I have an audition today...

[Mr. Curious]

This is my first audition and I'll only be dealing tournament hold'em (no O8 H/L or stud).

Any advice from those who do hiring?

For what room are you applying?

I've only dealt in a casino for the World Open in Tunica (did it more for the free room and board), but the best advice I can give is pitching low and a hair short of your players reach is better than high and to the rail. Also drop the deck after fifth, and bring in bets as soon as you can. Also always know how much is in the pot, even though that's not as important in NLHE tournament play as opposed to PLO. Don't roll the deck, but don't be afraid to use your left hand (I'm assuming you're right handed) to bring in bets as well.

If you get the gig, be prepared to deal with far more crap from customers than any other profession of service person in America. The beauty of the job to me seemed to be that no matter how bad a table you might be stuck with... it will all change in 20-30 minutes. And it was easier for me because it was just a month and I had a desk waiting for me back home, but it's a tough racquet at 40 hours a week. Dealing low limit is FAR more pleasant than the huge games... I did two stints at the 4000-8000 with Ivey, Brunson, Baldwin etc., and even though it was great fun to watch it was also stressful. One mistake could be tens of thousands.

Good luck to you. You can make very good money, learn a lot about poker, and meet some very interesting people.

Oh yeah, last piece of advice.... make sure you pay attention to your future opponents when you're dealing! You'll pick up more tells in the box than anywhere else. If you have some game already, this will make you an even better player.

[danzasmack]

deal goot

do not chat with players. just deal the cards. if there is a problem call the floor or everyone will hate you.

[Mr. Curious]

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For what room are you applying?

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It is a new casino in Seattle called the Red Dragon.

[Mr. Curious]

Thanks for the advice. Any audition specific stuff?

[lastsamurai]

Can you cut chips fast?

Spread and check the cards as soon as you sit down... I know a guy who hires dealers that intentionally takes out a card just to make sure you verify the deck.

Other than that, the advice I gave above was tailored for an audition believe it or not. A good audition should be very similar to dealing a regular game.

Good luck!

[bernie]

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For what room are you applying?

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It is a new casino in Seattle called the Red Dragon.

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I take it this is north seattle? Or south seattle? I'd love to show up and berate you for awhile.... /images/graemlins/wink.gif

Take your time. Accuracy is more important than speed. Speed will come in plenty of time. Even if you're slow, as long as it's still got a constant flow/rythym for the game, you should be fine.

b

[Mr. Curious]

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Can you cut chips fast?

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If they are good chips, then yes. If they are the sticky, nasty ones, then no, I can't cut them fast. I still practice it though.

[Mr. Curious]

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I'd love to show up and berate you for awhile.... /images/graemlins/wink.gif

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If I am fortunate enough to get a job there, I'm going to expect to see you at least once /images/graemlins/laugh.gif

btw - It is in North Seattle: Highway 99 & 220th SW (north of the Aurora Village Costco)

[Mr. Curious]

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Spread and check the cards as soon as you sit down... I know a guy who hires dealers that intentionally takes out a card just to make sure you verify the deck.

Other than that, the advice I gave above was tailored for an audition believe it or not. A good audition should be very similar to dealing a regular game.

Good luck!

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm practicing the spread right now, so I'll be sure to do it when I get there.

Thanks for the help /images/graemlins/smile.gif

[juanez]

I think a huge piece of advice is to relax take your time. If you're new to dealing, accuracy is most important. The speed will come naturally.

Spreading and counting the deck is a huge tip as well.

Since you will be doing a tourney, taking the rake isn't an issue, but if you go back for a second audition on a live table DON'T forget the rake.

And dress professionally! We have guys come in for auditions wearing ratty t-shirts, flip flops and a 3 day old beard. It just looks bad.

Good luck!

[other1]

I'd practice pulling in bets with the hand you are holding the deck with. For whatever reason I've seen many dealers struggle with this. Just stick out your pinky and use it and the edge of your hand to drag them in to the middle... without droping the deck. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

[Conspir8or]

I'm a player rather than a potential employer, but I thought I would add a point if you haven't already auditioned. When you have side pots as the result of all-ins, some players want to be helpful in setting them up and determining who is entitled to what when the dust clears. I have seen dealers who fail to project enough authority allow players virtually to run this entire process. The dealer should take charge on these occasions, b/c in the cases I mention, the "helpful" players were usually wrong -- especially when there were two sidepots in a hand. So if you were to show a sure hand in navigating through this situation, you'd have my vote.

Good luck, and if it's over, I hope it went well!!

[Photoc]

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It is a new casino in Seattle called the Red Dragon.

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Are Chris and Jonnny going to help kick all the bad guys buts in there?

[youtalkfunny]

There is some terrible, terrible advice in this thread.

Do NOT spread the deck and check it when you sit down! Have you EVER seen a dealer sit down, and stop the game so he could audit a deck that was already spread and checked by somebody?

No floorman anywhere intentionally removes a card to test the dealer--unless he wants to risk his gaming badge. Do you really think there's anyone who will louse up a poker game, just to test a dealer?

