Casino Dealers – What Are the Pros and the Cons of the Profession?

Gaming Dealer Job Description & Types of Croupiers

You’ve seen them at brick and mortar casinos; you’ve seen them at live casinos – dealers or casino croupiers seem to live the dream life. When you see them smiling and winning oh too often you’d probably think it’s not a job but a piece of cake. But is it enough to have a pretty face and be good at dealing cards? We’ll have a look at the specific set of skills one must possess in order to land a dealing job and become good at it. We’ll also tell you all about the different types of dealers and try to answer the question: “How much do casino dealers make in tips?”.

Qualities & Skills of a Good Dealer

First, a dealer must be friendly and polite and make clients comfortable. Second, they need to be dedicated to their job and to entertaining people. Third, they have to be able to keep focused on the game for a long period of time and handle stress well – remember that dealers have to make basic mental calculations quickly as well. Fourth, they just have to be sociable – an introvert will not make it in this industry. Last but not least, they should be easy on the eyes. All in all, a good dealer is a good multitasker, apart from being professional and friendly.

And if you are asking yourself “do you tip the dealer”, the answer is Yes, definitely! I am not an over the top superstitious player, but when a dealer gives me good cards and brings me luck, my first thought is to give him or her a nice, fat tip!

Specific Games Croupiers

Now, let’s turn our attention to the types of dealers. To start with, there are different types of dealers according to the games they work with. It’s possible to find a job listing for a blackjack dealer, a roulette croupier, etc. However, you’re much more likely to come across dealers that can work with more than one type of game, so a gaming dealer or a table games dealer is a much more appropriate term.

Live Dealers

A very popular type of casino croupier at the moment is the live dealer, a.k.a. the real dealer. These are commonly found at the best online casinos and they enhance the players’ experience immensely. There’s something specific about the casino dealer jobs: they may not need to be good at maths, because the computer takes care of winning hands and numbers and payouts. However, they do need to look flawless in bright light in front of multiple cameras, even in extreme close-ups.

Cruise Ship Dealers

Many people think of those when they think of the job in general and there’s a good reason for that. Being a cruise ship dealer has many advantages. On the one hand, there’s the chance to travel the world and see beautiful places you might not be able to afford otherwise. On the other hand, this is one of the best-paid types of job a croupier can get – not only should you expect to get a better salary on a cruise ship but the tips are likely to be times more appealing. Moreover, the earnings are tax-free. Finally, you’ll get a uniform and probably all your meals for free. After all, people get on a cruise ship to have fun, so they are less likely to get mad even if they get on a losing streak. But there are also websites where you can find worldwide casino jobs.

Advantages of Dealing Professionally

Land a croupier job and you’ll get to hoard piles of chips and keep them at least while you’re at your workplace. Jokes aside, you’ve probably already figured what the advantages of being a gaming dealer are but we’ll sum them up for you anyway.

• You can start with practically nothing and you can build a career if you work hard and are good at the job.
• You can expect to get handsome tips that would really make a difference to your pay.
• In a way, your work and how you handle people determines how much you get, which means that your pay is up to you – now that’s a perk you don’t find at every job.
• When it comes to working hours, this job is perfect for someone who doesn’t like getting up early or for those who like to stay up all night. But even if that’s not the case, you’d still be happy with the work schedule since most casinos are open 24/7 and you’ll probably be able to work around the shifts.
• You’re working at a fun place – there’s something about being at a place of entertainment that highlights the positive in life even if you’re not the one winning that huge jackpot.
• Last but not least, you can see the world and it would hardly cost you anything. First, there’re cruise ships and then there’re casinos in exotic locations you could go work at.

Disadvantages of Being a Dealer

As much fun as it sounds, dealing has certain disadvantages, which for the sake of objectivity we are not going to ignore. However, what’s a loss to one may be a gain for another, so don’t get discouraged if you’ve decided to try this profession. Even if that is the case, it would do you good to review the drawbacks of dealing as a day job.

• You’ll probably have to start out with a minimum salary. Though you could grow in as little as two years and you might be able to make up for it with the great tips, you shouldn’t expect the kind of tips you’d get at a famous London casino everywhere.
• You’ll have to get a qualification or some schooling which you may have to pay for yourself. There are casino dealer schools and on the job training possibilities. If you choose the former, make sure you check the school’s credentials first. There’s even an NVQ in Gaming Operations available in the UK.
• In some countries, you’ll need a licence. For example, in the UK, you’ll have to hold a licence from the Gambling Commission, which includes a clearance from the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS).
• You can’t afford to get distracted no matter how repetitive the job gets. Yawning at the table doesn’t look good, either.
• Working at night is not for everyone and it might have a lasting effect on your sleep patterns and disturb your circadian rhythm.
• Unhappy players may become aggressive – they might even try to attack the dealer physically. Live dealers aren’t safe either – some clever clogs may come up with a prank, record it and then upload it for the whole world to see.
• Finally, bathing in the opulence of the casino world may make you fall victim to problem gambling.

Questions & Answers

In this section, we will answer some of the most popular questions you might have regarding the casino dealers. We will briefly explain you how you can become a professional casino dealer, how much approximately you could make from tips and whether you as a player, should tip the casino croupier. Stay with us to find out more.