What's The Deal? WSOP Dealers Reportedly Upset at Conditions – Some Have Left

15.07.2006, Lesen Sie hier den Bericht über «What's The Deal? WSOP Dealers Reportedly Upset at Conditions – Some Have Left»

I spent the first hour today in the Dealer's tent listening to several dozen very irate dealers. In their collective opinion they had been deceived, and generally disrespected by their employer. For those players who wondered about the "technical difficulties" that delayed the start of today's $2,500 Short-Handed NLHE event (#21); those difficulties were the 40 to 60 dealers who, at least for a time, walked off the job this morning. As I sat there listening to the dealers I can tell you that at that time more and more dealers were calling home and heading for the door.

After a survey of multiple dealers, the following information seems consistent, and accurate. According to the dealers, they got a check for the first week of the WSOP for a certain amount, however they were told at that time that this first check only included the tokes from one event and that was the Casino Employee event (#1). Last night when checks came out the hourly wage worked out to less than they got the first week. In addition, they were told that the first check had included not one but four events. Had the dealers been told that last week then we probably would have had this "walkout" back then.

Talk in the dealer tent was of a mass walkout but as one Ohio dealer said:

"I have three babies to feed; I can't be doing no protesting."

Dealers were comparing checks and finding that even the amounts of those checks were not in synch. Dealers with the same hours and shifts were receiving different gross wages.

There was a meeting for all dealers this morning where I heard two statements repeated over and over. First, the checks are the checks, the hours are the hours, it is what it is. Second, the numbers had been audited and two night shift dealers had been in on the count, however, the names of those dealers were not released.

When the noon tournament did eventually start, several dealers told me they were told not to discuss any of these issues with any of the players while at the table. I was stopped three times on my first pass through the room to answer player questions about the "technical difficulties." I can only imagine what the restart of the $50,000 HORSE event will bring both in player comment and in the lack of dealers qualified to deal all five games that make up the HORSE event. But knowing the excellent floor staff here, there will be dealers for this big event, about the rest of the Series we shall see.

When asked for comment on this situation, Gary Thompson, Director of Communications for the WSOP had this to say.

"I think there is a lack of understanding on the part of the dealers as to what the compensation package is going to be this year."

"The fact is for all events except the Main Event, we are taking 2.5% of the prize pool {for the dealers}, versus 2.0% last year. For the HORSE, and Main Event, we are taking 1.5% of the prize pool, versus 1.4% of the prize pool last year, and the prize pools are bigger across the board."

All of which is true, but according to many dealers, the pool was split among all dealers, including dealers that spent most of the day in the bullpen, or simply on the floor waiting for a game to deal, or even according to some dealers not even at the Rio. There are even suggestions that the chip runners were participating in the toke pool, a fact that didn't sit well with many dealers.

"One of the things that was a concern was that some dealers were being paid on an hourly rate, versus being paid for the downs {shifts actually spent dealing at the table}" indicated Thompson.

To rectify this, there was announcement in the main room at about 4pm stating that the policy had been changed, and dealers would actually be paid on 'downs' {shifts served}, rather than split among the whole staff. This drew cheers from the room, but it remains to be seen if this will be enough.

"As far as I know, anyone who was scheduled to report to work today has reported to work." added Thompson.

Clearly, there is different information coming from Harrah's than the scene witnessed this morning in the dealer tent.

This story will continue to develop, as PokerNews.com has learned there is a "dealer only" meeting at 8pm tonight to discuss how to address the situation.

This is yet another in a series of growing pains for an event trying to go from the backroom to the boardroom. The years of the dealers taking cash out nightly in envelopes are long over. Harrah's is trying to figure out how to run this great event as a business, and the event itself has been, and I assume some Harrah's officials would agree, a challenge to run at times – most notably this year. Last year was the first year of Harrah's ownership, and a certain transition period would be assumed. It just seems most thought that transition period began, and ended with last year. That is clearly not the case.

My source told me that he received over two dozen calls from dealers asking for advice and talking about everything from walkouts to legal action. Stay Tuned to see what happens in this developing story. Tim Lavalli Pokernews.com

Über World Series of Poker (WSOP):

Die World Series of Poker, oder kurz WSOP, ist eine Reihe von Pokerturnieren, die jedes Jahr in Las Vegas ausgetragen werden.

Die World Series of Poker finden jährlich im Rio All-Suite Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas statt.

Die World Series of Poker ist die grösste und prestigeträchtigste Pokerveranstaltung der Welt. Mit einer umfassenden Liste von Turnieren in allen wichtigen Pokervarianten ist die WSOP das am längsten laufende Pokerturnier der Welt und geht auf das Jahr 1970 zurück.

Darüber hinaus hat die WSOP bahnbrechende Allianzen in den Bereichen Rundfunk, digitale Medien und Unternehmenssponsoring gebildet und die Marke mit der Einführung der WSOP Europe im Jahr 2007 und der WSOP Asia-Pacific im Jahr 2013 sowie der WSOP International Circuit Series im Jahr 2015 erfolgreich international ausgebaut.

Ursprünglich wurden die Tourniere in Las Vegas Downtown im Binion's Horseshoe Casino ausgetragen. Im Jahre 2005 kaufte Caesars den Brand WSOP. Seit diesem Datum werden die Pokermeisterschaften im Rio All Suite Hotel and Casino durchgeführt.

Gewinner der letzten Jahre des WSOP-Championship-Mainevent

2020: Damian Salas 2019: Hossein Ensan 2018: John Cynn 2017: Scott Blumstein 2016: Qui Nguyen 2015: Joe McKeehen 2014: Martin Jacobson 2013: Ryan Riess 2012: Greg Merson 2011: Pius Heinz 2010: Jonathan Duhamel 2009: Joe Cada 2008: Peter Eastgate 2007: Jerry Yang 2006: Jamie Gold 2005: Joe Hachem 2004: Greg "Fossil Man" Raymer 2003: Chris Moneymaker 2002: Robert Varkonyi 2001: Carlos Mortensen 2000: Chris "Jesus" Ferguson 1999: J.J. "Noel" Furlong 1998: Scotty Nguyen 1997: Stu Ungar 1996: Huck Seed 1995: Dan Harrington 1994: Russ Hamilton 1993: Jim Bechtel 1992: Hamid Dastmalchi 1991: Brad Daugherty 1990: Mansour Matloubi 1989: Phil Hellmuth Jr. 1988: Johnny Chan 1987: Johnny Chan 1986: Berry Johnston 1985: Bill Smith 1984: Jack Keller 1983: Tom McEvoy 1982: Jack Strauss 1981: Stu Ungar 1980: Stu Ungar 1979: Hal Fowler 1978: Bobby Baldwin 1977: Doyle Brunson 1976: Doyle Brunson 1975: Sailor Roberts 1974: Johnny Moss 1973: Puggy Pearson 1972: Amarillo Slim Preston 1971: Johnny Moss 1970: Johnny Moss

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