The dealers can’t help you win money. This is one very most annoying part of being a casino dealer. A flatmate was a dealer at a casino, comes home and tells me the story, her last gambler left her table so she was about to close out. Guy comes and sits down and wants to play all the hands at the table. 100 a hand does that few abut half an hour, asks for the table limit to be raised to 1k a hand. Dealers can make as much as $100,000 per year. The average dealing job at a small casino.
- Stories From Casino Dealership
- Stories From Casino Dealers Atlantic City
- Stories From Casino Dealers Near Me
- Funny Casino Stories
- Worst Casino Stories
It’s good to have someone on the inside. At the very least, it can make for some interesting stories.
Casinos are a place unlike any other. Dreams come to life, and die, on a near-hourly basis and the employees of “the house” have a front row seat to it all. When they open up about their experiences, it’s always worth a listen.
Unsurprisingly, the behind-the-scenes perspective is fascinating. Casinos aren’t necessarily shrouded in secrecy, but most gamblers know there’s things they don’t know about the operation.
In this article, I’ll lay out 10 things casino workers have said about their unique jobs.
1 – Casinos Are Dirty
They might look clean and shiny, but most casino floors are covered in germs, grime, and…much worse than that.
One of the worst situations, although not uncommon, is the mess left on some of the slot machine chairs. I’ll let your mind assume what I mean by that.
Players who are having success don’t want to get up and relieve themselves in the restroom, and the casino’s furniture is often the victim in these scenarios. One casino worker for the Mohegan Sun even said that the casino had to assemble an environmental services team to handle the chairs and make sure they got deep cleaned.
2 – Dealing Cards Can Be Dangerous
When people are playing around with life-changing money, emotions are understandably running high. That can make dealing a much more perilous job than it should be.
While this might not be typical, it certainly isn’t unheard of in the industry.
3 – You Never Know What to Expect
On the list of things that humans commonly fear, my guess is that snakes would make the top 10 (maybe top five…top three?). One casino dealer got up close and personal with a serpent when he least expected.
While working as a dealer at a Las Vegas Casino, he observed a man at the blackjack table slowly removing his jacket. While others at the table might have been thinking, “Oh, here we go again,” there was another surprise in store.
Out from under his jacket slithered a three foot snake, complete with a flickering forked tongue.
Needless to say the man and his “pet” were removed from the premises immediately by casino security. However, he did provide several people with a great story to tell during the next friendly poker night.
4 – The Consequences of Losing Can Be Serious
For the majority of gamblers, a bad day on the casino floor can be cured by a few drinks and a good meal. That is, if you bet responsibly.
The unfortunate reality is that some people suffer from a compulsion that makes gambling a life or death proposition. It’s sad, but not uncommon for dealers to witness some pretty harrowing reactions to significant losses.
One anonymous casino worker in Vegas witnessed an off-duty police officer promptly take his life…at the table…after losing his life’s savings in a high-limit poker game. This reaction is an all-too-common thing that is a reminder of the internal battles some people are fighting.
5 – Casinos Aren’t in the Caring Business
I wouldn’t go as far as to say casino owners or managers aren’t good, caring people, but during their time at work they aren’t looking to help anyone out. Regardless of how much money you’ve lost, the general attitude is that as long as you bet your money willingly, it’s on you to deal with consequences.
If you guessed, “Not our problem,” you are right. The casino worker ended up finding the number for the Korean embassy and put the losing gambler in contact with that office, but that was all he could do given the circumstances.
6 – The Range of People is Fascinating
Going to the casino for an afternoon guarantees an unparalleled people-watching experience. If there’s one thing that people from all walks of life can agree on, it’s that gambling is fun no matter what your financial or social status.
A particular Vegas dealer explained how his nightly clientele always ensured there was never a dull moment. He describes his experiences as dealing with a Saudi prince during one hour, Jay-Z the next, and then dealing to a semi-homeless guy later on in the evening.
It’s hard to picture any other place in the world where these three types of people could all be enjoying the same thing. For that reason, casinos will always hold a special place in the hearts of thrill-seekers and those who simply want to observe the human experience.
7 – High-Rollers Get It All
To regular folks, it might feel like the rich can do anything they want without facing real consequences. Nowhere is this more accurate than at the casino.
While this behavior might get most people kicked out, it simply goes unpunished when the casino has a vested interest in keeping someone happy. Rather than being escorted out, they’re offered free rooms, meals, and just about any other casino comp necessary to keep them gambling.
8 – Yes, the Workers are Judging You
One dealer who spent several years working at a top London casino explained that there is plenty to be learned from watching people lose. Most notably, their change in demeanor.
He explained that it was often the people who were the nicest when they sat down who would turn into the most moody, withdrawn, and quite frankly, dark people when they began to lose.
His takeaway? It’s important to be the same person regardless of your own personal success. Changing your personality based on your circumstances shows a selfishness that is best avoided.
Stories From Casino Dealership
9 – Not All the Winners are Gamblers
Women, booze, and gambling go together like fireworks, booze, and apple pie on July 4th – meaning it’s a fun, but often has serious pitfalls. For many male gamblers, this can mean being taken advantage of.
One casino worker, again in Vegas, noted that it was fairly common for “working girls” to seek out players who had a successful day on the floor. After identifying these individuals, they would get them very drunk at the bar to celebrate their success. Next, they would escort them back to their rooms where they would…often pass out.
