[AMA] Ex-Casino Games Dealer and Supervisor - So Get The Questions Ready

pegaxs on 19/02/2018 - 18:50
Last edited 22/02/2018 - 15:54

Some of you might know me from the Automotive forum as that guy who makes replies that are way to long. Most of you will not know who I am, and that's probably a good thing. No one really asks me about my life in the Automotive sector, but my life as a casino employee always works as conversation fuel, so I thought I would share…

I am an ex-casino games dealer and supervisor. I spent over 8 years working in one of Australia's biggest casinos. Not going to mention it, but some of you may guess where from my replies. I expressly do NOT speak on behalf of any casino I have worked for and may incur the wrath of their legal department if I go too deep.

I am happy to answer general questions about anything casino related, myths, superstitions and how working in the gaming industy has impacted on my life. Some things will be off the table. I will give reasons for not being able to talk about something in particular or try and explain it another way.

As a dealer, I dealt Blackjack, Pontoon, Roulette, Baccarat and Poker (about 14 variations of Poker), (not including all the other minor games like Caribbean Stud, Sic-Bo and the like.) I have only had minor exposure to gaming machines, that being said, I may or may not be able to answer your questions on "pokies". I still have friends in the industry, so if I don’t know, I may be able to find out…

My background is Automotive Technician, so working in the Casino was a pleasant departure from fixing cars. For the record, I have gone back to fixing trucks, cars and motorcycles. I no longer work in the gaming industry. I finished in 2013, so some things I answer may have changed since then.

Note to Mods: I know this may be seen as gambling related, but I can assure you, it isn't. If anything, I am now very anti-gambling, so I hope though my post, some people may be turned off gambling as a result.

Final Thoughts: Sadly, I think the time has come to close this thread. (Some of the questions are starting to go a bit off the rails ;)

I just wanted to say a really big thank you to everyone who posted in this thread, from the people who asked questions, to the people that helped out with answering questions. Everyone’s great attitude and curiosity made this into something way more awesome than I ever envisaged. I never thought for once that I would get so much interest and positive support. It gave me a great chance to relive some of my greatest memories and deal with some of my darkest moments, and for that, no words can express how humbled I feel for having such a great bunch of people to share my story with. If it wasn’t for each and every one of you, this thread would never have gained the traction and interest that it did…

So, again, thank you everyone for making this an AMA to remember :D party_poppers.gif

PS: Get ready for my "I'm an Automotive Mechanic/Technician… AMA", where I bogan up, lose the literacy, use a lot more (profanity) and try to answer things I will probably make more guess work then fact work. Would people even want to read that? Only time will tell… (And for those that asked in another thread… I am also a locksmith, yes, and once I have a lot more industry experience under my belt, I may just come back and do an AMA on that… :D )

Introduce Yourself Blackjack Casino Poker Roulette

closed Comments

  • PleasureMe on 20/02/2018 - 10:56
    +3

    OP, I just want to say, this is the best "Ask me anything" thread I have seen on here. Maybe it's because I'm a gambler and I love casinos, but this is brilliant. Thanks for sharing.

    My question. What's your view on wearing sunglasses while playing poker? Most players don't wear them, but the occasional one does. I often want to wear them because I have a terrible poker face and I know that my eyes give it away when I'm dealt pocket Aces, but at the same time I don't want to look like a tool. What do you think? Do you think they help?

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 11:05
      +1

      Thanks for sharing.

      Thanks for taking interest. I thought it would make a nice change from the "I'm a Dr/Pilot/Surgeon/Banker" type ones that usually get posted.

      What's your view on wearing sunglasses while playing poker?

      Wearing sunglasses at poker is a sure fire way to get every dealer to laugh at you while they are back of house on break. Sunglasses, hoodies and hats are a 100% give away that you are the bunny at the table. They are an image thing. If your tells are so bad that you think glasses will help, you're playing the wrong game. You've watched too many movies or too many episodes of WSOP. None of the big players ever do that shit in live cash games. It's only for TV. (Or for wenkers at pub poker leagues…)

      • John Kimble on 20/02/2018 - 11:27
        +1

        Yep if you have a terrible poker face, surely there's no point playing poker (if you want to win)!

  • dezza112 on 20/02/2018 - 11:42
    -1

    Where do babies come from?

    dezza112 on 20/02/2018 - 11:42 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
    • Scrooge McDuck on 20/02/2018 - 12:04
      +2

      Irresponsibility.

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 12:38
      +11

      The casino car park. They keep them in cars out there… for some reason… :/

      • dezza112 on 20/02/2018 - 23:18

        But mommy told me that I was born from mommy and daddy having a really long hug one night and that I was delivered by a stork…………. sniff sniff

  • idonotknowwhy on 20/02/2018 - 12:14
    +2

    Thanks for this AMA, this is the most interesting one so far!
    They say no question is too stupid / only answers are stupid, so here goes:

    1. Do they have a hidden room under the casino where no laws apply / cheaters can be beaten up?

    2. Do they deliberately make the casino disorienting / difficult to find the way out?

    3. Forgive my terminology but, Do they deliberately give you table-tethered chips at roulette tables rather than the generic value ones eg. $5 to make it harder to leave the table / cash out?

