Ever check out the various economic divisions of life . . . such as: 1) people with money that live ordinary lives and drive Volkswagens because they like them vs. a Mercedes or Rolls because they’re a symbol of power and wealth; 2) the next class of people that are striving to always move up to status #1 and want everyone to know they are “SOMEONE” and they mouth off all of the time about what they own and who they do; 3) the ordinary person that goes to work every day just trying to improve and provide a better life for their families; 4) the person that struggles every day to put food on the table and clothes on their family and can never set aside enough money for a down payment on their own home; 5) and the person who lives on the street and has no out for the finer things in life that some of the rest of us just take for granted. There are a lot of variables here and we are going to slide right on by them because this is about poker of course.
Poker is one of the strangest environments ever encountered in our society. Anyone can play poker and most of us do whether it’s with a group of friends at the kitchen table or out in a casino environment. We pride ourselves on the fact that everyone is equal in America and we all have rights but is that a myth in a poker room? Are we all in our own little, separate division – socially and economically? Consider the following.
The totem pole for employees in the poker room begins with chip runners – those little overworked, wonderful individuals that pack thousands and thousands of dollars every week for dealers and players alike and usually get bumped, yelled at and receive damn little pay for all that effort. Some of them are trying to move up too – become dealers, brushes, players and who knows what all, maybe managers. Some of them can’t fade the poker scene and just go do something else after awhile.
The next head on the pole is the dealer. Dealers are hardly ever appreciated for being a wonderful person or for being an excellent dealer but they certainly know if they blinked at the wrong time. Those of you that play and deal know that both sides of the felt are hard to deal (pun) with at times. If you’re Grade A – U.S. Certified – Top Of The Line, dealing material you have very few problems dealing any of the games, high limit included. If you’re attitude is showing and you think the players owe you something – Baby, you set yourself up for a nightmare without pay.
The next head is the brush. The person who holds the list for the games and seats players and is capable of making minor decisions in seating choices and table changes. The brush also makes decisions if the floor person is not in the room. This can get pretty brutal when you have lists with 50 names each for 4 different limits and 3 to 4 games of each running in different parts of a large room. Think of yourself as being a traffic director, trying to arrange seating, seat changes, must move games, starting new games, and helping with player chips and deck changes for dealers. Sound easy? Try it sometime, but be sure to fasten your seat belt and put on your best airline stewardess attitude before the crowds form around you.
The next head is the Assistant and Shift Supervisor. They run the schedule for dealers coming on shift, decide what games to start if there are tables available, give comps, make decisions at the tables and see to the overall well being of the poker room . . . customers and employees. Yes, they are the king of the pecking order in the employee section of a poker room. Their decision is final unless a player has a lot of juice and can go to casino management or someone higher up. Sad but true – after all, how the hell would casino management know what goes on in a poker room? Most of those new, upstart casino marketing managers see the bottom dollar line of a poker room and immediately want to roll out the tables and roll in the machines. Very few casinos ever track the total effect that poker has on the whole casino – as in – Wives/husbands of players that play the slots while their spouses sit in a game; Players that become frustrated and head for the pit trying to win back their losses; Players that play live keno while they sit at the poker table; Players that bet sports.
We can move to the next part of the totem pole from here . . . the player – of course they are above all of the employees. Starting with the lowest limit, mostly $1-5 7-Card Stud and on up the pole. Low limit players pay the most for the privilege of playing in a casino and receive the least as in the highest rake and little return in the way of comps or consideration from management. Remember that when a couple of high limit players walk in and want a table, the first game to go is a low limit stud game in order to make way for the big boys.
The middle limits of poker are anywhere from $10-20 and on up to somewhere around $40-80 which is considered high limit according to most poker room standards. Most of these players are established in their limit and know what they can ask for and receive from the house. Middle limit poker is the gravy as far as the dealers are concerned, the easiest to deal and better tokes without a lot of heat.
The top of the totem pole is held by high limit which is another ball game in itself. High limit players expect to and do receive the best of it all the way around. They ask for “time passes” when their game is short, (no drop or rake), they receive comps whenever they ask and a few expect to receive preferential treatment when they lose a hand as in card throwing, swearing and all around bad behavior.
Which brings us to a point that has always intrigued this writer. Many times the statement is made that a high limit player loses a lot of money when they go on a losing streak. True, true, how true. But if a retired person playing low limit goes on a losing streak, even though it’s for less money, isn’t it just as hard on them especially with a limited income?
Low limit players are the budding high limit blooms, the mainstay of poker rooms, the players that are continuously trying to move up. Circulating and recycling, they fill all the tables in a poker room, waiting for a rush, a streak of good luck, their chance to move up the totem pole, to play with the big boys and hopefully win so they can stay on top.
Each head on the pole is very uniquely important and critical to the one above and below. What poker has brought and joined together, let no man put asunder. See you there!