| Have you ever caught anyone cheating? Ever see someone cheating and not report it? | I have caught people cheating before yes. The most common are card counters and people stealing chips from other players. I highly recommend to not get completely trashed while gambling especially if you're a male and gambling by yourself as there are certain females who'd be more than happy to steal your chips while you're not paying attention. |
| The only time I won't report cheating is when they're tipping. If they're a douchebag or stiff, I'll let my Pit Boss know immediately. |
| Here's an interesting article on cheating in Vegas by the way. |
| How can you call card counting cheating? | Vegas has very liberal rules to their blackjack games compared to other cities that have casinos. Vegas offers double deck, stand on all 17s, moving down shuffle points, etc. |
| I don't consider card counting cheating, but the casinos do. They are a private business. They can kick anyone off of the property for any reason unless it's illegal discrimination. The casinos don't want players to have an advantage over them. |
| To be honest Vegas casinos don't care about card counting unless you're playing on a double deck. You want to play a six or eight deck shoe? It's all yours. But they want no advantage players on a double deck. |
| You won't report cheating if you are getting tipped, but you will report it if you don't? | I'm talking about card counting. Most card counters are douchebags because they already think they're smartemore arrogant than everyone else though so it's very rare that I'll keep my mouth shut. |
| We don't consider card counters cheating. We just refuse service to those who can count. | I think you're mixing up "card counting" with actually counting cards. |
| Who sets the specific rules of the game for say Blackjack, such as how many decks, what the little pre bet rules are, etc? Is there like a standard across Vegas? When would they ever be using a double deck? | It depends on the casino and what type of clientele they cater to. |
| Certain higher end casinos will have better rules for the player while the lower end casinos will have terrible house rules. |
| I am not a professional card counter just good at math, what are the specific rules that you keep the deck even? | Link to en.wikipedia.org. |
| The most basic system is the Hi-Lo card counting system. |
| 10, J, Q, K, & A = -1. |
| 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 = +1. |
| 7, 8, 9 = 0. |
| With enough practice, you'll be able to figure out the count in real time. |
| My casino doesn't consider card counting cheating 1) because it's next to impossible to prove & 2) because with a 6 deck shoe it gives negligible advantage. i'm relatively sure that very few casinos if any consider card counting cheating. | Casinos (should) only care if you're card counting on double deck. |
| It seems like being able to call the odds is just part of the game and what it means to be skilled at it. I don't see how that can be called cheating. | Card counting is a dying art now anyways. With the technology casinos have their disposal, card counters can't get away with it anymore. |
| Can a card counter win while playing single deck? | You could, but it would be more luck than skill. Most casinos only allow 6 hands to be dealt on a single deck. Not a lot of hands to make a move imo. |
| I work in a casino in Melbourne Australia. . 6 deck automatic shuffler where the cards are fed back in whenever there is roughly a deck out. . and people have still tried. . its quite funny. | Seems legit. |
| It's such a waste of time to try and count cards. I never gamble, but this is what I do...go with friends, get completely smashed, expect to lose the money, and have a good time. |
| What was the biggest tip you have ever gotten from someone? | The biggest tip I received was $250,000 from a customer. He won $10 million playing baccarat. |
| What is the usual tips you get from the players? | The usual tips? Most of the time I've dealt on a $100-$500 blackjack game. I'll usually make a couple hundred from each player give or take. I'll usually make 1-5 units of whatever they're playing with whether it'd be $5 chips, $25 chips, $100 chips or $500. |
| Do you get to keep all that? | I wish. We pool our tips every 24 hours and everyone gets a share of it. I ended up making $1000 that night. We never make money like that so don't think this is a normal occurrence for us. |
| I did meet up with the customer at the strip club when I got off of work. One of the most amazing nights I've ever had. |
