What's in the cards for Canterbury's blackjack dealers?

Kevin Mattson's hands dart across the felt table. The veteran blackjack dealer banters with a handful of players while confidently sending cards in all directions, keeping the mood at the $300-limit table light and simultaneously tracking the action.

He's not only orchestrating the game. He's orchestrating their good time.

"We try to put on a little bit of a show," Mattson said during his half-hour break at Canterbury Park last weekend.

He is one of about 150 dealers working at the Shakopee card club connected to the horse track. Like the players, dealers come from all walks of life — from transitioned cocktail waitresses to office-job dissidents. Although there is some crossover, most either deal poker or the myriad casino-style games, chiefly blackjack.

A dealer for 18 years, Mattson views Canterbury's casino as "an entertainment venue where everyone at the table is having a good time. And you're the dealer, so it's a little bit of a rush. It's not quite acting. It's not quite being onstage, but people clap for you. They'll give you a round of applause when a hand comes through."

The poker side of the room — where wannabe pros donning sunglasses and earbuds hang on every card — has a slightly more serious vibe. Particularly at high-stakes tables, dealers take more of a shut-up-and-deal approach, while lower-level games tend to be more social, said seasoned poker dealer and supervisor Jacob "Chopper" Vail.

"Some dealers get a little intimidated, because they're playing with a little bit more money," he said of the big-pot games. "Some dealers rise to the occasion and love it. [They] want to deal the final tables at big tournaments where we're giving away tens or hundreds of thousands of dollars."

$10,000 tip

Big payouts can also mean big paydays for dealers. At Canterbury, dealers make minimum wage, with roughly 70 percent of their earnings coming from tips, they say. The average tip is 10 percent. Dealers rotate tables every half hour to ensure fairness, said pit boss Don Elliott.

"A $10,000 tip — that's happened," the 22-year casino vet said. "It's like a sales job. You can have $50 days and you can have $1,000 days back to back. You just never know."

While career dealers might seem predisposed to gambling habits of their own, many say that they play only occasionally — an annual Vegas trip or a Grand Casino detour on the way Up North. Especially considering the winnings in tips they stand to receive, dealers often get a kick out of players at their blackjack tables hitting 21. "I had a table last Monday where I didn't make [win] a hand the entire shoe," said Christine Mackey, referring to the cardholder that dealers use, "which is fine with me."

But as in the games they facilitate, there are highs and lows working in the casino biz. Witnessing the addiction side of gambling can be emotionally taxing, dealers say. Elliott, who worked in Wisconsin and Las Vegas casinos before Canterbury, said he's seen and heard of people losing their farms and even killing themselves in the wake of gambling debts.

"It's hard. It's very hard," he said. "But after your first couple of years, you get over it a little bit. In my mind, if I wasn't doing this job, somebody else would be. It's not me taking anyone's money away or anyone's life away. It's them doing what they're doing."

A career at the card table can also strain dealers' personal lives. Working nights, weekends and holidays are common and entry-level dealers are typically relegated to graveyard shifts, which can run from 2 to 10 a.m. Vail, 29, who met his wife in the 24/7 industry, said trying to start a family while both work nights has been challenging. "It's difficult to maintain a semblance of a normal life," he said.

Vail recently switched to a few sought-after day shifts, which should make having a child easier, he said. Regardless of any speed bumps, the poker professional isn't complaining.

"It's the industry I've chosen," Vail said. "I really will be a lifer. It's just what I love to do."

Michael Rietmulder writes about beer, cocktails and nightlife.