Charity Blackjack: The results!

This past weekend, I was the "Pit Boss" in the Blackjack area of my church/school's charity event. Here's the breakdown of the rules and setup we had:

• 4 tables, 6-7 players each
• 4 deck shoe
• Blackjack pays 3-2
• Dealer stands on all 17s
• Dealer wins ties, except BJ vs. BJ is push
• Double for less allowed
• Split up to 4 hands
• Split hands can be doubled, even Aces
• No Insurance, no surrender
• Limits = $1 - $10

In the 6 hour period we had, the pit was slow to open. We eventually had one full table, then a second, then all four. This died back to 2 tables mid-way, then brought back to 3 full tables up to the end. Betting also started slow, and as people got bolder (i.e. drunk), wagers increased.

We made a profit of $259.

Wait... that's it? $259? Less than $1.00 a minute? That just doesn't seem right.
I tried running the numbers, but the dealing speed wasn't consistent, the number of players fluctuated, and I don't know how much people were betting throughout the night. Next year, I should try to make better note of that, so I can figure out what our take should be.

We did have things working against us...

• Slow dealers... pitching 1 card every 3-4 seconds.
• Drunk players not paying attention, taking extended amounts of time to make decisions.
• Players leaving the table for the "Horse Races" we ran every 40 minutes.
• Dealers not turning up Blackjack. (see below)
• Dealers peeking at any hole card.
• Dealers peeking at next card in shoe.

Not turning up a Blackjack? I was standing behind this dealer, had a 10 up, peeked at an ace. They began to ask players if they wanted to hit or stand. I stepped in, saying, "You have a Blackjack, turn it up." They said, "We have a 10 up, you only show dealer BJ is there's an Ace up." Mental facepalm. I then said to the table, "Fine, I gave away that dealer has a Blackjack. Anyone want to hit? Double Down?" These people need training.

Another issue, peeking at things they shouldn't peek at. This was late in the night that I started to notice this, near the end of the event. I made note of who the dealers were, they will NOT be invited back to deal. I know everyone is there to have fun, but it's MY job to make sure we make money.

I did have one person split Aces, which this year, I allowed to be played out. They resplit to 4 hands with Aces, with 17, 18, 19, 19. Dealer pulls a 20... a perfect example of why I let people play split Aces this year. Another dealer was unaware of this rule, and gave someone one card per Ace. I noticed after the hand was over, explained the rule, and gave back the two lost wagers ($4 total). He lost back that money within 3 hands.

You seem to be a good pit boss.
I think you need a cheat sheet for your dealers though. They need to know the rules and have a few explained to them. Let them have something to refer to when they come back from a break.
If the guy peeks but doesn't turn up the Ace... what was he peeking for?
Also, he has to learn that once the Pit Boss tells him to do something... thats it!

Thanks for the compliment!

I actually had GIANT POSTERS on the wall for almost every rule, including "Split hands can be played out."
These rules were also on an 8x10 placard on every table.
There were also two versions of my Irregularities at each table: The verbose one, and a FAQ simplified one.

I have already made the suggestion that next year, the dealers will get a "training" session the day before, or afternoon of the event. This was my first year as Pit Boss, and it was also the first year for the two event coordinators. I expected hiccups, and feel like everything ran quite well despite them.

Quote: Dween

... Another dealer was unaware of this rule, and gave someone one card per Ace. I noticed after the hand was over, explained the rule, and gave back the two lost wagers ($4 total). He lost back that money within 3 hands.

I wish more casino pit bosses would realize that being generous with a questionable situation means nothing more than a short delay of getting the money. Good job.

If one of your big problems is how the dealers peek, maybe you should change the rule. The dealer NEVER peeks, and the player loses all bets / doubles / splits if the dealer has BJ. If the players have a problem, remind them that it's for charity.

Quote:

• Split hands can be doubled, even Aces

I wonder how much that affected the measley bottom line you had.