    4. I heard some old people are paid to go there and launder money, hence they don't really care about losses. Is this true / possible?

    5. When I first went there to play blackjack, the dealer taught me how to play the game, and suggested what moves I should make. I made some money, and then he suggested that I keep my winnings for now.
      Are the dealers supposed to do this? Trying to get me hooked? Or was he just a nice guy?

    6. When dealing for the house, did you kind of want the casino to win, or the players to win (or were you indifferent)?

    Edit:
    p.s.

    No one really asks me about my life in the Automotive sector

    I appreciated your post explaining about the different car fuels and busting the myths about 98.

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 12:37
      +4

      Thanks for this AMA

      My pleasure, and thanks for taking time to post a question… or 10 :P (ps: there's no stupid questions, only stupid people! So ask away!)

      1: No. They don't. BUT! They do have holding rooms for people awaiting police intervention. Being drunk, violent or cheating will find you in one of these rooms waiting for police to show up…

      2: Absolutely, yes. A great deal of effort goes into making the casino floor hard to navigate. Machines and tables are constantly being moved so old familiar pathways are changed. If it was not legislated that they had to have clock, there wouldn’t be any of them either… Google it. The science behind how casino floors are laid out is fascinating. Feng Shui, my arse!

      3: No. "Coloured chips" are to make identification easier for what table they came from, what player owns what, and it stops people from claiming your chips… BUT! Yes, there is no denomination on them, so it's like a restaurant menu without $$ signs. You don’t perceive their value as much if there is nothing on them.

      4: 100%. And it's not old people, it's not young people, it's not any one race, it can be anyone. The casino is a huge place to launder your money, but you risk losing it, just the same as everyone else. There are processes in place, such as AUSTRAC that stops people from laundering large sums of cash at any one time. But yeah, sure, it happens.

      5: As I said somewhere above, most dealers are human and want you to win. A winning player is a happy player. Life is easy with a table full of happy players. If you leave with a few bucks in your pocket after a great experience, you will come back. Leave with no money and a memory of an arsehole dealer. Well, speaks for itself.

      6: If I was having a good time, I want everyone to win!! I LOVED giving away the casino's money. feels_good_man.jpg The only time I wanted the house to win was when some arsehole was at the table being a complete and utter bell end and making everyone's life miserable. Win or lose, they were the disgruntled douche. So, the sooner the casino took their money, the sooner they would leave…

      And that E10 thread. OMG! So many idiots, so few crayons. It's proof that once people believe what they want, nothing can convince them otherwise. It was still good to get lots of positive comments and dispel a few myths to the few that would listen…

      • idonotknowwhy on 20/02/2018 - 12:54
        +1

        Thanks for the detailed response!

        Machines and tables are constantly being moved so old familiar pathways are changed

        I knew it! I used to think I was going crazy when I'd come back after a few weeks and be lost!

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 12:56
          +2

          Hahaha… nope. We moved shit around just to mess with your head. ;) And it's very effective.

      • freakatronic on 20/02/2018 - 15:12

        I searched your profile but can't find your post about fuel. You write well so I'd like to read it. Is there a link?

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 15:19

          Thanks. I try to do my best. A lot of things in my life that I do are by choice, not because of circumstance. I think my favourite comment I received on here was when I made reference to being a truck driver and someone said "wow, you don’t write like a truck driver."

          E10 fuel thread for reference: You will find my comments in there. Towards the end of my tenure in there, it was very frustrating to say the least, so I gave up and moved on…

        • freakatronic on 20/02/2018 - 15:35
          +1

          @pegaxs: Don't worry about it. I've been a lot of things in my life, most of which dirtied my hands. Nothing wrong with literacy ;)

  • A fish on 20/02/2018 - 12:36

    Special boy!

    A fish on 20/02/2018 - 12:36 (Collapsed - Offtopic. Show)
  • kendoggs on 20/02/2018 - 12:36

    What was your favourite thing to eat at IDs?

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 12:38

      Rice bubbles…

      Oh, did you say favourite or safest? :D

      • kendoggs on 20/02/2018 - 13:03

        always found the butter chicken to be a risky choice. Upset stomach for 4 hours or… cereal for dinner

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 13:10
          +4

          Today was lamb chops, tomorrow it's lamb curry… Every good thing that was served was followed up the next day with a "curry" version.

  • cloudy on 20/02/2018 - 12:44
    +2

    Thanks for the interesting AMA. Really appreciate it.

    I’ve always wondered with the huge number of pokie machines in a casino, how people pick which one to play and which one to not play? Do you have a theory on this?

    Also, more generally to anyone reading, what makes a pokie machine so addictive, I’ve tried putting a few bucks in as a young fella and it just seems so boring, you just repeatativly press on a button over and over again. I don’t understand it.

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 12:55
      +5

      Thanks for the interesting AMA.

      No, thank you for taking interest.

      Pokie machines. I don’t know. They don’t do it for me. That's not to say that I haven't studied this phenomenon over time, and I still do, but I just cant make heads or tails of it. Some of them are very popular, like "Queen of the Nile" was massively popular as a game, years ago. So every pokie machine maker now just tries to emulate what that game did. My only theory is humans are like Bower birds. They love pretty, shiny things. I guess that a machine has the right pulses and click that draw some people in.

