Table Games Labor Standards - Dealer Break Schedules

While establishing labor standards for a Table Game Department is a fairly straight-forward exercise, the entire process requires several steps – Dealer Coverage, Supervisor Coverage, and Tables Required by Game Type will all need to be created in order to produce and accurate overall Department labor standard. This time I will discuss establishing Dealer Coverage requirements, or, calculating a Dealer work-to-table ratio using break schedules.

Most Nevada and East Coast casinos utilize a 60 minute on - 20 minute off Dealer break schedule, a ratio commonly called a 60:20. Essentially, a 60:20 target is the same as covering 12 tables with 16 Dealers, by using this ratio the following standards can be used to calculated the number of Dealer labor hours per open table hour:

Blackjack, Carnival Tables - 1.33 Dealer hours per Table Hour.
Roulette - 1.33 Dealer hours per Table Hour + Racker (Mucker) coverage if Roulette Chippers are not installed.
Craps - Typically 3 X 1.33 (3.99) Dealer hours per open Table Hour + Box coverage if provided by Dealers (normally the Box Person is a Supervisor; however, some jurisdictions allow Dealers to set Box).

Most Midwestern casinos favor an 80 minute on - 20 minute off Dealer break schedule, a strategy which results in a bit more than 6% of increased labor efficiency along with higher Toke Rates for participating Dealers (essentially, using 15 Dealers to cover 12 tables). Using an 80:20 break standard the following ratios can be used to determine required Dealer labor by Table Hour:

Blackjack, Carnival Tables - 1.25 Dealer hours per Table Hour.
Roulette - 1.25 Dealer hours per Table Hour, again, + Racker (Mucker) coverage if required.
Craps - Typically 3 X 1.25 (3.75) Dealer hours per open Table Hour, again, + Box coverage if provided by Dealers.

Specialty games not listed here may require different Dealer coverage per open Table Hour. Establish Baccarat coverage based on game requirements (Mini-Bac versus Full Bac). Also, you may need to factor in fixed Toke Committee labor standards if members of the Committee perform their functions while on the clock.

Poker Dealer break schedules are normally a little different from Table Games targets, I have encountered many combinations or work-to-break ratios while working with different Properties. Determine the work-to-break ratio in use and calculate accordingly (some Card Room Dealers work a 120:30 break schedule, or, a 1.25 factor of required Dealer coverage per open Table Hour). Because in many cases Poker Dealer keep their own Tokes, break schedules can be even more aggressive than Table Games Dealers and at times I have observed the ratios going to 1.20 Dealer Hours per open Table Hour or more.

Multiplying open tables by game type using your break schedule calculations will yield the number of Dealer headcount required to cover. Check your results paying close attention to low-volume hours (particularly at closing), if you see the calculation returning a headcount target value slightly higher than your desired target (due to rounding), then adjust using a maximum Dealer headcount threshold.

Next time we will cover the second component of developing Table Games Labor Standards, that being the calculation of Supervisor Coverage requirements using Break Strings.