plainplayer
Active Member
Wheeling Island, last Friday night. Talking with our dealer while she shuffled.
First, this is a table area with ASMs everywhere. Yet she's shuffling by hand. Not that I mind (or care, really), but why? "We have...[stumbles for words]...a card shortage." No joke, they were short on decks. Consequently they were allocating only 8 decks per table rather than the usual 16 -- that is, a shoeful should be in the ASM while the other shoeful is being played. With only half as many decks out, they hand-shuffled. She didn't know if this was an equipment ordering problem, or a manufacturing fault resulting in returned decks, or something else.
Second, so we asked how they were doing since Pennsylvania opened table games. I have no reason to disbelieve her, but what she said was still alarming: She thinks they have lost half their dealers and almost half their clientele to Pittsburgh in recent months, and they're worried about Ohio. They have opened $5 tables on Friday evenings -- possibly other evenings, too, it wasn't clear -- in an effort to draw back business and compete with the Pennsylvania threat. Now, they didn't look to me to be at all lacking in business (but this was just our 2nd time there), and in particular the buffet restaurant was totally packed earlier in the evening when we first got there. The game tables looked mostly busy and there seemed to be no lack of people wanting to find a seat to play.
Third, Mountaineer has "closed until further notice" the Warehouse pit area.
First, this is a table area with ASMs everywhere. Yet she's shuffling by hand. Not that I mind (or care, really), but why? "We have...[stumbles for words]...a card shortage." No joke, they were short on decks. Consequently they were allocating only 8 decks per table rather than the usual 16 -- that is, a shoeful should be in the ASM while the other shoeful is being played. With only half as many decks out, they hand-shuffled. She didn't know if this was an equipment ordering problem, or a manufacturing fault resulting in returned decks, or something else.
Second, so we asked how they were doing since Pennsylvania opened table games. I have no reason to disbelieve her, but what she said was still alarming: She thinks they have lost half their dealers and almost half their clientele to Pittsburgh in recent months, and they're worried about Ohio. They have opened $5 tables on Friday evenings -- possibly other evenings, too, it wasn't clear -- in an effort to draw back business and compete with the Pennsylvania threat. Now, they didn't look to me to be at all lacking in business (but this was just our 2nd time there), and in particular the buffet restaurant was totally packed earlier in the evening when we first got there. The game tables looked mostly busy and there seemed to be no lack of people wanting to find a seat to play.
Third, Mountaineer has "closed until further notice" the Warehouse pit area.
