By Donovan Livingston
This month’s dealer newlywed Debbie Reddell (formerly Debbie May), who comes from the beautiful Cliff Castle Casino Hotel in Camp Verde, Ariz., just outside of Prescott.
She’s a dual rate, which means she’s a dealer and a supervisor, and switches roles as needed in her poker room. She began in the casino industry in 1991 in Reno, Nev. Back then, she said she, “Dealt everything from craps to blackjack to Pai Gow to Three Card Poker. You name it, I dealt it.”
It was 3.5 years ago when she moved to Arizona to start working for Cliff Castle. Now she deals strictly poker, but said she’s happy in her new role. The popular games in her room?
“The Club 52 poker room offers several popular spread-limit games, such as $2-$8, $1-$300 and $5-$150 Texas Hold’em, but we will spread any poker variation based on demand,” she said. The room also provides several daily options for players who prefer tournament poker.
When she’s not working, Reddell enjoys “bowling, horseback riding and playing Candy Crush Saga,” she said, laughing. At the time of this publication, she was at the 200 levels. Poor Debbie, you have such a long way to go.
So what does she love about dealing?
“I’m a real people person and I like staying busy. And with poker you can engage in the game. When there is a game, I’m working, and it’s that simple, and I like that.”
So is Debbie a poker junkie like the rest of us?
“I do play poker, but not nearly as often as I’d like, since I’m not allowed to play in my room because of my supervisor status. But I do enjoy the game, and when I go out of town and visit other casinos, I’m always sure to stop in and visit their poker room.”
For more information on Cliff Castle Casino Hotel, visit cliffcastlecasinohotel.com and see the ad in our current issue.
