Question of the Day - 16 December 2018

[Editor's Note: As is our wont, we asked Andrew Uyal, our guy "behind the curtain," to tackle this one.]

The subject of ratings is a tricky one. Many variables affect how you’re rated.

One of those variables is the rating system itself. There are more different rating systems now than ever. Not that many casinos still rate manually (hand-written). Most systems now are electronic. Some of those enter the table minimum as your average by default when the rating is started. Some don’t give an average, forcing the floor to input something. In either case, it depends on the floor and how they judge your average. Most floors, whether manually or electronically, will start you at whatever your first bet is, then adjust from there.

Another big variable is the workload of the supervisor himself. Years ago, the floor person’s job description was explicitly: “protect the integrity of the game.” These days, they’re expected to do much more than just watch the games. In many places, their primary duty is providing guest service. Adding that to their existing duties of coordinating dealer breaks, keeping track of the money in the rack, watching for dealer mistakes, changing cards, and more has changed the way they do their jobs.

They’re also watching more tables than ever before. At one time, it was one floor for every four tables or so. Now, some are responsible for up to 10 games, sometimes even in two different pits. In situations like that, it’s tough to provide an accurate rating for all rated players in their section(s).

So if it seems like floor staff is paying less attention to your average, you’re probably right -- perhaps not for the reasons you thought, though.

What’s the solution? Simple. Ask.

No supervisor wants a player to constantly inquire about what his or her average is. However, if you approach the floorman at the end of your play and in a friendly way ask what your average is, he’ll tell you. If you disagree, the two of you can then work it out.

Be sure to do it tactfully, though, or you could end up doing more harm than good. A friendly player who understands the floor’s work load (or even just pretends to for the sake of a better rating) is likely to receive a more accurate, or maybe even higher, rating.