Joy Das: from a casino ship to the poker floor

Joy Das never planned to deal cards. He planned to sail.

As a hotel management student, he says, the glamour of the wider world was always pulling at him. "It was always my dream to be part of cruise life," he told us, "and to explore everything you can't do in a normal private or government job."

A steward's interview

In 2007 he chose Goa for his management training and joined a three-star hotel. There he met an early mentor who pushed him to chase the dream. Then, one day, a newspaper article caught his eye: an offshore casino ship was coming, and it wanted freshers.

He went to the interview for a steward's job. The ship had other plans. It was looking for young people to train as croupiers, and for that you had to be very good at maths. Joy scored well on the very first day and was picked for all-games dealer training. A year later he could deal almost every game in the house. "Everything except dice," he says.

He started as a trainee dealer at a casino in Goa and was promoted to supervisor within six months. He learned poker along the way, though roulette and blackjack were still his favourites.

Miami, and the turn to poker

"The most important year of my career was 2012," he says. That January he was selected by Carnival Cruise and moved to Miami for his first contract. The dream had come true. He stayed until 2016, when family brought him home.

Back in India, the offers came from the casinos in Goa. Joy chose something else. Poker was booming, and clubs were treating dealers better than casinos were. In 2017 he moved to Jaipur to run private games for a well-known businessman, "a great guy who treats his staff really well".

He liked the change. "It's totally different to work in a casino to a private game," he says. "You get more freedom and an easier life."

The first night on the floor

Dealing is still his passion. But at some point, he says, you have to take on more and grow. So he became a floor manager, and the first night was hard.

"I'm really a shy and silent type of guy," he says. "I never order someone to do this and that." The dealers took advantage and ignored their break times, which is the thing he hates most. "You need to respect your colleagues and give them their breaks on time." It made his very first night difficult.

The same night brought the best surprise. The friends he had trained with years earlier, now poker players, came in to play at his game.

What has he learned since? "Managing a poker floor is challenging," he says, "but it just needs honesty and good, clear communication."

Why freelance

Today Joy works freelance, called in for games rather than tied to one room. He explains why without a pause.

"I love my free time," he says. In a permanent job you go in at the same time every day, and you rarely get to be with your family. "For me, family comes first." Freelancing, he says, lets him explore the whole world and still not be away from home for long.

The work finds him. After almost eighteen years in casino life, people know him. "If you are at the top of your job, you will get offers from every corner of the world," he says. The calls come by phone and through social media.

What does he bring with him to every game? "My politeness, my confidence, my energy, and my passion for this game."

Inside the big games

Ask Joy about high-stakes games and you might expect stories of drama. You get the opposite.

"High-stakes games are the easiest and most peaceful games for me," he says. "Those who play high stakes only focus on the game. Their energy and mood don't swing quickly. They do their stuff very silently, and that makes my dealers' job and my job easy."

Disputes are rare, he says, because players at big tables know the table policy and house rules. When one does come up, he explains to the table where it went wrong, and they accept it. "They are all so professional that they never take it personally." A big game only goes wrong, he says, when someone's ego turns a hand into something personal.

And the best host? "The one who cares for the staff first." His reasoning is simple. If the staff can't perform, the night doesn't work for anyone. "Take care of your staff and they will take care of you. No rocket science."

Where the game is going

Joy is not sure the next five years will be kind to the live game. The biggest change he has seen is that poker has gone digital. People have become lazy about travelling, he says, and play on their phones at home instead. In his view, that is costing the game its charm.

He isn't going anywhere, though. "I'm 45, and I still love this game," he says. He wants to explore new poker destinations, freelancing, of course.

His advice to a new floor manager: "Respect your job first, before you show off. Keep your team and your host on the same page. Both are equal for you and your job."

And what makes a great floor manager?