Tuesday was slow and worthless.
I am learning that taking 1st stick here doesn't make a bit of a difference when you go home!
It used to be, in Vegas, that starting on stick, on an 8 hour shift, you got the early push and went home that 20 minutes earlier than the rest, still getting the 8 hours of pay.
Last night we closed craps ( coz this ain't no 24 hour casino) at 1:30am-ish. My shift being 6-2 and yes I started on stick. I thought I was going to get lucky enough to go home as planned. Noooooooo.... close the table and then go "spade decks" Which is truly a waste of more than my own time because of course I can not remember the order of the 'original deck'... so someone had followed me and redid all my decks. A supervisor tried to tell me which was they went, and i explained "it wouldn't matter I was already told 57 times and still cant remember, I was born with Alzheimer's" He said, " Well maybe the 58th time a charm!" I granted him the efforts and let e tell me how it goes and to this moment i still can not remember.
Its something about rounded tops (hearts n clubs) are one way and pointed tops (spades n diamonds) are another way (A-K or K-A).
Some day i will make a cheat sheet to help me remember, but they are always in a hurry to get it done.
So whilst there are 6 of us at the baccarat table 'spading', the supervisor asks the table if we knew which direction the cards go naturally... there is a moment of silence, i blurt out "SOUTH" and he laughs, but the other white guy laughs even harder. Then the same person flips thru a finished deck and suggests it is a trick question. The boss spreads the deck and shows how theres is always an equal or greater than half of the pips pointing in one direction and the other in the opposite on each card.
so look at the pip cards here and see what He was trying to say...
especially in the clubs and hearts.I know big deal huh, but this guy is full of mindless trivia!
For all of you in Vegas, he was a boxman at the Boulder Station before he came here. Some day I will ask him why he left there.
As long as he cuts back on sharing his useless Elvis trivia, he is the biggest Elvis know-it-all EVER known by me, and my Uncle Rob was a pretty big fan.
24 comments:
I think its simply a matter of procedure: blackjack dealers, poker dealers and baccarat dealers and anyone else who deals cards from a 'new' deck are required to fan the deck for the camera and for all players who are present.
This spreading the cards out is done to show the camera and the players that all are present and none are so bent as to be indentifiable. As with anything else in table games, its always done in a particular manner. Rank order, suits, everything precise because the supervisors and surveillance people (and sometimes the players) are looking for anything that is out of the ordinary. That means that nothing can be left to personal style or chance placement.
You said you were all using the baccarat table: is that because of its size. Most casinos nowadays only have minibaccarat and don't let the players touch the cards. Poker tables are larger these days and poker dealers often have players who actually pay attention when a deck of cards is initially displayed for all to see.
By the way, it really is cheaper to have the casino buy fresh decks but ... .
fleastiff, we are NOT on the same page here.
what i was talking about doing was getting the cards back in the boxes at the end of the day when the casino closes and the cards become retired...ready to be sent to the gaming commission. we dont spread them for the players, we dont put them in suit order for any other reason but to be destroyed.
we used the bac table coz it was the table being closed and so its cards were being suited and boxed back up- then it seemed like the managers kept bringing us more decks to do as we finished the Bac decks, and yes it was a mini-bac table. i do not deal bac.... and after sitting in the bac box i do not want to, that table is so uncomfortable!!!!
Yipes,,, so what you are telling us is that in New Mexico you are performing the used deck tasks that in Nevada are performed by prison inmates! Oh my...!
prison inmates?
From an ad for used cards: "...After the cards are used in the casinos--generally for less than one shift--they are "retired". The cards are sent to the prison in Nevada where the "residents" sort, and reseal the decks. ... "
please send me the link for this ad!
Sorry. I've been out of town on a crabs boat.
Re: Prison Labor and Playing Cards.
Casino playing cardsThe cards are sent to the prison in Nevada where the residents sort, and reseal the decks.
www.spinettis.com/shop/category.asp?catid=23
and sold that way. Each casino shift ... www.trademe.co.nz/Browse/Listing.aspx?id=119600432 - Similar pages
Bellagio Casino Cards ... The cards are sent to the prison in Nevada where the residents sort,
www.thepokerplace.biz/site/768783/product/uCrdBellagio/card%20players - 37k -
A crew of twenty inmates recycle playing cards for a company which contracts with most Nevada gaming establishments. The work involves trimming the corners of decks with an industrial cutter (to denote that the decks may not be used again in a casino), sorting the cards to ensure each deck is complete, and packaging the cards for resale in gift shops and retail outlets. http://www.doc.nv.gov/wscc/index.php
wow!
see when i was in Vegas always wondered who did what with them when they were removed from the tables.
now i know and now i know i am also doing exactly what you said "prison inmate work!"
>i am also doing exactly what you said "prison inmate work!"
Yes, but I think you average more than the 32 cents per hour the prisoners make.
