PROCEDURE MANUAL Poker Room Guidelines

Nick Shepherd Director of Poker 12/19/11 [amendment 1]

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Table of Contents Card Issue ................................................................................................................................................ 3

Card Destruction ..................................................................................................................................... 3

Replacement Procedure ..................................................................................................................... 4

Bad Beat Jackpot ..................................................................................................................................... 4

Daily Drop Count ..................................................................................................................................... 5

Drop Count Reconciliation .................................................................................................................. 6

Application For Leave .............................................................................................................................. 6

Privilege Leave .................................................................................................................................... 7

Casual Leave ........................................................................................................................................ 7

Sick Leave ............................................................................................................................................ 7

Comp Offs/Pending Offs ..................................................................................................................... 8

Shift Change Procedure .......................................................................................................................... 8

General Staff Duties ................................................................................................................................ 8

Attendance .......................................................................................................................................... 8

Conduct ............................................................................................................................................... 8

Dress/ Appearance .............................................................................................................................. 8

Security ............................................................................................................................................... 9

Etiquette ............................................................................................................................................. 9

Dealers Duties ......................................................................................................................................... 9

Shuffler duties ....................................................................................................................................... 10

Cashiers Duties ...................................................................................................................................... 10

Supervisors Duties ................................................................................................................................ 11

Clean Hands Procedure ......................................................................................................................... 12

The Shuffle Procedure .......................................................................................................................... 12

Accepting Tips ....................................................................................................................................... 13

Tournament Procedures ....................................................................................................................... 13

Tournament Chip Inventory .............................................................................................................. 13

Chip Race ........................................................................................................................................... 13

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Card Issue The card issue log which should be retained in the cash desk, is to be filled in whenever cards are

issued to the tables.

The cashier on duty is solely responsible for issuing cards from the main card stock to a dealer under

instruction from a supervisor, and for ensuring that the card issue log is kept up to date.

Cards should only be issued to a dealer either when a new table is opened for the first time or when

a dealer change is required. Cards may be issued at other times as deemed necessary by the duty

manager or in the absence of a duty manager a senior supervisor. Should cards be needed for a

training game they should only be issued from the stock of playing cards specifically set aside for

training and not from the main card stock.

Once a supervisor has instructed a dealer to get a fresh deck and the dealer has approached the cash

desk the cashier must ascertain which colour deck is required (usually this will be two decks, one of

each colour) and which table they are to be issued to. The cashier will then fill out the date

(according to the gaming day) and the time that the cards are issued (time out). The cashier will also

write the table number, the name of the dealer, the colour of the cards (if two decks are being

issued then the cashier is required to fill out two rows in the card issue log, one for each colour). If a

table is being opened for the first time then the cashier must ensure that cutting card(s) and dealer

button are also issued and should be recorded in the Log with a tick in the appropriate column.

The cards should only be handed over to the dealer once the log has been filled out.

The ‘time in’ column should only be filled out once the cards are returned to the cash desk by a

dealer and if a different cashier from the issuing cashier is in the cash desk then the new cashier

should countersign in the margin.

If training cards are being issued then the log should be filled out in the usual way, except that the

colour of the cards is not required but ‘training’ should be written in the colour column instead.

Card Destruction From time to time in the normal course of play the cards may get marked or damaged. The

procedure for dealing with this situation is as follows.

Once a card has been bought to the attention of the floor staff as being damaged it must be

removed from the table immediately and taken to the cash desk. The supervisor will ask the cashier

for the card destruction log and the spare card box. The supervisor will verify the damaged card and

destroy it immediately by cutting it in half with scissors. The supervisor will then fill out the card

destruction log starting with the date, the time of destruction, the number of the table from which

the card was taken and the name of the dealer. The denomination and suit of the card must also be

filled in as well as the colour and then signed by either the supervisor or duty manager.

The supervisor will then take from the spare card box a replacement card of the same suit and

denomination as the damaged card, ensuring that it too is not marked in any way. The replacement

card will then be returned to the table from which the original damaged card was taken and

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replaced according to the replacement procedure outlined below. The supervisor or duty manager

only are permitted to perform the exchange of cards.

