“Twenty-one! Blackjack!” Whoops of congratulations and joy erupt from a blackjack table, where a player has beaten the odds to win their hand – and some dough. Amid the revelry, Carla Gardner maintains a steady presence.
Gardner, a Bally’s Evansville employee who deals cards for table games like craps, blackjack, and poker, prepares for her 10-hour shifts with a daily motivational verse, followed by a cup of coffee. Then, she hits the casino floor.
The blackjack tables at Bally’s Evansville are tucked into a space devoted for other table games. The five-seat blackjack tables are flanked by electronic poker and slot machines, as well as a bar that evokes a relaxed, private club-like setting. That, in particular, is top of mind for dealers.
“I would say entertainment and customer service are my priority, as well as dealing the cards,” she says.
Gardner, an Evansville resident, says blackjack dealers “must have patience, good customer service skills, and basic math skills” — understandable for a game in which players’ hands of cards cannot exceed 21.
Once Gardner filters a deck through an automatic card shuffler, the game begins. She slides out one card at a time, deftly depositing it with a slight flick of her hand at each player’s station. Once each player gets a card, they can choose to stay put with their current hand or try their luck by being dealt an additional card. The ball – figurative, in this game – is in their court.
Not that they’re completely on their own. “We are encouraged to help new players understand strategy,” Gardner says. One piece of free advice: “Don’t split 10s when playing blackjack,” she says. “Always split aces.”
On average, with a full table of blackjack players, Gardner estimates she deals about 100 hands an hour.
Although security is available to intervene with problematic patron behavior, Gardner says dealers need to be vigilant and fluid with their understanding of player personalities in order to spot something amiss. She says she troubleshoots “by staying aware of current bets and habits of players in regard to their betting trends. If I catch someone cheating, I alert my floor supervisor.”
After 17 years in the casino industry, Gardner has experienced several standout moments. “My most memorable experience was a player winning around $125,000 on my table,” she says. As a professional, she says she fondly remembers “when I was selected as the employee of the month.”
What’s been the biggest surprise Gardner has had about dealing blackjack? “Learning how much fun you can have while dealing games and making decent money,” she says.
DID YOU KNOW? Blackjack players at Bally’s Evansville are allowed to tip their dealers. “It is not mandatory, but if you feel the service is good, yes,” dealer Carla Gardner says.
