Card counting, a perfect shuffle, a lot of charm: the deal at casino academy
Summary
The article profiles the free Dealer Academy run by Rivers Casino Portsmouth, where students train for casino dealing careers. Over eight weeks, they learn essential skills: rapid mental math for payouts, customer service and charm to engage players, and precise handling of cards and chips. The curriculum starts with blackjack and progresses to poker variants. Instructors like Lee Albright and Yolanda Kazmar, themselves former students, provide hands-on training, testing students with tricky scenarios. Despite the free tuition, the casino dismisses unsuitable students. Graduates are considered for hiring, with the academy attracting significant interest, including from career changers seeking a more exciting profession.
(Source:Norfolk Virginian-Pilot)