Replacement Procedure The supervisor will return to the table from which the damaged card was taken with both the new

replacement card and one half of the damaged card (which should be cut completely in half) the

cards should then be shown to both the players and the dealer for verification and then the new

replacement card should be included in the deck to which it corresponds and should then be

shuffled ready to be included in the next deal. The supervisor or duty manager only are permitted to

perform the exchange of cards.

Whilst the supervisor is at the cash desk and filling out the card destruction log the dealer at the

table from which the damaged card was taken should continue dealing with only one deck until such

time as the card is replaced.

Bad Beat Jackpot The bad beat jackpot is a progressive amount paid in by the players during cash game play at the

rate of R50 per hand. For every hand the dealer deals R50 is taken out of the pot and goes towards

the bad beat jackpot. The jackpot is basically an insurance bet against being outdrawn when holding

a premium hand. The payout will be made according to the following table but to qualify the player

must hold a hand of aces full or better and lose to a higher hand of aces full or better.

In order to be paid out however both players must use both hole cards in the hand for it to qualify.

1. Royal Flush - 25% OF PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT (Single card does not qualify)

2. Straight Flush - 5% OF PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT (Single card does not qualify)

PROGRESSIVE JACKPOT AMOUNT AS PER CASH DESK RECORDS

100% of the total progressive jackpot amount will be distributed for bad beat, of which player who

gets bad- beat - 50% player who wins - 25% and the balance 25% will be distributed between rest of

the players.

Once a qualifying hand has been established the game must be paused by the dealer and the hand

left on display to give the supervisor and duty manager time to verify the hand.

Any qualifying hands must be verified by a duty manager before any payment is made. The duty

manager only will be responsible for making payouts of any jackpot amount. The duty manager will

usually make any payment at the table and where possible the payout should be made in chips not

cash. Any payouts must be recorded on the progressive jackpot log which will record the time, date,

table, dealer and the progressive amount and payment and should be signed by the cashier and the

duty manager.

A daily record of the progressive jackpot payments in and the progressive total must be kept in the

progressive jackpot record sheet. This should also be signed every day by the cashier and the duty

manager.

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Daily Drop Count The daily drop count is the counting of the rake from the previous day’s action. The drop boxes must

be taken off the tables during the morning shift as soon as the previous night’s game has broken and

kept under secure conditions in the cash desk. Upon starting their shift in the evening, the duty

manager should perform the drop count at their earliest convenience, this will usually be between

8pm – midnight*.

Should the previous night’s game still be ongoing throughout the course of the morning shift then

the drop box should not be changed until either the game breaks or the drop box is full. Should the

drop box need to be changed because it has reached its capacity then it should be replaced with an

interim drop box.

When the duty manager is ready to conduct the daily drop count he will instruct the duty cashier to

make ready the drop boxes from the previous day and to ensure that he has the drop box keys, daily

drop count form(s), pen and sufficient chip trays to complete the count. The duty manager will also

ensure that at least one dealer is available to help with the chip count.

The duty manager, cashier and dealer(s) will take the lift together to the drop count room located on

the second floor. Prior to entering the drop count room the cashier will inform surveillance (CCTV)

that a chip count is about to take place.

Once in the drop count room the duty manager will instruct the cashier to open the first box starting

with box #1, the cashier only should be responsible for opening the drop boxes and for ensuring they

are reset after checking. The duty manager should then fill out the date and table number of the

drop box on a daily drop count form ready for the chip count.

The cashier should open the drop box carefully and empty the contents of the drop box slowly onto

the count table whilst holding the drop box door with one hand ensuring that no chips fall to the

floor. Remaining chips can be removed by the cashier from the drop box by hand.

Should a chip(s) fall to the floor at this stage (or at any time during the chip count) then either the

dealer or cashier should announce ‘chip down’ and show clean hands before retrieving the chip(s)

from the floor. They should then place the chip(s) back onto the count table and once again show

clean hands before continuing with the chip count.

Once the cashier is sure the contents of the drop box have been emptied onto the count table he

should show the empty drop box first to the duty manager, then the dealer, and finally to the

surveillance camera for verification, if it is discovered at this time that further chips remain inside

the drop box then they should be removed by the cashier before repeating the verification

procedure.

The dealer and the cashier should then continue to chip up the chips from the count table (higher

value chips first where possible) into stacks of 20 chips. When all the chips have been chipped up the

stacks should be arranged into denominations, highest denomination to the lowest, from left to

right and in rows of five (100 chips). Short stacks should be cut down in front of the main stacks

according to the following table.....

