A:
This took some investigation, but you’re correct, there are dealers in Las Vegas who know American Sign Language, although we only managed to locate two of them. If more are out there, please let us know!
The two deaf dealers we know of both work at Wynn. Currently, one works the swing shift (8 pm-4 am) and deals blackjack, while the other works on day shift (noon-8 pm) and deals blackjack and 3-card poker. Both are off on Wednesdays and Thursdays. If you require a dealer who knows American Sign Language, we'd recommend you contact either Human Resources or the pit in advance of your trip and make sure that one of these dealers will be available (shifts and days off can change). The number for Wynn is 702/770-7000 or 866/770-7108.
In the course of researching this answer, we also learned of the National Deaf Poker Tour, of which we'd previously been unaware. The tour was founded earlier this year by six deaf men who wanted to bring the nation's best deaf players together, and to date they've already held tournaments at the Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City, Foxwoods (Connecticut), and most recently here in Las Vegas on July 22, 2006, at Binion's, which featured a field of 98 players from all over the country. For further information about future Deaf Poker Tour events, or the weekly online tournament they hold at 8 pm (EST) on FullTiltPoker.com, visit www.nationaldeafpokertour.com.
Update 19 February 2007
LATEST UPDATE: Deaf players from Illinois and surrounding states are invited to compete in the region's first deaf Texas hold'em tournament on Sunday, Feb. 25 at Hanging Gardens Banquets in River Grove. The entry fee is $65 and the winner and second-place finisher will each win a seat at the 2007 WSOP, plus travel expenses. For more information visit www.wsadeaf.org or www.rockfordcharitablegames.com
09/29/2006: October 11, 2006, the Palms in Las Vegas will be hosting the 2nd Annual World Deaf Poker Tournament. The game is No-Limit Texas Hold'em, with $200 buy-in, $100 entry fee, and a $60,000 prize pool ($27,000 1st prize) based on 300 entrants. For more info and official rules, visit www.poker.deaflasvegas.com
08/07/2006 Thanks to the reader who wrote in to inform us that there's also a deaf dealer at the Aladdin, who deals blackjack and roulette. A call to the property verified this, but we were unable to find out which shifts he works, so call ahead if you need to know.
There's also a deaf female dealer who works at the Golden Nugget, dealing blackjack and 3 card poker. Again, the casino would not verify her shifts, but if you would like to play there when she's working, be sure to call ahead to the pit and hopefully they'll help you.
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