I used to think it was some kind of process like a cashier till where the dealer would pick up a tray with X amount of chips, and then have to turn it in where everything is counted and reconciled somehow.
But I saw in a movie (never been to a casino myself to gamble) where one dealer would just walk up and tag-out another dealer and take over their spot. It made me wonder how everything was accounted for.
What’s to keep a dealer from slipping an extra $500 chip every once in awhile to their buddies?
In: 125
I dealt poker in Vegas for 10 years. You start with a “till” of $500 in chips. When a new dealer takes over (every half hour) the last thing the dealer does is count the chips and mark off its over or under the $500 (you sell chips when people bust, make change, etc).
The first thing the new dealer does when he sits down is count to make sure the previous count is correct.
If you fail to make an accurate count or you were short for any reason, you have to make up the difference at the end of the shift.
All of this is obviously watched by cameras everywhere. Also any time you handle chips (multiple times a hand) you have to reveal both sides of your hand to make sure you aren’t palming chips.
I dealt poker in Vegas for 10 years. You start with a “till” of $500 in chips. When a new dealer takes over (every half hour) the last thing the dealer does is count the chips and mark off its over or under the $500 (you sell chips when people bust, make change, etc).
The first thing the new dealer does when he sits down is count to make sure the previous count is correct.
If you fail to make an accurate count or you were short for any reason, you have to make up the difference at the end of the shift.
All of this is obviously watched by cameras everywhere. Also any time you handle chips (multiple times a hand) you have to reveal both sides of your hand to make sure you aren’t palming chips.
I work as a table games floor supervisor at a casino. We regularly track the count in the tray (and on the table in front of players), along with buy-ins and player totals, in the computer, entering notes when somebody hits something big, changes their play strategy oddly, gets on a streak, etc.. Every floor is in charge of 4 tables/dealers, and we watch the games to make sure they’re being dealt correctly and paid properly. We require the dealers to get approval from us before sending out any payouts over a certain amount, or to provide change/color-ups. There are also cameras EVERYWHERE, and surveillance can catch things the floor misses.
I work as a table games floor supervisor at a casino. We regularly track the count in the tray (and on the table in front of players), along with buy-ins and player totals, in the computer, entering notes when somebody hits something big, changes their play strategy oddly, gets on a streak, etc.. Every floor is in charge of 4 tables/dealers, and we watch the games to make sure they’re being dealt correctly and paid properly. We require the dealers to get approval from us before sending out any payouts over a certain amount, or to provide change/color-ups. There are also cameras EVERYWHERE, and surveillance can catch things the floor misses.
In addition to all of the Casino quotes….
If you pay attention the dealer’s hands carefully there are a bunch of little ‘ticks’ and procedures that they do with their hands to show the cameras and bosses that they are counting correctly. I am taking about things like running their fingers across stacks of chips to show that they are the same height, counting money out on the table (and announcing the amount), using that stick thing to rake off the mass of chips in games like craps or roulette (instead of touching them). etc.
In addition to all of the Casino quotes….
If you pay attention the dealer’s hands carefully there are a bunch of little ‘ticks’ and procedures that they do with their hands to show the cameras and bosses that they are counting correctly. I am taking about things like running their fingers across stacks of chips to show that they are the same height, counting money out on the table (and announcing the amount), using that stick thing to rake off the mass of chips in games like craps or roulette (instead of touching them). etc.
Lower denomination ($25 and lower) are barely tracked. Higher denomination ($100 and higher) are tracked much more closely. A running total of the amount of chips in the rack is kept by the supervisor in that section. Most casinos have an individual touchscreen computer on each game. The supervisor keeps track on that computer of what is in the current bankroll. If a player wins and/or walks away with chips, they subtract those chips from their running tally. If a player comes to the table with chips from another game and loses them, the supervisor will add that to the tally.
It is difficult to steal any high denomination chips without the supervisor also being in on it, since they would know that one (or more) is missing because they have a running tally of what is supposed to be there. This is why, when a player “colors up” or converts their chips to a higher denomination, the dealer break down the chips, bring out the higher denomination chips, and call supervisor over to verify it. Once verified, the dealer will send out the color up and the supervisor will deduct these chips from their tally on the computer.
Source : 15 years dealing experience, current Las Vegas strip dealer.
Lower denomination ($25 and lower) are barely tracked. Higher denomination ($100 and higher) are tracked much more closely. A running total of the amount of chips in the rack is kept by the supervisor in that section. Most casinos have an individual touchscreen computer on each game. The supervisor keeps track on that computer of what is in the current bankroll. If a player wins and/or walks away with chips, they subtract those chips from their running tally. If a player comes to the table with chips from another game and loses them, the supervisor will add that to the tally.
It is difficult to steal any high denomination chips without the supervisor also being in on it, since they would know that one (or more) is missing because they have a running tally of what is supposed to be there. This is why, when a player “colors up” or converts their chips to a higher denomination, the dealer break down the chips, bring out the higher denomination chips, and call supervisor over to verify it. Once verified, the dealer will send out the color up and the supervisor will deduct these chips from their tally on the computer.
Source : 15 years dealing experience, current Las Vegas strip dealer.
In regards to pocketing them, dealers don’t have pockets. And there are a lot of rules and procedures about how dealers handle chips that prevent easy theft.
In regards to over paying someone, usually there will be a limit to how much a dealer can pay out. I’ve seen everything from as little as $200 to as much as $5000. So anything over that amount and they will need supervisor approval.
What’s stopping a dealer from just not telling a supervisor and paying out an extra few hundred? The cameras are always watching. And another thing I haven’t seen mentioned is other players. If someone is getting extra chips, another player will likely notice and say something, because they’re not getting free chips. And players hate it when things aren’t fair.
I’ve been a dealer over a decade. I know how I could ‘pocket’ chips off camera, I also know how I could slip a player an extra few hundred and get away with it. I also know that no matter how much I steal, it would never be as much as I can earn. I get paid a lot (I’m not in the US, where they earn shit) for pretty easy work, I’m not going to throw that away for a quick buck.
In regards to pocketing them, dealers don’t have pockets. And there are a lot of rules and procedures about how dealers handle chips that prevent easy theft.
In regards to over paying someone, usually there will be a limit to how much a dealer can pay out. I’ve seen everything from as little as $200 to as much as $5000. So anything over that amount and they will need supervisor approval.
What’s stopping a dealer from just not telling a supervisor and paying out an extra few hundred? The cameras are always watching. And another thing I haven’t seen mentioned is other players. If someone is getting extra chips, another player will likely notice and say something, because they’re not getting free chips. And players hate it when things aren’t fair.
I’ve been a dealer over a decade. I know how I could ‘pocket’ chips off camera, I also know how I could slip a player an extra few hundred and get away with it. I also know that no matter how much I steal, it would never be as much as I can earn. I get paid a lot (I’m not in the US, where they earn shit) for pretty easy work, I’m not going to throw that away for a quick buck.
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