| Should have told him to keep it and tip you later that night at the club. Rookie mistake. | My regular customers do when I go to dinner or go out with them. |
| Are you allowed to keep all of that tip, or do they take a cut/something else? | We pool all of our tips every 24 hours so I did split it with everyone else. |
| How was your reaction at the table when recieving a $250,000 tip? | It threw me off. I thought he wanted change at first, but then again it was 10 $25,000 chips. |
| Let me get the details. | Customer paid for everything. Ended up spending about $50,000 that night mainly on alcohol. Never drank so much champagne in my life. |
| Could you theoretically tell the big winner to tip you when you're off the clock and keep the $250k for yourself? | I wouldn't because I would lose my job as it would be considered "hard hustling". |
| You had to share that with over 250 people? | The big casinos on the Strip have a lot of dealers in a 24 hour shift. |
| At Cosmo, on the weekdays there are about 150 dealers in a 24 hour shift. On the weekends, it can be close to 250-300 dealers and Cosmo is a small casino compared to the rest. |
| Does this violate any policy the casino might have about interacting with customers? | Technically no. The only thing the casino reminds you is to not be seen gambling with the customer at other casinos and that you're still responsible for your own actions. |
| You must have been real popular that night. | Bitches love money especially strippers. |
| Yeah I notice whenever I tip a dealer he/she puts in a slot, so I was thinking how would they know how much each dealer got, | Regardless, it's still the right thing to do if they're providing you a service. Thanks for tipping :) |
| I'm curious. Since on a night where you received an exorbitant tip and only made $1,000, what is your average tip out per day/week/weekend? Also, what is the largest amount that you yourself have walked out with in a single night? Are you tipped out daily, or is it added to your paycheck? If it is done by paycheck; largest tip out at the end of a paycheck? | At the big casinos (Wynn/Encore, Cosmopolitan, Aria, Caesars) the dealers usually make $150-$200 a night during the weekdays. On the weekends, they'll make around $200-$300+. |
| The medium casinos (Bellagio, Planet Hollywood, Paris, Mandalay Bay, MGM Grand) will make around $120-$150 during the weekdays, $150-$200 on the weekends. |
| I personally can't accept tips while at work. Outside of work, regular customers would throw me some extra cash on the side on top of whatever they gave me at the table while they were playing. The most someone gave me outside of work was $1000. It was a regular customer. |
| Of all the celebrity players you've dealt to, which one seemed the most genuine and cool person to interact with. | Coolest would easily be Matt Schaub. 99% of athletes are douchebags, but he's super nice and super cool. Awesome tipper too. Down to earth and extremely humble. Runners up goes to Chris Evans. Captain America can't handle his alcohol and is an arrogant prick too. "Do you know who the fuck I am?" was probably his most overheard line while I was dealing to him. 2nd runners up goes to Chef Tim Love. He's a stiff and a cry baby. Constantly boasts about all the $10,000 bottles of wine he drinks. |
| Who was the worst and why? | Ironically the worst would be Will Farrell. The guy is a huge asshole when he's gambling and the camera's off. Huge prick. |
| As a huge Redskins fan, I notice DeAngelo Hall has some attitude issues on the field. Was he any nicer when you dealt to him? | Really nice guy. From my experience, he plays by himself and doesn't have a huge entourage like most athletes do. Even when he loses, he doesn't have an attitude problem. |
| That's pretty disappointing. Will Farrell is one of my favorite actors and I always assumed he'd be a cool, down to earth guy off-camera. Oh well, it's not like I'll ever see him in real life anyway. But if I do, I'll know to punch him in the balls. | You know who is also a cool guy that surprised me? Rush Limbaugh. |
| The guy is an awesome tipper and kind of cool to talk to even though he's an extreme right-winger. |
| If a celebrity ever said "Do you know who the fuck I am?", I would instantly say something along the lines "Why should I give a fuck who you are?" | I pretty much said that to Chris Evans every time he said that. |
| Maybe in public but go have dinner with his family in Springfield, MO-- Racial slurs everywhere! | Any stories you'd like to tell me? |