      It was amazing though. On the days (read: 8 hours) the casino was forced to close (ie: Xmas), the next day at opening time, it was always a backlog of pokies players 10 deep at the gaming floor entrances. Ropes would open up at 12:00 and they would all run into the casino like it was a boxing day sale. That was surreal to witness…

      And yeah, I would LOVE to hear from someone who has been there with pokie machines. What was it that kept them coming back? Feel free to hi-jack this post.

      • John Kimble on 20/02/2018 - 14:06
        +1

        I lost (what I feel was) a lot of money on pokies/gambling when I was younger/attending uni. Combination of boredom (didn't have social life, living away from home alone) and addiction I suppose. The music and flashing images etc have all been proven to lure people in and you do get a bit of a rush when you (occasionally) win.

        I've got a degree and am a white collar worker (if that means anything), so I feel relatively educated, but I think it's like any addiction? e.g. smoking, your logical/educated brain knows it is not good for you/you will never come out on top, but you are still addicted and chase losses/think you can win/believe in gambler's fallacy etc

        Whilst sitting there, I would say to myself in my head to stop playing, because I would never win/am losing money, but I wouldn't stop playing/kept going back. :(

        Went cold turkey on pokies/casino since, haven't played in years. Have recently started to buy lotto tickets again, a few dollars a week, probably shouldn't bother with that either…probably spent a few hundred in the last few months with minimal wins.

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 14:51

          Thanks for sharing John. Every story of pokie machine addiction breaks my heart, so I can empathise with where you have been…

          It seems to be a re-occuring theme I have found talking to pokies players, is that the one big thing is "boredom" or a big lack of social interaction that drives them back again and again to the pokies.

        • John Kimble on 20/02/2018 - 14:52

          @pegaxs: No worries! I consider myself pretty lucky I didn't lose a lot more…

          Having a stupid high mortgage and a family to look after is also a huge deterrent for me now!

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 14:54
          +1

          @John Kimble: Glad you got off them. They are like being addicted to Meth.

          Much more worthwhile endeavour sinking your money into a house!

      • cloudy on 20/02/2018 - 21:24
        +1

        thanks for sharing that. It's a eye opener to read that people are lining up to get to the pokies. Thats so sad and amazing and crazy all at once.

        I can understand the notion of chasing after ones losses. The more you lose, the more you feel like the next win is around the corner. But i guess that goes with all kinds of gambling

    • kendoggs on 20/02/2018 - 13:11

      how people pick which one to play and which one to not play?

      If you take it from a purely logical perspective (which people rarely do), there should be a screen you can open up on the machine itself that'll show you some cool data including:
      * amount of money the machine has made
      * Return on investment (ROI) eg. for every $1 you put in you get $0.30 back avg

      Going along that train of thought you can try and find the machine that loses you the least amount of money.

      never seen this in practice

      • apptrack on 20/02/2018 - 13:23
        +2

        To access those screens you need to insert your management card (same slot as membership cards for punters) or open the device to access it

      • John Kimble on 20/02/2018 - 13:41

        Back in my day, on most machines there were physical wheel/tickers (like a water/gas/electricity meter) that you could read through a tiny clear window (saw staff reading and noting down). Usually located above the top right corner of the screen.

        One would be money out and one would be money in. Could have been more than 2 though, can't remember. Would be something like 80000 and 90000.

        You could calculate the percentage from that. Not that it would help you win.

        Not sure if they've gone digital/changed since.

  • leiiv on 20/02/2018 - 14:16
    +1

    From your 8 years of experience, have you ever had a hunch that, when accumulated over the years, certain people always win more than they lose, without cheating?
    Do you believe that there are some really lucky people or perhaps some who can really foresee into the future. Is there any official policy on how to handle such event (if it ever happens/detected)?

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 14:48
      +6

      Consistent winners? No. They don't exist. I can safely say that over the years I saw a lot of very wealthy people sent destitute. I have seen players ride a wave of unbelievably slim odds to come out on top, time and time again. But give it a few days, and they are down again. At the end of the day, gambling WILL catch up with you…

      Do I believe that there are some very lucky people? No. Luck is a figment of imagination. It's not a tangible thing you can own, use or acquire. It's not a skill. It's a belief. But with that being said, yes, as a poker dealer, I did see my share of what people would call "lucky" players. But like anything that is made of fairy dust and unicorn poop, it is rarely ever sustainable and is fleeting at best.

      And since luck is a made up thing in peoples heads, there is no SOP when it comes to dealing to a lucky player, because, I can assure you, for every "lucky" player, there are another 10 people who are doing their balls and "luck" eventually runs out…

      • John Kimble on 20/02/2018 - 14:56
        +2

        Yep, once I won a couple of grand on BJ on a Friday night (that was a lot for me) coming home for the weekend via the casino from uni, could have been over 3k if I had stopped earlier.

        On the way back down to uni that Sunday, lost it all. So stupid.

        I was "rich bitch" (for two days)!

