Any veteran dealers have some tips for new dealers.
I currently work at Winstar World Casino as a drop team member and have been playing poker for roughly 6-7 years. I decided to get a job at the casino to get my foot in the door for an open poker dealing position. I would really like to deal poker yet it's a little tough to find a position open here. I was just wondering what kinds of things I really need to focus on improving and learning to help me really push through dealer school when a spot does open up.
-I have dealt home games a bit but it definitely isn't a professional setting.
-I know how to calculate the rake on the fly
-I can calculate pots sizes (for PLO)
-I can cut chips fairly well since I am always fiddling with chips when playing.
-I understand the game and all of its variants. Have no problem reading boards
-I don't really understand how to balance a box. (have never really paid attention to what they are doing with the box) Are they just starting with a set amount and making change for chips through the box?
-I probably need work or at least an explanation on how I do/should pitch the cards and what to focus on as a beginning dealer.... speed or accuracy?
5 Replies
At the end of the hand, when a player exposes two cards that are a complete bluff, should the dealer call out the hand? I had this happen in a local home game and a player turned over an 8-high nothing, and the other player misread the exposed hand and tossed in his cards face down. They weren't in the muck, so I gave him a few seconds and finally mucked his hand and awarded the pot to the player that exposed his cards. An argument ensued stating that I should have called out his hand. What is the correct procedure for this?
It really depends on the room and their procedure list. In some you always announce, in some you only announce when a second hand gets tabled, in some you push up cards, etc. I generally prefer when hands are called out as tabled but as long as the procedure is consistent from dealer to dealer it’s fine.
I was taught to not announce any hand until all hands are either tabled or mucked. When I'm dealing low stakes cash or anything with more than 2 cards I'll usually announce hands right away because it keeps the game moving and the players tend to want it. They just want to see who had what and get to the next hand. You have to get to know your audience to some extent.
In cases like that where it's a bluff or something weird like someone was counterfeited I keep my mouth shut. I don't want to interfere. You want the pot? Pay attention. I'll maybe delay mucking a hand for a half second but after that it's over.
An argument ensued stating that I should have called out his hand. What is the correct procedure for this?
If you do announce the hand, you announce the exact hand, even if they are playing the board. If they got nothing but there is a pair on the board, you announce a pair of whatever.
(Home game dealer here.) I'm reading the five-card poker hand whether it's a full house or eight-high. If you usually read the hand but didn't this time because it was a "bluff" then you are treating some hands as a different category from others. Be consistent.
