How do casinos deal with table game disruptions?

Casino-goers often become rowdy while playing games or drinking, but sometimes that rowdiness crosses into big disturbances – like one caught in a viral video where a woman is seen on top of a craps table in Reno, throwing chips at others around her.

How do casinos deal with those disruptions and return those games back to normal for other players?

Derk Boss, a 40-year casino security professional, said it starts with de-escalation tactics.

“They’re trying to keep the gaming going as much as possible with as little disruption as they can,” said Boss, who runs the consultancy firm DJ Boss Associates. “We normally don’t stop the game whatsoever. We get so adept at this – the dealers and the floor people and security – that are usually having a quiet conversation or isolating the person to the degree necessary, so the game keeps going.”

Boss said casino staff will try to reason with the disruptive guest, but it can often lead to their removal from the game or casino.

In worst-case scenarios, casino staff call surveillance to review the camera footage of game action and player wagers before the disruption began.

“They’ll do a quick review to put it all back to normal,” he said. “We’ll see where the cards went, who they belonged to, who had what money or chips and what position they were at. That’s going to take a few minutes, maybe even a little bit longer, but we’re pretty adept due to the frequency of the events so we’re all working together.”

If you’re a player at a table where there was a disturbance, Boss recommends being patient while the dealers, floor managers, security and surveillance teams address the issue and reset the game. If you’re not satisfied with the outcomes, you can always ask a manager to call surveillance.

“Be patient. If (the player) is a little confused about things, it’s OK to ask the floor person about what they’re doing,” Boss said.

Contact McKenna Ross at mross@reviewjournal.com. Follow @mckenna_ross_ on X.