C-A-R-D-S! ‘TEN-SHUN! COUNT OFF!
Dear Mark,
I have a couple questions regarding cards on a blackjack game. When the
decks are placed on a game, do pit bosses check them beforehand to see
if they are all there? I’m always afraid that some of the aces will be
missing. Do they check them when they come off the game? Also, when a
pit boss changes decks, why does he replace a red deck with a blue one?
David A.
You betcha they check ‘em before they spread ‘em. The Blank would
really hit the fan if the Gaming Commission were to come in unannounced
(as they do), randomly pull a deck off a game (which they do), and find
cards missing. BIG WHOPPING NO-NO.
Before cards ever touch the green felt, a games supervisor inventories
them, making darn sure he didn’t make the mistake of leaving an ace or
king in the box. Yep, David, it can happen, especially when a pit boss
hustles a new deck on the game. Because cards come in a collated order,
certain cards (generally an Ace of spades and King of hearts) could be
left sticking to the two jokers. Though uncommon, it does occur. It
behooves all players that anytime a new deck is spread, to make sure
all the cards are introduced into the game. You need those aces for
your blackjacks. Of course, your question shows you knew that.
Next, the pit boss skims through the entire deck, making sure every
card is there, and then checks the backs looking for manufacturing
defects like discoloration and uneven borders. Upon completing that
inspection, the pit boss will spread the deck on the insurance line, so
the dealer can double check the amount and quality of cards introduced.
Once playing cards are removed from the table they are always counted
to make sure fifty-two cards are coming off the game. Some casinos
require that you also count down the aces separately, since a
crossroader would most likely remove an ace. One casino I worked in had
dealers sort the cards and reconstruct them into the order they were in
when they came out of the box every time we left the game. The dealer
coming in replacing me brought in his or her own cards. I got so fast
at whizzing them into order that it took me less than a minute. You do
it expeditiously because the routine was eating into your sacrosanct
20-minute break. Try that at home.
The final step in the inventory process involves writing some
information on the inside flap of the box. The information that is
usually required is: the date, the table number, dealer on the game,
the time the cards were taken off of the game, and the pit boss’s
initials. If there ever is a dispute on the game, that documentation,
along with “rolling the tape”, goes a long way in resolving it and –
maybe -- pinning a card cheat.
When replacing decks on a live game, there generally isn’t a choice of
which color to use. Though not all casinos use cards that have blue and
red backings, you do replace decks with the alternate color the casino
uses in order to nullify any attempt by a charlatan to hold out cards
from the old deck.
Gambling quote of the week: "There are people whose sole job is to
design casinos, from the carpet colors to the type of lights to the
slot-chair upholstery. The mission is always the same --seduce the
player into leaving his previous life behind, abandoning whatever
constraints his real life imposes, trick him into gladly and happily
shoveling his money into casino vaults." --Barry Meadow
|
