need help with staffing please

[casacubana]

hi everyone,

i got hired as td for this brand new poker room 15 tables and everything is going smooth but staffing!this place will be open from noon to 6am,the afternoons i exepect to have max 3 tables going(cash games) and at 7pm that's where i am exepecting the big rush (tournemant+cash game) and will slow down probably around 2am or 3am all the way to 6am.
the million dollar question: how many manager-dealer-chip runner-cashier etc etc i need you think?
thank you in advance for your help
regards
laura

[Stuart Murray]

Hi Laura,

It's all dependant on whether you want your tournament tables dealer dealt or not, If the answer is no, i.e. self deal you only need 1 Shift Manager/Supervisor and cash table dealers on for the amount of tables you will be running, with the shift manager doing registration for tournament poker etc and supervising the cash tables.

If you want your tournament tables dealer dealt then you will need to strike the right balance of dealers for the tables you are using.

In my experience a cardroom will consist of:

Cardroom Manager
Cardroom Supervisors x 3
Licensed Croupiers x 3 (ish)
Poker Dealers x 4 (cash only) 20ish (Dealer Dealt)

Most roles above the unlicensed dealers are multi-tasking and the cash tables can pretty much run themselves if a gaming inspector/casino manager is available in the pit to make big rulings where necessary during the quiet periods.

with 15 tables I think you are being ambitious to have 3 cash tables running in the afternoons, I think you will probably find you would be overstaffed if you expected to maintain that level.  I reckon 1 table running 12-6 & 2-6 and your main times will be 6-2 with your tourneys and cash tables busiest then.

Cashier's usually 1-2 per shift so 3-6 cashiers. If this is a casino would the bank not be carrying out payouts and issuing cards/chips to floor staff?

With only 15 tables I don't think you need any runners.  The duty supervisor or manager can easily do all these tasks surely?

Hope it all goes well for you!

Stu

[Nick C]

Laura,
Predicting the correct number of dealers in a new room requires time. Dealers will sometimes be asked to stay longer than their scheduled shift or, they may get an early out (eo). I recomend one Floorperson for every five tables.  try to overlap the start time of dealers and floor so they are not all changing at the same time. At least two cage employees and one chip runner. You may need one of the cage personnel to answer phone ins, and work the waiting board. You should have four dealers for every three tables. If part time dealers are used you will need more. Keep a log of each days action so you can make necessary adjustments for special events or tournaments.
It is not a common practice in most large rooms but, until you have an idea of how many dealers and chip runners you need, let the dealers know that they will be assisting with preparing new set-ups and helping with fills if necessary. Hope this helps and GOOD LUCK!

[casacubana]

thank you stuart and nick!

-should i have a 1 manager for the day time?(12pm-6pm or 7pm)or you don't think it's worth it?
-what about evenings? 2 floors +me and 20 dealers for tournemant +4 dealers for cash game +1 chip runner !does it make sense?
-from 2 am to 6am 1floor supervisor good enough?
i know i can't get it right at the begining my staff has to be somehow flexible but i am trying to hire staff and don't know how much i need and that's why i seem like a domie
thank you so much for your help
regards
laura

[casacubana]

sorry guys i read your posts again and i think i got it!
thank you again for your help
regards
laura

[Stuart Murray]

Hi again Casa

Like Nick says you will find a balance, I think 28 staff for a 15 table cardroom is way excessive though even during the busy periods, if you are clever with your tournament structure's you won't need extra dealers for tournament games so say you have 10 tables running tournament poker structure your first break to allow all your T dealers to go on break together.

It's all about what you want, 2 floors + you + a runner = 4 people on the floor - I would recommend 1-2 at most, what are 4 of you all going to do!? Like I said with 15 tables one persion can easily run the tournament and manage the cash games together without any real issue, especially if every table is dealer dealt.

During you quiet times yeh 1 supervisor, if a manager is in during these times they will likely be desked with paperwork, the supervisor can also relieve the dealers for breaks too if needed.