| What was your impression of D Rose? | Derrick Rose is a cool guy. Played a little bit of blackjack and roulette with Durant. |
| Hope is ACL is good to go now :( |
| Doesn't Tebow know gambling is a sin??? | I wasn't going to ask him that especially with the Broncos offensive line surrounding him. |
| How many times have you heard someone say 'Vegas baby!' or 'you're so money' when Vince Vaughn was at the tables? | Never. |
| You know what I hear the most and is like nails on a chalkboard for casino employees? |
| "WINNER WINNER CHICKEN DINNER!" |
| I am going to go to every single casino and scream winner winner chicken dinner. When I finally get punched in the face I'll know it's you. Then we can go party with some celebs at the strip club. Deal? | Seems legit. |
| Do you get the asians who yell monkey who want a 10 in blackjack? It seems like 90% of asians in the casino I frequent do this. | Gamblers scream out monkey regardless of their race. White, black, asian, spanish, etc. |
| Whats the most money you've seen lost by one person in a day? | Craps - $5 million. |
| Blackjack - $5 million. |
| Baccarat - $10 million. |
| European Roulette - $2 million. |
| Just out of my own curiousity, was it an asian person that lost $10 million on baccarat? | You are correct. A Chinese businessman to be exact. |
| Holy shit that's crazy! How often do you see someone lose money in the millions? | I deal to million dollar players quite often. But getting their ass handed to them? Not that often. I want to say like every 3-4 weeks. |
| Players win often and players do lose often, but it's rare to see them tap their line. |
| What's the usual reaction when someone loses money > million? | I've seen customers smash glasses, break things, punch the wall, punch the roulette readerboard, etc. They usually keep their cool most of the time, but once in a while... |
| "OMG WTF ARE YOU KIDDING? ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING DUDEITSPANDA! THIS IS SOME FUCKING BULLSHIT. I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS JUST HAPPENED TO ME. YOU ARE THE WORST DEALER EVER. YOU GIVE ME THE WORST FUCKING HANDS ON BLACKJACK. WHY DO I EVEN PLAY THIS STUPID FUCKING GAME!!!" |
| WHY DO I EVEN PLAY THIS STUPID FUCKING GAME!!! | Most players like to play Captain Obvious or Captain Hindsight. |
| Maybe the only important thought the person should be considering. Hah. | "DAMN IT I SHOULDN'T HAVE BET THAT MUCH. DAMN IT I SHOULD HAVE BET MORE!" |
| Heh, I've seen that happen at the $5 tables in Indian casinos in Michigan while waiting for a seat in the poker room. | I usually just giggle whenever a $5-$10 players loses $100-$200 bucks. |
| "Is it really the end of the world losing $200?" is typically what I tell them. |
| How are high-limit dealers paid? Salaried? Benefits? Would you be willing to say how much (ballpark) high-stakes dealers make in a year? what about low-stakes? Are dealers allowed to gamble in the casino they work for? Thanks, this is a sweet AmA. | Dealers are paid the same regardless of what games they play and it's minimum wage. Yes you heard it...casinos only pay us minimum wage. We rely completely on tips. |
| Casinos are normally run businesses so full time employees are offered insurance, 401k, vacation time, etc. |
| Dealers are NOT allowed to gamble in the casino they work for. It's mainly to prevent collusion. Dealers are allowed to play slots in the casino they work for, but cannot play anything with a progressive jackpot (Megabucks, Wheel of Fortune, etc.). Dealers are allowed to play whatever they want in any other casino. |
| I think it's pretty awesome that dealers get a 401k and insurance. That plus the decent money you mentioned below make dealing sound like a pretty awesome job. | It isn't that bad of a job, but dealing to douchebags and degenerates wears on you after a while. |
| What are the best casinos and hotels in Las Vegas? As in the top 5 casino/hotels? What is your favorite and why? | Wynn Las Vegas/Encore |
| Oh and why are there hundreds of Mexican people handing out those cards for prostitutes on the street and allowed to just litter the whole strip with them? | The loiters have first amendment rights basically. They changed the law this year so now whenever cards they pass out fall to the ground, they're supposed to pick them up. I was never too happy with the escort ads on the Strip. 1. The girls don't actually provide the service most of the time. They're just there to rip off guys. 2. It puts a negative light on the city. |
