 Story
By Majorie Ingall
Who better to share stories of the
craziest sights at the gaming tables than the dealers, pit bosses
and shift managers who work there? Their names have been changed
but their stories, culled
from years of work at MGM MIRAGE casinos, are 100% true.
Lamest Behavior by a Has-Been:
Patrick: "This actor from an '80s TV show always demands seven
security guards, a credit line, all kinds of things bigger stars don't
ask for. One night when I was the shift manager, he got a marker
for $5,000. At the end of the night I had to ask for the money back.
Oh, boy. I had to walk through the casino with him screaming
at me at the top of his lungs. He did return the money, but as
soon as he got back to his room he called the operator and asked
for the president of the company. The operator transferred him
back to me instead. I let him vent for 20 minutes about what a
jerk I was, then identified myself as the person he'd been talking
about. He went even crazier. It was very satisfying. A journalist
in the casino had heard him screaming, and an article came out
commending the staff for being so professional."
Sight That Most Seemed Like a Scene From The Movie
Scarface:
William: "A customer ran out of money and said to his friend, 'I
need more.' The customer reached over, pulled up his friend's
shirt, and there were packets of hundred dollar bills taped to the
guy's chest-maybe 12 or 15 thousand dollars, wrapped around
his body. The customer yanked off the tape; the friend flinched
a little as the hair was ripped off. No one batted an eye. Believe
me, we're trained not to stare."
The Night A Male Dealer Was Most Sorry The Customer In
Question Was Not Demi Moore:
Patrick: "A few Halloweens ago, the nightclub Light at Bellagio
threw a costume party. A beautiful woman came up to me to ask
directions. I admired her colorful, form-fitting bodysuit, then
suddenly realized it was painted on. She was totally nude. One
of my coworkers asked, 'Why didn't you throw her out?' I said,
'Hey, if that were a guy I would have!'"
The Dealer Most Deserving of the Charlie Brown Award:
Don: "Another time, a roulette dealer missed the wheel and the
ball flew right out the front door. The dealer chased it outside
and people started kicking it down the street."
The Night Management Was Most Grateful the Customer
Didn't Order Dom Perignon:
Donna: "We had one very superstitious high-limit player who
needed a whole shrine in order to play. He had a tiny table next
to him filled with an urn, a bowl of oranges and 18 open bottles of
water. He didn't drink from any of them. A foreman accidentally
bumped the table and spilled a drop, and the player got very upset.
We had to pick up all the bottles, take them away and bring out 18
new open bottles. But hey, it's our job to be accommodating!"
The Dealer Most Deserving of the M.V.P. Award:
Don: "One morning a little old lady in a wheelchair was playing
roulette next to the wheel head. The dealer was about 6'4" and
incredibly strong; he could spin a wheel so hard it revolved 35
times. So you can imagine how fast the ball was going when he
missed the wheel and the ball hit her square between the eyes.
It raised a big knot on her forehead. We worried there'd be a
lawsuit, but all she wanted was a comp to the buffet."
The Dealer Most Deserving of Combat Pay:
Patrick: "One night at a Pai Gow poker table, right in the middle
of a hand, a drunk customer upchucked all over the dealer and
the chip rack. It was totally disgusting. I was the shift manager
but I personally cleaned all the chips with rubber gloves. I could
NOT delegate that job. The dealer, who went home to change,
was a good sport about the whole thing. He took one for the
team."
The Night A Dealer Seemed Most Like a Magician:
Don again: "A certain dealer lost a die. It just went flying off the
table. People looked everywhere and no one could find it. The
dealer found it when he went home-it had flown into his pants.
Okay, I admit it, that was me."
The Time A Woman Dealer Was Most Sorry The Customer in
Question Was Not Antonio Banderas:
Karlene: "About six months ago on the graveyard shift when it's
usually nice and quiet, a gentleman walked into our high-limit
baccarat room. He was not wearing pants. Just a shirt and boxer
shorts. The dealer very calmly asked him for his player's card.
The player patted his body where a pocket would be if he had
been wearing, you know, pants and said, 'Oh, I don't have it with
me.' Of course, the pit manager was already on the phone to
security, but it wasn't necessary. The man just disappeared and
came back a few minutes later, in pants." The Most Romantic Gesture:
William: "We help out with lots of marriage proposals at the
blackjack tables and in the dice pit. We'll distract the fiancée as
she's shooting, then put the ring box on the table in front of her so
she'll look down for the dice and see the box and scream. The guy
gets down on one knee and the whole pit applauds. Another time,
we wrote the words 'Will' 'You' 'Marry' 'Me' on the face sides of
four cards and dealt them to the woman one by one. Then the
guy gave her the ring. Champagne is brought to the table every
time. No one's ever been turned down on my watch!" |
