| A Nod to the Dealers |
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| From the Editor - From the Editor | |||
| Written by John Wenzel | |||
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They Work While We Play The first event at the 2009 World Series of Poker was, appropriately, the Casino Employees Championship. Once called the “Dealers’ Event,” it is fitting that it was Event 1 of this year’s Series, as it was the last chance for casino personnel to play before six weeks of grueling hard work for them began. Before the cards went in the air for Event 1, WSOP Commissioner Jeffrey Pollack remarked that he could not sleep the night before. “Last night felt like Christmas Eve,” he said, reflecting the feelings of poker players the world over. But while players were looking forward to Christmas morning as the most glorious day on their calendar, for the dealers, floor people and other casino staff (many of whom also play poker) it was the beginning of their most intense labor of the year. Without them, there is no World Series, and without quality work from them, the WSOP would be a mess. A 295-table mess. I took a part-time job as a dealer a few years ago to improve my game, and before Phil Hellmuth announced “Shuffle up and deal” for this first event, the man known for berating his opponents said something that I as a former dealer found quite interesting. He joked with the crowd that he occasionally gets out of line, “but never, ever with the dealers – only the other players.” For all his cringe-inducing berating of players at the table, at least Phil is smart enough not to blame dealers for his misfortune if he loses a hand. The dealers do not control the way the cards fall. They are shuffled randomly. If someone sucks out on you, it is not the dealer’s fault, and you are an idiot of you blame a dealer for a loss, or if you believe that one dealer is “unlucky” for you. Let me tell you from experience, dealing poker is much harder than it looks. It is physically and mentally taxing, and you must be on top of your game the entire time you are in the box. Even momentary lapses can be a disaster. And the job is more than hard enough without players abusing dealers just because they think they can get away with it, as the legendary Puggy Pearson did years ago, with his berating of dealers, blaming them if he didn’t hit his hand, refusing to tip and even putting a cigarette out on one dealer’s hand. Hopefully, these days are over, and cardrooms should have zero tolerance for mistreatment of other players and staff. If that means booting out a regular player, well, so be it. And in return, cardrooms must ensure that their people are well-trained, professional, consistent and on top of their craft. From what I see and hear, staff competence has been improving every year at the Rio. Thank you dealers, in advance, for the good hands you will be dealing me! And if you don’t, well, it’s not your fault.
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