By the way, that was ofcourse a typo of mine. I was on a Craps boat, not a crab boat.
either way craps boat or crab boat
craps= fun
crabs= yummy!
yaya i make more than the prisoners do, its just still mind numbing!
>craps= fun crabs= yummy!
Fun? It was roughly akin to Terribles with seasickness. Well, actually it wasn't all that bad ... but close to it!
3x4x5x 10minimum table with the dice moving FAST. "Tax" levied on tokers and non-tokers alike. One dice lobber finally got no-rolled for his ultra high lobs without any bounce upon landing.
Vegas is fine. Even Biloxi was fine. I'm sure if I ever played in New Mexico, it too would be fine, but that "floating Terribles" will not be getting my action again! Total buy-ins: 1070. Colored-out for 1001. Add back all those tokes and toke-attempts I was in the plus column for sure, but those dice sure moved FAST. I just felt that I was mentally out of it all afternoon. I stayed pretty much on the don'ts and usually stayed at 60 odds, often put down too much in odds when I switched to the PassLine. Just couldn't think with the boat rolling almost as fast as the dice were moving! In the future, I will stick to dry land.
I can just picture "no roll, dice down...inside ( of some overgrown fish )
Well, they have two casinos on board. The one I was in was enclosed so the fish would not be eating any errant dice but I can just see some newbie on the craps crew being told by the boxman "retrieve the die from the shark's mouth"! From what I've heard of the way that company treats its employees, it wouldn't be a joke! Its a terrible feeling to be so behind the game that I don't know what is going on. Chairs were allowed at the table but the players sway even more if they use the rickety chairs. If 4 rolled I would get paid on my no-vig Buy4 but my DontCome would then be behind the 4 and I was simply too mentally befuddled to figure out whether to no-action the DontCome bet or takedown the Buy4. You pause to think in that game and three rolls have gone by!!
I sure hope things are more leisurely in New Mexico. Atleast a land-based casino doesn't get sea sick players!
>Total buy-ins: 1070.
Originally bought in for one grand. Then 60 dollars then 10 dollars as I was losing the chips to either my companion or the game.
>Colored-out for 1001.
So my net loss was 69 dollars.
>Add back all those tokes and toke-attempts
I think I was TOO generous and should learn to only toke from profits. I started out with a ten dollar DontPass dealer bet and added MaxOdds. When it lost I replaced the TenDollar DontPass bet for the dealers but can't recall now if I added full odds or not, just that it too was lost. So I guess I started out getting their attention but I don't think it helped me much. I know I made several field bets for them and once thought they had not taken their half and gave them additional money but belatedly realized 12 had rolled. I know I would Place the SixAndEight for 24 and tell the dealer to 'keep the dollar'. So I don't think they really loathed me, but I don't think they will be getting my business again. And if I do ever go on the craps-cruise again, I don't think I will be even close to that generous with them. In the mad rush to colorup prior to entering US waters, both I and my companion were 'taxed'.
Was I too generous?
you can never be too generous!
win or loose, gratuity for services rendered is what it is.
if the dealers were nice and friendly and fun to be around and did a good job what IS too generous/too thankful?
gratuity is a controversial topic... i tread lightly and don't expect but *hope* players like me and appreciate my services, and realize i have NO CONTROL over the rolls!
Friendly?
The only comments made were by one dealer who muttered some loathings about a guy at the other end who had zillions of chips in front of him but was only making fairly small bets and forever calling things 'off' and 'down' and pressing his place bets by ever-changing amounts. I think they did alot of work for him but at the end I think he tipped them 100.00. Not sure. Things were real hectic at the end and the more knowing players colored up a good bit early so they could count leisurely.
They no-rolled a rather unliked dice lobber after speaking to him unsuccessfully.
Other than that there was really no conversation. No one ever introduced themselves or said hello as they were rotated in. I think in choosing the rather empty end of the table they felt I had allied myself with that dreaded dice lobber who always aimed for the exact base of the wall so the dice landed from a very high arc over eye-level but didn't bounce.
I had been passing the dice because I felt a bit frazzled but I started shooting solely to keep the dice from going so promptly to that dreaded lobber who otherwise had the entire end of the table to himself since apparently neither players nor dealers really wanted him there.
*shrugs* no idea what else to tell you about your tipping habits.
Lobbers... on my table, no matter where i work, get 3 chances, and are no-rolled after the 1st warning, and after the 3rd, they do not get to shoot again AT ALL! the word is passed to all dealers and floor persons who might come to the table to work, he is absolutely NOT allowed to be the shooter! even if he is the ONLY person left at the table. Bottom Line!
I gotta say I even talk to the players that I do not like. I can earn tips, I know how and I am respected for that! And if a Mr. Super-serious comes along and doesnt want to talk, I will wish him luck and refrain from any further conversation, but will continue my job is a friendly manner which is still welcome.
