WSOP: Behind the scenes, tournament has stable of 850 dealers

[clevfan]

Behind the scenes, tournament has stable of 850 dealers

Dealers say some hands in tournament more memorable than others

By Brett Okamoto
LAS VEGAS SUN
Sat, Jun 6, 2009

Trick question: Seven people are situated around a poker table at the Rio waiting to begin play at a World Series of Poker event.

Before the game starts, one of them is already guaranteed to make money on the game. Which one?

The answer: The one that’s working — the dealer.

With all the attention focused on the cards once they’ve hit the table, it’s easy to forget about the men and women dealing them. All in all, this year’s series — 57 events from May 27 to July 15 (main event final table resumes Nov. 7 to 10) — has a stable of 850 dealers to keep the games running.

That’s a significant step up from the 725 used in 2008. And, of course, an enormous increase from the one dealer required at the first WSOP in 1970, a game that involved just six players.

“We’ve come light years, quantum leaps throughout the years,” Tournament Director Jack Effel said. “This year we set a goal of 1,000 dealers and ended with a list of 930, with 850 showing up. You need that many because there’s approximately 300 tables going at any given time.”

Dealers are only paid $6.85 per hour for working the series. However, they still make a few hundred dollars each day by splitting tips and a small percentage of the players’ entry fees, Effel said.

The dealers flock to Las Vegas from various parts of the nation — and world — for a chance to work on poker’s biggest stage. Effel said about half are Southern Nevada residents and more than 600 of them have worked the event before.

The new dealers were selected out of a pool of 700 to 800 applicants. They were tested over the phone and in person in game knowledge, technical aspects of dealing, like pitching the cards, and attitude.

The process starts in January, six months before the tournament begins, and dealers are required to have six months of experience.

The top dealers are eventually selected to deal the final table of the main even in November.

“Every year we get a little better at the process,” Effel said. “If they show proficiency over the phone, and they have the technical ability to do it, we’ll take them.”

Dealers work up to 500 hands per day and average close to 20 hands every half hour. With that many hands played each day, dealers will tell you that mistakes — like reading hands wrong, miscalculating the pot or flipping over the wrong cards — are fairly common.

“I’ve been wrong quite a few times,” said Eric Chan, 24, a UNLV student who has dealt since 2007. “But I haven’t screwed up to the point that I can’t reverse it. It’s about keeping your cool and realizing that it’s just chips and just people at the table.”

For dealers who have done it long enough, it’s a safe bet that they have one or two stories that come from their line of work.

Doug Chase, 29, started dealing in 2004 and has traveled around the world to work at various casinos. Although he’s dealt thousands of hands throughout his career, he says certain ones stick out.

“There are definitely memorable hands,” Chase said. “In 2005, I was dealing a game that was just way out of my league. (Poker professional) Marcel Luske was sitting at the table and he won a $10,000 hand.

“When the hand was over he threw me a quarter, a big, green $25,000 chip. I said, ‘Thank you,’ and started putting it in my pocket when he said, “Wait, I threw you the wrong chip,” and started pulling out a small one. I dropped my head and started to give it back and he was like, “Ha, ha –- just kidding,” He had the whole table laughing.”

Already this year, Chan has earned a little extra money when professional Antonio Esfandiari placed a bet with everyone at the table that Chan was incorrect for revealing a pair of mucked cards.

A floor manager was called over for a ruling and confirmed that Chan had been correct, costing Esfandiari more than $100. The players made sure Chan received part of the money.

“It felt good to have someone come over and tell everyone that I had been right,” Chan said.

So, what’s it feel like to hold thousands of players’ fate and millions of dollars in winnings in your hand?

“It is unbelievably cool,” Chan said. “To be part of the action, dealing at a level that I’m not able to play at. It’s not who wins and loses necessarily, poker has a great community. Every single hand I’m making nine people unhappy and just one person happy. Hopefully I get to make everybody happy at least once.”

