Dealer Advice
Hi, I'm a friend of Dave Adam's and a poker dealer
and thought I'd post a quick advice column in there and support Dave's
efforts in his poker website endeavor...
Although sometimes the worst vice is advice...but I
think most dealers would agree with the points below
First of all, don't worry about making mistakes,
because you will make them at some point guaranteed. Forgetting a rake,
pushing a pot to the wrong player, reading hands incorrectly, misdealing,
side pot mismanagement, rake shortages, it all happens. I've seen dealers
that have been dealing for 15 years make mistakes like flopping too many
cards, or mucking the winning hand...
Now, what is important is learning from past
mistakes and avoiding them in the future, so to make them very seldom. I
think my record is three misdeals in a row when the xyz first opened and I
was a "green" or new dealer. I haven't' spoken to anybody who
beat it yet, or should I say, admitted it yet. But it's like the oldI took a look at everyone's comments and nearly
all have some good points. Where I work, we
adage, the more box time you have, the more you improve. Now, I have a
misdeal I'd say once a week...considering an average of 10 downs for an 8
hour shift (downs are the time spent dealing, about 30 minutes in length.
Up is when the dealer is on break or not dealing, i.e., an up dealer),
about 23 hands a down, 5 shifts a week...that's one misdeal in
approximately 1,150 hands...and misdeals can occur even without a dealer
err...like another player taking the wrong card and messing up the proper
rotation of the cards, cards hitting a players moving hand and turning
over, or a vent above your table releasing air current that causes a
semi-good pitched card to turn over....anyway, what's the point of this?
Don't worry, be happy...you will get better, and better, and better.
Remember to err is human, to forgive is divine, and to really mess things
up requires a computer. :)
Secondly, getting a job as a dealer is really two
things....timing and attitude. It's about being in the right place, at the
right time, with a positive attitude. Remember, more often than not, poker
dealers make and keep their own tips...and believe me when I say, there is
a noticeable difference when you go the employee bank and cash out your
tokes with the other dealers, who comes home with more money because they
separate problems from interfering with business. Be friendly, be tactful,
and it will pay off. If an argument ensues, stop it and get the
floor...they get paid to take the heat off you. In the audition, don't be
concerned about speed, because they are looking for accuracy and correct
dealing procedure. Some dealers are better than others, I must admit...but
even some of the worst dealers have jobs. Just be accurate and friendly
and persistent, and you should be able to find work quickly.
Thirdly, keep track of all your earnings...I use a
Calendar, and write down how much tokes I make, how many hours I work. I
also keep track of all gambling endeavors as well, which I highly suggest
you do as well...because I bet more often than not, a poker dealer is a
poker player, and you could even be playing 'on the clock' or while your
working, or 'off the clock' on your off time...At any rate, keeping good
money management skills is important to not just know where the money
went, but knowing if your setting the goals you established for yourself,
if different shifts (graves, days, or swings) make you different amounts
of money, what days are better or worse for you, if your keeping yourself
on budget, etc.....don't be one of those poor souls who come to Vegas or
wherever you choose to deal with dreams and it crashes down due to
mismanagement of money and poor gambling habits.
Fourth piece of advice...and this really applies
with a new poker room opening, but can apply anywhere else as well, be
specific on what shift your interested in...when I started dealing at xyz,
I put "any" on what shift we would like....well, "any"
unfortunately meant any...and I was put on the 3 am to 11 am and 4 am to
12 p.m. shift...now don't get me wrong, grave shift has it's advantages
that can be discussed at another time, but needless to say, especially in
a new cardroom, it was a tough shift...tables breaking down at 2 to 3 am
and not getting really started up until around 10 or 11 am...so if you
want days, don't be shy, say days...swings, say swings....but if you
really need the job, be open to anything...but put down a
preference....'ask and you shall receive'
Lastly, have fun. I love games, being a backgammon
player and poker player mostly, but enjoy playing other games as
well....to think that I can deal cards in a poker game and make money at
it, good money, is something special to me. I couldn't imagine doing
anything else right now than dealing. Working with various people and
personalities I think keeps it interesting, and I like being busy and
working with my hands. I think you will enjoy it as well if that is what
you choose to do. Trust me, you will have your 'bad days' as well...but
without those, could you really appreciate the 'good' ones? Thanks and
hope to see you out there dealing me a royal flush lol...
Sincerely,
Daniel
a.k.a. mega-lag boy
I took a look at
everyone's comments and nearly all have some good points. Where I work, we
keep our own tokes and to be honest, I would never work in a cardroom that
did it any other way.
Additionally, the pit dealers get *way* more breaks than we in the poker room get. Where I work, the pit folks get a 20 min. break every
40-60 min. In the poker room on the same busy nights, we're lucky to get a 30 min break every 2.5 hrs. This past Sunday night, in fact, I
pushed 10 tables (5 hrs) before getting a break. It was rough, but at least I knew I'd be going home with the money from all that hard work.
