Casino Games Dealer
Sahara Tahoe
Lake Tahoe, Nevada
I started my career in gaming back in the day...seems like 1975 or so when I was introduced to casino madness at the historic "Silver City" Casino on the strip by an "angel", Jose Porta, who talked me into being one of his casino porters (I was to change lightbulbs!). I loved it...every minute of it...but, thought I'd better get back on track and head to SF to enroll in a management trainee position to become a stockbroker (I had just completed my first year of my MBA at ASU in Finance (CFP-Certified Financial Planner) as my goal upon my return from my tour of duty in Vietnam '70. After a stint at living at a Shell gas station outside the front gate of Stanford (ha), I finally made my way to Lake Tahoe. I lived in my '69 VW during the brutal winter of '77 (again, ha) and finally got hired on at Sahara-Tahoe in an entry-level position: Cashier's Cage! I became a Blackjack Dealer in '78 (including dice, roulette, and baccarat) and was there when the Sahara was bought and renamed the Horizon Casino. I officially "put my coat on" and became a pit supervisor and left to be a Dice Boxman at Bally's Casino in Reno, commuting daily from Lake Tahoe, weather and all. After Bally's, I was recruited to open the riverboats in Joliet, Illinois, for Harrahs. What a wonderful opportunity of opening gaming in a new jurisdiction...and, on a riverboat, no less! What a wonderful experience that added to my resume which made it easier to be offered responsibilities including my dream job of working on the floor (Pit Boss) at Caesar's Palace-Las Vegas from which I retired in 2009.I loved every minute of working in a casino...Tommy Lasorda said, "I bleed Dodger Blue". I bleed CASINO BLUE!