Bobby's Breakroom - for gaming employee chatter + YTF appreciation. See restrictions in Post #1

And then it says "of course anyone is welcome to post" because the OP realized it would be ridiculous to try (or even want) to determine who is allowed in any particular thread.

It’s time to chill, Rob

My last couple of Fridays, my right wrist has been bothering me quite a bit. And it's been carrying at least partly through the weekend. I really notice it when I do things like turning a door knob to open the door. The rotational motion plus the grip really gets it going. I don't know if it's from years of pitching cards or from all of the hand shuffling I've been doing lately (our shuffle machines are constantly broken, and even on days when the shuffle technician comes in, it seems like half of the machines are out of order before the end of the day.) Or maybe I'm just getting old and it has nothing at all to do with my job.

We all had our schedules jumbled around for the holidays to make sure that everyone got at least a little bit screwed, even if I typically have Tuesdays and Wednesdays off, so I went home on Friday with a sore wrist, took Saturday off, and went back to work on Sunday, with the wrist still sore. Pitching cards didn't hurt at all. I don't have the perfect pitching form that they teach in school, but I'm definitely not using my wrist to get the cards out, or else I'm hardly using my wrist and the motion of dealing doesn't cause any immediate irritation. As for hand shuffling, I was deliberate about being more gentle and that didn't irritate me either.

I woke up this morning after 2 days off and my wrist doesn't hurt too much. Just in time for a new week.

So I don't know if this is carpal tunnel (never had it, don't know what it feels like) or if it's something else, or if it's even at all related to my job or if it's just because I've been opening too many jars of pickles lately.

But it got me thinking. I've known a few dealers who have switched from dealing right-handed to left-handed (or vice versa) and you wouldn't be able to tell that it wasn't their natural hand. But these dealers all made the switch before I even started working with them.

How long would it take me to make the switch, to the point where a player wouldn't immediately know something was wrong and I didn't look completely unnatural? If I tried dealing left-handed today, the cards would go everywhere, I'd have tons of exposed cards, and I'd look like a complete mess. Not to mention that I'm alo pretty hopeless with cutting chips down left-handed when someone asks me "how much is that bet?" I doubt I could even put the flop out left-handed without looking completely inept. Basically I'm about as right-hand dominant as a person can possibly be, while still having a perfectly healthy left hand.

My wrists started hurting badly about 4 years into this job. So bad that some days I couldn't hold a rack of chips with one hand. Wearing a wrist strap made it go away almost completely. It's just a 3" wide piece of fabric that puts pressure on it. You might not have the same issue, but Walmart has a set for $3 to try.

I've gotten better at counting chips left handed, but it's pretty slow going. Never tried pitching left handed. It might offer some relief, I suppose, being able to use whatever hand feels better on the day.

Just fixing the deliberately misleading selective quotations.

Those 2019 guidelines look fine to me as well. If a moderator thinks that I or anyone else has overstepped them, just let that person know.

Considering that I have made one post here in my recent memory (apart from this discussion) I can't imagine it has been "way too much", but if a mod tells me something like that, I act on it.

Bolt,

My pitching hand wrist used to hurt off and on, but frequently. I figured it was just part of what I had signed up for in life. While on vacation once for a week or so it started hurting again and it was a strange revelation of "now is not the time when this should be happening" so I started paying more attention to it. Long story less long, I figured out that the main problem was that I was curling my right hand under my pillow and laying on it while sleeping. Once I realized that it was not a big deal to fix, just a case of "hey stop doing that!"

Just something to keep in mind that it's possible the solution isn't even related to cards.

As far as off-hand dealing goes. I tried that twice when it was hand-for-hand in a tournament and there was another table that kept taking exceptionally long. The idea was quickly abandoned.

I can't imagine ever pitching with my left hand. But I have no wrist, arm or shoulder pain, even in my 50's. Sometimes lower back on a long day.

You posted a dozen times in here between July 4th and Christmas.

And nine of those were after a mod "told you something like that" on September 3rd.

I’m curious to hear some opinions on which places I should consider dealing at next summer in Las Vegas during the WSOP time. I dealt for 11 years in Florida but I haven’t dealt since March of 2022 aside from a few times at private games. For the past 18 months I’ve worked in an office for a small company that manufactures and sells fuel tanks for large commercial generators. This job is by far the most laid back office environment I’ve ever experienced but I have zero desire to work in an office any longer.

I just turned 50 a few months ago, my youngest kid graduated from high school last May and is away at college. My longtime gf works from home/travels and would be open to coming on the road with me when she’s able to. My plan is to become a traveling dealer starting with the WSOP and going from there. So please feel free to share any information that might be useful for deciding which summer series to go with and any other tournament series throughout the year.

