The Dynamic Casino Floor is in Fact a Well-Oiled Machine – Here is How it Works
When you step into a casino and make your way to your favorite game, things look very smooth - and you will notice some differences compared to an online casino . You’ll be greeted by a host, a smiling dealer will facilitate the game under the watchful eyes of security – and if you need a drink or chips, more staff will deal with that. Casino floors are actually very complex machines, there are a lot of critical roles involved in ensuring that things seem as smooth as they do, involving a lot of highly-trained professionals.
This article takes you through the various jobs and interactions between them which ensure that the casino floor works seamlessly. The scope often reduces as the size of the casino increases – staff members tend to focus more on one specialized area. For example, the popular casinos on the Las Vegas strip will have small armies of specialized dealers, while a smaller local outfit might have dealers covering several different games. You should also keep in mind that in addition to the floor staff you can see, there are many others behind the scenes. For example security are watching the tables for anomalies all the time, and even more back room staff are dealing with the chips and cash behind the scenes.
How the Casino Floor Works – The Key Jobs
Dealers:
The most obvious faces of the casino floor are the dealers or croupiers. There is considerable skill involved in dealing many games and any mistakes are immediately noticed – meaning the dealers need to maintain a high level of focus throughout their shift. In addition to the mechanical skills involving cards or dice, the dealers are the front line against cheating or thefts at the table. They ensure that players follow the rules and that supervisors or security are alerted to any abnormal behavior. As if this was not enough already, the dealers are responsible for ensuring that players enjoy the game, and have a front-line customer service role in their interactions with the players. You will see the dealers switched or rotated regularly. This is to help them maintain focus as much as for security purposes.
Casino Floor Supervisors:
Often just known as ‘the floor’, these individuals also have a multi-faceted role within the casino. They are responsible for the smooth running of the games, management of the number and type of games available and they also ensure that any issues arising at the tables are dealt with promptly and fairly. Any disputes involving the game rules or betting are referred by the dealer to the ‘floor’ – and any signs of cheating or collusion identified will often go via the floor to security. The floor supervisors can be thought of as the managers ensuring that the different roles within the casino setup are working at the point where they meet the players – a real front-line job. The scope of this role may be even wider at small casinos that do not have the extensive back-end teams as the popular Vegas resorts. This can include interviewing new dealers and organizing the training of workers too.
Pit Boss:
This is the next level of seniority from the floor supervisor role. Pit bosses are responsible for watching over a number of tables, keeping an eye on the dealers and players, and for a lot of the regulatory paperwork that goes along with the management of the games. The key role for a pit boss is to make rulings on any disputes which arise through player or dealer errors – in extreme cases the overall casino manager may be called, however the pit boss usually has the final say. In the very large casinos there may be an additional level of pit manager, who is responsible for several areas of gaming tables.
Casino Hosts:
If you are a regular player or a high roller, then the casino host will be very important to you. The role of these people is to make sure customers are happy, to resolve any customer-service type complaints, and to issue comps and extra benefits as they see fit. A casino host will also introduce new players to the casino and explain how things work as required. This is very much a front-line job dealing with a potentially very diverse range of people. Strong customer service skills are required.
Waiting Staff / Chip-Runners:
Keeping customers supplied with beverages and topped up with chips or change is a key role in a casino that makes a massive difference to the overall enjoyment of the games for players. This is a fast-paced and challenging role, so make sure that you leave these people a tip.
Security:
These staff work behind the scenes, watching over the floor to ensure there is no cheating or theft from either players or staff. The role is vital to the smooth running of the casino floor, and with the aid of modern technology, they ensure that anyone not meeting their expectations is identified and removed from the casino very fast.