      • Gotchas on 20/02/2018 - 22:46
        +1

        I was a bit of a problem gambler in my younger days
        What made me stop was being consistent loser (couldn’t win nothing substantial ever even though i would of put it all back)and when i did eventually win big I was denied the payout. Was a blessing as this was the trigger to stop

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 22:51
          +1

          I'm glad you got out. So many don't, so it is nice to hear a story of someone who got that weight off their shoulders.

          I have heard that getting off gambling is like trying to give up hard drugs. I would hate to go through it. But I am so glad that you are still here and able to share that with us.

  • JF999 on 20/02/2018 - 15:06

    I lost a house on play baccarat over last 5 years.

  • SpotTheOzzie on 20/02/2018 - 15:37

    Online Casino's are being caught cheating regularly now.

    For example this video:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NN5a0-WBOxc

    Which is illustrated better in this tutorial of the roulette ball 'bumping' with a click of a button:
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=51bc1ypNsrU

    Do you know if the Casino does anything shady like this? and is there a chance that any chance the casino COULD still be doing this but you wouldn't know? - Like a guy watching with a clicker via one of the cameras?

    Understand it's totally illegal but that didn't stop a Europe casino being caught recently.

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 15:47
      +3

      I will say, with all honesty, that I never once thought the casino was cheating. At the end of the day, they don’t need to cheat. The house already has a sizeable edge over the player as it is, simply through game mechanics. Everything is already tilted in favour of the casino.

      There are no secret clickers. There are no trap doors for cards. No radio controlled anything. The casino doesn’t care if you are winning $5000, because upstairs, there is someone in for well into the millions. And the other things here is that if any casino gets caught, it's a massive fine and possible loss or suspension of their gaming license. It's not worth it.

      As for Europe, well, they are kind of renowned for being easily bribed.

      Online casinos… If you put money into one of them, then I only one thing to say about that… "A fool and their money…" you know the rest.

  • JimB on 20/02/2018 - 15:43

    Difficult to believe I'm Asian but not much of a Gambler :) I'm not sure why Asians like to think they can beat the house.

    I quite like Casino for cheap car parking and the restaurants.

    When I was in Uni, some mates and I would head off to the Casino and we found these $1-2 pokie machines that more often than we would win money from, ranging from $20-$100 a session. Big money for a uni student lol

    Not sure why, but these machines paid out way more than we put in, hence we returned once a week or so over the course of 6 months for the purposes of free food (vouchers, fish and chips were my favourite) and to make some money. It was like going to work. One day, the lucky machines were gone and so were we.

    After that well over 15 years ago, I've only gambled on the tables a few times, $50 at most. Last bet at a Casino was probably at Vegas and that wasn't much. I enjoy poker (between friends). I enjoy gambling at the casino but dislike losing more. Being fairly good at maths and probability stops me gambling.

    I still like the casino and have spent infinately more at restaurants there than gambling there. But yeah, the Casino is very bad for people who are complusive and can't stop.. it has ruined many lives and familes.

  • strat on 20/02/2018 - 15:49
    +1

    I walked into crown Melbourne last week and won my 3 first bets on roulette then walked out as soon as i lost my 4th i was a total of about 12 minutes in and out of the gaming area going by my last text message to a friend up $2500.. do you think "surveillance" was looking at me lol

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 15:51
      +7

      do you think "surveillance" was looking at me

      No.

      • strat on 20/02/2018 - 18:08

        what's the rules with phones and talking pictures around tables?

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 18:49
          +2

          It's private property. The rule is, no photos. There is a lot of intellectual property inside the casino, as well as other people that don't want their photo taken.

          If I could see some young people having a good night out and wanted one photo, as long as it was a general photo, I would let them have it and then tell them about the "no photos" policy.

          But, if you're taking photos of the tables, dealers, machines or anything like that, expect to be asked to stop and/out escorted out.

  • djmm on 20/02/2018 - 16:26

    I swear the blackjack table is rigged

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 17:30
      +9

      In the casino industry, we prefer to call that "house edge". ;)

      • anderstand on 21/02/2018 - 10:17

        How does "House edge" work?

        • pegaxs on 21/02/2018 - 10:24
          +2

          It's the inherent inbuilt maths probability that a certain games will fall to one side or the other. Games at the casino are not coin flips, ie: 50:50. Most of them are about 52:48, the edge being on the dealers side. BJ and Baccarat are too hard to explain with maths, so I will try roulette.

          There are 37 numbers on a standard roulette wheel.
          A straight up number win pays 35:1 + your original chip back for a total of 36.
          If you placed a chip on every single number, you would outlay 37 chips for a total of 36 returned. You would lose one chip every single hand.
          so the house hold would be (37 / 36) = 1.02. about 2% edge in favour of the house.

          Red or Black more your thing. Most people think there are 50:50, and they are not. Why? Because they lose on a 0 (green) and 0 has a 1:37 chance of landing.

        • anderstand on 21/02/2018 - 10:27

          @pegaxs: I see, but BJ is just 21, how do you rig them. Is it like what you said the returns rate? Or is there something with how the cards are dealt that will cause you to lose?