Counting the deck is still something you should do early on--just do it after you've dealt the river. Hell, just PRETEND to count it. Put out the river card, and then, instead of dropping the deck, count off all the cards from the stub into the muck, one by one, as fast as you can. Your eyes follow the action, and your hands do this without you looking at them.

Sit down. Say hello to the players. DO NOT SPREAD THE DECK, OR COUNT ANYTHING (EDIT: you should count the rack before you even pick up the cards; or ask the floorman ahead of time if it's OK to count it while the first hand is being played--this procedure, once standard, has become house-specific).

Wash the deck. Make this first wash a good one--it gives you the chance to check for boxed cards, or the occasional card with the wrong color on the back--but don't go overboard.

Use the house's standard shuffle. You don't know what that is, so ASK THE FLOORMAN BEFORE YOU GET TO THE TABLE. It's probably shuffle/shuffle/strip/shuffle/cut, or shuffle/strip/shuffle/shuffle/cut. Like I said, find out ahead of time.

Also, find out AHEAD OF TIME how much you should rake. Don't be afraid to ask before you sit down.

Be smooth, and be confident. Even if you don't feel confident, ACT confident.

Can't cut chips quickly? SO WHAT? Just cut them correctly, and confidently. Don't take all day, but there's no rush, either. Accuracy counts 100 times more than speed. Concentrate on being accurate, and the speed will come in time. The person evaluating your audition knows this, so don't worry about speed.

Say "Thank you" EVERY TIME YOU GET A TOKE. Even if it's five cents.

Wear black pants and a white dress shirt. You post at 2+2, so I'll presume that you're smart enough that you don't need to be reminded to iron that shirt, or to not wear the black Judas Priest t-shirt under it.

Get a copy of 2+2's "Professional Poker Dealer's Handbook". It's invaluable to a new dealer. I learned more from this $20 book than I did at a $400 dealers school in Vegas.

[juanez]

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Do NOT spread the deck and check it when you sit down! Have you EVER seen a dealer sit down, and stop the game so he could audit a deck that was already spread and checked by somebody?


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I see this every day. It's required here that every dealer count down the deck when he pushes in on any table without a Shuffle Master. Some casinos allow a stub count, some require counting before the first hand.

At my pre-audition meeting, where the powers that be informed us what they expected, they told us all to spread and count. Maybe this is just a Colorado thing.

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Hell, just PRETEND to count it.

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No offense, but this is bad advice IMO. If you're going through the motions, why not just do it correctly and save your asss if the deck is short? I've found decks that were short from dealers leaving a card in their tray when get pushed (we carry our own trays). Of course in a tourney, the trays stay at the table with tourney chips, so it's not an issue there.

[lastsamurai]

Oh and once you pass the audition...try to deal Black Jack as fast as you can...as most of you know... Poker players could be real jack Azzs sometime!

[bernie]

If it's a new deck, he should spread it. Since it's a tourney he's dealing, there's a good chance he will be the first one to deal the 'new' deck.

An old deck that's been in play? No, you don't spread it.

b

[bernie]

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Hell, just PRETEND to count it.


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No offense, but this is bad advice IMO. If you're going through the motions, why not just do it correctly and save your asss if the deck is short?

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Good catch. I missed that. /images/graemlins/wink.gif

b

[youtalkfunny]

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Hell, just PRETEND to count it.

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No offense, but this is bad advice IMO. If you're going through the motions, why not just do it correctly and save your asss if the deck is short?

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I just meant for the audition. I agree that it's a bad idea to go through your career, pretending to count the deck.

But if this is his first audition, I'm presuming that he has no experience, and probably didn't go to school. He's probably going to feel overwhelmed, so I gave him a shortcut.

I'll agree that actually counting it is best; but pretending to count the stub is better than not counting at all.

[Randy_Refeld]

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I see this every day. It's required here that every dealer count down the deck when he pushes in on any table without a Shuffle Master. Some casinos allow a stub count, some require counting before the first hand

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I have seen this, but never in a room that is professionally managed.

edit: The one place I saw this was in Indiana. A friend of mine became poekr room manager, Iam assuming he taught them how to count the stub instead of stopping the game at every dealer change. I have never played in CO, I suppose it is possible they have some reg about this, but I am guessing they hired poker managers from within that didn't have the experience to weite procedures in the normal way.

[Randy_Refeld]

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No offense, but this is bad advice IMO. If you're going through the motions, why not just do it correctly and save your asss if the deck is short?

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This is pretty standard. You need to get a good count, but the main reason to count the stub is so everyone at the table sees the stub getting counted on a regular basis so they aren't tempted to hold out. As far as carrying trays, this is ok if it is a room where they players don't mind the dealers stealing from from them. I have worked in a place that carried trays, but there is a reason NV gaming requires the table bank to be a fixed amount in poker.

[Jimmy The Fish]

[ QUOTE ]
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I see this every day. It's required here that every dealer count down the deck when he pushes in on any table without a Shuffle Master. Some casinos allow a stub count, some require counting before the first hand

[/ QUOTE ]

I have seen this, but never in a room that is professionally managed.

edit: The one place I saw this was in Indiana. A friend of mine became poekr room manager, Iam assuming he taught them how to count the stub instead of stopping the game at every dealer change. I have never played in CO, I suppose it is possible they have some reg about this, but I am guessing they hired poker managers from within that didn't have the experience to weite procedures in the normal way.