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10,000 Rupee chips Cut in 5’s with odd chips run down

5,000 Rupee chips Cut in 4’s with odd chips run down

1,000 Rupee chips Cut in 5’s with odd chips run down

500 Rupee chips Cut in 4’s with odd chips run down

100 Rupee chips Cut in 5’s with odd chips run down

50 Rupee chips Cut in 4’s with odd chips run down

Once the chips have been arranged and cut down on the count table the duty manager shall begin to

fill out the daily drop count sheet by verifying the amount of each denomination of chip in turn and

the value with the cashier and dealer. The cashier and dealer should verify all totals before the duty

manager fills out the sheet.

When the manager has finished writing in the amounts for all denominations he/she should total the

chip count for the table at the bottom of the sheet and sign. The cashier and dealer are also required

to sign the daily drop count sheet but not before they have verified all amounts and the totals and

checked the addition.

The cashier will then inform surveillance that the box is finished and further verify the total amount

with a surveillance operator. Once verified with surveillance the chips can be placed in the chip

trays.

If there are further drop boxes to be counted then the same procedure must be followed with all

subsequent drop boxes until the chip count is complete.

Once the chip count is complete the chips are to be transported back to the poker room cash desk

by the cashier and dealer together with the duty manager.

Drop Count Reconciliation A further check of the chips totals will be performed at the cash desk by a different cashier who will

fill out a drop count reconciliation form and total all the amounts for all the tables counted that day.

Once this is complete the chip count reconciliation form should be submitted to the duty manager

who performed the chip count to sign and verify the totals (the chip count reconciliation form

should NOT be signed by a duty manager other than the manager responsible for the chip count)

When all the paperwork is complete the cashier should make photocopies of all daily drop count

forms and the chip count reconciliation sheet and staple the photocopies together to be sent to

head office and staple the originals together to be given to the operator.

*At the very latest!

Application For Leave Any applications for leave require a leave application form which must be submitted to a duty

manager for approval at least 7 days before the required dates.

The leave application forms can be acquired at the cash desk or by speaking to a shift supervisor or

duty manager.

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It is the responsibility of the employee to apply for leave using the leave application form and to get

this approved by a manager. All leave must be applied for in advance. Where it is not possible to

apply in advance (such as in the case of illness) a manager should be informed by phone or by letter

(hand delivered or postal) detailing the reason for the absence and the possible duration. In such

cases a leave application form must be filled out and submitted immediately after returning to work

or the employee may be marked down as absent.

There are three types of leave available to staff....

Privilege Leave (15 days) This your normal holiday entitlement (minimum 4 consecutive days)

Casual Leave (6 days) Usually for family or unexpected emergencies

Sick Leave (6 days) To be taken in case of illness

When deciding whether or not to approve leave requests the duty manager must consider the

interests of the house and so leave may not be granted during tournaments or national holidays or

other busy times or at a time when other staff are already on leave if it is considered that it may

lead to a staff shortage. Because of this staff are asked to make any leave applications as early as

possible to avoid any possibility of disappointment.

Privilege Leave Is your normal holiday entitlement and is limited to 15 days per calendar year. You must take a

minimum of four consecutive days (not including your off day) at any one time to qualify towards

your leave entitlement.

Privilege leave can only be applied for after one year’s service with the company.

Casual Leave Casual leave can be taken on a day by day basis and is generally for family problems or emergencies

etc. You are entitled to 6 casual leaves per year.

Sick Leave Sick leave is for medical problems or illness and can be taken as and when needed. You are entitled

to 9 sick leave days per year.

Application for sick leave for more than a week must be accompanied by a medical certificate. Sick

leave may be refused in cases where certificates are submitted at the end of the sickness period. A

fitness certificate from a doctor is required if resuming work after more than a week’s sickness.

Leave days can be taken anytime during the calendar year but cannot be carried over to the next

year. If you do not use your year’s entitlement then you will lose those days for that year.

When filling out the leave application form employees must ensure that the form is filled out

correctly with name, type of leave and the exact dates required. Sick leave forms will usually be filled

out after the event but must be submitted to avoid the possibility of being marked down as absent.

