Home game dealers: What to look for (1 Viewer)

[Taghkanic]

What qualities do you look for in a home game dealer? And what qualities should be avoided?

 

[Taghkanic]

… So I’ve started playing in a new private game, which has a rotating cast of dealers. I’ve also added one of these dealers to my own game, the one that I think is the best of them.

This is has me a reason to think about what makes the ideal home game dealer. And what is no good in that context.

I think the answers may be slightly different than what you look for in a casino.

 

[Taghkanic]

In home/private games, I’ve noticed mainly two types of dealers:

Type A: The big personality. Keeps conversation going. Knows the nicknames for every combo. Chats with regs about sports, movies, whatever. Has lots of (often corny) jokes. Wants everyone to be comfortable.

Type Z: The invisible hand. Says next to nothing. Moves quickly and quietly. If they do their job well, you almost forget they are there.

 

[Taghkanic]

The ideal probably is between the two poles, A and Z. But this seems to be rare in my experience.

Obviously competence is the #1 thing the dealer needs. Diplomacy as needed. But also some sense of authority. You want them to be able to enforce small rules without ruffling feathers, such as people talking about the hand multi-way.

 

[Taghkanic]

Things that drive me nuts with less-than-ideal dealers:

* Not noticing when someone has checked, effectively making them check twice

* Not noticing that someone has yet to act, either asking the next person to act, or moving prematurely to the next street

* Not dealing cards cleanly to each seat, causing confusion about who a card belongs to

* Too many flipped cards, cards hitting hands, and obviously misdeals are an issue

* Not adept at chopping pots

* Not intervening when angles / rule-breaking / bad behavior / other funny business occurs, forcing players to call things out or lump it

(In a good casino, most of these problems are non-issues or only crop up once in a blue moon, except when you get the brand new trainee.)

 

[JustinInMN]

* Not noticing when someone has checked, effectively making them check twice

This isn't a huge thing for me, sometimes players are just so eager to act before the dealer is done scooping bets it gets missed. It's not too hard to find the action if one has briefly lost track of it.

* Not noticing that someone has yet to act, either asking the next person to act, or moving prematurely to the next street

This is a huge one, and my understanding this is the one thing a dealer will automatically be "written up" for in a casino. That said, if a dealer is trained in good procedure, raps the table before burning, there is plenty of time to prevent premature burn and turn.

* Not dealing cards cleanly to each seat, causing confusion about who a card belongs to

* Too many flipped cards, cards hitting hands, and obviously misdeals are an issue

* Not adept at chopping pots

Any dealer that has been in a training course I assume would be above these issues.

* Not intervening when angles / rule-breaking / bad behavior / other funny business occurs, forcing players to call things out or lump it

This is a gray area, and as host you may have to make a decision on this. Dealers in casinos are never the final decision makers, they can point out little things, but if there's a dispute it escalates to a floor for a final decision. As host do you stand in for the floor here or are dealers empowered to make the final decision?

 

[Taghkanic]

This isn't a huge thing for me, sometimes players are just so eager to act before the dealer is done scooping bets it gets missed. It's not too hard to find the action if one has briefly lost track of it.

It becomes a problem if it happens regularly (as it does much too often in one of the private games I play in).

When you check — unless trapping — this typically shows weakness. Someone checking would rather it go barely noticed so the remaining players don’t think about it too much.

In games where many amateurs are inattentive, a double-check helps the bad players. Some of them barely recall who is in the hand, so a quick check may not even be registered.

If you have to check twice, it is more likely that almost everyone will take notice.

This is a huge one, and my understanding this is the one thing a dealer will automatically be "written up" for in a casino. That said, if a dealer is trained in good procedure, raps the table before burning, there is plenty of time to prevent premature burn and turn.

I was playing in someone else’s home game the other night. There was a rotation of three dealers. I was in two hands where the worst dealer flipped over the turn with a player yet to act. Very annoying. I have mentioned to the host that this particular guy makes a ton of mistakes, and he is going to use him less in the future. But it’s not easy finding three dealers every week.

Any dealer that has been in a training course I assume would be above these issues.

If they are a good learner, sure… I see it far too much.

This is a gray area, and as host you may have to make a decision on this. Dealers in casinos are never the final decision makers, they can point out little things, but if there's a dispute it escalates to a floor for a final decision. As host do you stand in for the floor here or are dealers empowered to make the final decision?

I’d say it’s kind of a two-tiered thing.

I expect a dealer to handle the small routine stuff including basic rule enforcement (e.g. no talking about the hand multi-way, showing cards to a neighbor, etc.).

If there is an unusual situation which truly requires a ruling, I am in effect the floor, and need to be the final arbiter as the game’s host.

But my dealer is as knowledgeable as me or moreso about rules (former casino guy). So I’m going to take his input seriously.

 

[JustinInMN]

I was playing in someone else’s home game the other night. There was a rotation of three dealers. I was in two hands where the worst dealer flipped over the turn with a player yet to act. Very annoying. I have mentioned to the host that this particular guy makes a ton of mistakes, and he is going to use him less in the future. But it’s not easy finding three dealers every week.

I do understand it may be difficult to find dealers so I can understand why someone like this can get used in a home game. But that said, if he's making this mistake that frequently, I would find it highly unlikely he has had any formal training at all.

The few situations where I have played in "home" games with a pro dealer, it's usually someone that is either currently employed or had been in the past.

So I guess I was to say if you are trying to find the best possible, look for those that have had live casino training and experience and most of the things you are worried about will be kept to a minimum.

And also, definitely have the conversation about decision making beforehand. Nothing wrong with expecting a dealer to watch for routine things like stopping string bets and minimizing table talk, but you both need to be on the same page as to who has the final call in which situations before it happens.