| Thanks for the answer. I was in vegas for about 3 days staying at circus circus (don't laugh) and the first night we walked the whole strip (i had no idea it would take that long) and it really annoyed me to see the streets just littered with the prostitute cards. | We Vegas locals don't like it either trust me. We also don't like those stupid street performers that are on the Strip. The only one that's cool in my book is the guy that will let you kick him in the nuts for $20. |
| How much do you think the avg "street performer" say for example, the dudes wearing Mario and Luigi costumes r the Tranformer guys would make in a night? | No clue. Maybe get one of them to do an AMA? |
| This might be a longshot, but one time I was there, there was this older black guy in a motorized chair that had this little speakemic/beatbox thing and would freestyle about you and your group (for a tip) and he was phenominal. It was a hightlight of the trip. I've been back a couple of times and always look for him but never find him. Do you know if he's still around/popular? | Nope. Never seen the guy. |
| What's your flexibility on game pacing, in Blackjack for example? | There is plenty of flexibility on game pace. Casinos instruct dealers to deal at a moderate pace. Not too fast where you seem like a robot and not slow enough where players will fall asleep at the table. |
| Tl;dr: does the house allow you to deal fewer hands-per-hour in high-limit? If so, why are some dealers doucheclowns about it? | The best scenario for you if you want to play slightly high limit blackjack are blackjack pits that are outside of high limit. It's basically high limit without the title. They're usually $100 6-deck shoe games that stand on all 17s. |
| Baccarat, on the other hand... shit, I need a book to pass the time. Whoever installs video poker machines into Baccarat tables is going to make a killing. | Dealers are going to be douchebags no matter what. From my personal experience, if I deal fast...I'm trying to get rid of you. |
| Though my restaurant right now doesn't have it, we do have tip outs to runner ,bussers and bar. Do any casinos impliment this policy? Do you see yourself making a career out of this? | Casinos have tried to implied a tip out policy as a way to subsidize other wages with dealers tips, but it has failed. Wynn Las Vegas/Encore is in court with the dealers right now over it. Wynn won initially, but it got overturned and looks to stay that way. I don't see myself making a career out of it. Casinos are now run by corporations. The way they treat their employees is ridiculous. They show no dedication to us. |
| In your opinion - what's the best strategy for Craps? | Pass line with full odds. Come bets with full odds as well. |
| Pass line bets and taking odds on it after the come out? Boxcars, Snake Eyes, Big 6's, Horn High Yo's? | You can place bet, but the edge is still high for the house. |
| I'm curious too hear what a dealer thinks about this. | Stay away from the prop box at all times. The only time I'll mess around with the prop box is if I throw let's say $1 hardways and ask to parlay at least once if it hits. |
| Do you know of other dealers who have ever completely lost their cool at a high risk table when either a large amount of money has come into play, or some big time celebrity has come to their table? | Happens all the time. I've seen dealers sweat profusely like they just finished doing cardio on the treadmill, seen dealers completely freeze up or seen dealers crack under the pressure. |
| I've seen a couple get in trouble because they tried to take a picture with them after they go on break. That's a huge no-no. |
| Are the high limit tables the most desirable tables to work? Are dealers sometimes reprimanded by removing them from a high limit table and placing them at a low limit table? (similar to getting a shitty section in a restaurant/bar) | Physically yes. You'll most likely be on a reserved game. The customer doesn't play the majority of the time while you're on shift. So instead of dealing for 8 hours straight, in high limit you might deal one or two hours. The rest of the time you're just hanging out and watching whatever they have on the TV. |
| Are you a gambler yourself? If so, has working as a dealer improved your game any? | Dealers do get reprimanded and sometimes even get kicked out of high limit for a extended period of time. It has never happened to me, but one day you'll see a dealer dealing to a BIG player. They make a huge mistake and the next day they're on casino war or the Big 6 wheel. |
| They make a huge mistake. | In the business we call it a jackpot. Jackpot is basically a small mistake that turns into a big mistake. |
