CHAPTER 1

Preparation for management

Ensuring you are mentally prepared and have the tools you need.

Now here is a section that I imagine many will choose to disregard but I assure you this is not merely the ranting of an old man. The key to being an effective supervisor is being the strongest dealer you can be before you decide to put on a suit. After all, you can’t expect dealers to do something that you can’t do and you can’t give dealers something that you don’t have.

Your real education as to the mechanics of the games begins and ends with your experience dealing them. The only way you can observe a dealer making a mistake is by anticipation. And the only way you can anticipate what a dealer is going to do next is to know what you would be doing next in that situation. Realize that many upper managers aren’t impressed by you telling them that you "know" a game; they want to know how long you dealt it before they will trust you to watch it.

Karma is a bitch! How much respect you will get from the dealers when you are a supervisor will have a direct correlation to the amount of respect you gave your bosses when you were a dealer. Besides, you will not only have to work with the management team, you will have to depend on them to train you. How much help would you give some punk that has busted your balls on a regular basis?

It is next to impossible for you to enforce company standards of customer service and dealing procedures unless you followed them when you were a dealer! When you are a dual-rate, you tend to judge your own performance by the mistakes you make as a supervisor, little do you realize that your bosses expect you to make mistakes as a supervisor, after all that is how you learn. Dual-rates are always judged more critically when performing in their lower position.

Some might think casinos to be chicken shit to put so much emphasis on an employee’s attendance in consideration for promotion. When a dealer calls in there are usually extras scheduled or part time dealers that can be called in. When a supervisor calls in that means a pit manager might have to take a section, an hourly supervisor called in and paid overtime or a salaried supervisor called in to cover without compensation. Dual-rates should think long and hard before calling in for a shift that they are scheduled to work the floor. They should also be willing to answer their phone so they can be called in to replace someone that has called in.

Yes, I know so much of the training "inhuman resources" expects you to attend has little or no bearing on the job you will be doing. However, you will be judged on your willingness to attend training classes and the attitude you display (including your choice of clothes) while there. And be not deceived, some classes you will be required to attend are of paramount importance, such as sexual harassment, Reg 6A and your company’s version of progressive discipline.

I know I used to think that some people put too much emphasis on how they look and too little emphasis on what they knew. But I came to realize that dressing well and performing well don’t have to be mutually exclusive. Nor do you have to spend a lot of money but you will have to spend some.

Your first suit should be black and preferably pure wool. Old school philosophy says you should wear a black or at least a dark suit on the weekends, especially when working swing shift. Buy white shirts with sleeves long enough that you will be able to abide with the inevitable shrinkage. Yes, as much as I like wearing French cuffs so I can show off my fancy cufflinks, would you believe that the joints frown on you having a sub at the end of your arm? I have heard that some joints forbid floormen from wearing colored shirts. I can sympathize with this rule because I think a white shirt looks more professional and because joints are trying to protect guys from falling victim to their own fashion risks.

Perhaps even more important than your choice of suit is your choice of necktie. You can always tell when you make the right choice with a necktie because people will tell you; "Nice suit!" As far as specific advice goes for buying neckties I can only tell you to avoid ties with cartoon characters on them and not be afraid to spend fifty dollars or more to get the "power tie." 

For instructions on tying your tie: http://www.tieguide.com/

Even though some casinos allow dealers to wear black tennis shoes instead of leather shoes, few things look tackier that a floorman wearing Nike’s. Try to buy two pairs of leather shoes so you won’t have to wear the same pair two days in a row. And don’t forget to polish them; you wouldn’t believe how many bosses look for that.

I personally like wearing suspenders instead of a belt because I hate having to pull up my pants constantly. For fellows with a gut like mine: try elastic suspenders with the metal clips instead of the button type if you have a problem with "rollover" where the front of your waistband tend to roll forward.

Now that we have you cleaned up and looking like an executive we need to make sure you show up with the proper equipment. Yes, its nice when there is an ample supply of writing utensils on the podium but you should not expect them to be there. Carry a black ink pen at all times! I prefer the ones that can be opened one-handed by merely clicking the top. Don’t spend a lot of money on it either since pens have a habit of growing legs. A mechanical pencil with an eraser on top is also convenient; I buy the ones that can be had for a couple of bucks for a bag of them. Some jobs require the use of a pen with red ink, usually for marker tracking sheets and indicating credits on chip tracking sheets. I tend to buy the "BIC" brand since they are cheap and I don’t mind the two-handed operation for a pen I rarely use.