It's only showing me 5 when I do a search, but I have never been able to use the search function well here. Of the ones I do see, one was asking what "yo" meant, and 3 were giving support to JimL in his stories of dealing with problem players.

Anyway, I am sorry if I have caused any problems here. But I didn't see any restrictions in the OP about giving positive feedback to dealers after they tell a story, and I have tried to follow the OP rules regarding what kinds of things non-employees should be free to comment on.

I did want to comment on something said by Bolt2112 above:

Unfortunately, the above is no longer true. Take a look at the main Casino & Cardroom category, and you will see that hardly any ruling questions are put up there anymore.

I don't know how to get a true count for comparison, but it seems to me that more ruling questions are posted in this thread than in the general one. And really those are the only ones I'm particularly interested in participation. Plus, a plurality of the ones here recently have been posted by JimL, who just said that he wouldn't mind getting the opinions of non-employees to his last post about a ruling.

The OP mentions the kinds of things that this thread was made for, and unless I missed it, it doesn't mention those kinds of posts. I wish JimL and the other dealers who make posts about rulings, would post them in the thread actually made for that, instead of to this thread. Those are the kinds of things that poker players are interested in anyway, not the posts about employer EO policies, carpal tunnel syndrome, etc, which definitely make sense to be here. And maybe for the funny dealer stories, they could also be placed in a separate thread accessible by everyone, as someone else recently suggested.

I think those changes could make everyone here happier, and given the huge loss of overall activity in these forums over the last several years, I don't think it is productive to try to remove the enthusiastic participation that still exists.

Last note, particularly to JimL - I really like your posts and have enjoyed discussing things with you here and elsewhere, even when we have completely disagreed about something. Regardless of what is decided here, please start posting more of your stuff in the general forum where more people can enjoy them and participate.

Doing the WSOP makes a lot of sense for what you're planning. You get to deal all games, all stakes, and meet a lot of the people who run and/or work at a lot of events year round. The old days of 60-80 hour weeks are gone from what I've heard, so if you want to really push it you'll have to get two jobs. Or, just chill and have fun in LV.

You will have to be ready to deal all games including stud and draw. I'm not saying you have to be proficient in every game, just know the basic procedures.

Other rooms might have a slightly higher down rate or better cash games, or be less hectic. It just depends what you're looking for.

My method for picking road stops is to just keep asking other dealers how they like them, and picking up random gigs whenever I see an opening. Once you find a stop or crew you like, set it as your base and fill in with other events as they come up.

Well spoken. Separate threads for separate dealing/ruling questions would be clearer with the thread header, get more thorough discussion, and including us "customers".

Seems like you should try learning the thumb dealing euro method first of you decided to change.

Good idea. Let's make a separate thread for other stuff.

Meanwhile we can leave this thread alone for discussions about dealing stories, dealing challenges, dealing opportunities, and other things that dealers want to discuss.

I don't think we necessarily need a different thread. Employees could just start putting their posts about rulings into the main CCP subforum (creating new threads in the section one level above this one).

Thanks, that’s very helpful information. I talked to another dealer yesterday who has dealt the WSOP for several years and I’m definitely leaning that direction. Not having to fly out to audition is a big plus. What are some of your favorite tournament stops other than the WSOP? I’d prefer to be east of the Mississippi the rest of the year if possible.

Exactly. Separate threads for each problem or case. I wrote "thread header" above, meant "thread headers"

Some of the good spots are hard to get into. You have to know who to contact and when there are openings they'll go with people they know. For WSOP circuit, Turning Stone and Cherokee are good. The Florida stop is probably good but I haven't been able to crack into it yet. Hollywood Hard Rock is great, and I've heard good things about National Harbor, Choktaw, and Beau Rivage. Honestly, starting out just take any jobs you can. Show up, don't bitch, help things run smooth and more jobs will come. Get on all the Facebook dealer groups and set up an alert on Indeed for poker dealer because some things show up on there.

I have dealt every Potomac Poker Open that they have run and it has been interesting seeing it evolve over the years. I am fortunate that they allow me to come when it runs. Last several times they only opened it up to dealers who previously worked the event.

When it started there were dead spreads, low toke rates, and tons of confusion. But the people who run it are great at what they do and as you heard, it has become a good event to work. I love working with them and hope that I can do so as long as it runs.

At this point I am the only non-traveling dealer who deals it (it's a perfect storm for me: I have a MD license through my on call dealer job and I take PTO from my FT salaried position to double dip; it's a rare stop that pays for rooms and their EDR is pretty good and open 24-hours so expenses can be kept low).