It would have been nearly unbearable to think about the pit dealers getting a cut of that money when they were on break for over an hour
and a half of those five hours. Put simply, I'm not working for someone else while they sit around.
It's common knowledge to the pit dealers that we make a good deal more than they do, but more than once they've said they wouldn't do my job
for all the tea in China. They rarely bemoan the fact that I make more than they do...they get more breaks and get paid their regular
toke rate when they take vacations or PDOs (paid days off). Poker dealers don't...we just get our regular hourly wage. So basically I
get very little income while I'm gone even though I'm actually getting "paid" for those hours by the company (a week's vacation would garner
me 40 hrs at about minimum wage). A pit dealer gets a regular week's pay.
Poker is a much different game from the pit games so it requires different policies. For one thing, we are responsible for our own
racks at the table...if we get up and it's $10 short, we pay for it. If a pit dealer does the same thing and a floorperson doesn't catch
it, the casino just eats it. Poker dealers generally have to be able to do about eight different things at once, all while watching/calling
the action. I don't mean to put down 21 dealers, but really, how much concentration does that take? Even the 21 dealers where I work brag
about how easy their jobs are. I think the only pit dealers for which I have an honest admiration are the craps dealers...with all that
commotion going on, they still remember odds, etc. and the stress on their backs is similar to what we poker dealers experience.
As I said, I'm not trying to bitch and moan about how rough my job is or how easy the pit dealers have it...I'm just saying that there's
usually a darn good reason most poker dealers keep their own tokes. I consider myself somewhat self-employed in that I work for what I make
and *only* what I make. Oh sure, the casino pays me (for whatever that's worth) but I'm responsible for what I *really* earn (most of my
check is usually eaten up in taxes anyway). This makes me work harder, faster, more accurately, more courteously and more carefully
than I probably would otherwise. That ends up better for the casino (more drop), the player (more hands and fewer game holdups while the
dealer calls a floor due to mistake), and the dealer (who is directly responsible for his/her own income).
And that's my buck and a half's worth on that subject... :-)
-Shauna, Poker dealer Tunica, MS
For what it's worth, DON'T EVER WORK
IN A POOLED TOKE SYSTEM CARD ROOM. I've had plenty of experience under all sorts of conditions and toke systems. By far the
best is for the dealers to keep their own individual tips, and it works out to be the best for everyone. For one thing a dealer is far less likely
to have an "attitude" toward his work and to every player when his or her relationships have a DIRECT bearing on their earnings. They will treat
everyone with respect or suffer for it. And from the point of view of the player, you can give to the good ones and withhold from the bad ones at
your discretion. Also, regarding a casino where the poker tips are tossed into the general casino pool, that is the worst of all setups, because
poker dealers work harder than their counterparts in the pit. They never have dead time to just watch girls go by or whatever. (I'm from Nevada, so
most of my experience is in that state, I understand that the east coast casinos are quite
busy, but there will still be more work in poker).
If the poker dealers work harder but make the same money, there is no
incentive for the better dealers to strive to be in the poker dept, in fact, they will avoid it like the plague. On the other hand, if the poker
dealers earn more (and they do, with few exceptions), then the better dealers will be climbing over one another to get in to the card room. The
reason poker dealers do better, especially when they keep their own is pretty simple, really: there is always a winner. In the pit, you might
wait for days to find one, and when you do, he just may forget all about taking care of the dealers.
By and large the poker players are very
generous, and they go so far as to "educate" new players and the just plain
ignorant to take care of the dealers. It isn't like the dealers are getting rich, because I'm sure you are all aware that the casinos pay as
little as they can possibly get by with. In fact, I recently got a raise when the
minimum wage went up. When you couple that with the fact that most of the joints spend as little as possible on benefits, and retirement
plans are non-existent, a career as a dealer will be less desirable in the long run than many other occupations, as when you're through what you have
managed to put away is what you get. Anyway, that's another story altogether.
Joe M.
Scott, I dealt in the pits for five
years before I wised up and became a poker dealer. I like working
in the casino
environment but I always hated players blaming me for their losses and working
with incompetent floor supervisors. Dealing poker is a completely different
world. You go for your own (Tokes) and players competing against one another
rather than the dealer representing the casino bank makes for a better working
environment. The biggest difference however there is no room for dealer error.
Each and every hand must be dealt with absolute concentration. Sure that
statement is true when dealing every game but in poker it is critical. In the
pits, a floor supervisor can pay somebody from the bank to correct a dealer
error but in poker this cannot happen. You can’t pay someone with another
player’s money.
