The PAGCOR gig is the second best job in the world. The best one is the one you dreamed of. Card Dealing, at best, affords you the things that a dream job can provide. I’m speaking not necessarily in terms of financial security but it buys you time. Time you can spend freely without the stress lurking at the back of your head thinking about deadlines or any of the dread from a typical nine-to-fiver.
Since no child ever goes in front of the class and declare that they want to be a Card Dealer when they grow up (I don’t think the thought passes one’s mind even on the day they decide which college course to take), most of the people from this field (well, from PAGCOR standards, at least) are college graduates with specific level high IQ. The stories over beer are always animated and smart. Sometimes it can get intense, but that’s mostly when one hogs the Videoke and rechristened as “Boy mic”.
It’s in one of these beer sessions when I confided who I almost became, or who I’m working on to become. I was hanging out with the then Marketing Manager and the girl I was trying to impress (who eventually became the Mrs.). The Marketing Manager dared me asked me to host the branch’s upcoming event. I guess I did well enough to host all of Hyatt Casino’s events then after.
Hosting a party is easy. You just go with a structured program and facilitate. Most times a host forgets that in a misguided belief that they should be the center of the program and entertainment. A host can do that but without deviating from the program’s core.
What’s challenging is hosting an event that is centered on a Casino product. I’m talking about Poker Tournaments and Baccarat Derbies among others. Each game has a lingo that is unique and product appropriate. Most of all, their set of players are critical with a bar set high. If you run your mouth and start calling the shots like a newbie dealer “Player Banker, Player, Banker. Player gets 5, Banker gets…” (ZZZzzz). As a fan of words through poetry and songs, I enjoy how words can be woven into a thought that tickles the brain, creating a spark, and set it afire. My advantage as a seasoned dealer is that I can make every wager interesting by incorporating the lingo and be a conduit between the people who watch and the people who play. I thought that is how every tournament/gaming event is hosted. In a tournament finals back in 2005, the Branch Manager took me aside and personally thanked me for “making every minute of the tournament entertaining!”. It’s a high praise that I use to motivate me to this day.
I truly thought that it was the norms before I took the mic. Seeing how others do it, as with the private casinos, (I mean, even their raffle draws run flat) I was kind of bemused and a little frustrated with the cues they missing a potentially very exciting event.
But last March I got back on the mic. A little rusty but I got great response. I personally feel that I have a lot to prove, representing a casino that is like this little train that could. The next gig is in June 25 at Midas Hotel and Casino (I’ll be mostly at the casino, hehe)… in case you’re interested to know what I’m talking about.
danDAman 