A job as a casino dealer could be compared to a job as a waitress or a server at the local eatery. Many people overlook the position and consider the job to be lower on the totem pole than your typical 9 to 5 job. Like servers, in order to be noticed a casino dealer really has to stand out. There are two big ways to stand out, to perform well or to perform poorly. A casino dealer usually isn’t noticed by game participants until a player has a bad run of luck. Then the casino dealer is not only noticed, but often times called out as the reason for the bad luck.
A casino dealer has to be highly knowledgeable on the game they are dealing and have good people skills. Learning a certain game well enough to be a dealer can cost upwards of $800 or more out of the dealers pocket. Most employers expect the skill to come with the employee and won’t reimburse for training. A casino dealer without formal training is not going to be hired. Like most other jobs, they have to start at the bottom and work their way up. The experienced dealers are given the good shifts while new dealers or bad dealers fill shifts on off days at smaller, less popular casinos.
Employers typically only pay the casino dealer around minimum wage. Like wait staff at the local restaurants, their main source of income usually comes from their tips. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates a casino dealer only makes a little over $14,000 a year. Of course, this is before their tips. This is why it is extremely important for the dealer to stand out. With their income being dependent upon their patrons, they certainly want to make their way up to big casinos with high-stakes games. Dealers that regularly work high-stakes games can easily stash $100,000 a year if they know what they’re doing.
People skills are very important as a casino dealer. While there are some very respectable people gambling, there are also some very drunk and depressed people gambling. When a player loses a hand, they may become irate and the casino dealer needs to be able to handle this person with excellent customer service skills while also not taking the blame for the loss. This can be very tricky. A lot of casinos train their dealers not to apologize to patrons when they lose so as not to open the door for finger pointing. It also helps prevent the patron from focusing on their loss for too long. Sour players don’t lead to good tips.
Many a casino dealer can be found after hours betting in their own game of poker. Some casinos ban this activity but really casinos generally don’t discriminate against money. Being a casino dealer often leads to a highly-skilled player as time goes by and they learn the ins and outs of playing. Many famous card sharks got their start by being a casino dealer. It’s a dirty job, but if you play your cards right it can really pay off.