          What's the best house edge for players then (if any) ?

          Thanks for answering all the questions!

        • pegaxs on 21/02/2018 - 10:43
          +3

          @anderstand:

          If you're at a party, and people want to play blackjack, ALWAYS ask to be the dealer.

          On standard blackjack, the house edge is about 2.5%. It's a really long and complicated way to get around to telling you how they get to this number, but! It goes something like this…

          Lets say it's 1 v's 1 game. If you bust before the dealer draws a card, you lose. Dealer doesn’t even draw. In a 50:50 game, the dealer would have to draw, and if you bust, and the dealer busts, it would be a stand off. But this doesn’t happen. If you bust, dealer takes your money and racks all the cards for the next hand.

          Why doesn’t the dealer draw and possibly get a stand off by busting? Because house edge.

          Lets say is a 2 v's 1. You bust, dealer takes your money. The player next to you makes 19. Dealer draws and busts. They get paid. You don't get your money back even though you and the dealer had the same outcome, a bust.

          Another way is, if a dealer shows and ace, you can insure your bet. But a dealer can still make blackjack off a 10 value card, and you can't insure against a 10.

          BJ doesn’t seem so fair now, does it?? ;)

          As for lowest hose edge bets, head down and learn to play craps. there are some bets on craps that are actually really close to 1:1. Don't ask me what ones, I just love throwing dice around. :D WINNER WINNER WINNER, Front line WINNER! Pay the man… :D

          PS: Craps also has some of the worst hose edge bets, so chose carefully ;)

        • od810 on 21/02/2018 - 11:04

          @pegaxs: I thought the house edge on classic BlackJack is a lot smaller than 2.5%. I thought it's around 0.4-0.7% depending on the game rules i.e. number of splits, hitting on split aces, etc. The worst one i heard is Caribbean Pokers where house edge is around 12%.

        • anderstand on 21/02/2018 - 11:04

          @pegaxs: Wow, fascinating. Thank you for all that. I've played BJ for fun with friends /family but I don't think we had these dealer 'rules' that gave them advantage. I shall be a dealer next time and impose this!

        • od810 on 21/02/2018 - 11:09
          +1

          @anderstand: You can try https://wizardofodds.com/games/blackjack/calculator/ and see how the house edge changes

        • John Kimble on 21/02/2018 - 11:12

          @anderstand: Why do you want to take money off your family/friends?

        • anderstand on 21/02/2018 - 11:31
          +1

          @John Kimble: lol it's just a game, we don't usually pay with real money. It's just fun to win and see if they realise what's going on :P

        • pegaxs on 21/02/2018 - 11:45

          @od810:

          I thought the house edge on classic BlackJack is a lot smaller.

          That's the beauty of BJ. It can get to a point where it can actually be + for the players and - for the dealer. This is what card counters look to exploit. That's why I didn’t go into the maths of BJ too much, because every draw of a card from the shoe changes the odds, then there are diffeent rules to consider… etc etc.

          I was more interested in explaining how the casino makes its edge, rather than the hard numbers.

  • zooter on 20/02/2018 - 16:31

    how much was your salary?

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 17:29

      Depends. But by the end of my time there, it was up around the $36/h mark (before tax)

      • Pyrock on 20/02/2018 - 22:24

        is this base hourly wage? I assume you got all the night and weekend penalties?

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 22:33
          +1

          All inclusive rate. Monday day shift paid the same as Sunday night shift…

        • Jules_d1 on 22/02/2018 - 10:14
          +3

          @pegaxs:

          Days and time dont exist in the casino!

  • asianbargain on 20/02/2018 - 16:48
    +1

    Thank op for very informative and interesting AMA! I'll be sure to share this with friend whom is gambler!

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 17:28

      My pleasure :)

  • Keeegs on 20/02/2018 - 16:59

    It was my first or second time in a casino, I was at the roulette table and had 0 idea what was happening. But I knew how to bet red/black.

    So I plonked down $5 on red and won, but the dealer still scooped my chip away! I was confused so I stopped playing but continued standing at the table trying to figure things out thinking I must have missed something by watching how to play.

    15 mins went by and the pit boss came to me and said "Did you bet on red about 15 minutes ago?" I said yes and was given back my $5 + $5 winnings. I was stunned, I looked up at the ceiling and gave a thumbs up lol

    So my questions are:
    1) Are the surveillance guys watching every player at every table for every play?
    2) How good in mental arithmetic do you need to be to be a dealer?
    3) What were your perks/benefits while employed?
    4) Is it true you can't play at any casinos in Australia while gainfully employed by a casino?
    5) What happened to all the three card poker tables? They were the best :(

    Cheers!

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 17:42
      +3

      Good to see they followed it up. I can explain it more along the lines of "the dealer realised they made a mess up and notified the supervisor who followed it up." As a dealer, especially on roulette, if you make a mistake while clearing the layout, you keep going. Call the supervisor and let them know. Do NOT stop clearing the layout. That is more likely what happened in that case.