When the men would pass out, the women would make off with thousands of dollars that their man had won that day. I guess when you really think about it, is it still stealing if the money wasn’t really earned?
10 – At the End of the Day, They’re Babysitters
Dealers have a lot to keep in mind while they’re on the job. They must be able to spot cheaters, keep players’ emotions under control, and still execute the job they’re getting paid to do.
While some of the things on this list might have been surprising, the things dealers hate is probably the least surprising of all.
Conclusion
Casinos are treasures of humanity. Nothing brings out someone’s true colors like losing (or winning) thousands of dollars from playing a game.
At the end of the day, it’s fair to say casino workers don’t get nearly enough credit, or compensation, to justify the duties they’re asked to perform on a nightly basis.
The next time you go to gamble, say thanks to your casino’s staff – or better yet, throw a few extra dollars their way.
Just like any other ordinary Malaysian, we go through various exams during secondary school. After I completed Sijil Pelajaran Malaysia (SPM) in Form 5, I had about four months to go before attending college. During this period, some students will get selected to go for National Service (NS), others may stay home, or work part-time to earn some pocket money. I chose the latter, which led me to apply for a job in a casino—and I got it.
I was still underage then, so needless to say, I’ve never stepped into a casino before. The closest thing I’ve encountered to a casino is watching casino-related movies, such God of Glambers, starring Andy Lau and Chow Yun-Fat; and 21, starring Jim Sturgess and Kate Bosworth.
At that time, no one has ever educated me about working for passion and not the money—I was clearly doing it just for the salary. Compared to working as a waitress, being a casino dealer with SPM as my only qualification pays a lot more than most other jobs out there.
If you were to tell someone that you’ve worked in the gambling industry, they’d most likely say whoa and wow. Well certainly, there were some wow moments, so now I’m going to share a few things that only people who have worked at a casino will be able to tell you.
P.S.: I was Pontoon dealer, which is the British version of Blackjack. Both have similar rules but they are actually played quite differently. The most notable difference is in Pontoon, all cards that are 10s are removed.
1. The dealers can’t help you win money.
This is one very most annoying part of being a casino dealer. Some people actually come up to me and ask me questions like, “Hey so you know how to win, right? Because you’re the dealer?”, “Teach me how to win,” or “What system do they use in the machines that cause us to lose?”
I wish I could help these people sometimes. But the truth is, we’re practically like a robot, albeit a bit friendlier (we provide customer service like answering questions, smile while greeting them, etc.). We just follow the rules and play the game with the players.
To sum it up, we’re just doing our job which includes shuffling cards, paying bets, and keeping the game going. No magic, no tricks, nothing.
2. Feng shui and superstitions are heavily practiced.
Have you heard of stories that the casinos are built based on certain shape to create a better feng shui for the casino to earn more money?
It’s somewhat true.
If you’ve been to a casino, you might know that the interior design of casinos are specifically designed and decorated according to certain feng shui elements. One popular practice is that there are no windows or clocks in the casino.
The casino that I worked at had a ceiling that is shaped like a coffin in the middle of the casino.
Besides that, most gamblers wear something in red before going into a casino because it is believed that the red colour brings good luck. This might sound a little pervert-ish, but if you are observant enough, you might be able to notice many people wearing red undergarments, especially if they are wearing a white coloured outfit.
3. The dealers are not yeng at all.
Sure, in movies, you’d be amazed by casino dealers who are very proficient in distributing the cards, and paying bets and payouts at a very fast speed. They look so cool and professional. Well I must warn you to not fall for this delusional glamorous scene of the world of casinos.
Casino dealers work in shifts and night shifts are the busiest hours. Most dealers choose this job because it pays the bill, not because they enjoy playing the game. Our shifts can be from 7 am to 3pm or 11 am to 7 am.
Most of us don’t really bother to dress up and look hot while we are working. Sometimes we don’t even shower before going to work because we are constantly exposed to second-hand smoke, so we’re going to be very smelly anyway.
4. Mistakes are inevitable, and the casino won’t care (about the small ones anyway).
Newbie mistakes are unavoidable and one common mistake is paying extra winning bets to a customer.
For example, you have to pay the player RM100, and you’re supposed to give them 4 RM25 chips, but you took 5 pieces accidentally and unfortunately your mistake was caught by the surveillance camera.
In the case of such a mistake, the player will think that your salary will be deducted, but in actual fact the casino management don’t really see it as a big deal. The player could even keep that extra chip if they don’t want to return it, but the dealer’s salary will not get affected at all.
Stories From Casino Dealers Atlantic City
They see the bigger picture: It doesn’t matter if the player takes the extra chip, because it’s just more money for them to lose during the next few rounds.
5. The house is always the winner.
Bear in mind that casinos are not the place for you to earn money. The house will always be the winner; they need profit to survive, and that is your losing bets.
Stories From Casino Dealers Near Me
I have seen player after player lose their money. I’ve seen someone take out his phone to sell it to the player sitting beside him just to get cash in return to continue playing.
I saw an elderly woman who broke down and cried after losing all her money at the table. I have also seen a player emptying his wallet and then going to the ATM to withdraw a stack of money, desperate to win, but losing it all to the casino again.
Funny Casino Stories
Gambling makes people, no matter if they are rich or poor, think that they always have the chance to win more money. You may win occasionally during the first few hours, but you will lose eventually. Winning may be fun; however once you’re an addict, it’s all downhill from there.
Worst Casino Stories
And it’s only a matter of time before you get addicted—human beings are weak after all.