A pit boss is a managerial position in the gambling industry responsible for overseeing a casino pit, including personnel and smooth running of games. They must be knowledgeable of gaming laws and offer customer perks. Pit bosses earn a guaranteed salary and may progress from dealer to supervisor to manager.
A pit manager, or pit boss, is a managerial position in the gambling industry. A pit boss’s job is to oversee the activity of a casino pit, which is the name given to the area in a casino reserved for table games such as craps, roulette and poker. A pit boss is responsible for all personnel working in a given pit, including dealers, game supervisors and other maintenance workers, and is responsible for the smooth running of the games that are held there.
Most casinos feature pits that contain six to twelve tables each. Small casinos may only have one pit, but large venues may feature a dozen or more pits, with a pit boss running each one. In addition to being available to resolve minor issues that arise during the course of a shift, pit heads must be knowledgeable of the gaming laws of their jurisdiction and ensure that their pit remains in compliance at all times. This could include monitoring incidents of suspected cheating, underage gambling or people gambling while intoxicated.
In addition to these regulatory responsibilities, a pit boss also has the authority to offer customer relationship perks such as free drinks, meals, game credits, and other complimentary items. In addition to maintaining a positive atmosphere for customers and employees, a pit manager may have other more technical tasks such as managing payroll, conducting training sessions and scheduling shifts. In most jurisdictions, a pit boss must be specially licensed by the local or regional gaming authority and therefore must undergo varying degrees of background checks and character evaluation. In many locations, a convicted felon may not be eligible for a gambling license and therefore unable to work as a pit manager.
It is not uncommon for a casino employee’s career to progress from dealer to game supervisor to pit manager and beyond. The Pit Boss position is considered mid-level, and the need for a comprehensive understanding of Pit Games makes prior experience working with a variety of games a strong positive. Unlike dealers, whose income depends heavily on player tips, pit managers earn a guaranteed salary. This degree of financial freedom is intended to promote a more varied interaction between bosses and players, as well as allowing for a greater degree of neutrality in the resolution of disputes between players.
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