‘Huge need’ for dealers exists; classes are available – Tribune Review

Craps tables, roulette wheels and blackjack games fill a basement suite at an office building in Southpointe business park.

It’s not a fly-by-night gambling den. It’s a classroom.

The school is a branch of the Community College of Beaver County. Students can learn the ins and outs of every casino game, from the more than 1,000 betting combinations at a craps table to the 17 ways a roulette player can wager on one number.

So far, each of the 68 graduates since the school’s opening in September has landed a casino job, officials say. Sue Dunlap, CCBC workforce training manager who helped establish the program, says grads are certified for jobs in Pennsylvania, West Virginia and elsewhere, including cruise ships.

“It’s a great career to get into,” Dunlap says of dealing. The training is brief and inexpensive in relation to pay. Full-time dealers get benefits, work indoors and have the opportunity to move up. Part- and full-time spots are available.

On the flip side, potential dealers should recognize that the job entails secondhand smoke and noise, standing for most of the time and working crazy hours, including nights, weekends and holidays, says Mike Poole, former dealer and CCBC workforce training manager who is moving to Rivers Casino to teach at a dealers school there.

Casinos can offer classes for their dealer candidates, but the CCBC program, developed with The Meadows casino, was the first in the state open to the public. Northampton Community College in Bethlehem offers a similar program.

CCBC trains people new to the casino and dealers who have a job but want to be certified in additional games. Newcomers must take a two-week introductory course, which costs $150. After that, they choose which games to specialize in.

The poker class includes 80 hours of training over five weeks for $500 in tuition and fees; blackjack, 120 hours in eight weeks for $725; and craps, 160 hours in 10 weeks for $950. The state requires each dealer to have a CPR card, and that training is part of the introductory course.

The next round of gaming courses starts Jan. 10, while the next introductory class starts Jan. 31.

Current students range in age from 22 to 62 and come from throughout Western Pennsylvania.

“We look for people with enthusiasm and manual dexterity,” Poole says. “You don’t have to be a brainiac in chemistry or algebra, but obviously you do need math skills. … You have to be able to multiply and add in your head.”

For example, a blackjack dealer must know instantaneously that a $25 bet is paid $37.50 for a natural, then make the payout accurately.

Poole said some potential students have learned they’re color-blind, which can keep them from becoming dealers. Bosses would not be pleased with a dealer who mistakenly pays out purple $500 chips in place of red $5 chips.

“Your heart’s got to be in it,” Poole says. “We explain the basics of every game to help (students) make a decision that’s good for them.”

Poole and Dunlap say dealers increase their value to potential employers by being certified in at least two games.

Craps takes the longest to learn because of the number of bets and the detailed procedure that dealers must follow while keeping the game moving.

A dealer might have to make 10 to 15 payouts after one roll of the dice, Poole says, and casinos expect dice games to average 100 rolls per hour.

Poole says a dealer’s base wage varies by casino, noting it’s $2.30 per hour at Wheeling Island, W.Va., and $7.25 an hour at The Meadows. With tips, a dealer’s pay tops $20 an hour at Rivers and The Meadows, he says.

Before starting at a casino, a dealer must receive a license from the state, which includes a check of the applicant’s criminal and financial history.

“Casinos have a very high standard for their employees,” Dunlap says. “They have a very strong ethics policy. When you sit at the table, you know (the dealer) is an outstanding person.”

The dealer’s license is good for three years and costs $350. Some casinos cover the cost, Poole says; others allow the dealer to pay for it over several months.

“In this area, there’s still a huge need for dealers,” Poole says. “Mountaineer is hiring dealers. Wheeling Island is hiring. The Rivers needs dealers. (With) all the casinos around here, there is a need.”

Blackjack tourneys

The Meadows will offer blackjack tournaments on Tuesdays starting next week. The buy-in will be $50, with a prize pool of up to $4,800 depending on the number of entrants, casino officials say.

In a blackjack tournament, entrants try to win more money than their competitors. At The Meadows, players start with $1,000 in tournament chips and play 25 hands per round. Hands are dealt from a six-deck shoe.

Money trail

For the week ended Dec. 26, Pennsylvania’s 10 casinos grossed $35.1 million from slot machines. That’s down 9.2 percent from the $38.67 million for the comparable week last year, when nine casinos were open. Rivers was the only one of the nine with higher slot revenue than the 2009 week. The state takes 55 percent of the gross slot revenue in taxes. The statewide slot payout since the fiscal year started in July is 90.36 percent.

Gross slot revenue for the week ended Dec. 26 in Western Pennsylvania casinos:

• $4.39 million: The Rivers, on bets totaling $53.8 million. Payout rate since July: 90.25 percent.

• $3.69 million: The Meadows, on bets totaling $45.6 million. Payout rate since July: 90.32 percent.

• $2.44 million: Presque Isle in Erie, on bets totaling $30.6 million. Payout rate since July: 90.31 percent.

Question of the Week

Is there a way to tell when a slot machine is due to hit?

No. A random number generator inside the machine determines the outcome of each spin. Results are totally random. You can’t tell by looking whether the next spin will pay off. The odds of hitting a jackpot are the same with every spin.