Dealing vs. Playing

Dealing vs. playing – and writing down the events of the game really aren’t much different for me. I find myself being a spectatorwhen I’m in the player’s seat more often than being a competitor so the difference between dealing and playing, and writing about it here, are really minimal. The only difference being that I’m not playing high limit but I do deal high limit.

Some of you constantly remind me that I should be back in the box so I can write about those experiences, to all of you that remind I’d like to take a moment to tell you that you are wishing me back into hell. For that I wish for you to have to do 160 hours a month of something that you do not want to do, only I wish it in triplicate for you while you are standing on your head in a bucket of shit. I’ve spent over 25 years in and out of the dealer’s box. Isn’t that enough? If you really want the full, unabridged, complete story, you should be wishing me well, hoping I can make a lot of money really fast (you can send it to me if you want – just don’t do it through Neteller) so that I am able to financially remove myself from the time clock leg irons and write that damn book. All that aside, let’s get on with the story.

I have to marvel at the house rule – or lack of -when it comes to dealers, players, and floor/brush people.

I dealt a spicy little $5-10NLH game in which one player informed me thatthe $5 in a $55 bet wouldn’t play. Yeah, right! I retorted, “Of course it will.” He didn’t say anything else, but where do they come from with this idea?

One of our chip runners informed a player in a $2-5NLH game that $25 chips don’t play. Really? When did that rule go into effect? NOT! How does the chip runner have the authority to make that rule? And how did the chip runner arrive at that ruling? Of course it’s not true.

While dealing a $2-5NLH game, one of the players showed his hand to the guy next to him – the observer wasn’t in the hand. Another player asked about the hand showing and wanted to know what the rule was. I replied that we asked our players not to show their hand to anyone except at show down but that this incident had no bearing on the hand because the other player was out of the hand. Another player in the game said they had received a ruling on that same situation a little bit earlier and the brush/floor person told the player showing the hand, that if he showed his hand again, he would be cashed out and asked to leave for the day. WTF? *gasps and grabs heart* That isn’t even close to being the truth.

In this same game, I burned and turned before the action was complete. The last guy to act said he was going to foldbut I just didn’t see his cards underneath his arm. I called for a decision. I got the same brush/floor that had made the earlier decision. I told him the ‘burn and turn too soon’ story. The guy said he was folding any way – and did. The decision was to burn, turn up the river card, allow the action, then shuffle the exposed turn card back into the deck and put up the last card (yes, that’s the correct decision). I did.

After the brush/floor walked off, a playing dealer in the game informed me that that was the wrong decision. I simply said, “I believe at Bellagio, it is the correct decision. You’d better check with the shift supervisor.”

This playing dealer went on and on and on about how he burns and turns too soon all the time and that if the player was folding, it didn’t matter.

I replied, “I burn and turn too soon about once every eight years (I might be slightly exaggerating here but it’s not a common error with me), and I NEVER make my own decision.”

It didn’t even slow him down. He still talked it up for another five to six minutes. I just shut up and dealt.

No one threw cards at me, no one cursed me, nothing weirdly wild happened, and that’s what it’s like to be back in the box. Just about like sitting on the side lines in the player’s seat. Except in the player’s seat, I get to witness some of the worst dealing attitudes and ethics in the world…from casinos all around Vegas.

5 thoughts on “Dealing vs. Playing”

  1. Enjoyed the perspective. I always marvel at players who try to tell the dealer how to do her job. But the greatest thing of all is the wonderful, perfected "poker face" the dealer reflects as she is thinking "what an arrogant, misinformed idiot….good luck".

