By Buddy Frank, CDC Gaming
The slot machines, booths and new technologies at G2E 2025 were even bigger and brighter than ever before. Yet the most excitement on the floor came from the far end of Hall D, where the three-day Dealer Championship was underway.
In its first year, 34 competitors from across the country entered this test of skills at card pitching, cheque racking and primarily their ability to deal blackjack and roulette.
When the cards were put down and the roulette wheels stopped spinning Thursday afternoon, Ellie Hoffman was declared the best dealer in the country. She took home a check for US$5,000, along with trophies for her and her property (Graton Resort & Casino in Rohnert Park, CA). Second place and US$3,000 went to Maddie Ristea of the Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas. The third-place trophy and US$2,000 were awarded to Marlo Vekovic of the Encore at Wynn Las Vegas.
The competition took place in three rounds of blackjack and roulette, with the field narrowing after each session down to a final round Thursday afternoon of the top six. All competitors were scored on hospitality, technical skills, and control of the game evaluated on a scale from one (lowest) to 10 (highest).
In addition to the Main Event were two individual skill contests for card pitching and cheque racking. In a sudden-death playoff between Brent Grubb of Hollywood Casino in Charleston, WV, and Luis Grullon from the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in southern California, Grullon won and took home the trophy.
The ability to accurately sort and stack 300 roulette cheques (a.k.a. chips) the fastest was a real crowd pleaser and almost too fast to capture on camera. Maddie Ristea won that event in the incredible time of one minute and 40.8 seconds.
Credit for this first-ever dealer tournament goes to Korbi Carrison, the event VP from RX (the group that organizes G2E for the American Gaming Association). But she was quick to credit Barbara Woodo, a table-game executive from MGM National Harbor, for the inspiration. Woodo, who also volunteered to work the event, noticed stories about European championships. Eventually, she traveled abroad on her own dime to see for herself. That was two years ago. She took the idea to Carrison and accompanied her to Europe last year as well.
Carrison quickly agreed that it was a perfect fit for G2E. She said, “Dealers are so important. They’re the face of the casinos and they’re the people, through their personalities, who keep players interested in coming back time and again. So they’re often underrepresented and not appreciated. With this event, we’re here to celebrate their skills and talents.”
Drawing on European expertise, she also brought on board Murat Sakih, director of live table gaming at London’s prestigious Hippodrome Casino, who’s been doing dealer championships there for 18 years. “We celebrate talent. You know, we should take pride in our industry. It’s a fantastic industry. The camaraderie is amazing and our croupiers are fantastic. This is a chance for us to stand up and applaud their skills, talents, and self-pride.”
Carrison also convinced Gaming Hall of Famer Debra Nutton to become the director of the championship. Despite her many awards, she’s basically still a dealer at heart. Accordingly, she was somewhat nervous about the task facing the competitors.
“This is a diverse group. There are dealers from Aria, Bellagio, and the Wynn on the Strip, but also from Muckleshoot Casino in Washington state. Some of these people have never used some of the equipment they’ll be using today, but you can still see the excitement on their faces.”
Announcer Michael Clifford and a live DJ added to that excitement during the competition. Clifford’s day job is as director of gaming operations for Caesars and he’s worked around the world, from Las Vegas to Macau. Nonetheless, he called working this event “one of my favorite moments in this industry.”
From the looks on the faces of the hundreds of spectators, that sentiment was common. It’s a sure bet that this event will grow dramatically in the years to come.
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