Biggest dealer shortcuts

[mothmandan]

I have a question for the dealers (and I guess the players as well).

After grinding out 4 months in the main pit in a new casino I have been given a solid piece of the dealing action in the poker room. The houseman who trained me and the management who have seen me deal have said I am solid and just need to speed up my hands per down. I know speed comes with time but what are a few of the things I can work on to speed up the game?

I often see posts in this forum about how bad some dealers are. I hope some of these people can give me some advice so I don't end up as the next dealer who gets ragged on.

Dan

[Photoc]

Well one small thing you can do is keep the game moving smoothly. This, believe it or not, will help out a ton, and pay very close attention to what is going on.

Another thing that I do, and is perfectly allowable is for example: limit/NL games, doesn't matter. Player bets, gets a few calls. Burn and turn right there and bring in the bets starting closest to the button as soon as you bring out the card. Players will be now figuring out what to do while you're bringing in the bets.

[GrinningBuddha]

Photoc alluded to this, but in general the fastest dealers have very little down time during the hand. They don't spend 5 seconds raking the pot while the players are waiting for the turn, they can recognize split pot possibilities on the river and won't pull in the bets until a winner is determined, etc. In poker, like in any game you might deal, if you can anticipate the action, you can stay a step ahead of your table and keep things running smoothly.

Note: Don't take it too far. In the split pot case above, don't start stacking chips to split while the play continues, and don't leave bets out if it's not heads up on the river. You don't want to influence play, you just want to be on top of it. [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

[osmodion]

If you ever deal omaha/8, don't pile the chips in the middle of the table; grab them in stacks and keep them stacked. This will speed up the inevitable split pots.

[Mr Rick]

A minor one. Always encourage players to ask for chips at slightly less than the amount that requires a floor person to monitor. At Foxwoods dealers can change $400 or $450 without supervision but $500 needs the floor to OK it. I actually heard a dealer tell a guy that it would be better to change $400 now and leave the other $100 on the table.

[youtalkfunny]

The last thing I would tell a new dealer is, "Try to deal faster."

Accuracy is paramount. Speed will come with time.

Dealers who try to go fast are the ones who screw up, and need to stop the game to call the floor over to fix the mess.

Rushing only impedes your progress. Practice slowly and accurately. Speed is desirable, but it should be allowed to come naturally through good technique, efficiency, and experience.
--from page 5 of 2+2's The Professional Poker Dealer's Handbook, by Paymar/Harris/Malmuth

[psandman]

[ QUOTE ]
Well one small thing you can do is keep the game moving smoothly. This, believe it or not, will help out a ton, and pay very close attention to what is going on.

Another thing that I do, and is perfectly allowable is for example: limit/NL games, doesn't matter. Player bets, gets a few calls. Burn and turn right there and bring in the bets starting closest to the button as soon as you bring out the card. Players will be now figuring out what to do while you're bringing in the bets.

[/ QUOTE ]

The problem with this is that it makes it more likely you burn and turn early. While i do this myself, I hesitate to recommend it to a new dealer.

Other shortcuts

Be calling for the blinds while you shuffle or even before you begin.

Anticpate which players slow down the game and try to move them along. If the drunk in Seat three always has to ask you how much the bet is then anticpate this and tell him the bet size when the action gets to him before he asks. If seat 5 is always turning around to talk to his buddy, learn his name so that you can quickly get his attention.

You have two hands ---- use them both. When bringing bets into the middle you should be using your deck hand as well as your free hand (Make sure you don't roll the deck though)on't sit down and start counting your rack. When you are tapping the previous dealer look over his shoulder and get as much of a count done as you can. then while you are dealing you can finish the count.

[pfapfap]

Run your game. Don't take crap from anybody, no matter how much of a regular s/he seems. You are in charge. When a problem comes up, cut it short. The floor will back you up. Don't get caught up arguing with a player, just tell 'em to take it up with the floor and continue on with the game, dealing that person out if need be. You don't need to prove yourself to anybody. Accuracy before speed. Try to notice when players are waiting for you and think about what you can do to prevent that.

[QuadsOverQuads]

RULE #1 :

Pay attention to your game!

OTHER RULES:

Keep the action clear.
Keep developing your pitch.
Keep your rack organized. <-- (saves time when selling chips)
Enjoy yourself [img]/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img] <-- (players pay more attention when the dealer is smiling and having fun, and this speeds the game considerably)


q/q

[52s]

[ QUOTE ]
Another thing that I do, and is perfectly allowable is for example: limit/NL games, doesn't matter. Player bets, gets a few calls. Burn and turn right there and bring in the bets starting closest to the button as soon as you bring out the card. Players will be now figuring out what to do while you're bringing in the bets.

[/ QUOTE ]

Ugh, I f'n hate this tactic. It's my major dealer pet peeve.

It may cost me a couple seconds a hand, but I make sure all the chips are in the pot before putting out the next card.

Leaving the chips out in front of the players is a recipe for disaster for dealers who don't pull them in quick enough, especially when the action goes quick after the turn gets put out, thus causing a mess having to pull in the previous round of chips, and then there's the off-chance in rushing to bring the chips in that some cheating nit pulls a chip back, and other problems that may occur, and I may just write a long run-on sentence.

Long story short, make sure the bets are out and correct for the camera, and bring the damn things in, 'cause if a problem occurs that requires going to the camera, you as the dealer will get [censored] for having chips all over the table.