      1: No. They cant. There are just too many tables and too many players to monitor everyone individually. Please note that I have never worked in surveillance, so I am only speculating.
      2: You don’t need to be a top grade mathletic mathlete. You need to know how to do basic stuff in your head, then over time, it just becomes second nature. So long as you can do the basics, there shouldn’t be an issue.
      3: FREE FOOOOOOD!!! And cheap tickets to events and movies. Discounts at places within the casino. The usual things you could think of.
      4: Incorrect. Most dealers get the bug and think they can beat the system and head interstate just to lose like every other mug punter. It is true that you cant play at your own casino.
      5: 3 card poker was balls. If it's gone, good riddance. It was no good for players, house edge on it is terrible for players and the game is to confusing for most people. Like Pai Gow, it's hard to find because its a complicated game and not many people know how to play it.

  • Zeebob on 20/02/2018 - 17:16
    +1

    Hey Thanks for the AMA, a few questions

    1) Is it better playing 20$ pontoon or 30$ Blackjack, I know blackjack challenge is horrible and not worth it, I have won more playing regular blackjack than pontoon, is this true?
    2) Why do the tables keep changing dealers constantly?(in blackjack)
    3) Has there ever been a scuffle at the casino where chips have been thrown everywhere, what usual happens if people try steal chips from the ground etc. May not have happened but still.

    Thanks!

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 17:51
      +4

      Hey Thanks for the AMA

      It's my pleasure. Glad it interests you.

      1: Dont play pontoon. The house edge is terrible. (That explains why you have won more on BJ than Pontoon) And try and find "traditional" Blackjack, not any of these iteration/bastardisations of BJ.
      2: Cause we get sick of listing to your shit! Hahaha… no, i wish it were that easy. It's basically for a few reasons. Dealing BJ takes a toll on your body. It looks easy enough, but it isnt. Try standing in one place at work for an hour+. Dealers need a break. The reason they swap them out is to give the dealer and the players a break from each other.
      3: Yes. I had half a tray of chips thrown at me in the poker room by a guy I had asked to leave. I had an old Asian lady get the shits with me on roulette and throw a stack of chips at me. It was pretty common in the poker room to see chips go flying and scuffles breaking out. Mix alcohol, emotions and testosterone, and it's only a matter of time… And no, people don’t rush in to grab the chips, basically because they know that there is a good chance that one of the security guards would neck them going out the door, or they would be picked up on surveillance.

      • Zeebob on 21/02/2018 - 15:42
        +1

        Wow,awesome thanks for the reply!! I will stick to regular Blackjack

  • folken on 20/02/2018 - 18:01

    Do you see pokies as a more and more growing issue for older people?

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 18:41
      +9

      No. I see it as an issue for all people.

      I am currently attending TAFE for a trade course and I can see every single young guy in my class as already addicted to these machines. They play them after TAFE every day and play them in class on their phones.

      It's not the old people we should be worried about, it's the younger set. Older people are burning inheritance, young people are burning up their lives.

      I view pokies as a social problem, not a cultural subset issue.

      • folken on 20/02/2018 - 20:55

        Damn that's getting worse than I suspected. I personally think pokies and online betting will be the main social issues in the next 5-10 years.

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 21:21

          There is a huge transition to automated, electronic games. And yes, I agree. If people think pokies are bad now, they are only going to get worse.

      • Shiny Mew on 21/02/2018 - 08:42

        Do you think the rate of gambling is similar among youth at universities?

        • pegaxs on 21/02/2018 - 09:41

          Most definitely. I think that social isolation and the advent of time wasting black holes like pokie machines are a way out of reality for a lot of people.

          The pokie machine makers now even have apps for phones that drive people to play pokies. These apps are worse, because they are a massive gateway into getting addicted to pokies. They let the player think that winning is easy, so they try and translate that down at the pub. It doesn't translate well.

          I think we will see more and more pokie machine makers moving their business to online gaming apps, as they can cut out the pubs and clubs and take the cream direct from the clients.

        • John Kimble on 21/02/2018 - 09:59

          @pegaxs: I see the phone apps as the opposite to be honest. They are almost the same as the real thing, you hardly win.

          When I have a pokie "craving" I just play a pokie app game for a bit and it goes away real quick! Haha

          What is stupid is people paying for credits to play the app to try and win fake money! That should be banned.

        • pegaxs on 21/02/2018 - 10:11
          +1

          @John Kimble:

          They are worse than pokies. 100%. Because they are unregulated and run unchecked. And the stupid thing is, you put real money in, to win fake money back! You can never actually cash out.

          It's a slippery slope we are on…

      • crob on 21/02/2018 - 10:41
        +1

        No. I see it as an issue for all people.

        yeah, I've been seeing people hitting the machines at higher play rates in recent months(especially with dragon link), we really need a players card system to help people who are struggling with addiction… these machine's are destroying lives and whilst the player chooses to play, there designed to be hyper addictive, if having a punt at TAB is having a beer, than the pokies is smoking meth

        • pegaxs on 21/02/2018 - 10:47

          if having a punt at TAB is having a beer, than the pokies is smoking meth

          This nails it right down. Sorry to plagiarise this, but I am going to use this in examples from now on. It is totally spot on.

  • Fizzydrink on 20/02/2018 - 19:15

    Why is there hardly any craps over here.. Just because isnt popular or too hard to teach dealers?