Quote: Dween

Thanks for the compliment!

I actually had GIANT POSTERS on the wall for almost every rule, including "Split hands can be played out."
These rules were also on an 8x10 placard on every table.
There were also two versions of my Irregularities at each table: The verbose one, and a FAQ simplified one.

I have already made the suggestion that next year, the dealers will get a "training" session the day before, or afternoon of the event. This was my first year as Pit Boss, and it was also the first year for the two event coordinators. I expected hiccups, and feel like everything ran quite well despite them.

Don't underestimate the value of training your dealers. I have dealt with some people who had just a few minutes (I am not kidding) of training. Often the training comes down to "do you know how to PLAY BJ?" Knowing how to play and how to deal are two different things and I will say even 90 minutes of tell-show-do training will make all the difference. I had one co-worker/dealer who even dealt before buyt forgot how. Since we had just a few minutes I took the table and said, "ignore the cards and WATCH MY HANDS." At first I scared here but she was better when I showed how simple it was.

Other think is knowing BS when you deal. At these nights 90% of the people who play have a knowlege level of, "you try to get 21 without going over, right?" Some think they are playing against the rest of the table! No kidding. Even if the dealers only know the Wizards express-BS that is better than nothing.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

I wish more casino pit bosses would realize that being generous with a questionable situation means nothing more than a short delay of getting the money. Good job.

Thank you. When you only have 6 hours to play the game, making the players happy is very important. One unhappy gambler can turn off an entire table in my situation, and when you're only making $259 in a night, every penny counts. Even if the player had won, I would've pointed out the error for everyone's benefit.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

If one of your big problems is how the dealers peek, maybe you should change the rule. The dealer NEVER peeks, and the player loses all bets / doubles / splits if the dealer has BJ. If the players have a problem, remind them that it's for charity.

I pondered that. Most dealers did the right thing, and I would hate to have to go to what would basically be a European No-Hole Card game. The one pulling cards out of the shoe and peeking, giving players hints? HELL NO.

Quote: DJTeddyBear

Quote:

• Split hands can be doubled, even Aces

I wonder how much that affected the measley bottom line you had.

I know we made an extra $4 from it. I honestly don't think I saw ANYONE double a soft hand all night. Of course, I wasn't able to see all tables at all times.

Quote: AZDuffMan

Don't underestimate the value of training your dealers. I have dealt with some people who had just a few minutes (I am not kidding) of training. Often the training comes down to "do you know how to PLAY BJ?" Knowing how to play and how to deal are two different things and I will say even 90 minutes of tell-show-do training will make all the difference. I had one co-worker/dealer who even dealt before buyt forgot how. Since we had just a few minutes I took the table and said, "ignore the cards and WATCH MY HANDS." At first I scared here but she was better when I showed how simple it was.

Other think is knowing BS when you deal. At these nights 90% of the people who play have a knowlege level of, "you try to get 21 without going over, right?" Some think they are playing against the rest of the table! No kidding. Even if the dealers only know the Wizards express-BS that is better than nothing.

Training will have to be mandatory for volunteers, if I have my way. There was one guy who volunteered, but didn't really know the game. I appreciate that he wanted to help, but why offer to do something you have no knowledge about? He ended up being a shuffler.

Knowing the rules and Basic Strategy isn't a bad idea. Players helped each other out a lot, and any time I dealt, I would make sure the novice players got a prompt from me. I would give lead-outs to the confused players, like, "You want to take a hit, right?" or "You can double down on that hand."

The action of dealing cards has GOT to be addressed. There were people using one hand the entire time! One dealer would slide out the card, flip it over at the middle of the table, look at it, pause, then PITCH IT to the player. This isn't 7-card stud! Cards should be neat and easy to see, not spread all over the place, overlapping and covering cards! When it takes 3-4 seconds PER CARD at a 7-player table, you're going to be taking well over 2 minutes per hand.