The next piece of equipment you need to have is a wristwatch. Notice I said "wristwatch" not "pocket watch." You will need to know what time it is about five hundred times during your shift and nothing is more pathetic than a floorman that has to ask someone what time it is every time he closes a rating slip. Now I will be the first to admit that not all of my watches display the date. But it matters not because I have made a habit of telling myself the date, as I am getting ready for work.

The last piece of equipment is the one that most of you will avoid obtaining and using at all costs because you are afraid of looking like a nerd: a pocket sized notebook.

A notebook can be indispensable for completing the every day tasks that comprise your job. Such as: the passwords and instructions for using the computer, instructions for performing various tasks, player’s names and account numbers (especially those that don’t like to show their cards) and phone numbers for different pits and departments.

When I managed a dice pit and a dealer was promoted to box, I would always make it a point to have a little talk with him that went something like this:

"I know that you know the game and you are going to do your best to keep your eye on it. But there is something you need to think about between now and your first day on the box. If you are too hard on the dealers you can expect to spend a lot of time in the shift manager’s office and I won’t be able to protect you. You can easily get the reputation on having a chip on your shoulder or give people the idea that you let this promotion go to your head. But, the only thing worse than that is if you let the dealers talk back to you and you get the reputation for being a doormat. Sure we all have to swallow our pride once in a while but you can’t let the dealers think you don’t have the guts to stand up for yourself. My advice to you is the first time a dealer says something insubordinate to you in front of a witness and it is so blatant that you know he won’t be able to squirm out of it if he gets to the shift manager’s office, call his bluff. When you get tapped of the game, let me know what he said and we will talk to him together."

"Calling their bluff" is seldom an easy thing to do but let me tell you how I handled a dealer that rolled his eyes at me when I corrected him on a point of procedure, when I was a new floorman sitting box.

Some managers will tell you that dealers should only be counseled in the privacy of a manager’s office. I don’t always like to involve a manager if I feel confident I can handle it myself. I sometimes prefer to handle it in the middle of the pit so the dealer can’t accuse me later of "screaming at him."

So I wait until the dealer is getting tapped off of the game and I asked the floorman to tap me out. I then stood next to the floorman on the other game and called the dealer over. Now this floorman was no fool and he knew exactly what was going on. The dealer and I didn’t come from his game so this conversation was none of his business. I was merely using him as a witness so the dealer couldn’t twist my words if he decided to go crying to the shift manager. Now I said to the dealer in a low monotone voice; "If I opened my mouth every time I saw you make what I consider to be a major violation of procedure, I would never shut up. Therefore, when I do tell you to do something you are just going to follow my instructions. If you have a problem with this feel free to take it up the chain of command because if I have any more problems with you, we are both going up the chain of command." All the dealer could think to say to that was; "OK." I never had another problem with him or any of the other dealers at that property after that.

Hopefully, you won’t have to deal with insubordinate dealers and therefore need only to concern yourself with maintaining a positive image as you go about monitoring dealers and their games. The number one thing you must avoid is overreacting. When you turn your head and you see a dealer paying a push you must overcome the natural instinct of jumping out of your shoes. At this point it is helpful if the dealer is properly trained and will cease moving if you say; "Stop." You can then notice the amount of the payoff and take a deep breath as you walk to the game and in a relaxed voice say something like; "I think you paid a push on spot four." Hopefully, the dealer will then realize their mistake and the player will realize that any argument on their part is futile.

If you intend to correct a dealer about a procedural error wait until they get off of the game and use my previous example of trying to have another floorperson nearby. In fact, while you are waiting for the dealer to get tapped out you might calmly ask the other floorperson if this is problem that you should even think about discussing with the dealer. While dealers are supposed to deal the game the way they were trained, I guarantee you that there isn’t a casino in town where dealers haven’t become lazy in following at least some procedures and management is content to let it happen. You need to "pick your shots" carefully when you are the new boss or even if you aren’t new. If you do counsel a dealer, the key ingredient is a lack of emotion on your part. Any hint of anger on your part will make the dealer defensive and incapable of appreciating anything you have to say.

While it is important to respond to approval call in a loud and clear voice, you must always be conscious of your choice of words and the tone of your voice. "Thank you!" is always a better choice than "OK!" or "Go ahead!" when giving approval calls. Your best defense against being considered mean is to always use the words "please" and "thank you" when giving the dealers instructions. Sometimes in our desire to be concise in our instructions and communicate effectively we can talk in a manner that might be considered terse. Always chose your words and tone carefully and speak with the intention of not only communicating but doing so in a way that is unlikely to evoke an emotional response.

Chapter 2

Common tasks

Sweat sheet.    

Running down the game.