I already have players who come back looking for me, wanting to play on my side, its a camaraderie of sorts, whether we heckle each other or are truly friendly. And some times heckling builds that relationship and its both!
>you can never be too generous!
>win or loose, a gratuity is for services rendered
Yeah. I guess thats it. Right on the nail!! I think the problem is that I've heard just how terrible these boats are to their employees so that makes me want to be more generous. Also when a guy is getting worked to death at the other end its sort of a vacation for him to be rotated into the light-action base, so I guess I want him to enjoy it to some degree as well as to bring "good karma" to myself. I think I shall be quite a bit more restrained though IF there is ever a next-time on that CrapsBoat. Also my companion was supposed to be banking those chips but then she started playing with them. Her name is Miss Communication! Anyway, a 69 dollar loss ain't so bad! Disappointing ofcourse, but not so bad a performance.
I think I'll head back to The Venetian or something next time though.
Mixed emotions: My companion found two twenty-five dollar chips in the bottom of her purse. I guess that means another trip to the CrapsBoat sometime despite the crew's taxing ways and the wildly pitching deck.
good luck and have fun!
Well, I guess it really was fun but it would have been far more fun if I had ended up in the plus column or even somewhat near to being in the plus column.
I say 'ten in the field;two-way' and the dealer goes into a lengthy lecture to the stickman. Break in dealer maybe?
When I placed the six and eight for twelve each I'd add "keep the dollar" and they would generally make a hardway bet with it.
It was just a very choppy table and I kept getting whipsawed on the "Do/Don't" stuff. Stayed a bit too long on the Don'ts. When I had a green Don'tBet backed up with six greens in Odds... my companion came along and rolled a whole bunch of numbers causing four 'down behinds' in a row. When the Boxman learned that she was my companion he covered his brow and said 'Oh no, she murdered you'.
Its strange. Some of the dealers appear to be very good and very fast. Some are clearly just learning.
I just wish I had actually called out some of the bets I was tempted to call out... some of those would have won. I wanted to do '25 on BigRed' but then thought how all the text books say Avoid The Sucker Bets. Ofcourse 7 was the next roll.
there is always going to be, i every profession, different levels of experience and expertise and knowledge. get used to that!
in my opinion, when you say "keep the dollar" i think it should be kept, no gambled, unless you say "hey play that dollar for yourselves" it is a judgment call tho. and some houses have rules on hand ins, where you have to drop it in your box unless the player suggests a play.
oh and it is my experience that if you feel like betting a prop bet, do it, thats hwy it is gambling! if it was a science, it wouldn't be as fun nor would the houses be in business. I love instinct bets! especially hop bets! love that 6-3 :)
I like your style!! I should listen to you rather than all those craps authors that keep reminding their readers that BigRed has a 16.67 house edge.
And that other impulse bet that I did NOT make was a BuyTheFour which at that table is free of any commission the first time you bet it. He who hesitates ... !!
Yes, some places would lock up that dollar but apparently this ship allows the base dealer to make a decision on it and usually they chose hard six or hard eight.
Once I set up two DontPass Bets and then two sets of odds next to them and when the stickman glanced at them he was real happy even though the dealer's bets were only ten dollars with ten dollar odds and my bets were green chips. He seemed even happier when the bet won. I think I was the only one at the table tipping them at all.
I think my "focus" is off sometimes though. I started off making DontPass bets and then waiting for them to be resolved whereas I would ordinarily make two or three DontCome bets as well. I simply forgot about doing that until a half hour had gone by. It wasn't seasickness it was more fatigue, I think.
When I threw one die too high I said 'sorry... any dice' but they were willing to pause to retrieve, examine and use the same dice. They didn't seem to mind my slowing things down a bit particularly when it was such an uncrowded table. So in many ways its a nice crew even though they are treated really bad by their employer and most of the players don't tip at all.
This crapsboat is quite distant from me, I simply happened to find myself near it for other reasons. From now on, I board the boat for free and get a buffet meal for free too and that goes for anyone accompanying me, so they must think I'm enough of a George to merit that.
Well, I guess the best thing I could have done when my companion found those two 25dollar chips would have been to keep them as souveniers or something like that. Atleast it would have been cheaper than making another forray onto the craps boat, but what fun is a collection of chips unless you intend to cash them in somewhere?
Boats are sure different than land casinos! Perhaps I really am one of the worst fleas of all, but I sure think most of the players on that boat really do merit the term flea.
Its hard when you have to drive to make a specific departure time to get a breather and relax before playing. So lets face it: I've never been to Buffalo Thunder but I am absolutely certain that I would enjoy it more than the craps boat!
I seem to play From The Don'ts TOO MUCH. Everyone is making their point all morning long and there I am STILL on the Don'tSide!
I think the dealer was trying to get me to realize that when I walked away once and he said "perhaps you can find a table that is not quite so lucky".
Yet, I seem to get whipsawed anytime I switch back and forth!!
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