Metrics for Determining Live Game Pace: GPA’s and Rounds per Hour

By Bill Zender

(This article was printed in Casino Enterprise Management Magazine’s April 2006 edition)

There are two methods that can be used to measure casino live game pace; (1) game pace audits (GPA) that take into consideration the act of dealing total hands only which concentrates on the speed of individual dealers; and (2) actual number of rounds dealt per hour on a given game type to determine number of actual wagering results the casino can expect per hour.  Although both metrics measure the same dealing actions, GPA’s are used to determine a dealer’s standard of performance to maximize gaming revenue, while establishing parameters concerning rounds dealt per hour per game type better assists your marketing department in player tracking in determining their player’s worth to the casino.

Game Pace Audits (GPA)

Establishing parameters for game pace audits and using this information to assist management in increasing each dealer’s number of hands dealt per hour is paramount to maximizing time and motion gains.  By performing GPAs management has a performance benchmark which to evaluate each dealer’s performance in a specific game and allows them to determine which employees are performing as anticipate while identifying employees who need to pick up their game speed pace.   GPA's represent a "snap shots" of a dealer's dealing action and isolates on the actual dealing process only.  The snap-shot sample usually consists of a 5 to 10 minute segment that is not inhibited with excessive cash buy-ins, marker issuance, or extensive fills or credits of chips. It encompasses the pure act of dealing, omitting time spent shuffling the cards.  Note: GPA’s are used to determine individual employees dealing speed and will not provide accurate information for multi-dealer games like Craps or full table Baccarat which is operated by a team of dealers.

There are several ideas of how a Game Pace Audit should be performed.  The method I will outline is based on a number of years of experimenting in an attempt to balance data accuracy based on the type of information desired.  The elements of this process are:

·        Examine a sample ten minute period of a specific dealer while he or she is dealing to no less than four players at the table (4 to 5 players are optimal)

·        Omit any observation that is inhibited by excessive cash buy-ins, marker issuance, or extensive fills or credits of chips

·        Count the combined number of player and dealer hands dealt during the ten minute period

·        Multiple the combined number of hands by 6

·        Collect no less then three samplings of each dealer and calculate an average number of hand dealt per hour from those three samplings

 By multiplying each ten minute snap-shot by 6 you’re calculating the total number of combine hands for a sixty minute period.  Although this number is far from the number of decisions occurring in the real time, it serves as a performance metric representing a dealer’s game pace in its purest form.  However; before management can use this information properly they need to establish a benchmark number of combined hands, and to do so management needs to take a realistic sample of their dealer population.

The first step in establishing a GPA program is the creation of a realistic bench mark for each game type or dealing methods, hand held or shoe dealt, in blackjack.  I suggest you conduct several 10 minute samples from several of your better and more accomplished dealers before coming up with a GPA point of reference.  Once this GPA number is determined, establish a “reasonable and realistic” number or level of hands per hour as the casino’s minimal level of performance.  Use this minimal level as a standard acceptability goal for all dealers of that game type and dealing method.  Some casinos have established several GPA levels and have evaluated dealers on these standards.  Personally I don’t agree with this motivational strategy.  Optimal game performance is a critical balance between game speed and customer service.  If game speed is over-emphasized there is a chance that customer service will suffer and the entire process becomes counter-productive.  Note: always develop your own GPA numbers and don't rely on numbers of other casinos. Its best to establish your own GPA levels based on your employees, game types, and game procedures.

After establishing a reasonable minimum standard, do a complete GPA on all your staff using the same criteria as mentioned previously.  Remember, to do the proper job it may take some time to gather the necessary observations and information; depending on the size of your staff and the available time allotted by surveillance for this project, it might take several months to complete.  If surveillance is unable to conduct the GPAs, consider forming an evaluation team that can reviews videotape and record the necessary information.  In many instances the GPA evaluation’s scope too large for the available surveillance operators to handle in a reasonable time period. 

Based on the GPA standard of minimum hand dealt number, determine which dealers don’t meet this criteria and need to speed up their game. It’s also important that you identify the dealing process areas where each “slow’ dealer is lacking and can improve.  Don't just tell them they have to “speed it up”.  Look for improvements in the area of controlling player decision time (without sacrificing customer service), time between hands, and speed in dealing mechanics.  Then let your entire dealing staff know their individual game pace will be monitored on a regular basis.  If your dealing staff thinks this speed evaluation is a “one time thing”, their pace will quickly decrease to its previous level, and time and money spent conducting the GPAs will be wasted.

