Cage Poker Rules
Posted : admin On 7/30/2022The casino cashier’s cage is the operational nerve centre of casino operations. As a hub of activity, it performs many vital functions on a shift-by-shift, day-by-day basis. First, the cage, together with the vault, is responsible for the custodianship of and accountability for the casino’s bankroll. This involves the daily care, control, and accounting for thousands, hundreds of thousands, and even millions of dollars. After all, this is the casino industry we are talking about, with many high rollers playing for big money.
What is a Casino Cage?
To break things down, all transactions involving currency, coin, casino checks (chips), customer casino markers (IOUs), safekeeping funds, and customer front flow money to and from the cage and its related vault in a continuous cycle. Firstly, accurate recording procedures and adherence to sound internal controls are required to ensure bankroll safety and accountability at online casinos. Secondly, the cage provides a vital communication link to the casino pit or pit areas.
The Cage isn’t for the faint of heart, nor is it for those who are afraid to sweat. It’s for poker players who are passionate about winning and willing to do damage at the tables in ways most players only dream of. Some of the highlights of the new cage event are: It is a multi-table tournament format with a five (5) hour cash game. When the five (5) hours expires, the Cage event ends and it does not matter the number of players that are still standing in the event. The tables have a maximum six (6) players each.
Services include providing check fills and credits to table games, as requested; supplying information regarding customer credit status; providing financing tabulations of table game activities documented by the master game report form; and keeping casino supervisors advised of the relevant information required for a smooth operation.
Thirdly, the cage deals with countless customer transactions. Front-line window cashiers handle casino chip exchanges for currency; cash personal, payroll, and traveller’s checks; handle customer safekeeping and 'front money' transactions; receive customer marker payment; deal with casino promotional coupons, and provide information to customers.
The Cashier’s Job
The main job of a casino cashier is to exchange casino chips for cash whenever the players bring their chips from tables like blackjack and craps. It is the cashier’s job to greet the player, take the chips, break them down by denomination and pay the player the right amount. If the total being paid out is quite high, a casino supervisor may be called to verify the payout before the cashier transfers the money to the player.
While errors rarely happen during this process, it is possible, therefore, cashiers but be diligent and efficient when they handle casino chips as you wouldn’t want either the casino or the player losing out. Cashiers would need basic math skills as well as the ability to distinguish the different chips used by the casino. If the casino makes use of slot machines that require players to insert coins, the cage and cashier will also have to accept and exchange these coin buckets.
The coins are taken to a coin sorter with the player in attendance, where the coins are counted. The total amount will be shown on the machine reader, and the cashier must pay this amount to the player. This not only saves time as the cashier does not have to manually count the coins but also prevents errors from taking place.
Cage cashiers must also handle a certain amount of paperwork when dealing with daily transactions, including balancing books and invoices. Cashiers may also need to run internal checks on gamblers who require credit or to process credit applications for new customers. They may also need to assist with cashing in tips for fellow employees.
It is important that the cashier have good people skills as you will be working with gamblers all day long. Cashiers must be able to satisfy the needs of all players, and be able to handle any negative or hostile situation that may arise. People may get antsy when money is involved, so it is important for cashiers to be able to control the situation and sort out any issues immediately and in the most professional manner. Many gamblers enjoy drinking while playing, therefore cashiers may also have to deal with intoxicated customers. Cashiers must be aware of all the relevant rules and regulations associated with the casino and gaming industry and be able to explain them when the situation arises.
The Blood Line of the Casino
Fourthly, the cage interfaces with virtually every casino department--- for example, transmittal of key forms to the accounting department; involvement with the hard and soft count audit teams; receiving and issuing cashiers banks to casino revenue departments (bar banks, showroom banks, Race and Sports Book banks, hotel front-desk banks, etc.); and working with the security department during the table game fill and credit process.
In some casinos, the cage supports the slot department by providing slot fills, supplying change persons with requested coins, and providing large jackpot payoffs. The cage is also charged with the responsibility of preparing and maintaining countless forms required for sound internal control procedures and safeguarding the casino's assets. Additionally, compliance with requirements and procedures of the Bank Secrecy Act is a critical responsibility of casino cage personnel. However, many casinos locate the cage toward the rear of the casino property and away from customer exits.
Keeping it Safe: Window Cage Security
One reason for this is to minimise the chances of a successful cage robbery. A second reason for locating the cage in the rear is the psychological factor. A customer cashing out at the window must walk the length of the casino toward the exit. The temptation of 'one last slot pull' or 'one final play at the table' can decrease the amount of money the customer takes out the front door. A third consideration is the location of the pit or live gaming areas. There are a number of structural possibilities for the cage facade. Metal bars, others by Plexiglas or shatterproof windows, protect some cages.Still, others are 'open' cages with no protective barriers. It all depends on the environment and management's perceived need for physical security. A small cage operation will typically offer two customer service windows and an additional window to service casino, slot, or employee requests. The larger the operation, the more service windows required, but keep in mind that customers do not to stand in long lines to cash their chips. It is better to have too many operational windows and window cage security than too few.
Casino cage operations and cashiers may not be necessary for the future as more and more casinos are now using coinless slot machines, which has made things a lot easier. With no coins to count, things are less likely to go wrong, fewer employees will be needed and there will less room for error. Some slot machines print out a bar-coded voucher instead of coins or cash that can then be cashed out ATM-type machines or at the cashier cage.
The bar-code will indicate a legitimate voucher and is read using a reader, which will reveal the amount the player must be paid. The casino cage is one of the most important and highly functional aspects of a casino and needs to be treated as such. It is important to be respectful and civilised to your cashier at all times. Whenever you visit a casino, make sure to adhere to the rules of the establishment so that everyone can have an enjoyable experience.
