The GGA Project -- Day #345 "Card Sharking"

One of the nicest customers I help at the bank is a grandfatherly small business owner named Steve.  Early on in my stint at my current branch, I asked him about his business, which is called 3 of a Kind Casino Events.  It turns out he rents out casino game tables and their accompanying dealers for mostly corporate customers hosting employee parties, fundraisers, and the like.  He said they're always looking for extra hands to help out during the busy seasons, and he invited me and some of my coworkers to learn the trade.


Though the gig sounded interesting and fun to me, I wasn't sure I felt up to the challenge of all that rapid-fire math (blackjack is the first game he teaches people to deal), not to mention the fact that most players (I think) assume their dealer is both knowledgable and experienced--which, clearly, I am neither.  But Steve is super, super duper mellow, and he assured me on a couple of occasions that the atmosphere is very relaxed; nobody playing games at these events has any of their own money at stake.  So I finally made time this afternoon for


Today's New Activity: Blackjack Dealer Training


I showed up at Steve's offices with three other trainees.  One was the son of the woman who would train us (an older woman named Kay with 25 years of dealer experience under her belt), and a couple who already work for the company dealing blackjack but were there to learn poker.  It really WAS a very relaxed atmosphere, and nobody made me feel dumb for not being all that clear on even the basic rules of the game (I'd forgotten entirely what "insurance" was all about and was pretty foggy in my understanding of doubling down at first).


But Kay and Steve were both good teachers, and 45 minutes in I got to try my hand and dealing for a little while.  I was totally out of my comfort zone at first, having to calculate really fast with people watching and feeling very much on-the-spot, but in that moment I reminded myself that this project is ALL ABOUT getting out of my comfort zone and pushing myself to do things I might otherwise not.  I've especially loved the activities that seemed challenging to me, and this fit pretty squarely into that category.


I'm not sure any actual gigs will come from today's lesson, but I now have all the groundwork to be able to practice on my own, and if I do get the chance I will (eeeeeee) force myself to take it :)