Also, don't forget shuffle speed. If you hand shuffle the cards, establish a reasonable shuffle speed based again on real times taken from several of your better dealers.  This time period needs to be clocked from the time the shoe or deck has been broken prior to shuffling, to the time the first card “hit the table” starting the next hand.  Dealers I have observed in the past, who looked like they held a good game pace, slowed to a halt when shuffling the cards.  Its important that you’re dealing staff understands that the shuffle process must be completed both thoroughly and quickly. It important to remind everyone the casino produces revenue when the cards are crossing the table, and not during the period of time their stacked in the middle of the table.  Once a reasonable minimum speed is determined, use the same process as before; if they’re shuffling time is too slow show the dealer where they can improve. Even using a batch shuffler the deck transfer time needs to be calculated and checked from time to time, and is as important as monitoring complete hand shuffle times.

Once you have followed through with the GPA time audits, reevaluate your own house procedures for time wasted. Be sure that fills, cash buy-ins, dealer changes, and shift counts don't slow the games down unnecessarily. For example; at the Aladdin we use to count the racks at shift change “on the fly”, meaning we didn't stop the game. We counted the rack based on estimations. We also used a different procedure for dealer changes on a double deck game. Instead of spreading the deck during the tap-out we had the departing dealer place the double deck on the table so the next dealer could pick it up, burn a card, and immediately start dealing.  You will be surprised at the amount of time wasted by conducting too many small chip fills and having dealers pushing into games excessively and unnecessarily.

Establishing Rounds per Hour for Player Tracking Purposes

The other method previously discussed is “rounds dealt per hour”.  This method is used to estimate the actual rounds and hands dealt to the customers, and are used to establish an important variable for any casinos player tracking system.  In order to establish the theoretical worth of a player, management needs to establish the true number of gaming decisions a player is subject to in an hour’s period of play.  When multiplying this number with average wager and estimated house advantage, a player’s hourly theoretical win can be calculated.  This allows marketing to extrapolate a myriad of player evaluation metrics. 

To correctly establish total number of rounds per hour the following elements need to be considered:

·        Three to four players need to be on the table during each sampling

·        The sample should be taken over the total period of the shift whenever the range of players are present on the game

·        Several of your better dealers should be used to establish total number of dealing rounds. Pick a target game where several better dealers are scheduled to deal

·        Sampling includes all rounds dealt regardless to fills, makers, cash buy-ins, and dealer entering/exiting the game, which represents a realistic dealing situation

By calculating the average number of rounds per hour management will be able to develop a median or average game speed for each game type including hand held and shoe dealt blackjack.  For example; 60 rounds per hour has been used by many tracking systems as the default variable for the game of blackjack.  After conducting this game pace analysis you maybe be surprised at how inaccurate this number is, especially if no previous emphasis has been placed on time and motion issues.

Once the average rounds per hour has been determine, you may wish to examine the number of rounds per hour for games dealt with only one or two players present, and games dealt to full tables.  Most live game player tracking systems have the ability to input other different levels of game speed such as “fast” and “slow”.  Use these secondary trial analyses to determine accurate metrics for use under these other game situations. 

This measuring process will increase marketing’s accuracy in determining player worth by closely approximating the number of wagering decisions per hour.  More accurate player tracking information will provide marketing with more accurate theoretical player win which will better assist their department to determine optimal levels of player reinvestment, and to improve the compilation of player lists to increase the profit potential of casino promotions.

Converting GPA Metrics to Estimate Rounds per Hour

It might be worthwhile to eliminate the calculation of average rounds per hour by utilizing information obtained during GPA analysis.  This short cut may be necessary for smaller operations that do not have the resources to conduct both game speed analysis, and is doable as long as exact numbers of rounds per hour are not needed for “fast” or “slow” play variables in the tracking system.  In order to convert GPA numbers to rounds per hour your need to establish the percentage of time the dealer normally spends dealing without including shuffle time.  An easy way to establish this percentage is to subtract total time per hour engaged in the shuffling process from 60 minutes and then dividing that sum by 60 minutes.  For example; a two minute shuffle on a six deck game subject to four and a half shuffles per hour calculates to a total dealing time of 51 minutes (60 minutes – 9 minute shuffle time), and by dividing the 51 minute dealing time by the number of minute in the hour (51 divided by 60 = 85%).  Take the estimated GPA number and divide it by the total number of hands per round.  Take that product and multiply it by the percentage of time spent dealing (70.8 times 0.85 = 60.2).

Table 1 – Conversion from GPA to Rounds per Hour