I turned out as a crap dealer at the Nevada Club in 1956. The training period was intensive, much to learn, trained by other dealers, and after my 8 hour shift I was exhausted.There are so many bets to learn, shortcuts to paying off, in those days, learning how to work with the silver dollars, that's right we used silver dollars in those day. Handling the silver was an art in itself. A hand full of about 25 dollars, using the index finger to "cut" off the right amount, silver in both hands, it took a lot of practice.
I trained for a few weeks with other dealers, learning, then eventually working with customers, and real money.
You not only learn to deal, but you learn to protect your table, everyone at the table is trying to take advantage of you, increase a bet, decrease it on a loser, distract you so they can do "something."
One of the first things I learned, and the most important, pay attention, learn each bet, where each stack is, on your end of the table, the size of the stack, and watch each bet.
As well as pay the right amount, don't drop the silver, there was a lot to learn.
I went in to work one weekday evening, 3 in the morning. We did all our training on the graveyard shift, 3am to 11pm. There weren't too many customers in the club, so Mark, my floor boss, had me relieve a dealer who was alone on a table.
I was standing behind the table, white on white french cuff shirt, gold cuff links, expensive tie, part of the dealers uniform, when I heard a very familiar voice, "Give me those dice, fella."
My first celebrity, Jimmy Durante.
He was playing the Riverside Hotel and had finished his last show and was doing some clubbing.
I gave the dice to him, he made his bet, threw them, not sure of how the game went, but for about fifteen minutes, it was just he and I at the table, bantering back and forth a little.
My first celeb, first of many during my years in Nevada .......... the good old days.
You didn't do too much kidding, or talking, money is money, the customer, regardless of who it is, wants to win money, so each customer, whether a celeb or not ... you just did your job.
But, I will never forget my first celebrity.
As I type this, close at hand, a pair of Nevada Club Dice, and two $20 Chesterfield Club checks. The checks date back to the 30's, used in Detroit in the "roaring" days, and then taken by Lincoln Fitzgerald to Reno, when he moved there and opened the Nevada Club.
