Question of the Day - 29 October 2019

[Editor's Note: This question is answered by Andrew Uyal, who you should know by now is a pit supervisor at the Cromwell and author of our new book The Blackjack Insiders.]

As usual, I can’t speak for all casinos. That said, as far as I’m aware, no rule prohibits the use of hearing aids. If anything, I believe the use of hearing aids would have to be allowed under the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act). A form can be filled out by someone requiring special circumstances and the employer is obligated to make accommodations, as long as it’s within the reasonable confines of normal business operations.

As for cheating through hearing aids, I've never heard of that. My editor tells me he just got a high-tech new hearing aid and he can receive Bluetooth transmissions right through it, which he uses for cell phone conversations and audio from his television. It goes directly into his head without anyone else being able to hear it. He tells me an amusing story that the TV can be on, but muted, in the den and even though he can't see it from the dinner table, he can listen to the game without his wife knowing. He says its a pretty good challenge to see how long he can get away with it -- and that it's a good thing his wife is so ... forgiving. 

But I can't see how even that would facilitate cheating. If anything, it seems to me that a player wearing an earpiece might receive info from another player, such as one behind the dealer who can catch the hole card or the back card when shuffling. 

The ADA rule extends to other special accommodations that wouldn’t normally be allowed as well. These include, but aren't limited to, canes, braces, and casts. As you can probably imagine, braces and such are normally vertboten, as they're easy to stash chips in. But in today’s corporate climate, it’s not unheard of for this to be allowed.

While we're on the subject, I thought it topical to bring up some other common restrictions on what dealers can and can’t wear. Watches, for example, are restricted to a certain size. If a dealer’s timepiece is bigger than a chip, he or she could be asked to remove it.

Ever noticed a dealer with cuffed pants? Nope. That’d be another clear violation. This one extends to pit supervisors as well. Cuffs on the pants could be a nifty hiding spot for chips. They’ve been against the rules going back decades.

Here’s one for the women. Hair has to be pulled back if it’s longer than your shoulders. Hairdos have a history of being nesting places for chips sneaking off the table. Nowadays, this one has gotten more lenient, especially on the guest-service- (and appearance-) driven Las Vegas Strip. As a general rule, though, you won’t see many women dealers with their hair down. A little side note for the women that has nothing to do with cheating: Earrings have to be smaller than a quarter.

You might notice that most dealers' uniform buttons go almost all the way up their neck. This makes it harder for walkaway chips to find their way into a dealer’s clothes.

How about something they're required to wear? You’d be hard pressed to find a dealer on duty who’s not wearing a small apron that straps around the waist. It’s meant to cover the front pockets and the only exception I've ever seen to wearing them is in the party pits.