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In the pre-Shuffle Master days, in Missouri cardrooms, each dealer was required to count the deck before he started his down. Since I saw it in multiple locations, I assume it's an MGC rule.

Now, they've all got shufflers that count the deck every hand, so the only deck inspection comes on a setup.

EDIT: With respect to the OP... if there's a shuffler at your audition table, I wouldn't worry about counting the deck. If there isn't, I would probably do it.

[Mr. Curious]

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EDIT: With respect to the OP... if there's a shuffler at your audition table, I wouldn't worry about counting the deck. If there isn't, I would probably do it.

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There was a shuffler, but it was turned off during the audition.

[Mr. Curious]

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It is a new casino in Seattle called the Red Dragon.

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Are Chris and Jonnny going to help kick all the bad guys buts in there?

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I don't think I know who you are talking about.

[Mr. Curious]

Well, it was good to get the first one under my belt. I would say that I was the fourth best there. Not as good as the people who are already dealers, but way ahead of everyone else.

Not sure where it will go, but at least I now know what to expect.

btw - I was the only one to count the deck. What was worse was that both people who tried to spread the deck messed it up and said, "well, I assume that it is correct" and then started to scramble it /images/graemlins/shocked.gif

[bernie]

Well, they should all be easier after that first one. First one is always the toughest.

4th best? jesus, how many dealers were there?

b

[Mr. Curious]

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4th best? jesus, how many dealers were there?

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15 auditioned. We started at 3:00 PM and finished at 5:30.

[cwsiggy]

So when do you hear back on the results???

[QuadsOverQuads]

Hope the audition went well.

Just wanted to post a couple of follow-ups to some of the advice I've seen here.

First off: presentation.

Wear the black-and-whites, and try to look absolutely as professional as possible. It's worth spending a few bucks to get a nice pair of actual dress slacks and a good pair of dress shoes (I went with a nice pair of wool slacks and a pair of Ecco dress shoes -- totally worth the $150 it cost me for the both of them, because they looked great for the audition and I use them every day on the job now). White shirt, ironed and starched. If you have a resume, bring it with, plus a typed list of references. Be prepared, be prepared, be prepared.


Second: basic skills

If they give you a new setup to start with, ALWAYS spread and verify the deck before putting it into play.

If they give you a "used" setup, and there is a shuffler at the table, the shuffler will check for holdouts for you. But if there's no shuffler (or, as in your case, it's turned off or out of order), you should do a stub-count at the first available opportunity, and also on the last hand of your down (if dealing for a fixed time). One poster has said that floorpersons won't pull a card prior to an audition. However, that's only if you're auditioning on a live table. If you're not dealing to live players, then it's a whole different ballgame. One of my fellow students failed an audition specifically due to this reason. The floor had him dealing to a mock game, and held out one card just to see if he would verify the deck properly. He didn't, and the auditioner informed him of this fact about halfway through the audition. He later re-auditioned and passed (and he now works for this same room), but based on this I can tell you that tests like this DO happen, and your should practice proper procedures to protect against such possibilities (both in auditions and in live games). Also, where I deal, not all tables have shufflers installed yet, so even if you deal in a room that has shufflers, you should still be up to speed on manual-shuffle practices.

Third: side-pots

Be solid with them. Accuracy first, speed second, talk it through if you need to, but get it right. In a few months, you'll be able to do them in your sleep. But it's one of the primary skills they'll be looking for, because failing to do side-pots correctly can turn into a real mess.

Fourth: Run your game.

You don't need to be hostile or heavy-handed, of course, just be friendly and make sure everyone knows where the action is, announce the bets and raises as they happen, ask for blinds if someone fails to put them out, etc. But make sure that the flow of action is clear, that ambiguity is minimized, that rules are properly enforced, and that your demeanor exudes confidence and warmth.


Fifth (minor, but important to me) : posture

Sit up straight, don't slouch in the chair, don't lean on the table. Look attentive and focused. Management is looking for dealers who pay attention to the action and who don't drift off into the ozone after 100 hands. Make the right impression, and it will help you.


And, yeah: get the Professional Poker Dealer's Handbook. It won't teach you everything (ie: you can't learn a good pitch from it), but it's a great resource on standard rules and dealer skills. Highly recommended.


q/q

[Mr. Curious]

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Professional Poker Dealer's Handbook

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This book is a must have for any aspiring dealer. I bought it a while ago on Bernie's recommendation and it really helped me see the big picture. The only problem I have with it is that it says that I should learn to deal right handed even though I am left handed /images/graemlins/frown.gif

btw - No word yet on a call back.

[Randy_Refeld]

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The only problem I have with it is that it says that I should learn to deal right handed even though I am left handed

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Well if you can deal right handed things will be a lot better. I learned to deal form the author and switched from left handed to right handed the first day of the class. Poekr is the only game you can deal left handed, but you will have a couple problem spots (placing rake on the slide is the biggest one).