"Celebrating" 20 years on 2+2 this month so here's a post of random bullshittery that happened today. You've been warned. Nothing interesting lies in the post ahead. So don't read it.

Tournament break and the TD and I are as always attempting to contain our immense excitement that comes from running poker tournaments. As I had just called out an open seat TD comes over and somewhat bemused asked if it was the 1 seat, who had lasted all of a single hand today. Yes. Yes it was. And for some reason I see fit to say

"Remember you are dust, to dust you shall return. I think that's from the bible."
TD: That's pretty metal line for the bible. Along with JESUS WEPT!
Me: I always thought **** was getting real in the bible whenever they would bring up jawbones and asses.
TD: Yeah Jaws and Asses were my favorite discussion topics in Sunday school.
Me: Unlike Sundays around here where all we get are

Later during the same break TD gestures to my table
TD: You down two?
Me: Yep. down two.

2 second pause...

TD: Down to what?
Me: IT. We're down to IT. And I'm not talking Stephen King.
TD: ... Well that's good, because I looked and we're all out of Red Balloons.
Me: Ok... just give me whatever Lucky Charms we've got left.

Little did I know that the director of the entire poker room, the boss of my boss's boss, was standing behind us.

DPR: "I think you two are the only ones that get your own humor."

Yeah that's probably a good point. But I did see them smirk.

Towards the end of my shift tournament tables breaking have adjusted the lineup so that I'm now following a break-in on his 2nd shift. Nice enough kid. Helped him out a little bit in the in-house poker school and I think he'll get there eventually. But again, 2nd shift ever.

I spend the entire time of the hand that I'm watching waiting to push in wondering if he's ever going to take the rake. Let's see... checking all the tabled hands... looking around... checking the tabled hands again... kills one.... kills another one.... only one hand left... is that entire pot going that way? Ooo! As a buzzer beater he changes out a red chip (with improper procedure but hey) for white and takes the correct amount of rake and pushes the pot. Alright kid we got there in the end!

I glance over and the next table he's going to go to is a 7 game mix. Oof. I push into my game and flag down a chiprunner and discretely ask if we can get him a shadow or something to help him over there. A couple minutes later chiprunner returns and tells me "(Department Trainer) says he's dealt it before." My brother in Christ I just watched this kid swim through the river Stix to remember to take a rake and he's going to go try and deal Pot Limit Double Board Dramaha? Jesus Christ. I remember my first week in the year of our lord Two Thousandmumblemumble it was enough to get two cards face down to everyone. Really throwing this poor kid to the wolves. However, I didn't stick around to watch him get scraped up off the pavement because I got pushed out to go home and faced with the choice of watching the ensuing bloodbath and going home to type up random bullshit for 2+2 I choose the obvious.

Remember I told you not to read any of this.

Just how bored are mixed game players anyway?

I switched places with a dealer once when she begged me to deal PLO for her and the pit manager was on break so I couldn't get permission. It was short handed and I knew it would break if that particular dealer sat down so I just did it. Afterwards I got chewed out and told that all dealers are trained in all games we run. Maybe you should step out from behind the desk once in a while. Maybe 1 in 5 dealers in that room could deal PLO without assistance from the players. Some can barely handle NLH. Any further into the mix games list they'd be screwed.

If they do, they can post in a normal thread and ask for customer feedback.

If people think this sort of thread would be helpful, I am fine with it. I think you were just being pedantic, but if not, feel free to start a thread along these lines and I'll mod it up with special restrictions and we'll see what happens.

I just want to clarify this a little bit. Most threads here are open to everyone. The OP does not, in general, get to decide who they do or do not want to hear from in a new post they create. Once the OP is made, the thread is released to the community for any and all to contribute to.

There are some posts that are given special rules and special consideration, because doing so benefits the community in some way. The breakroom thread is one of them.

As many of us understand, but which I will belabor now, the reasoning is that we're trying to give cardroom employees a place to be themselves and talk openly with other employees, because we want to encourage their participation here, and because having a window into it may help cardroom customers in some way as well.

I also want to mention that I completely agree with most of this. The forums are dying. Participation in this forum in particular is dying. Since COVID at least I have been a lot more lenient with moderation because I don't want to stifle anyone who wants to participate and be part of the solution.

Having said that, in this thread at least, one person's participation is another person's (or, in this case, many such people's) annoyance. The end goal is to continue to have more dealer participation even if it's at the expense of others, at least here in this thread. Ideally the forum overall will benefit in toto.