[Editor's Note: We handed this one off to Andrew Uyal, floor supervisor at the Cromwell. You can read Andrew's inside look at casino management in his "Behind the Curtain" blog, posted every Friday on Gambling With An Edge.]
It's a good question and one that has come up many times throughout my career.
The direct answer is ... sort of. Though there's no hard list of prerequisites, it's generally understood throughout the industry that dealing experience is required to "move up" to a pit-supervisory position. How long a candidate has been or was a dealer doesn't play that big a part. The bosses are more looking for competence on the game, overall knowledge and proficiency. Of course, the more games at which you're competent, the more valuable you’ll be as a supervisor.
Now, some openings are specific, such as a crap supervisor (a.k.a. box person). If all you know is craps, you can be a crap supervisor (as long as you don’t mind being pigeonholed into doing the same thing all day every day).
Some are even more targeted, like high-limit baccarat supervisor. Jobs like this one require a highly specialized skill set -- able to oversee large transactions, deal with big markers and credit lines, and handle the high-maintenance personalities that come and go in these types of environments. These are things that the average supervisor doesn't encounter often. It's unlikely anyone with less than 10 years experience and without some big-name casinos on their résumé will land one of these jobs.
For most supervisors, though, all it takes is dealing long enough to catch the boss' eye and a little bit of timing. If the casino happens to have an opening and you're in good standing with a few of the people above you, you're likely to be approached about the open position.
It's rare for someone who hasn't been a dealer to become a pit boss, due to the game knowledge required to do the job. I've seen only two exceptions in my 10 years. Both were experienced surveillance techs before transferring to the pit. And they both knew people in power who were willing to take a chance on them, even though they didn't have the dealing experience.
If it's something you're interested in, I recommend going to dealing school and learning the craft. Read as much as you can about the business. At least a couple of generations of pit bosses didn't do much more than that to get to their positions. Someone with a little ambition can go a lot farther than just floor supervisor.
