Choosing the Perfect Casino Dealer

Choosing the perfect table game dealer can have a huge impact on your casino experience. You want to have fun, right? You choose who to vote for, who to date, who to work for, so don't you want to choose who you sit with for hours in the casino?

Table game dealers often work a rotating schedule of tables, so they may not be on your game for more than a half-hour, but sometimes dealers are assigned a specific table and they work there for their entire shift - minus the time the breaker is giving them a chance to regain their sanity after handling a table-full of 30-year-old children.

Your first choice should be about the temperament of the dealer. You can't judge a dealer completely by their dead-game demeanor, but dealers come in many styles. Choose the one you want: happy, non-committal, outgoing, bored, quiet, sarcastic, technically proficient, newbie. You might want to avoid the ones who are burned-out and grumpy. Who wants to sit with them?

Experienced dealers are like mirrors. They reflect what they see and what they get. If you don't want to talk, the dealer is likely to greet you, ask a few questions, and then dummy-up and deal. If you want banter, you have to give it. If you want a happy dealer, you have to smile - and it never hurts to put a bet out for the dealer.

Don't ask your blackjack dealer why they aren't smiling. They may have just dropped their favorite lipstick in the toilet, or they may be at work while their kid is home sick. Stuff happens, but they'll do their best, and you'll guide them by smiling and being pleasant and not crying when you don't win every hand. If your smile doesn't bring one in return, move to another table and let them stand alone and make minimum wage. Casino jobs may be highly sought after, but not every employee remembers why they wanted to work in a casino.

Blackjack is usually the first game taught in a dealing school, so most dealers are relaxed when they deal the game because they know it so well. If you are new to the game, you want a dealer with some patience. They can be found smiling, interacting with the players on their game, and not running over the players. Choose a dealer who will slow down their dealing a bit to suit your own speed (or lack of speed, since you are new).

Sometimes it helps to have a dealer who is new themselves. They may be nervous, but they won't deal too fast and you can ask questions without any smart remarks. Remember, you don't have a ball-and-chain around your leg. Don't like the dealer? Move.

If you are experienced, you know what you want - either more entertainment, or more hands per hour. Since you are getting what you want, don't for get to give the dealer what they want: pleasant manners and the occasional tip. Yes, dealers really do make minimum wage. They only make more if you tip them.

Learning to play craps can be a nightmare for some players. It's not that the game is so tough, but the dealers are taking care of so many players at one time that you can be overlooked easily. If you are learning the game, find a table that has just a few players; preferably a couple on one side and none on the other.

Go to the side with no players, ask for change, and drop your bill (or bills) on the layout close to the rail where there is no writing. Dealers can't take anything out of your hands. If the game has no stickman (called an inside stick game) you can't expect a lot of teaching if the game has many players!

Again, like blackjack, craps dealers come in all varieties. The more experienced you are at the game, the more experienced you want your crew to be. An experienced group of craps dealers can tell some jokes and still get the dice in the air. They are also likely to be on the game for their entire eight-hour shift. Give 'em a chance and see how they treat you.,/P

Good craps dealers are notorious for being deadpan and non-committal to players while dealing a great game, keeping their heads down, and being the funniest dealers in the casino. Ask what a two-way bet is, like you don't know it's a bet that is split between the dealers and the player if it hits, and then try one. A two-way hard-way bet or come-out eleven is usually a good start.

Playing roulette can be both exciting and relaxing. You may be looking for the same thing in a roulette dealer that you are in a blackjack dealer, but they won't have as much time to banter with you while they spin the ball, check the layout, and sweep in the bets, figure the payoffs, and muck the checks. That's a polite way of saying they are busy.

Sure, roulette dealers can be nice and talk, but you may find that what you really want at the table is accuracy. Sloppy dealers make payoff errors, sweep away chips you thought were winners, and don't get many spins in while they are there. You may want to watch a few spins first and see how they handle the game before sitting down, you'll know pretty quickly.

Like craps dealers, roulette dealers are often assigned to a single game for an entire shift. Make your choices wisely and don't be afraid to try another table if your expectations are not met. Once you've had a great roulette dealer you'll never want to go back to a lump!

Poker dealers can be the toughest to figure out, and the fact is, you won't have much input on who deals your game because they come and go so fast when you're playing poker for hours on the same table! You will most often be assigned a game anyway, you won't be able to choose your table with the perfect dealer. You will be able to adjust your play a bit to each dealer.

Poker dealers are known to be involved in the TV's that populate the walls of many poker rooms. They usually know the sporting events going on, and they can usually deal a good game while giving you an update. However, remember to be careful with your calls and raises, because if the dealer has looked away there may be action in front of you that you don't know about.

With some dealers you will need to watch the poker layout very carefully to make sure for yourself how many players are in, whether there has been a raise, or whether you are actually in the blind or not. When several dealers have an attention problem, you can't move to another table to solve the problem, but you might consider another casino. One mistake at the poker table can make or break you.

I've seen players raise all-in while thinking they are first to act, only to find out that another player has already raised. I've done it myself in low-limit poker games, but even there it's still a disaster! Don't let it happen to you. As proficient as any dealer is mistakes are inevitable. Usually when that happens the dealer will swear they said, "raise," but gee, maybe you didn't hear. Protect yourself by staying alert!