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About Smoke signals. (Grand Ronde, Or.) 19??-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 1998)
June 15, 1998 9 Casino Tribal members graduate from Casino Dealer School Story and Photos by Tracy Dugan Two Blackjack classes with a 100 graduation rate have just finished up at the Casino this month. Many tribal members participated in the 10-week class and a few were scheduled to work the very next week. Tom Riley, the Dealer School in structor said he was very proud of how far this latest group of students has come in just a short amount of time. "This class is typically a 300-hour class," he said. "But I cut it down to about 150 hours, and they all still did great." Dealer School is a course designed to teach new employees the techni cal specifics of dealing Blackjack and other table games at Spirit Mountain. Riley said that Blackjack is the most complex, and once a student grasps the basics, he or she pretty much gets it from there. Blackjack is complicated because you have to add up the payouts very quickly in your head to determine how much a winning hand is worth. Most people think all you have to do is count to 21. There's more, to it than that. "AH winning hands are worth one and a half times the bet," said Misty Gephart. "So, for a $25 bet, you would pay out a total of $37.50." Tribal member Merlyn Connelly, who was previously working in Ship ping and Receiving, is very excited to be finished. "I just want to get out on the floor and start working," he said. Al though most everyone is expected to begin working within two weeks of ( ; Ym -..V' i I) "T: m- ; r p, .VI From left: Socorro Van De Venter, Rhonda Leno, Linda Logan, and Misty Gephart are graduating and ready to begin their new careers as Blackjack dealers. completing the class, nine graduates of the class began work the Sunday after graduation: Robin LaBonte, Byron LaBonte, Gary Williams, Marlyn Connelly, Steve Tagert, Jan Tagert, Mark Davis, and Bruce Parazoo. Tribal member Shelby Olson Rogers, who is a teacher at Grand Ronde Elementary School, hopes to work in the summer and on week ends as a dealer. "This class was fun," said Shelby. "I am hoping to work full-time in the WW""" f is .-. f! , .- -T ' if J sp Q ii v X - -WW . h 1 . summer. Also graduating is Kalene Contr eras, who said, "The instructor, Tom, was great. I really have a lot of confidence that I can do this." Dustin Leno will also be graduat ing, but can't start work until Sep tember, after his 21st birthday. The students will be able to deal three different games: Blackjack, Let It Ride, and the Big Six Wheel. Some of the tribal member grads have been working at the Casino for a while in other departments. Misty Gephart currently works in House keeping. "I think I will be able to spend more time with my family in this job," she said. "And it pays better, too." Instructor Tom Riley said that the class obviously teaches the fundamen tals of the games, but learning cus tomer service is a big part of the class. "The customer's first impression matters a lot," he said. "We want to emphasize consistency, so the cus tomer always can expect the same level of service. The goal is to make sure he or she is having a good time." Tribal member Bruce Parazoo, one employee who is scheduled to start working immediately said, "I have always liked to play cards. Now that I have a chance to do it for the Tribe, and am really excited to get started." Marlyn Connelly practices his dealing during the final class session of Dealer School.
