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Being a casino dealer, you encounter new people every day. And if you add the excitement of casino games, and combine it with the liquor flowing and cigar smoke to complement the experience, and you will have quite a day at work.
Many believe that being a casino dealer is one of the most thrilling jobs in the world. Great pay, many benefits, and playing your favorite games from days on end are just some of the many perks. Especially in this day and age, when the economy is not at its highest, the casino business is thriving. Now more than ever, people are enjoying the best casino games in order to escape their everyday struggles. If not that, they just want to have a little bit of fun playing card games or dice.
Being a dealer can be quite challenging too. Like any other job where you encounter a lot of people during your day, being a dealer can put you in tough situations. Just like a football judge, often times the dealer takes a lot of heat from frustrated players. You never know which turn the game will take, and thus, you can never predict the reaction of the players. But when it’s good, it’s great. Casino players are known to be generous tippers. It’s not only the etiquette of the casinos, but also the excitement and thrill of winning that can up the dealer’s salary by a few thousand dollars.
So how much does a casino dealer make? Is it enough to make up for all the disadvantages of the job? We will answer all of these questions in the following article, so just keep reading.
Starting Out
When you decide to look for any job, the salary is one of your top priorities. There is no shame in wanting the best for yourself aside from having a creative job that will provide excitement. And just like any other job, a rookie dealer will also receive the minimum wage. But the knowledge you collect there is something invaluable. We know they say this for every job, but in this case, it’s really true.
Working as a dealer, you can learn your way around Blackjack in less than two months, which you otherwise wouldn’t if you were just a player. Simultaneously, you become faster, more experienced and professional, and you can be promoted to a managing position quite soon. Of course, you should bear in mind that with a better job come bigger responsibilities. The managers mostly have to split their time between being in the office, and walking around the casino floor making sure everything is as it’s supposed to be.
Being a dealer requires you to have quite a high concentration, so you will need to become immune to the noise that is inevitable in a casino. Additionally, dealers have to stand throughout their entire shift — This makes the job damaging to their health over the years.
The Average Salary in the United States
Casino dealer employees receive a national average salary of around $14.800 a year. When simplified, this amounts to $7 or $8 per hour, which is a standard salary for a beginner casino dealer. The salary estimates are based on the information provided by the Bureau of Labor Statistics, as well as the information about salaries submitted anonymously to the glassdoor.com. This portal is highly acclaimed if you wish to browse companies, their salaries, as well as their locations.
However, the money is in the tips. Tipping your dealer after every round is considered to be in good manners and it is a custom, just like giving 20% to your local waitress that serves you your favorite meals. As a player, you can never quite truly appreciate all the hard work these professionals do unless you have a chance to walk in their shoes. That’s why people with jobs like these, tend to develop great personal skills and traits. They develop excellent politeness, persistence, and a great amount of patience, all the while dealing with a lot of stress.
Moreover, when you add the high tips this business usually secures, it is estimated that dealers pull between $30.000 and $60.000 a year. Pretty sweet, huh? Many sources claim that number could go up to $100.000 for more experienced dealers, but you should bear in mind that this is quite rare.
Making It in the Industry
In the United States, there are around 100.000 dealers, but not all of them are employed in the casinos. Some of them are self-employed. Working as a self-employed dealer has quite a lot of benefits — You can choose your own working hours and have more time for yourself.
In addition, you will need a basic level of education in order to become a dealer. Many casinos offer training to their employees or even courses at the established dealing schools.
The Many Advantages
This job provides quite an amount of benefits, such as 401(k) and bonuses for exceptional efforts. When it comes to taking days off, this is quite simple and easy since the dealers often get a few days paid, and they are very flexible. Speaking of being flexible, the casino business allows you to transfer your position from one to another casino property if the opportunity shows. As you know, the casino industry is constantly growing, so this list of advantages constantly expands as well.
Summary
As you can see, working as a dealer can have quite a lot of positive sides. You can have a significant amount of fun every day while playing the casino’s favorite games. What’s even better is that you can potentially get up to a few hundred or even thousand-dollar tips every night. But just like any other jobs, this one has its downfalls as well.
As a dealer, you are experiencing high levels of stress — Especially because you are dealing with large amounts of money. However, this shouldn’t worry you too much since every respectful casino provides training for their employees. The average salary is quite fulfilling, even for a newcomer. Over the years, as you gain experience, the salary will grow too. Most of all, working as a dealer can be very rewarding, not to mention exciting and beneficial.
