How to treat dealers

30 July 2013

By Frank Scoblete

I am a firm believer is treating dealers with respect. I think a friendly smile, a hello when you sit or stand at their table, and a calm understanding that the dealer actually knows what he or she is doing, will go a long way in making a table game a good experience for you and, hopefully, for the dealer.

When I was a young man I was a waiter. I was a teacher for several decades too. I once sold insurance. I’ve worked in stationary stores and as a youth counselor too. I am well aware that when you deal with large numbers of people (we call them “the public”), you will run across many that do the opposite of “make my day.” They will actively ruin your day.

You have to put up with a lot of guff from ill-mannered individuals. Here is something to remember, one creep can ruin a whole day of nice people. If you work with “the public” you know what I am saying and you know that it is a truism.

Many teachers used to go home at night all wound up because so-and-so, a snarky little rodent, gave them a hard time in a class. The fact that this teacher had 150 kids who paid attention and did their assignments mattered little; the one jerk colored her day. Often such teachers might have several students who would wreak havoc.

Dealers face the same thing; those creepy patrons who whine and moan, who blame the dealers for the cards that are dealt, the dice that are thrown, the roulette numbers that come up. Such players go a long way towards making a dealer’s day something they wish were over.

There is no reason to be a nuisance or a whiner-moaner or a negative vibe at a game. If you enter a casino you should be well aware that you have a chance to lose – a good chance. You should be well aware that the dealers just deal the game and have no impact on the game in any way. Your luck will be your luck.

I also think it is a good thing to tip your dealers. Many of them work for a limited salary and need the tips to survive. When I was a waiter in a swanky restaurant my pay was 90 cents per hour – without tips I would have lived in a dumpster.

Yes, there are some dealers who have become jaded from their work with “the public” and I do feel sorry for them. However, I will avoid their tables since they are the ones giving off the bad vibes. But my experience has been that for every dealer that can ruin a game for the players there are far more players that can ruin the game for both the other players and the dealers. The difference between a bad player and a bad dealer is that the player can move from table to table to table ruining it wherever he goes.

One thing some players do is constantly expect the dealers to pay them their wins first. You see this at craps all the time. A number is hit and Player A, who is supposed to get paid in the fifth spot, jumps in and starts telling the dealer he has won. The dealer will say, “I know, I’ll get to you.” Rarely will dealers forget to pay you. They have a certain order in which bets are paid off or taken. Should a dealer forget you when the payouts are over you can call his attention to that fact. Usually there will be no problem in getting paid.

One dealer is not responsible to another dealer you had a previous game. If you had a snappy, sarcastic dealer at the table over there, do not assume his twin brother is the one now dealing to you over here. Complaining about other dealers will not make you friends at the table. No dealer want to be responsible for what other dealers have done – and they shouldn’t be held responsible either. Do you want to be held responsible for what a co-worker did?

Finally, if you have gotten really terrific service from a dealer or dealers why not take a little time to write a letter of praise for these dealers? You have no idea how great it is for a dealer to receive a pat on the back from his or her players – especially a pat on the back that their bosses will read.

Keep in mind that in a parallel universe you might just be the dealer who is going to deal to the other you at the table. How do you want you to treat you? Then treat your dealers just that way.

Readers: If you write me a letter that I publish I will send you a free copy of my new book "The Virgin Kiss." My e-mail address is fscobe@optonline.net. Frank Scoblete's newest books are "Slots Conquest," and "Everything Casino Poker: Get the Edge at Video Poker, Texas Hold’em, Omaha Hi-Lo and Pai Gow Poker!"