Kindness Is My Card Trick: Why I Still Smile in This Savage Casino Circus

They’ll tip the cocktail waitress with a wink, then spit their drink all over the felt when they lose a hand. They’ll call you sweetheart with venom. Or honey, with heat. Or “hey, you,” like you’re not even breathing.

Welcome to the roller coaster they call the “casino”, where your soul’s the admission and sarcasm runs the ride.

🎢

This industry feeds on adrenaline. It worships the rush, the dollar, the ego, the escape. But somewhere in that neon firestorm, I’ve learned the softest thing you can do, the most radical rebellion in the entire casino, is to be kind.

Not fake kind. Not customer service kind. Not “the camera’s watching” kind.
Real kind. The kind that sees someone. The kind that costs you your pride but saves someone else’s night.

I know, I know. You’ve been working eight hours, your back hurts, your makeup’s melting (or in my case, my soul’s melting), and some guy in a polo just screamed “STUPID GAME!” while flicking a $1 chip at your shoe like he’s Caesar and you’re the court jester.

But hear me out…

🎰

I once dealt to a man who didn’t say a word for four straight hours. Not a thank you, not a nod. Just bet, lose, rebuy, repeat. Everyone else at the table came and went, cracking jokes, blaming me, tipping or stiffing or being a jerk, but he just sat there. Silent.

And then, out of nowhere, he looked up, dead in the eye, and said:

“Thank you for being patient with me. My wife died last week. She loved blackjack.”

I didn’t have a response ready. I just put my hand over my heart and nodded. That’s all I had in me. I wasn’t trying to be kind. I just didn’t want to make it worse. But sometimes that’s all kindness is — not making it worse.

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You start to notice the ones who are hurting.
The girl with the hot pink lipstick who giggles too hard.
The guy on his third shift drink who tips you even when he’s down $700.
The grandma who wears rhinestones on her shoes and brings you butterscotch.

This job teaches you who needs softness, even when they don’t ask for it.

And don’t get it twisted. I’m not some gentle saint gliding through the pit like a therapy angel in pleather pants. I snap. I roll my eyes. I’ve given some deadly dealer stares that could shatter a player’s lucky rabbit foot. But when it counts, I’ll choose kindness.
Even when it feels like a losing bet.

Because in a room built to drain you of money, time, energy, dignity, kindness is the last card I get to deal for myself.

And sometimes, it hits like an ace.

♣️

They don’t train you for this part.
They teach you game protection, payouts, chip handling, how to count to twenty faster than a slot player can say “Double Down!”
But nobody teaches you how to keep your heart intact in a job that treats you like background noise.

So you invent your own rules.
Mine go something like this:

Treat the floor staff like they’re celebrities. They’ve seen it all.

Compliment your coworkers. Loudly. In front of the table.

Say “thank you” like you’re flirting with the universe.

Forgive bad tippers. Then secretly hope they get a flat tire.

And when someone’s pain leaks through their poker face, notice it. Don’t turn away.

Because under the lights and smoke and ego, this industry is still made of people.
People who break.
People who bluff.
People who sometimes just need one stranger to be kind.

Let it be you.

🎲

I didn’t come to Vegas to be a therapist in a bowtie. I came to be fierce, to sparkle, to perform. And baby, I do. But the real magic trick? The thing I’m proudest of, even when my patience is holding on for dear life?

I’ve stayed kind.
Not always soft. Not always sweet. But kind.
Even in this savage, spinning, ridiculous circus.

That’s my trick.
And I’m not done dealing…

💛

🍒🎰🧃🌈🫦🎲🫦🌈🧃🎰🍒

If this post made you feel something, toss a chip to the storyteller. I promise I’ll stack it with love.

👇

🍒🎰🧃🌈🫦🎲🫦🌈🧃🎰🍒

If you gamble, ALWAYS 🔗gamble responsibly.

Related posts:

I Still Choose Kindness What It’s Really Like Being a Casino Dealer (Hint: It’s Not Just Free Drinks & Glam) How to Actually Play 3 Card Poker (and When to Say “Girl, Bye”) Jesus, Dice, and Dollar Chips: Can the Bible Be Pro-Gambling? The Day a Guest Tried to Cash Out His Baby PART 2/3: The Smile Factory