Why I don’t feel guilty taking your money. By Al O’ Grady
My wife and I were at a house party over the holidays and, when meeting new people, there is usually the conversation-starter, “So, what do you do for a living?” When I tell people that I am a blackjack dealer, it always turns a few heads and raises eyebrows.
I then get a plethora of follow up-questions like, “What tips do you have?” “Is the game rigged?” or “How can I make money playing blackjack?” But this time I got a different question. Someone asked me if I feel guilty taking people’s money. That one caught me off guard. But I thought about that for a moment and came to an unequivocal answer: No, I do not.
It is not that I am ruthless, uncaring or unsympathetic. It is because I simply do not take people’s money. Rather, they give their money to me. There is a difference.
Be responsible
First of all, I am a huge advocate of personal responsibility and personal accountability. If you are a fully functional adult and are of sound mind, you have the personal freedom to do whatever you want, so long as you are not harming others nor depriving anyone of their civil liberties. Everything we do in life is a choice. How you spend your money is also a personal choice. Why should I feel guilty about your personal choices?
Some may say the casino is trying to take my money and I should feel guilty being a part of that machine. Really? Did the casino force you into its establishment? Did the dealer order you to the table? Did someone hold a gun to your head compelling you to pull out your wallet and lay your money down? Walking into the casino, sitting down at the table and pulling money out of your wallet were all choices you made. The casino had nothing to do with it. I should feel guilty for this?
Now let’s assume for a second there is an individual that does not know the first thing about blackjack. He does not even know there is such a thing as basic strategy. Furthermore, let’s assume that I, the dealer, recognize this and try to give him pointers on basic strategy and he chooses not to follow my advice. Am I going to feel self conscious in any way for his ignorance? Absolutely not.
Be strategic
Now let’s assume the next player is fully aware of basic strategy and chooses not to follow it. He takes liberties with the charts. He refuses to double down his 11 against a 10. He never hits a hard 16 and is very selective about splitting eights, even though it should be done in every case. His basic chart variations may work at times in the short run but the laws of probability catch up to him and he dies a slow death. Should I feel badly for this guy? Are you grasping the theme of this article?
From time to time, I will get a high roller. They bring in a lot of money and they are 98 percent proficient with basic strategy. Sometimes this guy will win big and sometimes he will lose big. But the thing is, when he wins big, he does not tip the dealer at all. You want to know how to piss off a dealer? Win big and do not throw him a crumb I have written extensively on this topic in the past. A sizable portion of a dealer’s income is from gratuities. If you lost, no dealer would be expecting a tip, but if you won big and we did an excellent job for you, and nothing came our way as a form of gratitude, you are viewed as a no-class player. So, when the day comes when you lose big – and it will come – do you think we feel bad for you? Not on your life.
Be disciplined
There are players that my heart goes out to, however. My kind of guy is the one who plays responsibly. He plays with money he can afford to lose. He knows the strategy and, if he is unsure, he will ask for (and take) my advice. Maybe he wins, maybe he loses. He sets goals and has the self discipline to walk away when he hits his limit, either winning or losing. If he wins his $500, he will take his wife out to a nice restaurant or his son to a ball game. If he loses, he takes it like a man, and I will see him again in two weeks. There is no guilt, no remorse. It is part of the fluctuations of the game.
If there is a situation where I have some feelings of guilt, it involves someone who has a gambling addiction. Unfortunately, this is outside of my control. For starters, this person must admit he has a problem. If he is squandering his paycheck on games of chance at the detriment of his family, I do not feel guilty but I do have feelings of empathy especially for his family. I can give him brochures about problem gambling, but that is really all I can do. How can I feel guilty when someone cannot help himself? I can only worry about what I can control and realize I cannot solve all the world’s problems nor feel guilty about them either.
At the end of the day
I am a casino employee. I turn cards; I move chips, and I count to 21. For me, this is not work. The work comes from standing for eight hours and the toll that dealing takes on your body. It involves overcoming boredom and, finally, putting up with jerks. That is the work. Nowhere in my job description does it say that I need to feel guilty for someone else’s actions.
Every game in the casino has a house edge. The odds are against the player overall. If you beat the odds and made money in the short term, congratulations. But the long-term expectations are that I will win. I cannot and will not feel guilty about someone’s choice to try to overcome mathematical probability for their personal financial gain.
Good luck at the tables and do not forget to tip the dealer.
There are also a lot of roulette betting strategies as well as the various casino bonuses but they are for another edition of Casino Life Magazine.
*** This exclusive feature article was originally published in May 2024 edition of Casino Life Magazine Issue 173 ***
