Have clean nails? come deal cards at gaming school

Hollywood actor Benicio Del Toro’s cameo as Franky Four Fingers a lovable rogue of a gambling addict in the cult film Snatch may have won him rave reviews, but if you are aiming to be a live casino dealer, four fingers simply won’t do.

“If you are colour blind or if you have a missing digit in your hand, you simply cannot become a dealer,” said Stephen Anthony Khan, casino manager at the Maharaja Offshore Casino in Goa.

He is in charge of raising a team of young dealers to tend the live gaming tables on the vessel.


“If you have short fingers, you could have a problem. But with a missing digit you simply cannot even hope to become a dealer.

It’s virtually impossible to cope,” he said, adding that like for surgeons, long and nimble fingers were as important for a gaming table dealer.

In fact, for the more than 60 trainee dealers studying at the training school started by Creative Gaming Solutions Pvt Ltd, an Essel Group company, which operates the Maharaja Casino, a written code of behaviour and hygiene policy carves in stone the importance of presentable hands for a prospective dealer.

“The guest always notices a dealer’s hands and therefore they should be washed frequently.

Fingernails should be clean at all times, unbitten and well manicured. For girls, the nails should be no longer than the tip of the finger,” the policy statement reads.

The policy abhors tattoos and bracelets unless they are of religious significance and advocates moderate use of rings and perfumes, aftershave or fragrances.


Later in the evening he will alsoattend the CLP meeting. On 2nd september, 2009 before leaving for Delhi he will address the ofice bearers of GPCC.