Pocono News Section

Table Games Dealer Training Begins in the Poconos

Table Games Dealer Training Begins in the Poconos - Friday, March 19, 2010 at 04:01AM EST

Reported by: Laurie Monteforte
Friday March 19 2010
TANNERSVILLE, MONROE COUNTY - If Mount Airy Casino Resort gets its table games license it needs to hire hundreds of dealers. But not too many people have the necessary skills. So the casino partnered with Northampton Community College to open a table games school.

Students hope the classes will help them deal good hands for their lives and careers. Shaun Kunz of Cresco has been looking for work for a while. He said, "I've been on lots of interviews just - it's hard to actually get the job 'cause there's a lot of people out there who have been laid off who have a lot more experience."

He realized he needed to learn new skills so when he heard about table games classes he signed up right away. He smiled, "I love it."

Some people signed up just to shuffle their recreational poker skills with professional lessons. Rob Grosch of New Jersey laughed,"It turns out that I don't really know as much as I thought so it's been a fantastic experience."

While the dealers tell us the school is fun - it can also be a little bit tricky - especially when it comes to all the math they have to learn. Grosch said,"You need to have fairly good math skills to deal any kind of table game."

Kunz added,"I'm sure we'll all be able to do it naturally by the end of the course."

Nicole Potts is an instructor. She said,"You want to make sure they are prepared and ready because they are dealing with other people's money."

Nicole is also a manager at Mount Airy. So if students impress her they're likely to end up with work. She said,"This is a great opportunity to be part of a team that's opening something from scratch." It's an opportunity to stack the job deck in their favor.

The Northampton Community College courses run from four to eight weeks. The price ranges from $500 to $1,000.

Northampton plans on holding at least two more sessions.