| Like what? | Dealer make mistakes all the time. Wrong payout, messed on the procedure, etc. |
| What route would you recommend for anyone wanting to get into working as a dealer? Can you give us a brief outline of your rise to the high stakes table? | Go to a dealers school. Learn the basics of dealing, handling chips and game protection. I learned blackjack and craps. It takes about four-eight weeks depending on how fast of a learner you are and how often you show up to school to practice. It took me about five weeks. |
| Once you're sufficient enough, you can apply to audition at a low end casino also known as a "break in house." Historically, casinos Downtown such as the El Cortez are well known break in houses for new dealers. Shitty local casinos are also considered break in houses as well. You don't make any money, but it doesn't matter. The whole point is to get experience dealing on a real live game. |
| While you're dealing at the break in house, you can learn how to deal all the other games. That's how I learned baccarat and roulette. Once you get enough experience, you start trying to move to better casinos until eventually you get a good, full time job on the Strip. |
| How long did it take you to move up from a "break in house" to the limelight on the Strip? What's the average? | For most dealers it takes forever. They don't have the skill set or have the connections...aka "juice" as we call it in the business. |
| It only took me about two-three years, but for most it can take from five-ten years. |
| I love playing blackjack at the El Cortez! $5, single deck, 3:2 games. | El Cortez is fun. I love hanging out at the bars next to it. |
| "You don't make any money"... can you give us a ballpark on what you made at the break-in and how much you make now, including tips? | Break-in dealers barely make $30,000 a year. |
| Wow, that's a long time to work your way up to a (relatively) low paying job. You said in an earlier reply that high end dealers only make $200-$300 on a weekend night, right? I made close to that in my first bartending gig when I was still in college. | You're probably right. But like I told you, the best dealer jobs pay around $85k a year. It's about $325 a day give or take. |
| What would you say set you apart from the other dealers? Are you more talented (by which I mean you're just naturally smartebetter) or is it a difference in work ethic or what? If it's a work ethic thing, do you think that had you applied yourself to something else with the same level of dedication you could have succeeded, or have you just been in the right place at the right time consistently? | Glad that you enjoyed the AMA. |
| Also, as someone who generally does not like AMAs in the last ~2 years, yours has been both informative and interesting. Cheers. | What sets me apart from most dealers is that I have the skill to deal the games properly while being quick on my feet with calculations and knowing what the players feelings are like at the time. Sometimes dealers can talk to the players while sometimes players just want you to shut up and deal. Just got to know when the situation is right for certain things. |
| Ever seen a grown man cry? | Yes. It's pathetic that a guy can guy from gambling, but yes I have. |
| Ever hear about someone killing themselves after walking away from your table? | Yes. I tell them they're full of shit which they are 99.9% of the time. They're desperate for attention after they lose. |
| How funny was Will Ferrel? | Not funny. I was expecting Elf or Stepbrothers, but got Casa de Mi Padre. |
| Could you tell us how the upper management of the casino works? I guess start with the dealers. I know you guys have pit bosses, but then who is above them? Who reports to who? Who is in contact with the surveillance room? I don't care about the hotel management. | Dealers report to Floor Supervisors. Floor supervisors report to Pit Boss. Pit Boss reports to Shift Manager. Shift Manager reports to Table Games Director. |
| Did you ever get beat up by joey porter at applebees? | For those that don't know, here's my interaction with Joey Porter. |
| I haven't got jumped by Joey Porter...yet. He liked me and other dealers on his game that night. I think he still wants to beat the shit out of my shift boss and pit boss. My shift boss still hasn't eaten at a Applebee's or even a Chili's yet since then. |
| Yo, man. I been looking for you! | DO YOU EVEN LIFT BRO? |
| How was Joe Flacco? | He was cool. Not a big player. Kept asking me where he can find a $15 blackjack game haha. |