Comparing apples with oranges
perhaps but I strongly recommend to any pit dealer to consider dealing poker
especially those who are currently between jobs. You will find that dealing
poker will rejuvenate your passion working in the casino environment and that
the tokes are not only better than the average pit dealing gig but the players
are better to deal with than those you will find chasing their losses on a BJ
game.
Scotty, the vast difference
between dealing in the pits and dealing poker is that most poker players have
been playing longer than any of us have been dealing. When I dealt craps, I knew
more about the game than most people that played and to a certain degree this
was also true in BJ. Poker is very different. Poker players can tell if you are
a green dealer from a mile away. These players will chew you up and spit out.
You think you need thick skin dealing craps?
Most cops come to a crossroad on
deciding what direction life will take them. Should I be a crook or a cop? The
best cops think like a crook (That's how they catch them) and the best poker
dealers have that "competitive player mentality". Poker
dealers are a breed apart from pit dealers. Most have a love (perhaps an addiction?)
to the game that you don't see in the pits. I've always believed that dealing
poker one comes to a
crossroad where we ask ourselves;
Do I want to play or deal? It's
all about the game. The best it seems live this game.
I had been a blackjack dealer for 21 years, and I had also dealt craps and the other games casino's offer. It's funny, but I loved poker all that time, and it never occurred to me to deal the game. Eventually, I burnt out of dealing and became unemployed. So I took the money I had and tried to play poker semi-professionally. But with little success in tourney play, and moderate success in live action, I became bored as a player. I needed work, because my family wasn't allowing my playing skills to support them (or the other way around). So I decided to try and deal the game and ended up getting a job at the Orleans. I liked their poker room and the fact that they have 2 tournaments daily.
What follows next are the things you need to do and think about to get to where I have:
I inquired in the poker room if they were hiring dealers. Remember that I have 21 year's experience, but not in dealing poker. I had only played poker. But I felt a slight advantage, anyway. You could also go to poker school, (not poker school online!) and pay some outrageous sum to learn to deal. But if you are a player, you just need to learn to pitch (deliver the cards). They informed me that auditions (that is where you show up to deal in front of them to show you know how to deal) were held on Wednesdays and Fridays. I took note and got ready to show up Friday. When you go on an audition, it is proper to wear black pants and a white shirt. It was standard in blackjack, and it is standard in poker.
Friday was here, and I was becoming nervous. Sure, I'd been dealing for years, but never this game! I talked to XXXXX. (I won't use any names) and he said the casino wasn't hiring right now, but they did have a waiting list. But I just wanted an audition? Well, I got the audition! I went to the tourney area, and lucky for me, there was no real money, and no rake! Very lucky. Most places now have a bad beat jackpot drop along with the rake. The standard rake in poker is 5%, $3 max. In Holdem it's 5%, $3.50 max and in Omaha 8 or better also, and it's 10%, $4 max in 7 Stud.
They were playing an Omaha 8 or better tournament. Funny, I don't remember ever playing 8 or better. As a matter of fact, I thought I might be in for some trouble here! OK. STOP! There really is no trouble when you audition. Either you pass or fail. But in any audition, prepare to be nervous. It just happens. So, I was really nervous. But I sat down like a pro. The cards were not the ones I was use to. They were bendable plastic. Damn. Trouble again! I dealt 2 hands, and neither pot was split. I had passed the audition, and was put on the waiting list! Kinda like catching that spade on the river for the nut flush! Of the 7 people on the list, I was #2 to be hired, which by the way, took 3 weeks. But I had done something I had never done before...DEALT POKER.
So, if you want to be a poker dealer, follow this checklist and take a shot. You can only get beat on the river!
1. Find out when rooms auditions.
2. Show up in proper attire.
3. Have knowledge of poker.
4. Learn to pitch those plastic cards.
5. Keep deck close to table and never roll (that's when you turn the deck over with your hand).
6. Know your rakes.
7. Keep a good attitude, for you will definitely need it!
Now that you have a job dealing
poker, what should you expect? Hmmm...Well, you could expect to get first hand
knowledge of how players play. Or you could expect to make lots of money,
because most dealers like to play when they finish their shift.
But the truth is, expect the unexpected! Remember that I said you would be
nervous at your audition? Well, you're gonna be nervous on your 1st day
also!...and on your 2nd, 3rd, and probably 4th. I sure was. My first day, I
ended up dealing a 7 Stud Hi-Lo 8 or better tourney! And I thought this was
going to be easy?!
During the tourney, I did everything right. That is, until I had a 5 handed, 4
all-in hand! For those who don't play, this particular situation is tough
because it has 5 different pots. Now I got a taste of the real poker world! Upon
setting up these side pots, a player questioned as to if they were set up
correctly, and that's when the poker world took control!
Now everyone in the hand was yelling, and getting involved in what I was doing.