Best
Stuart

[Nick C]

Laura,
If I may add a little more to what Stuart has given you. You said that your room will be open from noon to about 6am. I suggest that your schedule for floorpersons, cage, and dealers begin at 11:30am (30 minutes before opening). If you are using 8 hour shifts the shifts will run like this: 11:30 to 7:30 (I don't know what your lunch schedule will be like as far as regulations). You might need to extend the shift another 30 minutes. You and one floorperson should be enough to get you started. the next shift could run fron 6:30pm to 2:30am This will overlap the shifts one hour (you might want to overlap only 30 minutes). The next full time shift will begin at 10:30pm and run 30 minutes past closing until 6:30am. This is a way to use three full time shifts (8 hours) into a 19 hour schedule, (11:30am to 6;30am). I would rather have more dealers than not enough. If you need more help with scheduling the dealers let me know. I always tried to work the part time (or extra board) dealers into all of the essential duties, like spading the decks, and helping with players chips and fills. I don't know what your payroll will be like but, the dealers are usually the lowest paid by far, so it always made sense to maximize their use. Suggested shifts:                                              11:30am to 7:30pm  (you and two floor)
                                                                                                    6:30pm to 2:30am  (two floor with you for 1 hour) I know you will stay longer.
                                                                                                   10:30pm to 6:30am  (Two floor until 2:30am and then one until closing)
Once you determine what your busiest times will be, you can always make adjustments. I was fortunate that I had an extra board of dealers that would be ready to come in and work on very short notice. I hope this helps.

[Spence]

Just to add one more thing, you said "new poker room". If you are a on your own as a card room it may not happen but, in a casino setting you will go through the "Honeymoon" period. For the first three months you will be packed. Staffing will always be an issue and there will be massive overtime. Even a new card room in an area that doesn't have a lot of access to poker you may find your first few months quite busy. My best suggestion is overstaff and send people home if needs be. You're a lot better off with more staff than too few.

[casacubana]

wow guys your are so helpful! thank you so much!
you cleard so many points for me !i am sure 99% that the busy time will be 6pm-2am so i will try to work it out!nick can you tell me more about scheduling the dealers if you don't mind!
thank you for the suggestion for the 8 hours shift but i have a question i don't think i will be busy in day time 11:30am to 6pm can you give me another exemple how to schedule the managers knowing that?
again thank you so much to stu,nick and spencer.
regards
laura

[Nick C]

Laura,
Can you give us more info on the cardroom? Where are you located and when are you going to open? The very best way to schedule staff and dealers is to break down the total hours for the week. If you are operating seven days a week at 18 hours a day plus an extra hour for early start and close...so 19 hours times 7 days equals 133 hours of operation per week. Then you need to figure the busy times and the slower times. Based on what you just said about the early shift being slow you can probably handle it yourself until the next shift starts at about 6:30 pm or whenever you decide. Remember the floor and dealers (an you) will need time off so you can't figure every day the same. Break it down, starting with the busy weekends and, like Spence says the new room opening. You can figure 4 dealers for every three tables of action. Use staggered shifts for the dealers and try to have some part time extra board dealers. Sometimes when you have to send dealers home early it can cause problems so try (if you can) to let them know that the ones that go home early will stay later next time. We used to ask for volunteers for early outs and if we didn't get the response we needed we would draw cards to see who went home. It's very difficult to predict the type of action that a new room will get, but having 15 tables you should be able to handle any action that comes your way if you follow the advice we have given you. You may email me if you are looking for more information ..nickscasinopoker@comf5.com.... I will be busy for a couple days but I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.

[Brian Vickers]

What is your tournament schedule going to look like?  Are you having them only at 7pm or also at noon?  7 days a week or only certain days? 

[casacubana]

hi brian,
tournament schedule:  7 nights at 7:30 +tournament at noon for friday saturday and sunday
regards
laura

[Spence]

Another great thing to do would be to have a player round table. If you can get a little funding from your manager to invite 8 or 10 players to dinner in the casino then have a chat about what they would like to see from you. It's a great way to get a feel for which games to run and at which limits to have your tournaments. I've used this extensively when there are big rule changes or if the room is expanding or shrinking and I want to restore some of the faith that can be lost when a room shifts in a new direction