjack game is usually in the silver tube or on a craps table in a special place in the lammer holder. You will now place what remains of the marker (check, payment stub and posting stub) in the designated area of the podium, which is often a filing box. 

If a player wants to pay back his marker, he can do so with cash or checks. The dealer will bring the cash or checks to the center of the table and prove the amount. If it is cash, if will be converted to checks and set in front of the paddle and the lammer removed from the rack and placed on top of the checks. If it is checks, they will be proved and if necessary, converted to higher denomination checks and set in front of the paddle and the lammer removed and placed on top of the checks. If the player is paying back more than one marker, the checks won’t be stacked on top of each other. There will be a separate stack of checks with a lammer for each marker that is being paid back. At this point, you might be required to call surveillance and tell them you have a marker payback, the amount and which game it is. 

You will now retrieve the player’s marker, time stamp the back of each copy and then give the player the top (check) copy. The player is now free to leave, as you won’t need anything more from him. If he asks you to throw it away for him, make sure you tear it up in his presence. You are now ready to complete the “payment stub.” 

Entry #1 – This is where you write in the amount the player is paying back. As a pit supervisor, you will only be accepting cash or checks (chips) for payment and won’t have the option of accepting a partial payment.

Entry #2 – You write the date that the marker was paid back. This should always be the same date as when the marker was issued.

Entry #3 – You sign in this space (with ID#).

Entry #4 – The dealer or boxperson signs here (with ID#). 

You then complete the table card as shown in the example, either “PD TB CKS” (paid table checks) or “PD CASH” (paid cash). 

The dealer or boxperson will now double check the payment stub for completeness and time stamp, drop it in the drop box, put the checks in the rack and then drop the lammer in your hand so you can return it to the podium. 

A player is allowed to pay back markers taken on a different game. In some houses you would accept the marker payment in the same fashion, except that in the blank area of the marker you would write something like;” $1000 marker taken on BJ 10 and paid with checks on BJ 9.” 

If this isn’t permitted you will have a “traveling marker payback.” In this case, you call surveillance and tell them you are transferring checks from one game to another for a marker payback. You then get a check rack and have the dealer put the checks in the rack. Set the marker on top of the rack and pick it with one hand and carry it to the game where the marker will be paid back. 

In some houses you and the dealer or boxperson are required to complete the “posting stub” in the same fashion as you did the payment stub. In either case you will now enter the marker payback in the computer. 

Type <5>

Press <tab> twice. This will take you to the “Customer#” field where you enter the customer’s account number you have on the posting stub.

Press <enter> 

You are now in the marker payback screen. 

You will enter an “F” in the “Sel” field for every marker the player is paying back. The marker we are paying back is the third one in the list. 

Press <tab> twice.

Type <F> this indicates we are paying the marker back in full. The cursor should now advance to the “Nbr of Item Selected” field. This is where we enter the total number of markers we are paying back.

Type <1> you are now ready to tab to the “cash” field if the player paid his marker in cash. In this example, we are assuming the player paid in checks.

Press <tab> until you get to the “Game/Table” field.

Type <BJ> if the cursor fails to advance to the game number field, press tab again.

Type <10>

Press <tab> this takes you to the field where you enter the amount of checks the player has given you.

Type <1000>

Press <enter> 

There should now be a message on the bottom of the screen telling you that the marker has been paid. 

You can now write “POSTED” across the front of the posting stub to indicate that the marker payback has been entered in the computer and then put the stub with your request for fill slips and other paperwork that will be picked up by the pit manager. 

I hope I haven’t boggled your mind with the particulars of how markers are issued and paid back at the properties I have worked at that utilizes the CMS system. Some of the things I hope you retain from this chapter are: 

Make sure you ID the player requesting the marker. 

Make sure he has the available credit. 

Markers come in four parts: the check, the payment stub, the posting stub and the issue stub. 

I found that getting into a routine when writing markers helps prevent me from forgetting to do the required tasks, such as time stamping and signing the marker as soon as it comes out of the computer. You don’t want to make any mistakes on something that will be dropped down the drop slot as the only way to rectify the mistake is to notify the pit manager, so he can complete the dreaded “Notification of Error Slip” which will announce to accounting and everyone that you screwed up.

Chapter 6

The concept of expected win.  

Comps

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