Portland forcing poker rooms to remove professional dealers and use players from the games

This might seem like an April fools day joke, but believe us - it's not. City of Portland wants its local poker rooms to permanently stop using professional dealers and instead make the poker players in the games deal the hands themselves, passing the cards around like it happens in most home games.

Can you imagine how messy the games will get and how many questionable situations this will lead to?

According to a report published in the Portland Tribune, Portland City sent a letter to all 15 poker rooms located in the area ordering them that “designated dealers are not allowed” under current state law. In simple words, the dealers can’t be employees or volunteers without pay anymore and have to participate in the games actively.

Due to law in Oregon, which prohibits all non-tribal casinos, poker rooms make profit through entrance fees,food and drink sales, rather than real rake.

This is also a direct results of some poker rooms trying to cut their financial obligations to dealers, as they used volunteer dealers, who earned only tips instead of proper wages. There were at least 2 cases of dealers filing complaints over not making at least minimum wage at the very profitable rooms in the city.
The Oregon Bureau of Labor and Industries investigated the complaints, and so city of Portland decided to crack down on the poker games. According to the report, Portland had previously let the games run, even even though they knew that the situation with dealers was rather questionable.

Soon after the July letter from the city, the Encore Poker Club in Northwest Portland closed its doors for good. Two of the largest rooms in the area, that is Final Table and Portland Meadows reportedly are still using permanent dealers and are in talks with the city officials. Others have accordingly complied to the new terms.

Welp, mechanics are gonna have an easy time.

Yomer gotta contact sorEl miz and get tips on how to bottom deal effectively

pretty sure on twitter Sorel said " moving to portland"

That's kind of funny and a really weird/complicated issue of employee treatment and an established culture of tipping. From a European perspective where I definitely agree with minimum wages across the board, but casino poker dealers make more than enough not to need them at all.

so sounds like some terrible dealers who were not getting tipped complained and ruined poker for entire city

I hate it when players take turns dealing cards. It only looks cool in rounders, sucks in real life haha

Just imagine the amount of times people will forget to burn a card.
Or a newbie joining the table

oh the fun

Oh dear god. Rules made for poker players by non poker players seem to be the theme nowadays. 80 year old woman dealing 1 hand in 20 mins no thx.

As crazy and ridiculous as this sounded at first it *kind of* makes sense. If your establishment is paying dealers a wage, then you're operating a casino, which is illegal. If your establishment is selling beverages, and and your customers just so happen to decide on playing some poker at one of their tables, you can at least smirkingly say that their gambling has nothing to do with your business.

I mean I still think there are better options of course but when faced with the can of worms a labor lawsuit would bring I understand where the city is coming from.

lul

This is awful. Who is this legislation supposed to benefit? I don't see anyone benefiting

I don't understand how these clubs make much money to begin with when they can't take a rake. Player dealt games won't work and if they have to pay the dealers there is no way they can stay profitable.

Fortunately, for now everyone but Encore just ignored the letter and it's business as usual. Enforcement has been threatened many times but the follow through is never there. The few times clubs have been shut down they just reopen a few months later under new owner or name.

lol fuckin shit q.q

There were at least 2 cases of dealers filing complaints over not making at least minimum wage at the very profitable rooms in the city.

greedy cunts.

if they were dealing at encore or FT they are for SURE averaging more than minmum wages long term.

I hear some of them complaining they earned $5 that hour. but never talk about the times it's $40+ an hour either.

just all greedy scumbags

the tipping model is absolutely fucking retarded

On August 29 2016 00:01 Baalim wrote: the tipping model is absolutely fucking retarded

On August 28 2016 23:48 YoMeR wrote: There were at least 2 cases of dealers filing complaints over not making at least minimum wage at the very profitable rooms in the city. greedy cunts. if they were dealing at encore or FT they are for SURE averaging more than minmum wages long term. I hear some of them complaining they earned $5 that hour. but never talk about the times it's $40+ an hour either. just all greedy scumbags

how the hell is wanting minimum wage in a profitable room greedy?

Lol at greedy poker players who don't tip because it's "-EV"

On August 29 2016 02:16 PolarFox wrote: Show nested quote + On August 28 2016 23:48 YoMeR wrote: There were at least 2 cases of dealers filing complaints over not making at least minimum wage at the very profitable rooms in the city. greedy cunts. if they were dealing at encore or FT they are for SURE averaging more than minmum wages long term. I hear some of them complaining they earned $5 that hour. but never talk about the times it's $40+ an hour either. just all greedy scumbags how the hell is wanting minimum wage in a profitable room greedy?

it's greedy and unhelpful. You are taking away from other things the casino can spend on including advertising for more players to play in the room. You are forcing out of market prices on other items within the same establishment which is less money the players will have to tip with. i.e. Pay the dealers $0 and they live off tips, drinks $1, entry fee $20, whatever it is. Pay dealers $10 an hour, drinks $3, entry fee $30...One takes from the other it's unavoidable.