  2. I read with a slight smile at your tales of dealers and their poor customer service. I too, am appalled at the lack of knowledge, care, and attitude that many dealers in and out of Vegas exhibit these days.
    Recently, while playing in Vegas I saw a dealer switch deck hands so he could bring the chips to the middle from his left side. I about fell out of my chair.
    A dealer dealt the final hand at a tournament table that was being broken and attempted to "high card" from the stub that was left after the action was complete. Only after I voiced my concerns did he say and I quote "Alright, I’ll do it the right way" WTF?
    I cannot count how many times I saw dealers "capping" the deck with their free hand. That is a big no no as far as I am concerned and was taught to never ever do that, in fact once that deck is cut and goes into your hand, the other hand should never touch it again.
    Several dealers in the same room were watching TV instead of the game they were dealing, and it wasn’t even a big sports night, god forbid the push is late, now they are checking their watches more than dealing hands. I even offered to watch the clock for one so she could continue to deal the game. That just got a confused look from her.
    For the "non dealers" out there that want to hear stories of the "big games" let them deal the so called big game in Bobby’s room for a shift or three and they will forever want to deal 4/8 or 3/6 because in those games they will actually make a living.
    When I sat in the box for that game over the last several years, I knew I was going to be lucky to make my $ 2.63 (1/2 the $5.25 min wage) for the 30 minutes and BE VERY LUCKY if I took a $10 toke from the game.
    For those who are curious….You bring the flop, the "name players" start talking about the prop bets and $5k (Five THOUSAND $) chips start flying around the table, "I’m in for doubles", "that’s a triple" etc, once that is done, you play out the hand, and it starts all over again. God forbid you make a small mistake dealing that game. If you do, the cursing and personal abuse can be harsh and quick.
    Usually one of the players throws a red chip ($5) my way as I’m leaving the box, the others will sometimes remember to throw a $1 or $2 during the down. The biggest tip I ever received in that game was $25 and the player was calling me a MotherFu..er 3 hands later because he missed his draw in the stud round.
    Then there was the one time an out of town player was playing $200/$400 heads up against a known pro who usually has an unlit cigarette hanging out of his mouth. This unknown was crushing the pro and throwing black chips ($100) at the dealers for tokes. When this happens it makes the game worth dealing, a good night. But then the pro says "If you tip another fuc*ing dealer, I’m leaving the game". Not wanting his money source to dry up, or wanting to increase the tale he will share at home, the tokes stopped and it became another reason to dread that down in your rotation.
    Did you know….the ENTIRE FINAL TABLE at the 2006 WSOP stiffed the dealers? Not a single dollar in tokes above what the house took for dealers (2% split 400 ways). The floor people were not included in the toke pool and were forbidden to accept any personal side tokes. If you did take one, it was supposed to go straight to the dealers toke boxes and they had "shoppers" testing the floor staff.
    Remember the tokes are how we make our living. I’m not expecting a toke every pot, in every game, but when you deal that game, or any game no matter how small, and do it right, then any toke is appreciated, and I personally ALWAYS look the player in the eye and say "thank you" before tapping the tray and putting it in the pocket. I see WAY to many dealers just scooping the chip(s) and moving on. This is an excellent way to get stiffed over and over again, deservedly so I think.
    What I thought would be a short reply has turned into a rant…..thanks for the space….keep up the great writing and may you escape the time clock chains soon……

  3. So, after reading your blog for the past few years I know that your dislike of the box is not recent, but has the explosion in poker popularity over the past couple years made it worse? Is it the players, especially in high limit, fellow dealers or just management that is the most annoying part to deal with? You had to enjoy dealing at one point in time right?
    Life is too short to deal with jobs that suck the life out of you. Good Luck!

  4. I could care less if you are sitting in the box, in a seat, or on a ceiling fan. Please keep your stories coming. I enjoy them all. Always inciteful and lesson in etiquette.

  5. NONSENSE!!!
    Let me complete your evening by throwing some virtual cards at you!
    whiiiiiizzzzzzzzzzzzzzz THWAP!!
    take that you no good dealin automaton. Nothing pisses me off more than a no nothing dealer who uses her magic to set the deck up to beat me! grrrrr grrrrr
    Oh, let me do the honors please!
    "CARDS DOWN!"
    heh heh, hang in there…you don’t OWN hell. (back to my bucket of shit)

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