Evening star., 1943-07-19
By RICHARD c. BERGROLZ,

Associated PreSS fedJuTe WTlteI.
RENO, New, July 19.-Women
have invaded one of mans last en-
ployment strongholds-the dealers
slot at the blackjack table, the
roulette wheel and the dice table
and the man who's teaching them
says they are making a great sue
cess of it.
Harold Smith got the idea Of a
gambling school, for women last
year; now he has built it UP into
a five-day-a-week schedule. turning
out professional women dealers who
are landing jobs in gambling houses
throughout Nevada.
So popular has the idea become
that Smith has petitioned the War
Manpower Commission for permis-
sion to boost his salary ceiling to
SIS a day. He says the girls are
worth it and, besides, other sam
bling houses with higher pay scales,
or new clubs, are hiring his girls
away from him.
One Roulette Wheel.
Smith, his brother Raymond, and
his fsIher, Raymond, sr., set up
quarters here in 1885 with one rou-
lette wheel and two rented slot
machines. Legalized gambling then
was only four years old in Nevada,
and most houses ignored the pos
sibility of feminine trade.
The experiment with women
dealers advanced slowly. The first
ones went to work for Smith on
the roulette wheel as check rack
ers, the silent helpers who stack
up piles of 20 chips for the Gus
toners. Soon, they ran the wheel
without male help.
In 1887, Smith put a girl in the
dealers slot at the blackjack table.
despite fears that veteran card
sharps would take the house for
financial trimming.
But the losses were more than
made up by increased trade-both
men and women liked to play black
jack with pretty, smiling girl
dealer-and Smith kept the expert
ment rolling In 1899. girls went
to work on the dice table, gradually
at first, then completely on their
own.
Came the war, consequent loss
of men employees and surprising
upturn in the amount Of money be-
ing poured into Reno's gambling
houses.
Advertised For Recruits.
So Smith started gambling
school to train scores Of women
many out here for divorces-to run
the games, congratulate the winners,
sympathize with the losers and keep
their eyes peeled for f1imfam ar
fists
He advertised in local papers for
recrults-promised pay up to $50
a week for an eight-hour day, S25
a week while in school," the ad-
vertisement still runs in the Help
Wanted" columns and specifies
that no men need apply"
Smith put Ray Brown. a veteran
dealer. in charge of the "Educa-
tlonal Program" to teach the girls
to deal cards, spin wheels, rake in
chips and compute payoffs.
Smith says it costs $500 to $500
In outright losses to card sharps to
make a capable dealer out of a girl.
But, he adds, after the girls gain
experience-the hard way-they can
handle the games just as we'll as
many men and draw a better play
from both sexes.
Brown contends he can tell
whether a girl will be a successful
dealer after she has been in the
school one day.
Teacher Makes Grade.
One girl, formerly a telephone
operator and welder, went to work
as blackjack dealer after one and
one-half days of instruction. An
other girl, grammar school teacher
for seven years, took over the dice
table after five days schooling.
Glasses have included divorces
seeking a thrill, housewives, sales
clerks. slenOgrapnerS. even neWSpa-
per reporters. If they can't show
sppreclable ability within a week
IN school, they won't make the
grade.
The hardest game to teach. Brown
thinks, is blackjack (known in Reno
AS "2l'D. because there are so many
cheating tricks to watch for. But it's
also the easiest to teach from the
standpoint of the mechanics of the
game
Hardest things for girls to learn,
he says, are the payoffs and odds,
but the sight and sound of big
money also tends to give the new
girls stage fright. Smith says there
are upward of 10000 silver dollars
On the various house tables during
an average nights play.
There's OnlV one "textbOOk" the