| NBA fan here. Did you have any memorable interactions with either James, Wade, or Durant? How was Derrick Rose? | No real memorable interactions. I just loved busting LeBron's balls before he got his first ring. |
| I remember before Derrick Rose got serious media attention, I remember telling him two years ago "I like how you're an amazing basketball player, but no one recognizes you right now". Not the case now. |
| Kevin Durant is a nice guy. |
| Have you seen or heard of any casinos that actually rig games? | Nope. Even though most casino managers are idiots in my opinion, they wouldn't be stupid enough to rig a game. Not only would they would lose their gaming license, the casino would get a huge fine and could possibly lose their license as well. |
| One thing I tell players if they're gambling...gamble only if there's a gaming commission. You don't even know how many times I've heard stories of players getting screwed over by Indian casinos or cruise ships because there are no gaming commissions overseeing them. |
| UK here - what's the deal with Indian casinos? clearly they're less regulated - are native Americans known for running 'shady' joints? | I'm not saying that Indian casinos are completely shady...they just do shady things once in a while when the players aren't noticing it. |
| I always wondered how casino workers were able to handle working in a smoking environment all day. Is there a high rate of respiratory problems with casino workers? Tips for dealing with the smoke? | I don't smoke personally. It's brutal. I try to do more cardio than weightlifting to make up for it. |
| My allergies have gotten worse since I started dealing. Whenever I'm on a game, I just try to move the ashtrays in a certain position so I don't get hit with all the smoke. |
| Obvious question--what kind of experience do casinos require before you're given the keys to a high stakes table? | It's mainly just being able to handle the high action. Dealers tend to freeze up a lot when they see big numbers in front of them. It's also being able to control your game regardless of who is playing on it and regardless of how much they're betting. |
| Do they make you do a whole back ground check and a lie detector test like they show in movies? i know.. stupid question. just curious. | We get background checked when we apply for our gaming card and when we apply for a new job. We also get hair drug tested and have a credit check done as well. |
| Casinos only hire employees with good credit. It shows that the employees are responsible with their money and less susceptible to collusion. |
| I have a strong interest in playing and dealing cards. Have since I was a kid. How much does dealing become a grind as opposed to something you don't mind doing? I haven't hit that point yet dealing in home games. | It honestly becomes a grind the second you start working. It's exciting the first couple of years because you're seeing new bets or action you haven't dealt with yet on the game, but after a while it becomes the same. |
| Which of the soccer players that you dealt with won the most? | Probably Rooney. I think he won like $300k. Soccer players aren't big gamblers generally. They just like to hang out at the pool, go clubbing once in a while and do a little bit of gambling. |
| What was Wayne Rooney like in person? He always seems like a dick to me. Also, how much do you earn? | He's a nice guy. Takes pictures with fans and socializes with everyone. |
| Dealers at the most popular casinos (Aria, Wynn/Encore, Cosmopolitan, Caesars) can make $80,000+ a year. |
| Dealers that work at the medium properties (MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay, Bellagio, Paris, Planet Hollywood) make around $60,000-$80,000 a year. |
| What is the most you have seen a person win? | $10 million on baccarat. The customer was playing $175,000 a hand on baccarat. |
| Baccarat didn't seem to big when I was in Vegas a few years ago, has it picked up? | Baccarat has picked up a lot in Vegas. All the big casinos have baccarat now. |
| I was a dealer in Australia, high stakes as well and the average for some customers was $2000+. Not bragging or anything, just wondering if Vegas is working on getting the Asian baccarat junkets a bit harder these says. | The problem with baccarat junkets is that the players just rotate between casino to casino. They take advantage of baccarat tournaments and whatever promos they have. The junkets technically don't bring in any new business and they get paid a huge chunk of whatever the player's theoretical is. |