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Comp Offs/Pending Offs Comp offs and pending offs are additional leave days that may be given to staff for working public

holidays, days off or otherwise at the discretion of the duty manager. These off days must be verified

on the day of issue by a duty manager and recorded in the appropriate section of the staff leave log.

Comp offs and pending offs MUST be taken within 30 days of issue.

Shift Change Procedure Should a member of staff wish to change shift with another member of staff for any reason they

must first complete a change shift form which must be submitted to and signed by a duty manager

(if permission is granted) at least 7 days before the desired shift change.

The duty manager must ensure that there is sufficient staff on the day in question and that the

gaming operation will not be compromised by the change of shift. A duty manager will only sign the

change shift form if permission for the change is given, otherwise the form should be destroyed in

the presence of the duty manager.

Once permission is granted and the form is signed it should be kept in the attendance log until the

shift is complete. Where possible the dealer’s should be of similar experience or standard before

requesting a shift change.

The change shift form requires the names of the dealers requesting the change and the date and

time of the shifts as well as signatures of all parties. Applicant 1 is the person requesting the shift

change and applicant 2 is the person whose shift he wishes to change to. Supervisors may NOT

change shift with dealers under any circumstances!

General Staff Duties

Attendance Each staff member has to report to the supervisor on duty 15 minutes before the start of their shift

and sign the attendance register.

Conduct Staff should be polite and courteous to players at all time. In the event of a dispute on a table that cannot be resolved by the dealer, the supervisor or duty manager should be called immediately. There is to be no talking between staff during the game, however small. Dealers should not argue with supervisors under any circumstances, any disputes will be handled away from players and tables. It is important for the efficient running of the operation that all staff co-operate with each other.

Dress/ Appearance Uniform should be as supplied by Pride casino with black shoes for both girls and boys. Girls heels

should be no more than 1 inch.

Trouser and shirt pockets must be sown up and no turn ups are allowed.

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Appearance must be of a high standard with care taken over hair, hands, fingernails and personal hygiene. Girls must wear makeup. Only one engagement or wedding ring is allowed and only one set of small looped or studded earrings. No bracelets or watches are allowed. Supervisors may wear a watch but has to leave in the cash desk when dealing. Name badges must be visible at all times.

Security Dealers are responsible for keeping their floats in order and dealing with all transactions pertaining to the game. Supervisors should not handle chips at all except when doing a player cash change or internal chip transaction. Dealers should not play with cash chips during an inactive game. All breaks must be taken in the staff room. No staff member should remain inside the Poker Zone once he has dispensed with his duties. Supervisors must ensure that this rule is adhered to. No money should for any reason ever change hands between dealers and players whether inside or outside work or working hours. Any cash transactions made at the table should be performed by a supervisor or a duty manager or in rare cases by a dealer under the supervision of a duty manager. Dealers should never take anything directly from a player's hands. No staff member is allowed to receive visitors at work. No staff member is allowed to leave the casino during working hours, without permission from management.

Etiquette Eating or chewing in the Poker Zone is not allowed. Staff members are reminded to visit the toilet during their breaks. Remember you may be at a table for an hour or more so in order to avoid disrupting the game you must take comfort breaks at convenient times. Meals, drinks and cigarettes are to be taken in the staff room only. English only may be spoken in the Poker Zone. No personal cell phones are allowed in the Poker Zone.

Dealers Duties Dealers must deal games in a courteous and efficient manner. Remember that the player is the most

important person in the Poker Zone and should be accommodated whenever possible. However we

are in a business that relies on the efficient running of the games with regards to speed and security

and to this end dealer’s MUST focus all their attention on their games, adhere to all the procedures

as laid down by the company and deal the games as quickly as possible without ever making the

player feel uncomfortable.

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When arriving at the table, dealers should make themselves aware of the table min/max bet and

buy-in.

During games all relevant information must be communicated to the table. DEALERS MUST SPEAK UP IN A CLEAR VOICE ALL THE TIME. Dealers should always be aware of and maintain a high level of security when dealing. Dealers may not criticise players or supervisors in a dispute situation. In the event of any dispute at the table a floor person should be called immediately. Keep your mind on your work and don't let yourself get distracted by players or other staff members. Make sure tables are kept clean and tidy, straighten up your chairs at the cessation of a game and sort out the cards (any card irregularities should be bought to the attention of the duty manager immediately) as soon as the game ends.

