Recently I came across a situation at an event where a number of the players at the table had appalling behavior. Unfortunately this happens when folks are inebriated, which tends to happen at events where there’s open bar. What’s worse was the guy in seat 1, which is to my immediate left, felt the need to yell in my ear, even after being asked to stop. A number of folks weren’t paying attention and I had to repeat myself on several occasions.

You can see why I was annoyed.

The thing was someone had to audacity to say to me “you’re being paid, we’re just having fun”. I felt like talking to them as if they were 9 years old explaining that even though you maybe paying someone for one task, does not mean you have the right to abuse them in the process. Unfortunately a floor manager can only do so much.

The fact of the matter is this. Card dealers are paid because of the knowledge and the skill they possess. Anybody can just toss cards around, but it takes someone who is both knowledgeable and trained to know the rules of the game, who needs to pay the blinds, how split pots and all-ins are counted and corrected, where the button goes when the next two folks are knocked out, and what are the basic bets and the rules of raising. Can other folks do this job, yeah, but their integrity would be questioned because they have a stake in the game. The dealer does not.

If you’re under the assumption that being the guest allows you the right to abuse the staff, understand that the response to that assumption is false.