"It's not right!" I heard. All hell broke loose. Funny, I thought I
was the dealer...But in poker, EVERYBODY playing is the dealer. (This is really
not true, but I'll settle that later).
I was so confused at this point, I was ready to quit. Those people were
ruthless. I thought I knew how to deal. Well, I ended up backing up all the
money and resetting the side pots. It was like feeding animals at the zoo, and
they finally all quieted down. The hand was over, the pot was split, and I was
ready to deal the next hand.
"Wait! I don't think that was right!" said the man who won the
majority of the pot. Now I got confused again. "Call the floorman!" he
says. The floorman came over, heard the situation, and overruled the player.
"The pot was right" he says. "Deal," I am instructed by the
floorman. So finally, I got to deal the next hand.
What seemed like an eternity really only took 5 minutes. And I, the dealer, was
right. And I knew that. Or did I? That particular hand stayed with me the entire
night. How could a guy on his first night have been so gun shy? After all, I
play poker! But I don't remember it being so personal! I just put my money in
the pot and hope I have the best hand. I watch for tells and act accordingly. I
take my beats like a man. All true, but guess what? I'm not playing now...I'M
DEALING!
So, as reality sets in on what you are doing, try to remember all those times
(there must have been a few times at least), that you blamed the dealer for
something he really wasn't responsible for. Try to remember that when you played
poker, you thought you were one of the best. Try to remember how you never paid
any attention to what the dealer was feeling. And try to remember why, for some
idiotic reason, YOU WANTED TO BE A DEALER!
Let's review:
1. Expect to be nervous the first couple of weeks.
2. Expect the unexpected.
3. Realize that all players think they are dealers.
4. DO NOT TAKE IT PERSONALLY.
What else could you expect? That's funny, cause whatever you expect, expect much more. You will never see all of it, but it will be there. I myself dealt for 2 months and then left town for personal reasons. I didn't get to see it all, but in those 2 months, I saw alot! Dealing live is so much more complex than dealing tourneys. In tourneys, nothing really matters. The limits go up, and you deal till it's over. In live however, We're talking serious stuff.
Every player seems more concerned about who is not playing, or who missed a blind. Oh, and who rivered me, and who plays that crud in certain positions. It's endless! As a dealer, you have to set yourself aside from those things, and get on with running the game.
Make sure the blinds are in, and make sure you talk the game, and everything should be fine. That is such a lie! If you show you know what you are doing, you might be okay. But if you show ANY sign of weakness, the players will eat your lunch!
I myself didn't take long to adjust, but in the beginning, I was toast.
Also, get to know all the rules in all situations, so that when you need supervisor assistance, you will be ready to tell the full story of what went down. Know your floor help and your players. Hopefully your floor help will back you up. As for the players, their gripes are always the same. Same person, same gripe! If you have any poker playing skills, this will help in the long run. You will know how to handle any situation, and the job will become much more fun to go to. I can't imagine ever dealing any other game now.
Well, I've covered mostly all you will need to get started in the poker industry. May you'll enjoy it as much as I have and will, cause I just moved back to Vegas, and I'm ready to deal some poker!
Crazyman
Re: Joe M
I must say that I agree with most everything Joe said.
First off, from the time that poker first
opened at the
Taj, tokes have been counted
SEPARATELY from the casino floors tokes, for the purpose of the casino floor being able to prove their arguments that "poker is
dropping the toke rate"... The tips still DO get pooled with the main
floor' tips, but unfortunately, the hourly toke (tip) rate has proven to be about 1-2 dollars lower than the casino floor average...
I've heard many players explain to me: "Oh, I don't tip, because it all goes into the pool, and the bad dealers wind up making the same as the
good dealers"... Unfortunately, that *IS* true...:-(
I, Myself, am IN FAVOR of letting the poker dealers keep their own tokes (tips)... I *KNOW* I'm one of the "better" dealers, and know that, after
the initial drop in toke rate for a couple of weeks, I'll be back to normal, or better, and be better able to provide for my family...
This type of toke situation is going to have some GREAT affects for the poker
players, as a whole!
First off, those dealers who are slow, don't call the game, have a poor attitude, and bad dealing skills, will come to the conclusion VERY
quickly, that it's either "SHAPE UP, or SHIP OUT!"
Secondly, This will, in the long run, provide a better, more efficient (read: more hands per
hour), more courteous, and friendly dealer, and cause those dealers with a poor grasp of the english
language, to improve their verbal skills, therefore making them more productive to society, in general..
HEY, WAIT!! I think I just stumbled on the cure for the world's woes!!! "Deal Poker, but only if you can keep your own tips! (and actually
survive on them!)"
Your voice from the Shores of New Jersey,
RICHARD
Deal poker?
Help us out here
E-Mail:Diceteach@yahoo.com
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