Dice rolling nicely for TAFE graduate Vincent

By Shaun Inguanzo
A DANDENONG TAFE graduate is mixing it with some of the biggest spenders on the casino circuit.
Vincent Ho completed a certificate II in hospitality only 12 months ago and has since landed a job at Crown Casino’s Mahogany Room – the home of the high rollers.
The 20-year-old lives in Hampton Park and has already received tips of several thousand dollars for his outstanding customer service at the bar, and on the floor serving people drinks.
And he believed it’s to his advantage that a majority of the patrons are Asian, and that he speaks Vietnamese.
“It helps to have a second language, the patrons are more friendly towards you,” he said.
Landing a spot in the Mahogany Room is an enduring process with staff having to prove themselves.
“It is very intense, hard work to get there and you have to build up a lot of reputation and experience to work there.
“The casino wants perfect service and staff for people who pay a lot to play there.”
Visiting Vincent at work is only possible if you’re invited into the room, or if you have a copious amount of cash.
“When I say you need a certain amount of cash to play there, I am talking around several hundreds of thousands.”
Vincent aims to move up to a supervisory or managerial role in the Mahogany Room.
The hospitality course at Chisholm TAFE taught Vincent the fundamentals of restaurant and cafe service, bar operations, cocktail making, espresso coffee making, customer service skills, responsible service of alcohol and responsible gambling services.