Casino Blackjack Dealer – Starting Your Career Behind The Games Table

Many gamblers who are seated at the games table playing blackjack, must have wondered at some time, what it's like to be the dealer in front of them? Cool, calm and collected, they are always so cheerful and yet remain professional in their dealings with the casino's customers Whether online or in the traditional land-based casinos. Essentially, it's a service industry job, as it's totally public-facing. So good people skills are important, as well as head for quick maths at the game's table.

Image source: Antoine Taveneaux, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

How To Become A Casino Blackjack Dealer

Whilst you’re walking around some of the fantastic casinos and casino resorts, it’s easy to forget that everything functions smoothly thanks to the staff who worked there. And some of the most important of these are the casino dealers. For this job, you’ll need to have an interest and both people and gambling. If so, then working as a casino blackjack dealer is a great option for a career. This can be at a brick and mortar casino or at an online casino like the excellent 22Bet Casino. Having said that, there are a number of responsibilities the dealer needs to be on top of at all times.

How Hard Is It To Be A Casino Blackjack Dealer?

As a player you will just see the public face of the dealer’s job. This is essentially running the games that they’re dealing with. Though you may specialise in blackjack, this may also mean handing out dice, dropping the tiny ivory roulette ball into the spinning wheel or dealing cards for other table games, like poker and baccarat. It goes without saying that a competent casino blackjack dealer needs to know their game and how to play blackjack inside out. Not only do they need to know the rules and the game play, but they also need to be able to communicate these details to new customers.

How To Become A Blackjack Card Dealer

As this article is going to be focusing on US casinos, then you’ll find that the requirements for this career will vary considerably from one state to another. Having said that, there are some common qualifications that exist across the board. Let’s have a look at the requirements in more detail.

Minimum Education Requirements

First things first. You’re not going to have any sort of career as a casino blackjack dealer if you lack basic education. On how whole, all casinos require that dealers to have at least a high school diploma. You may well find that in the interview that you’re required to pass a maths skills test as part of the HR process. Obviously, maths is going to be an extremely important factor in your job. But it’s not just a school education that’s going to be enough. You’ll also need to attend and graduate from a dealer school. Such school offer of courses to enable new dealers to learn the skills like perfect blackjack strategies, they’ll need to make a success of their work. When it comes to individual dealer schools, you’ll find that the requirements to enter vary from one school to another.

casino blackjack dealer

As you can’t actually enter the casino unless you’re over 18 years of age, then all applicants need to be over this. All state laws mandate that applicants have to have a clean criminal record. On the whole, you’ll find most dealer school courses will last around 12 weeks. It’s a good idea before attending a certain school to see what connections they have in the casino industry. This can help you find a job on graduation. Once you’re trained and join the casino, you’ll find that there will be plenty of on-the-job training opportunities to bring you up to speed with a different games and how each individual casino operates.

Casino Blackjack Dealer: Obtaining A Gaming License

Though it’s dependent on the state in which you’re working, all casino blackjack dealers need to be in possession of a gaming license. Your actual requirements for this will vary considerably from state to state. But the general requirements are going to be set by the state’s Gaming Control Board. Take note that it’s not enough just to obtain the license. You’re expected to keep it up to date as well. Meaning that any trouble with the law will see it cancelled.

Finding Employment At A Casino

Depending on the area where you’re living, then you should explore the job market for casino dealers. Looking at the numbers provided by the Board of Labour Statistics, we can see that the casino industry will grow from 5% between 2018 to 2028. This translates to the looking for new staff members for their casinos. When you’re searching for a job, even at a local casino, be sure to take notes of the requirements. You may well find that there are casinos that require that applicants have to pass a drug screening test. As a given, all casinos require their applicants to demonstrate their dealing skills before being offered the job.

What Skills Do You Need To Be A Casino Blackjack Dealer?

In order to keep both the online and land-based casinos and their customers happy, you will need strong maths skills as a basic requirement. Having good people skills is essential. Also you need to have your wits about you in order to detect cheaters. Below we’ve highlighted some of the important points that make a good casino blackjack dealer.

Great Communication Skills

As all casinos, whether online or off, are public facing businesses, so it’s important that you have excellent customer service skills. For example, when you play the best live dealer blackjack games at 22BetCasino, you’ll find confident dealers with precise communication skills. Because you need to explain how to play blackjack to customers, then being competent at speaking in public is a huge bonus. Likewise, there will be some games where the tension maybe quite unbearable. But by using your skills, you can help reduce a stressful situation. On another level, you need to be able to clearly point out any instances of cheating with clear communication to the security team. Another problem is that many players will have zero idea of casino etiquette and over-consume alcohol. You’ll need to deal with them firmly but patiently.

Casino Blackjack Dealer: Physical Stamina

When we see a casino blackjack dealer standing at the games table, we very rarely consider the physical aspects of the job. But standing on your feet, and yet remaining alert for hours on end, requires a great deal of physical stamina. Having said that, dealers at the poker table would normally be seated. But when it comes to other casino games, like blackjack and roulette, it’s necessary for them to stand for the duration of the whole shift. Some games require the dealer to stretch to collect chips and to bend frequently.

Unfortunately, it still exist today that some casinos allow smoking. So is a casino dealer, you may well have to deal with second hand cigarette smoke whilst you’re trying to concentrate and work. Nevertheless, whatever task may be thrown your way, whether it’s dealing, detecting cheaters or explaining the games, these are the realities of the job itself.

Extrovert Personality

In many ways the casino blackjack dealer who’s standing behind the games table has to have the personality of a salesman. That’s because it’s partially his job to both attract and encourage players to stop and start playing at his tables. This means that the job can be very difficult for those who are naturally introverted. As your task is helping customers to pass an enjoyable time, you’ll find that a more extrovert personality is a bonus. As an aside, by being helpful, kind and optimistic, then you’ll see more tips will come your way. Also by interacting with the customers, you’ll find that the hours will fly by and your shift will be much more enjoyable.

How Much Money Can A Casino Blackjack Dealer Make?

As with all things, the salary range can vary wildly depending on the type of casino you’re going to be working in. But if we take a median average, then we can see that it comes to around $21 an hour. At certain high end casinos, your pay will begin at $30 an hour. Keep in mind that this is absolutely the most basic of salary. As the casino considers that the vast majority of your income will come from customers giving you tips.

And talking of tips, it’s essential that you investigate the casinos policy on tips before you take any job. You may find that many casinos will allow every casino blackjack dealer to carry a locked tip box with them on their shift. Then, at the end of each day, the amount of tips collected is logged. They then count it out as part of your paycheck at the end of the month. This way, all funds comply with IRS regulations. On the other hand, you’ll find there are many casinos that require dealers to place all their tips into a common pool. With this system, all the dealer’s tips are put into one pot. Then at the end of the day, the amount of divided up. The amounts will depend on the hours each individual dealer has worked.