[postolio]

I have an audition scheduled next week at the bellagio. Ive been to vegas a ton and know the bellagio is one of the best rooms on the strip but im curious about the company itself and how the treat their employees. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

[Willy702]

I know a few dealers and I don't ever really remember a comment about the company or the bosses. Dealers' happiness and well being is all about the players in the room. The dealers I know say the best places to work are usually the locals joints as long as they can keep the games going. As you will find almost everywhere, the worst games to work in are in the mid to high stakes. In this regard Bellagio probably won't make you so happy since they dominate in these stakes.

[delgadobb]

Originally Posted by postolio

I have an audition scheduled next week at the bellagio. Ive been to vegas a ton and know the bellagio is one of the best rooms on the strip but im curious about the company itself and how the treat their employees. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated.

Bellagio will probably be a decent place to deal, but as Willy mentioned some of the mid & high stakes games are harder to deal; players expect more & some barely tip (esp. relative to lower stakes games). Bellagio is still a prime location for mid & high stakes games.

As an overall room, Bellagio's reputation has slipped a bit. While I still go there on occasion, it's ONLY for the poker action, which is generally good. The floor people are generally arrogant & indifferent, dealers aren't as good as they once were & overall I don't enjoy the room. Venetian & Wynn are easily preferable for me & I'd probably add Aria to that list. MGM's a notch below Bellagio, but as a relatively big room I still prefer it to Bellagio. Venetian's the best room in Las Vegas at this point, all things considered - some rooms do some things better, but overall they run the best operation.

There's still hope, tho - they've started tracking play & giving comps which was almost unheard of in the past. Of course, IMHO they did that cuz they were losing players to numerous other rooms. At least they still trounce Caesar's Palace - I can't think of a reason to go play poker at that place.

[Buzz123]

Unless things have changed drastically, IMO dealing poker is one of the most unglamorous, underpaid, under-appreciated jobs in Las Vegas. Better to deal craps or 21. Craps has historically been best for both tips and prestige (if there is any prestige to dealing). But I'll add a disclaimer since poker is so popular now: I've lived most of my life in Las Vegas, and in the past, most of my friends worked in casinos, and I spent a lot of time in them too, even working in card rooms for about a year myself. But for some reason I have no friends in that business anymore, and I seldom ever gamble these days. So it might be different now, although I can't imagine it is.

[mojavedxer]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

Unless things have changed drastically, IMO dealing poker is one of the most unglamorous, underpaid, under-appreciated jobs in Las Vegas. Better to deal craps or 21. Craps has historically been best for both tips and prestige (if there is any prestige to dealing). But I'll add a disclaimer since poker is so popular now: I've lived most of my life in Las Vegas, and in the past, most of my friends worked in casinos, and I spent a lot of time in them too, even working in card rooms for about a year myself. But for some reason I have no friends in that business anymore, and I seldom ever gamble these days. So it might be different now, although I can't imagine it is.

Times have changed the early seventies. Dice now splits with the rest of the Pit. There is good money dealing poker if your in the right room.

[Buzz123]

Originally Posted by mojavedxer

Times have changed the early seventies. Dice now splits with the rest of the Pit. There is good money dealing poker if your in the right room.

A few questions to bring me up to speed. Does dice split with all the games or just the craps tables? Is it the same in every casino? Is that because of the IRS rules, or just easier for accounting? Are the high stakes players better tippers now? Or is it that there are just more games and the game is taken more seriously by the joints? You know, card rooms used to be a concession. Is that still the case? Inquiring minds and all that...

Now for the editorial:

I'm competitive and all that, and hate to sound old fashioned, but I quit going to card rooms when they quit playing poker and started playing hold em (and took all my money). I still believe that it's a legitimate game, but not the game of skill that regular poker is, and not as much fun as say, Razzle Dazzle or high-low split. To me it's more of a gamble than regular poker is. I think you either win more, or lose more a lot faster, but you can't chill out and get comfortable like in a good ol' six card stud game.

Do any card rooms ever have regular games? I may have seen seven card stud someplace. Could it have been at Wynn?

[mojavedxer]

Originally Posted by Buzz123

A few questions to bring me up to speed. Does dice split with all the games or just the craps tables? Is it the same in every casino? Is that because of the IRS rules, or just easier for accounting? Are the high stakes players better tippers now? Or is it that there are just more games and the game is taken more seriously by the joints? You know, card rooms used to be a concession. Is that still the case? Inquiring minds and all that...

Now for the editorial:

I'm competitive and all that, and hate to sound old fashioned, but I quit going to card rooms when they quit playing poker and started playing hold em (and took all my money). I still believe that it's a legitimate game, but not the game of skill that regular poker is, and not as much fun as say, Razzle Dazzle or high-low split. To me it's more of a gamble than regular poker is. I think you either win more, or lose more a lot faster, but you can't chill out and get comfortable like in a good ol' six card stud game.

Do any card rooms ever have regular games? I may have seen seven card stud someplace. Could it have been at Wynn?

Dice is in the Pit toke split now. Dealers nowadays need to deal any game as business demands dictate. Poker is still a concession. Slots are more profitable for the casino space a poker room takes up. It’s only there for convenience only. In the 20+ years I have been in the industry. I have never seen any specific race, nationality or wealth class toke any more or any less. It’s entirely on the patron character. I could write a book about the entertainment stars and their toking habits but I would probably be in for a big lawsuit if I did.
.

[irishspy]

Most rooms have other games if requested. Excalabur had 7 card stud. I agree Texas hold im is now a joke everyone thinks they are the pros on TV. When does wearing sun glasses make you a better poker player???

[Tiger Beer]

Originally Posted by irishspy

Most rooms have other games if requested. Excalabur had 7 card stud. I agree Texas hold im is now a joke everyone thinks they are the pros on TV. When does wearing sun glasses make you a better poker player???

It does make a difference at a very high level.

But, I do find it hilarious to go into low-limit limit holdem tables...basically where bluffing does not work...and you have half of the tables in sunglasses....lol.

[Willy702]

Originally Posted by irishspy

Most rooms have other games if requested. Excalabur had 7 card stud. I agree Texas hold im is now a joke everyone thinks they are the pros on TV. When does wearing sun glasses make you a better poker player???

Why is this bad? If players think they are like the pros on TV and play in a low limit game one should be able to take their money very easily. The guys who try to make fancy plays at the no limit table look great until they run into the one hand that beats them out of several hundred dollars by the guy who just plays a tight game and gets a big hand.