Why Handling Surprises Professionally Matters for Casino Dealers

Being a casino dealer is nothing like working in an office cubicle all day. Yes, we deal the same games over and over again, but every day is different and we’re always meeting new people. Because of our profession, we see a high number of surprising incidents. That’s one of the reasons why dealers have the best stories, because we see the craziest things. Since shocking circumstances are so normal in this industry, we have an entire step dedicated to it, step number 13, the Ability to Handle Surprises.

When a surprise happens, we typically say or do the first thing that comes to mind without thinking about the ramifications, and that usually results in undesirable consequences. It’s very difficult to train yourself to stop reacting or to put a filter on your mouth so you don’t say the wrong thing at the wrong time.

It’s not the surprise but how you handle the surprise that matters. Try not to react at first until you’ve given yourself enough time to process what’s going on. For example, don’t laugh hysterically while pointing at the high roller, who just did something incredibly embarrassing. That kind of reaction will get you in trouble the second that high roller hears you laughing. Do you have any examples of surprising things that’ve happened to you, and how did you react to them?

There are so many different scenarios that can happen in a casino; that we would be sitting here talking about it for the next decade. What matters is that we handle these surprises with a level of dignity and professionalism, instead of laughing, gawking or pointing like we would normally do. Customer Service can throw you a curveball and sometimes your problem isn’t covered in the company’s guidelines or the guest isn’t reacting the way you thought they would. Whatever the case may be, remember to keep your cool, filter your words, act like a professional and if the situation is too much to handle, then call over your floorman and he’ll either help you out or you guys will have a great story to share in the future.