A pit boss is an integral part of any gambling establishment, however, as practice shows, players often do not know all the responsibilities of this casino employee. If you are not very knowledgeable about how the casino works, then perhaps you will be interested in learning more about the representatives of the gaming staff.
First and foremost, the pit boss was infrequent. In small gambling establishments, where there are several tables, a shift can include a dozen croupiers, taking turns taking over the tables. These same croupiers also acted as inspectors. Also, small casinos have, mainly, 1 manager who manages the process and other personnel – security, waiters, cashiers.
Needless to say, even in larger establishments, the responsibilities that the pit boss performs can also be shared by the manager, as well as the senior croupier. These people change cards and carry out various small errands.
But outside the post-Soviet countries, pit bosses are more common. This is, first of all, about the establishments of Las Vegas and casinos in Europe – it is impossible to imagine a casino without a pit boss.
So, the history of the development of the pit boss profession in American casinos. Initially, these people played the role of managers, taking on leadership positions. However, as the popularity of gambling increases and, accordingly, the number of casinos increases, the state increases and new units are introduced. Today, pit bosses control the game on several tables, which are combined into a separate pit. Above the pit boss is a pit manager who manages several groups of tables.
A Little About The Work Of A Pit Boss
These people monitor the quality of work, control that the croupiers play strictly according to the established rules, do not make mistakes, and also do not enter into fraudulent collusion, are polite and attentive. The pit boss controls the work of the croupier at all levels, including deciding whether to change the employee.
In addition to working in the gym, pit bosses are also involved in filling out all kinds of documentation (there can be a lot of it). So, in America’s casinos, there is a lot of reporting and the lion’s share of the responsibility for filling it falls on the pit bosses. Also on this person there are schedules for personnel to shift, distribution of vacations and filling in data on income.
Conflict Situations And Work With Clients
It is simply impossible to do without conflict situations in gambling establishments – almost not every shift has dissatisfied players. There are a great many reasons for the client’s anger – from serious losses to complaints about the dealer’s work. If the latter makes a mistake, the pit boss comes to the table, who plays the role of a judge and decides what to do in a given situation.
If a scandal is started by a client, then the pit boss also decides what to do with him – try to calm him down and allow the game to continue, or call the security personnel in order to escort them out of the casino. All this imposes certain requirements on the person who holds this position – the pit boss must be resistant to stress, not succumb to provocations, and deal with difficult clients.
Often, pit bosses are engaged in issuing club cards, providing special offers to especially valuable customers. Another responsibility is to protect the casino from fraud.
Swindlers and adventurers will probably never give up their attempts to cheat a gambling establishment. Each casino has its own security service, which employs experienced staff. However, some of the responsibilities of the Security Council falls on the shoulders of the pit bosses, who monitor the fairness of the game. Indeed, it is much easier to catch a sharpie being near the table than to catch them on cameras.
Pit bosses have the right to remove the deck of cards to check for the absence of these marks. And if you take into account that croupiers often try to bribe to participate in a fraudulent scheme, then it is the pit bosses who should notice and prevent this state of affairs. And most of the captured map counters are also the merit of the pit bosses.
A Little About Income
The salary of the pit boss is much higher than the salary of the croupier, casino inspectors and, in general, most of the staff. But the load on the croupier is corresponding, and part of the tip received by dealers is often divided taking into account the share of the pit boss.
It is safe to say that today the pit boss is one of the most important, demanded positions in casinos in Europe and America, and the requirements for applicants are very strict.