Swain Scheps - Casino Gambling For Dummies

The newer places, such as the Rivers Casino in Pittsburgh, really roll out the red carpet for bettors. Their sports book features leather sofas, couches, and chairs that are so comfortable, you could fall asleep there. Before you doze off, read Chapter 15, which tells you everything you need to know about sports betting, from deciphering the odds to placing a bet and (hopefully!) to cashing in.

Not ready to place a bet just yet? No problem. The sports books are open to everyone. And if big ball games don’t excite you, there’s always horse (and dog) racing because most places simulcast horse racing (and sometimes dog racing) from tracks all around the country. If you don’t know an exacta from a trifecta, read Chapter 16for more about betting on horses.

The cashier’s cage is where you exchange your chips hard cash. If you’ve played any automated games, this is where you’d take your cash-out tickets as well. A few big casinos allow you to cash in your sports betting tickets at the cage if the sports book is closed. Where do you buy chips? At the gaming tables themselves.

Every casino has cashier’s cages — the larger the casino, the more cages you find. If the slot machines and gaming tables are the arteries that circulate a casino’s input and output, the cashier’s cage is the heart that pumps the casino’s lifeblood: money. Highly trained and supremely trusted casino employees handle more cash each shift than most people see in a lifetime.

Cashier’s cages are easy to find. Casinos typically locate them along the sides of the rooms to allow the more valuable floor space for games. Here, much like at a bank, one or more tellers deal with the public through a window.

If you’re worried about leaving with your big winnings, you can request a check or get a safety deposit box in most casinos. And every casino has on-site security guards. A guard can escort you to your car if you like.

In addition to the cashier’s cage, casinos usually offer a credit office. Depending on how big a player you are and the type of games you want to attack, you may want to ask for a line of credit. You can also cash traveler’s checks, get change, receive incoming money via a wire service, and even receive bank wire transfers (with proper ID, of course!). If you’re interested in a line of credit, check out Chapter 4.

In the old days, the cashier’s cage earned its moniker because it was, as the name implies, behind bars. Today’s technology and construction make the modern cashier’s cage much more inviting, providing maximum security without looking like Fort Knox. You can usually find casino cashiers in the core of the casino layout, as far from any exit as possible, which means the casino’s money is more secure. This location also offers a beneficial side effect that casinos are happy to take advantage of. Their centrality means the cashier’s cage is often in the lion’s den of the most enticing betting areas, tempting many recent winners to recycle their bills by turning them right back into chips at a nearby table.

A vast and sometimes complicated hierarchy of employees with a variety of titles, responsibilities, and even different styles of dress populates a casino. These workers simultaneously cater to the needs of the guests and the casino owners. No matter who they are, the casino employees all have one goal in common: to provide you with ample opportunities to try your luck against the unevenly stacked house odds.

Casino employees are usually pleasant, professional, and well-trained people. (After all, if you’re treated with courtesy and respect, you’re more likely to stay — and spend — longer.) In this section, you’ll meet a cast of characters and learn their unique roles. With this knowledge, you’re better equipped to take advantage of their services — to your advantage.

As you explore the responsibilities of the various casino personnel, it helps to split the casino into two parts:

The area where slot machines appear in endless rows. (See the section “ Slot employees: The reel dealers.”)

The area where you play table games, such as blackjack, craps, or roulette.

The casino arranges the tables in clusters. These groups of tables are known as pits . Each pit is designed to be an autonomous, fully functioning business, equipped with a variety of table games and a small community of casino personnel that is always willing to usher your dollar bills into the casino coffers.

Pit bosses are smartly attired, experienced professionals who are responsible for all the gaming operations in their assigned pits. As the name implies, pit bosses are just that: bosses. They supervise floorpersons (see the next section), dealers (see the section “ Dealers”), and the gamers within their pit. Theirs is a very detail-oriented job, requiring not only an intimate knowledge of all aspects of the games but also the ability to keep track of thousands of dollars flowing through their spheres of influence. Even though the average gambler probably doesn’t have much contact with a pit boss, in the event of a serious dispute, the pit boss is the one who steps in to settle matters.

Among other tasks, pit bosses monitor credit markers — the amount of credit extended to you. (We explore credit markers in greater detail in Chapter 4.) And they dispense comps, such as free meals or shows, doled out according to an elaborate formula based on the number of hours you play and the amount of money you wager. (See Chapter 20and “ Casino hosts” later in this chapter for the lowdown on comps.)

Winning or losing vast sums of money often ignites supercharged emotions. Another responsibility of the pit boss is to make sure those emotions don’t explode into conflict. The pit boss is there to congratulate, calm, soothe, and strong-arm. The pit boss’s job is part security staff, part supervisor, part gambling expert, and part public relations manager.

Reporting to each pit boss (see the previous section) are several other suits known as floorpersons. The main difference from pit bosses is that floorpersons are in charge of only a couple of tables in the pit and report directly to the pit boss. They dress and act like the pit boss, and you typically can’t distinguish between the two without asking. Both of them make sure that proper casino procedure is followed. These procedures include refilling dealer chip racks, monitoring markers, and handing out comps, all while remaining cool and calm.

For most people, gambling is a social sport. Because automated games are a more solitary venture, many players prefer the camaraderie of table gaming. Dealers are at the center of this emotional wheel of fun. Excellent customer-service skills are a requirement; after all, dealers stand on the front line when it comes to irate, belligerent, or inebriated gamblers. Even during high-pressure situations, dealers must promote a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere.

Dealers have their fingers on the pulse of the casino — figuratively and literally. Their hands, after all, deal the blackjacks and the full houses and take the money you lose or pay off your winners. Theirs is a high-pressure job with a demanding audience. Overseeing several players at a table, dealers must be confident in their gambling knowledge. They must know who wins, who loses, and how much to pay out on each hand. Many gamers mistakenly believe that dealers simply shuffle and deal cards, but dealers must also handle dice, chips, and money — accurately and quickly.