Shuffler duties When a shuffler is employed they should act as a second pair of eyes and when not in the act of

shuffling the cards should always monitor the table for any irregularities or dealer errors.

The shuffler should pay particular attention for ensuring the rake is taken correctly and that the

change procedure is followed.

The shuffler should never leave the cards unattended even for a second and should keep them in

hand when not shuffling.

The shuffler should always stand up straight and try to maintain a professional demeanour at all

times.

Cashiers Duties Cashiers should ensure that their workspace is kept tidy at all times. Whilst on duty in the Poker

Zone the tidiness and orderliness of the cash desk is solely their responsibility no matter what the

procedure in other areas of the casino.

All paper work must be kept up to date and completed before vacating the cash desk on change of

cashier.

The card stock is the responsibility of the cashier on duty and must be kept in order. Likewise the

tournament and training chips should be kept in a manner sufficient to ensure the distribution of

equipment to a supervisor is conducted in a seamless and efficient manner. In all matters pertaining

to the card stock the cashier should take direction from the Director of Poker.

On changeover the process of counting and verifying the cashiers float should be conducted as

quickly and smoothly as possible with a minimum of fuss.

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All credit card transactions must be witnessed and verified by a duty manager. Similarly all large cash

transactions of one Lakh and above should be verified by a duty manager.

All files and paperwork must be kept in their assigned place as per the direction of the Director of

Poker. No cashier is permitted to make changes regarding the cash desk or its equipment or files

unless with the express permission of the Director of Poker.

Stocks of Poker Zone paperwork should be checked regularly and kept up to date so as they do not

run out. The printer cartridge should also be checked for ink and when low it must be bought to the

attention of a supervisor or duty manager so that it may be changed/filled.

Cashiers should make themselves aware of all rules and procedures that pertain to the running of

the Poker Zone especially those that require the assistance of the cashier (most especially the issue

and destruction of cards, all logs and records and the drop count procedure) and should always

strive to co-operate fully with Poker Zone staff and management.

Only cashiers, duty managers (including cash desk managers) and the operator are permitted entry

into the cash desk. Whilst inside the cash desk the door should remain locked at all times and

certainly if vacating the cash desk for any reason and for any length of time the door should be

locked.

Supervisors Duties Supervisors are there to ensure that the games run smoothly, efficiently and are dealt to procedure. Any disputes are to be handled in a friendly and polite manner and problems are to be referred to the duty manager immediately. Keep the duty manager informed at all times as to the status of the waiting list, cash deposits, player credit, credit card transactions, large buy ins, suspicious behaviour, games that are out of control, shortage of any chip denominations and any other relevant information that may be of value. Supervisors must be security conscious at all times, anything suspicious must be reported to the duty manager immediately. All relevant information must be passed on to the new supervisor at the change of shift. Check that all paperwork is up to date and accurate. The cash desk should be checked on a regular basis to ensure that enough copies of all forms and other vital paperwork are kept in the appropriate folders and that no paperwork is allowed to run out. Supervisors should liaise with the cashiers to print extra copies of any document which is running low. Keep track of the chips and inform the duty manager of any chip denomination that is running low. When supervisors are called on to deal they should follow the same procedures as dealers in dealing the games. Supervisors are also expected to tutor dealers and encourage them to continually improve as training does not end the moment trainees finish the training school. Monitor drinks service and report inefficiency to the duty manager.

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Fill in player sheets properly and account for all buy-ins and cash outs from players. Keep the duty manager informed of any problems with dealers or players. Enforce all Pride poker procedures as laid out in the Pride Poker Procedure Manual and the Pride Poker Tournament Rules.

Clean Hands Procedure Gaming Staff will show clean hands before and after:

1. Passing anything to or taking anything from a staff member or player 2. Arriving at or leaving a table (unless float in hand) 3. Touching any part of clothing or body for any reason 4. Retrieving a dropped chip or card from the floor

Change Procedure When doing a chip change the dealer must follow this procedure. The dealer must first announce (in

a loud clear voice) ‘chip change’ before dealing with the transaction. The transaction should be

conducted as follows. Any change (chips) coming into the float (chip to be changed) must be clearly

displayed to the dealer’s left. Any change going out of the float (change) must be clearly displayed to

the dealer’s right. Once the dealer has verified the amount the chips should be passed off to the

customer.

