THE ART OF THE DEAL: Gaming instructors say nice guys finish first

By John G. Edwards
Review-Journal

      It's no longer enough for Las Vegas dealers to just shut up and deal, two experts said.
      "We do have rude dealers," Vic Taucer, a Community College gaming instructor and former dealer, said during a seminar at last week's International Gaming Business Expo. "And it's because these dealers have been dealing for a million years."
      Taucer and associate Roy Norsigian, however, said dealers and their bosses need to emerge from the age of dinosaurs and join the 1990s.
      "Most dealers up until the mid-'80s were told to dummy up and deal," Taucer said. That made sense then, because most casino patrons were dedicated gamblers.
      That's no longer true, he said. Table game revenues are declining as more novices venture into casinos and play less intimidating slot machines.
      Dealers, pit bosses and floor bosses need to be friendly and outgoing, he said. "We expect dealers to talk to and entertain the customer."
      Their seminar was entitled, "The Dealer as Entertainer." The MGM Grand probably has embraced the concept as much as any casino in Las Vegas, even calling its employees "cast members."
      MGM employee applicants are asked to show energy and enthusiasm for the job."They are there to entertain the guests, to smile, and to have positive guest relations," a spokesman said.
      Other casinos should screen applicants for outgoing personalities, according to Taucer and Norsigian.
      Dealer applicants should go through auditions of 30 minutes or more, Taucer said, adding that casinos should keep aloof and introverted people away from the front lines with customers.
      Taucer suggested setting aside a day of training for dealers already on the payroll. They should play out scripted scenarios of encounters with guests, rehearse good responses and practice friendly interaction with customers.
      Dealers also should be ready for the dreaded question: How do you play this game, Taucer said.
      Blackjack can be explained in 30 seconds. It takes only two or three minutes to explain the basics of craps.
      But Taucer recalled one supervisor who threw an instruction book at a customer new to gambling. Some dealers tell inquiring customers that it's not their job to teach the game, he said.
      One of Norsigian's friend used to say: "Roy, I'm like a juke box. You put money in, and then I talk."
      Norsigian, however, explained his friend had it backward. A dealer who doesn't talk probably won't get a chance to get some of that gambler's money.
      Norsigian mentioned the 10-foot and 5-foot rules. A dealer should give a friendly look to any customer within 10 feet and greet him when he gets within five feet.
      "Let them know that you want them to be there and not somewhere else," he added.
      "I'm of the opinion (that you) never tell a joke," Norsigian said. "You never know who that's going to offend."
      Instead, dealers should be ready to offer useful information and directions to their customers.
      Norsigian recommended casinos walk new dealers through their premises so they will know how to direct customers to retail shops, restaurants and the cashier's cage. Dealers will be sure to look at blackboard notices about special events if the casino lists them next to the toke or tip total for the previous day, Norsigian said.
      "Your people better be circle managers," Taucer said.
      Draw an imaginary circle around gamblers at a table game, Taucer urged dealers, floor supervisors and pit bosses. "Your job is to get their money and make sure it stays in the circle."