There is an eight-foot high metal cage swivelling on the extended platform that stretches out in front of the TV feature table at the PokerStars and Monte-Carlo® Casino European Poker Tour Grand Final. Several thick black cables, which are spliced together, run around the circumference of the shark cage supplying the power to move the metal structure. As the cage spins the cables move with it, pulling taut from stage left.
A cameraman, Frank Baglino, director of photography of 'Ride on the River', stands by the cage pointing his lens towards the TV stage and players including Gus Hansen, Vicky Coren Mitchell and Patrik Antonius. He doesn't see the cables snaking toward his feet. A colleague does, however, and quickly guides Baglino over the health and safety obstacle.
This shark cage is dangerous business. And fun. And one player will win $1,000,000.
I'm going to be honest with you, upon first hearing about the new televised format I wasn't convinced that it was going to set the world alight. My cynicism had got the better of me, but since hearing the early feedback during the PCA, I'm inclined to think I should scribble my nay-saying onto a piece of paper and eat it. Shark Cage looks like it's going to be really entertaining. (So much so, in fact, that I'm introducing it into my next home game and I'll give you instructions how to do so, too. See below.)
The Shark Cage televised tournament is taking place across eight heats, each featuring six players. A quick bit of maths later, that's 48 players all gunning for one $1,000,000 no-deals-allowed first prize. Heats one and two took place at the PCA, while heats three and four take place here in Monaco. The remaining four will play out at the start of Season 11 at EPT Barcelona - the 100th ever European Poker Tour stop - while the Shark Cage big money final will take place towards the back end of the year.
This morning at 11.30am, today's Shark Cage contestants started to circle back stage in the green room for heat three. You may have heard of them: two-time EPT champ Vicky Coren Mitchell, tour regular Maria Ho, high stakes legends Gus Hansen and Patrik Antonius, and WSOP Main Event runner-up David Williams. That makes five. What about the sixth contestant? This is your spot, the online qualifier seat.
Hansen, Ho and Williams sat waiting in the green room (that's a fancy name for 'waiting room' in TV lingo) for their briefing from EPT presenter James Hartigan. You'd think that getting five players together in time for a freeroll shot at a million bucks would be easy. Not necessarily so. Hansen certainly thinks not. 'Put it this way, I'm not going to spend too many minutes of my life waiting for Patrik Antonius,' said Hansen, who one would imagine is better informed on the relative punctuality of the Finn than most. Hansen wandered off downstairs to buy a friend into the €10,600 EPT Grand Final Main Event.
As the Great Dane left, the Great Brit entered. Coren Mitchell, fresh from her historic two-time EPT win in Sanremo walked into the room. A member of the production staff had already been dispatched to pick her up a cup of tea, which kind of goes without saying. Some EPT congratulations and hugs later, Coren Mitchell grabbed a croissant and started discussing the length of today's play and breaks relative to the size of the male and female bladder. Among her many commitments, Coren Mitchell is a presenter of highbrow quiz show 'Only Connect' and has been working hard to work her way through a large pile of scripts for upcoming shows. Yesterday's early exit from the EPT Grand Final should help on that front. Poker's loss is British TV's gain.
Hansen returned and was followed in by the news that Antonius was also on site. 'He's here? Beautiful,' said Hansen, somewhat uncomfortably echoing the thoughts of many poker fan boys.
Before anyone could rush off to the bathroom or buy anyone else into the Main Event, Hartigan stood up to address the room, 'We're thrilled you can all play. Suffice to say you're all here because you're all big names in poker and you've all accomplished so much. Ultimately what we want to get out of these shows is enjoyment, fun, conversation, banter - we really want you guys to enjoy yourselves at the table.'
Hartigan then rattled out the finer instructions of the event, such as how to play 'bluff' or 'value bet' cards when betting rivers heads-up. All the rules were also clearly and exhaustively printed on A4 sheets of paper. To summarise, if you correctly bluff a player on the river and they don't call then you send them to the cage and get extra chips should you make it to the final. Equally so if you call someone's bluff they get sent to the cage and you collect extra chips for the final.
Classic tournaments rules have been loosened for this TV tournament. You can call with the nuts on the river because you stand a chance to send your opponent to the cage; you can show one card during a hand to get a reaction; you can talk through a hand out loud and try to angle your opponent into slipping up. Basically any 'cash game nonsense is allowed'.
Want to play Shark Cage at home?
Do you want to play Shark Cage in your home game? You can! Okay, there won't be a big glitzy TV set or a large steel cage in the corner of the room, but there's nothing stopping you from playing a sit-and-go using your own makeshift bluff-or-value river buttons. Rather than put someone in a cage you can allocate any number of penalties to getting the call wrong. Maybe they can be made to get the next round of fizzy drinks from the fridge or have to wear something ridiculous until the next player gets penalised. Remember, it's a fun format. Keep things loose when you're playing Shark Cage. Show cards, talk fast and play faster, but, most of all, enjoy it.
- Shark cage uses a 30 second shot clock. Keep it quick like this or extend it for more leisurely play. Give each player two 'time bank' chips to extend their decision.
- Give each player a 'bluff' and 'value bet' card or counter. Or you can get players to type 'bluff' or 'value bet', or even just 'B' or 'V', on their phone and place it face down on the table. This must be done before a bet is made. Keep it simple and clear.
- A 'bluff' will only carry a Shark Cage penalty if the player using the 'bluff' card forces a player with a stronger hand to fold. You both have to show on the river in heads-up.
Shark Cage Poker Rules
- Shark Cage rules only run when play is four-handed or more and when the action on the river is heads-up.
Click through to live updates, features and interviews from the EPT Grand Final Main Event and the EPT Grand Final Super High Roller.
Shark Cage Poker Rules Value Card
Rick Dacey is a staff writer for the PokerStars Blog.