    Have Aussie casinos ever thought about giving free drinks etc

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 19:29
      +2

      I don’t know why there are not more craps tables. I love the game. It's fun, exciting and different. I think it's a cultural thing. Most people view a casino and see BJ and Roulette as what a casino is all about. Craps looks confusing, but is actually quite simple. Oh, and yes, it is hard to teach dealers to be good at it. LOTS of different odds and give/take mechanics.

      Free drinks? Are you serious? In Australia? You do know that the typical Aussie past time is to get smashed and make a complete and utter arsehole out of yourself? And you think it's a good idea to throw petrol on that fire?? That is the worst thing I could ever think of.

      I have worked in areas of the casino that had free drinks, and it's an RSA nightmare. Dealing $5 BJ on a Friday night to a bunch of free-drink smashed Aussie guys. There is not enough money in the world that would make me want to work in that environment. They are bad enough when they have to pay for it…

      • Fizzydrink on 20/02/2018 - 19:41

        Thanks! I really want to try craps and the only place I can find it is Vegas..
        So I'm off!

      • know001 on 20/02/2018 - 20:49

        I work in IT and at various points have done work on some of the back end systems at different casinos. That also included some of the new automated roulette and the video poker/blackjack stuff.
        I have no hard evidence but my guess for why there's little to no craps tables left is the floor real-estate they take up and the manpower; a craps table generally has quite a few dealers/staff to monitor all the grabbing hands.
        Both of these things seem to be at odds with the new automated systems going in. They're all about spins/turns/hands per hour and reducing cost/maximizing profit. One dealer now can run a roulette "table" catering to 30-40 players via video rather than maybe 10 or 20.

        One of the interesting things I learnt though humans are a lot more random. Trying to get a machine to spin a wheel and shoot a ball out an air blower turns out to be too consistent!

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 21:26

          the floor real-estate they take up and the manpower

          100% correct. They are HUGE tubs that require two dealers, a stick and a boxman. 4 dealers for one game. No other game has those requirements. Craps also has the steepest learning curve for both players AND dealers with some of the lowest house edge bets on any gaming table. So not only does it take a team of 5 people to man a craps table, it also makes the least amount.

          And like you said know001, why do all that when you can jam automated machines in that don't require a dealer… Damn robots taking our jobs!

        • John Kimble on 20/02/2018 - 21:30

          Actually, I just remembered an acquaintance who worked (still works?) at a casino and years ago he said he was trained by the casino on roulette to be able to hit any number he wanted more often than not if he wanted to. Can't remember what percentage he said. This could be used to make people win or lose depending on what was desired.

          So technically he could collude with people if he was stupid/game enough. Do you think there any truth to this? Could someone practice enough to hit specific number(s) or at least a section of the wheel? Or perhaps he was just having us on?

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 21:50
          +2

          @John Kimble:

          he was trained by the casino to be able to hit any number he wanted

          Bwahahaha. That old chestnut. Let me knock that on the head real quick. If I could hit in just the area of the number I wanted, you would not be able to get near that table for all my friends and family getting PAID!!! :D

          Now, what a dealer CAN do to possibly upset the flow of the game, is to vary their spin. They are actually taught to do this as to make the outcome "more random" than they already are.

          If any dealer could drop a roulette ball on a set number, they would be rolling in money. So I suggest to you that he is pulling your chain.

          To give you an idea of the maths on this. I practised doing this on roulette for 7 years that I dealt it. Lets say I dealt an average of 2 days a week over 7 years, that's approximately 730 days. Average shift dealing time time was 8 hours. 5,830 hours total. I could deal an average of about 40 hands per hour, making it about 233,000 games of roulette I have dealt in my life.

          If I couldn’t do it with any accuracy in that time, what hope has a lumpy dealer? Tell that dealer that @pegaxs called them a massive bullshit artist. Can not be done. No way, no how.

        • [Deactivated] on 21/02/2018 - 00:49
          -1

          @pegaxs:
          does this calculation include sick days and recreation leave?

        • pegaxs on 21/02/2018 - 09:17

          @TightBottom:

          Yes, it's mathematically perfect down the the last second :P

          You think if I got to 235,000 I could have done it? Damn, so close! :D

        • MelbBargainChaser77 on 22/02/2018 - 04:16
          -1

          @John Kimble: "Section spinning" was an easy skill to learn when I did roullette ;) Then when they changed the mateial/size/weight of the ball youd have to retrain yourself

        • MelbBargainChaser77 on 22/02/2018 - 04:19

          @pegaxs: After just 6 months on roullete it is possible to to make the ball land within a given range. My focus as a dealer was the green 0 wedge. 7 times out of 10 I could get the ball to land 4numbers either side of the 0. Not a bad return for a patient punter ;)

        • John Kimble on 22/02/2018 - 06:27

          @MelbBargainChaser77: Well, now I don't know who/what to believe…

        • MelbBargainChaser77 on 22/02/2018 - 06:58

          @John Kimble: Im not claiming I could land on a chosen single number, but a 9 wedge range with a 70% success rate was possible for me. At first it wasnt to make money for me and friends, it was just a goal I set out for myself knowing that other dealers could train themselves to do it. And to this day it is the only game that an experienced dealer can manipulate the outcome. But the house is onto it, they did tell you to get out of a section if they thought you were stuck in it, of course the easiest way to tell was the size of the payouts. An eagle eyed punter knew if a dealer was section spinning, and of course The old pit bosses just had to look at the results tree to know if you were doing it. They could never claim it was deliberate, to hard to prove, but they could take you off AR or simply change the weight/size/material of the ball.

