Live! Casino Pittsburgh betting on dealer school to fill positions

An empty storefront in Westmoreland Mall is beginning to look like a casino for the start of Westmoreland County Community College’s dealer school.

Eight blackjack tables that can be converted for games such as Texas Hold ’em, Let it Ride and Criss Cross poker fill the space. A roulette wheel is tucked into the corner for later classes. Plexiglass follows the arch of the tables, dividers protecting individual players. A chip washer is ready for disinfecting and hand sanitizer is on each table.

Dealer school at Westmoreland Mall is coming together. Classes are slated to begin Aug. 17. pic.twitter.com/kvOwVM6TO5

— Megan Tomasic (@MeganTomasic) July 30, 2020

The school, which begins Aug. 17, will admit 120 students. Of those, between 60 and 70 will be hired at Live! Casino Pittsburgh, which is under construction in the former Bon-Ton space at the Hempfield facility.

The $150 million casino, owned by The Cordish Companies in Maryland, is expected to open before Thanksgiving with 750 slot machines and 30 table games.

But before the facility can open, future dealers will take weeks of classes, ensuring they are trained in the most basic games, while also learning how to control the table and keep players in the game. An initial five-week course will teach students blackjack and other games.

Students will start by learning the mechanics of blackjack, including counting chips, dealing cards and managing money in the rack and guest money, said Paul Sheppard, table games manager for Live! Casino Pittsburgh. They will learn game protections such as positioning themselves in a manner that allows them to watch the entire table.

“The way they train them, the way they invest in them and coach them, it’s not easy to fail at this,” said Sean Sullivan, vice president and general manager of Live! Casino Pittsburgh. “I want people to know that it’s sometimes intimidating, it’s sometimes fearful and so on, a little anxiety, but at five weeks you’ll be feeling your oats.”

After, students can pursue three tracks — craps, which is an additional six weeks; roulette, which is an additional five weeks; or an additional two weeks of carnival game training.

Four sessions will be held Monday through Friday once classes begin. The earliest class begins at 7:30 a.m. and the latest class runs from 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., said Sylvia Detar, director of continuing education with Westmoreland County Community College. Saturday and Sunday will be lab days where students can practice on their own.

About nine information sessions already have taken place, with most at full capacity. Additional sessions are scheduled for the first few weeks of August. A schedule can be found on WCCC’s website at westmoreland.edu and searching for dealer school.