[Bobby C]

OMG. This ran in a newspaper??? The more you read, the worse it gets.

--If the dealers were making "a few hundred a day", I'd be a on a plane tomorrow.

--500 hands a day??? No wonder he thinks they make a few hundred a day. Almost 20 hands per half hour? Not even if they all fold pre-flop half the time. But even if that ridiculous 40/hour number was correct, you could deal 12 hours a day without a break, and STILL not get to 500! The LV Sun doesn't have an editor who can see that?

--Poker dealers don't take down $25k tips, not even for a million-dollar pot, let alone a $10k pot. Green chips are worth $25--doesn't everyone in Las Vegas know that???

[Dell Dude]

Cocksucking motherfucking Sammy Sosa.

[Bobby C]

Originally Posted by Dell Dude

Cocksucking motherfucking Sammy Sosa.

Took the words right out of my mouth, but with me, it's "Jeff Gordon". I always say I'm never going to lay a price against him again, but I always do it, and no matter how bad I've got him beat, no matter how terrible his car is, he finds a way to beat me. Of course, last week I was able to resist the urge, and Gordon was terrible, as expected. All that did was lure me into the trap of betting against him today.

Today, Johnson runs out of gas coming out of the last turn on the last lap, and falls from 3rd to 7th--just enough to let Gordon magically escape and stick in my ass again. It's incredible.

Anybody remember the time he won on this track, when he was out of fuel on the backstretch? Just as he ran out of gas, it started raining. Newman was whizzing by him, but before he could complete the pass to take the lead, they stopped the race, and declared Gordon the winner.

How about that time at Darlington, his radiator is shooting a geyser to make Ol' Faithful proud. He's pleading with his chief, "It's gonna blow, it's gonna blow," Chief stays, "Stay out there!" 100 times out of 100, the guy's engine should blow. But he gushes a limitless amount of water, lap after lap, and holds on to win a race he has no business winning.

Fucking Rasputin, this guy.

I'm just hot because I had six matchups today. Lost one at the start, before they ever made it to Turn One, when Hamlin blew (never lost a bet that way before). Lost one at the end, when Johnson runs out of fuel with the finish line in sight (unfortunately, I have lost 'em that way before). I hate betting sports.

Now I need the old time-tested Sunday Night Bailout Special, to get back under the settle-up number. Think I'll give Scott's "Always Bet The Over In Game Two In The NBA Playoffs" theory a shot. What have I got to lose?

[howid]

Scott's "Always Bet The Over In Game Two In The NBA Playoffs" theory

explains why everyone is on the over i guess... just for perspective the last 11 nba games played on sunday are 11-2 to the under... the only overs involved the celtics.



or you could say a sunday over is ''due.''

[Bobby C]

Don't blame Scott. I'm running so bad right now, I could stop a freight train.

I had four choices tonight:

--Lakers
--Lakers over
--Dodgers
--Dodgers under

No matter which one chose, I was doomed.

You can get my picks for tomorrow's games on a recorded messages at 1-900-OTHER-WAY.

[Bobby C]

I posted my thoughts about this article on the Sun's website, and the writer is sticking to his story.

Behind the scenes, tournament has stable of 850 dealers - Las Vegas Sun

To BobbyC: Dealers are making a few hundred a day according to the WSOP dealer director. Tips, hourly wages and dealer's share of the buy-ins must add up quicker than you may think.

Regarding the number of hands and Chase's personal story, those were figures and stories given by the dealers themselves. I regret the error in number of hands because as stated it does appear that the math doesn't add up. But Chase has dealt all over the country and the world, and provided that story when asked of his most memorable moment. I asked him specifically if he meant $25 or $25,000 and he said the latter.

Thanks for reading.

As you can see in the link, the next reply was from a Las Vegas dealer who has actually dealt in the WSOP, and he confirms that $150/day is pretty typical.