Dealer Abuse Still Exists

Dealers are the most unappreciated employees in any casino.

These hard-working men and women are paid paltry wages, but they make up those poor earnings in the tips they collect for their services.

There are many plusses to being a well-trained dealer. For one, you can work almost any place in the world. Casinos found in Spain, England, the Caribbean, Rio de Janiero, Central and South America, Italy, and, of course, the good old U.S.A.

Dealers are trained to smile, be accurate in dividing the pot, and to be friendly to all the players. When a player tosses them a chip as a tip, they are expected to thank the player. In other words, they are expected to act perfectly.

The amazing thing to me is that they come close to being perfect. It is almost impossible to do in an imperfect world, but they try to accomplish it.

In the old days before gambling casinos became civilized -- think prior to Amarillo Slim Preston -- dealers were an abused bunch and they tolerated their plight.

There were many instances of dealers cursed, had cards hurled at them, or even punched out by irate losers.

In the most extreme cases, casino management would take action against the player, usually by admonishing him, escorting him from the premises, or banning him from returning to the casino for a prescribed length of time.

Today casino management's tolerance of dealer abuse has tightened. Now players are expected to behave like normal civilized human beings. If they don't, they are politely asked to leave.

Dealers are hired to do two things: to make money for the House and to provide entertainment to players. A good dealer can do both with a smile.

But -- and this is a big but -- some players fail to appreciate the importance of a dealer. They blame their losses on the dealer rather than their poor play. Or a dealer will make an honest mistake, and a player will refuse to forgive the dealer, carrying on and on about it.

I make a practice of talking to dealers. I joke with them, compliment them on their work, and thank them when their shift ends and they leave the table.

Hey, I do it for selfish as well as altruistic reasons. If I am In a right frame of mind, I find that I win more. If I am in a poor frame of mind, I generally lose. And I would much rather win than lose.

Make it your practice not to abuse a dealer. They will appreciate your civility and it will not harm you in the long run. Dealer abuse hurts everybody and slows up the game.

The nicest thing a dealer can say to you is, 'By the way, you are one of the nicest players at my table. Thanks.' It happened to me recently and the words made me glow.

You can joke with dealers about bad hands or losing sessions. In fact, you can say almost anything you want to a dealer as long as you do it with a smile. When you are frowning, that is dealer abuse and it just is not acceptable. Good luck. Let the games begin.

Author: Geno Lawrenzi Jr.

(Geno Lawrenzi Jr. is an international journalist, magazine author and ghostwriter and poker player who lives in Phoenx, AZ. He has published 2,000 articles in 50 magazines and 125 newspapers. If you want to share a gambling story or book idea with him, send an email to glawrenzi@gmail.com ).