        • John Kimble on 22/02/2018 - 07:11

          @MelbBargainChaser77: Yeah, the guy said he was approached by a punter and offered a deal to split winnings…I assume he didn't, the risk of getting caught wouldn't be worth it.

        • pegaxs on 22/02/2018 - 10:48
          +1

          @John Kimble:

          I worked Roulette for years and supervised a lot of dealers that said "I can land it where I want in a section with (high)% results…" On dead tables, I would test them to their theory. Not one of them could do it to the area they said, and not one of them could do it with the accuracy that they said. It was always "Oh, not this pit/table" or "This ball is different." or some other random excuse.

          If a dealer COULD do it, then I would suggest to you, that that dealer would be bathing in cash and living in penthouse apartments. Simple fact is, they aren't.

          InB4: "Well, I made plenty off it and players were tipping me 5 figure tips, driving a BMW… How's that for proof"…

          I_Dont_Believe_You.png

  • Ace Ventura on 20/02/2018 - 19:19
    +6

    Question from another ex casino worker that has struggled to kill old habits.

    Do you still clear your hands for the camera every time you handle cash?

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 19:33
      +12

      Hahaha. YES! I'm so tragic! :D

      I work at my kids canteen and I still get the kids to place their money on the counter. I just cant take it out of their hands.

      If I need the supervisor or someone's attention, I always kiss for them…

      I do the float at the end of the day, and I still count cash notes down as if I was in the casino. And I always show clean hands while I'm counting it. All the coins get stacked in stacks of 20. The list goes on…

      You can take the boy out of the casino… but… ;)

      • Ace Ventura on 20/02/2018 - 19:55

        Glad to know I'm not the only one. I've been out for 8 years now and still catch myself doing these little things.

        Incidentally I moved into automotive restorations, do you get a bigger sense of accomplishment repairing, building, fixing something tangible than you did working in the cas?
        I have moments where I miss the energy and the people, but in general I feel good knowing that although I'm taking a bucket load of money off people, I give them back something pretty amazing.

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 20:59
          +1

          I have always been in the automotive industry. On my days off I would still work on cars, bikes and trucks.

          While I love working with my hands, the casino gave me an alternative to how I used them. Gave me new dexterity skills that I enjoyed learning and mastering, but yes, there is that sense of satisfaction of rebuilding a gearbox or an engine or vehicle, looking at it and thinking.. "yep, I did that, with these hands".

          With the casino, the satisfaction I got was being requested by big time players to deal for them because I had the skills to deal at a level that they wanted. That was the reward there.

          Still, nothing beats stripping a motorbike to pieces and rebuilding it from the ground up, only to hit that start button and hear it come to life. Truly orgasmic. Nothing can replace that feeling…

  • DarthAntz on 20/02/2018 - 19:25

    working in and for this industry (for your tenure), you would have developed and refined skills that made you an asset to the role you did and the gaming industry.

    How have these skills improved your life/personality/attitude now? How has working in gaming benefitted you socially?

    • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 19:50
      +3

      How have these skills improved your life/personality/attitude now?

      I can tell you, I have a very refined set of "putting up with other peoples bullshit" skills… But seriously, I guess, the biggest skills I learnt were conflict resolution and empathy. I learned how to thicken my skin and not take things personally. I learnt a lot about what makes humans tick and how to negotiate with irrational people.

      Also, sarcasm. I honed that the most. It's a great coping tool and when it's crafted to its purest essence, sarcasm is effective and undetectable. Great sarcasm is like a paper cut. You feel it sting, but don’t know if it cut or not. Then you walk away, and yep, it cut. Deep, too!

      And I like to think I became an asset. I was often used as a bench mark and was often requested to apply for higher positions. I did have a name as being a hard arse, but also as being reliable and always putting my staff foremost above anything else. If the shit was going down, I got the call, because dealers and bosses knew that I could diffuse any situation.

      How has working in gaming benefitted you socially?

      I guess it bought me out of my shell and put my way outside my comfort zone. I was a massive introvert when I started at the casino, but by the end, I was taking on more and more positions that put me under intense scrutiny. Public speaking, dealing on TV, dealing to high rollers and celebrities, anything that exposed me. By the end of it, dealing a $5BJ game felt no different to dealing the final table of the major poker tournament.

      • DarthAntz on 20/02/2018 - 23:07
        +1

        very interesting. i hope you continue to use these skills from the experience to your benefit.

        • pegaxs on 20/02/2018 - 23:08
          +1

          Lol. Cheers! I deal with arseholes on a daily basis, so my honed skills get a constant work out. And I doubt they will stop any time soon! :D

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