The Shuffle Procedure Where possible the cards will be chemmied face down for approximately two minutes. Cards will be chemmied using the fingertips, in a figure 8 motion. The chemmy is the most important shuffle of the day, so make sure the cards are mixed thoroughly, after the chemmy the cards should be shuffled using the house shuffle. During a game, only the house shuffle is to be used. This shuffle may never be changed or varied unless it is done on instruction from management. The house shuffle consists of two riffles followed by a pull through followed by another riffle then the cut. When using the ‘pitch deal’ a cutting card should always be used to hide the bottom card. If a card is exposed at anytime during the shuffle, the dealer will begin the shuffle procedure again. If for any reason the cards are dropped to the floor, they must be picked up by the supervisor only, checked, counted and shuffled again. When shuffling dealers must not look around them or chat but instead concentrate on getting the cards shuffled properly paying special attention to the riffle and making sure cards are not shuffled in clusters. Once the cards have been shuffled and cut the game should commence.

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Accepting Tips On receiving a tip the dealer must first bring it to the attention of a supervisor by banging the chip

on the brass surround of the rake box in a loud and clear manner. The dealer should also ensure that

he receives a verbal recognition by the supervisor.

Tournament Procedures The most common situations as far as tournament game play are concerned are adequately covered

in the Tournament Rules Manual, however this section is designed to outline the procedures to be

used by floor staff when organising, running and administering poker tournaments in the Pride

poker room.

Tournament Chip Inventory At the start of a tournament all chips that are to be issued for the days play must be recorded on the

tournament chip inventory sheet. The sheet is an excel spreadsheet which will automatically update

the values based on the data entered. Under NO circumstances must data be entered into the

highlighted areas of the spreadsheet.

Generally the denomination of the chips and the quantity in the bank will remain constant though it

is possible that the quantity may vary and can be amended accordingly.

The cells that need to be filled out are the ‘chips issued’ and ‘chips returned’. Depending on the size

and the structure of the tournament not all the chips from the main bank need to be issued at one

time so the tournament organiser will decide how many chips need to be issued and fill out the

corresponding cells, this will lead to a minus value in the chip difference cells.

Once the tournament is complete the chips used must be recounted and the totals entered into the

chips returned cells, this should see the chip difference return to zero if all the chips are accounted

for.

If for any reason there is a negative value for a particular denomination in the chip difference cells

this means that chips are missing and an investigation should be carried out. Should there be a

positive value in a cell for any denomination this means that there are surplus chips (more returned

than issued) and similarly an investigation should be carried out to determine the possible reason.

Chip Race A chip race is the act of removing the smaller value chips from play during a tournament after they

are no longer needed and replacing them with chips of higher value.

When performing a chip race or ‘colouring up’ at the end of a round during tournament play the

supervisor or tournament director should ensure they have enough chip trays and higher value chips

to complete the operation in one visit. There should always be two people colouring up any

particular table and a dealer should also be present so that the actions are witnessed by at least

three people.

When colouring up, any chips that a player may have of the denomination to be removed, should be

cut down and where possible replaced with chips of a higher value (eg: 20 x 25 replaced with 1 x 500

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etc). If there are odd amounts of chips left over for the player (eg: 3 x 25) they should be run down

on the layout in front of the players main stack in preparation for the chip race.

(The supervisor or tournament director should also take the opportunity when colouring up to

introduce some higher value chips into play where appropriate).

When all the chips on the table have been dealt with the chip race can begin. The chip race starts

from left of the button and is performed by the dealer shuffling and dealing cards to each player

who has odd chips, one card at a time for each chip the player has in front of them (if a player has

one chip he receives one card, three cards for three chips etc). Once the cards have been dealt the

person with the highest card (or the first high card from left of the button) will receive one chip of

the next highest denomination and the chips required to make that amount will be removed from

play. The next highest card will also receive a higher denomination chip and so on. This continues

until all chips are withdrawn from play. A player may receive only one chip of the next highest

denomination. At the end of the race should there still be odd chips remaining then it is at the

tournament director’s discretion as to whether to colour up the player.