Trainees prepare for table games

About 300 table games trainees are enrolled in an intensive gaming curriculum being delivered at Charles Town Races & Slots by the Blue Ridge Community & Technical College’s newly created Gaming Careers Institute.
It is estimated some 600 students will have completed the program by mid-June, said Dr. Ann Shipway, vice president of Economic and Workforce Development at Blue Ridge CTC.
The application process to become a table games employee involves preliminary assessments in math, interpersonal communications, and human resources. Armed with a letter of recommendation, qualified applicants can then begin training.
Geared to the schedules of working adults, instruction is offered in four-hour blocks that start as early as 7 a.m. and run through 12:30 a.m. Students pay $200 for the Introduction to Casino Games course. This 40-hour course covers the general responsibilities of the dealer and is a pre-requisite for other table games training courses. Emphasis is placed on correct chip handling techniques, identifying the value of each color chip, learning to read the total value of a bet, and pit procedures.
Training is offered in blackjack, roulette, poker, craps and MidiBaccarrat. Most of these classes (each costs $400, except craps, which is $700) Monday through Friday for four weeks.
Students also have to make separate application to the West Virginia Lottery Commission for a W.Va. Lottery License and a W.Va. Racing Commission Occupational Permit.
At the end of the process, an applicant auditions to work at CTRS and goes through a formal job interview process.
The facility hopes to offer table games this coming summer.