The staff is the most critical component of any business in the service sector. As for casinos, we talk about dealers. Visitors mainly communicate with them, so the quality of their work becomes the primary criterion for assessing the level of the gambling house.
What traits and skills should good croupiers have? We believe that the good dealers should have the following ones:
- Excellent knowledge of rules;
- Counting skills;
- Ideal technique.
Indeed, what must dealers do? They must provide fast gameplay, instantly calculate payouts, and skillfully handle cards, chips, and other equipment.
Are such skills sufficient to be among the top dealers who can easily find a job at any reputable casino?
The answer is obvious. Real professionals have additional features that allow them to be considered the best.
Features of the Best Casino Dealers
Having interviewed several experts with years of experience in leading positions in the gambling business, we have identified traits that all pit bosses and casino managers want to find in dealers.
Stress Resistance
Dealers cannot afford to be vulnerable or sensitive. They have to endure insults inevitably. In reputable casinos, any manifestations of rudeness are suppressed, but, to put it bluntly, it is difficult to imagine a successful casino where VIP customers will be banished from the facility for obscenities.
Unlucky gamblers tend to blame anyone except for themselves for their failures. Yet, it is ridiculous to blame Lady Luck. Well, relieving their feelings with the dealer is a different story. One can explain to customers million times that dealers are nothing more than animated random number generators. However, all such efforts are in vain. They will not stop accusing the dealers of fraud and other sins.
An experienced croupier understands that customers do not want to offend them.
They need to eliminate the negative emotions accumulated due to their losses. It is not uncommon for regular gamblers to make scandals and then come back with apologies the next day.
A perfect dealer should be able to act as a lightning rod. It is difficult for arrogant individuals to be successful working as dealers. If you are going to become a dealer, find a way to ignore insults.
Reasonable Attitude towards Superstitions
Most customers are superstitious. They share many prejudices concerning good luck or bad luck. Often, they don't consider the odds, trying to attract luck with the help of ridiculous assumptions. Such gamblers look for lucky tables, refuse to gamble with specific dealers, bring amulets, and take other actions to attract Lady Luck.
Their behavior often seems so ridiculous that others can't help smiling. A good dealer respects customers' weaknesses. Customers may behave as they want unless they violate the game and behavior rules adopted by the casino.
To be sure, a professional cannot succumb to superstitions common in casinos.
Such beliefs should not affect professional activities, even if they believe in signs. Dealers should not change how they shuffle cards, start significantly cutting chips, or make other unauthorized gameplay changes.
Universality
Casino employees can confirm that each dealer has their favorite and hated games. Some prefer active gameplay in roulette games, while others enjoy counting in blackjack or like to play poker without the hustle and bustle.
Girls often avoid roulette because long nails do not allow them to spin the ball properly. Dealers who are not well in math bypass blackjack tables, where it is necessary to calculate the score instantly.
The best dealers work equally professionally in any position. Moreover, they are always willing to master a new casino gambling game. Such employees are precious to pit bosses and managers since they can plug any holes that inevitably arise when there are a lot of customers.
Perfectionism
The best dealers constantly improve their professional skills. They practice counting faster, hone their skills of manipulating chips and cards, learn how to spin the ball to make it land where it is necessary when playing roulette, and master new games of chance.
Suppose the dealer believes they have already reached the top level of skills or have sufficiently mastered the skills essential for professional activities. In that case, they stop developing and inevitably find themself on the downward path. You can indeed recall a few very experienced dealers who, over time, lost interest in their job and began to work with the left hand.
We must admit that sometimes even top-class dealers can suffer from burnout syndrome.
They either don't have a promotion for long or get tired of the casino. This does not mean it is necessary to get rid of them immediately. Any experienced manager will find a way to motivate a valuable employee who has lost interest in their job.
Comprehensive Knowledge
Any absolute professional will respond instantly to any customer's gambling-related question. We are not just talking about the rules and intricacies of gameplay. The best dealers understand tactics, strategy, odds, betting systems, etc.
In most casinos, dealers may not advise visitors how to play games. However, this does not mean that they should ignore customers' requests. Good dealers will find a way to help clients without breaking the gambling house's rules.
Fraud Prevention
Experienced dealers are familiar with cheating techniques and can notice them during gameplay. The best dealers will not ignore marked cards, information exchange, prohibited electronic equipment, and other tricks of fraudsters.
They know how to make pit bosses notice gamblers' suspicious activity without drawing customers' attention. Moreover, in many situations, they can independently prevent fraud.
Good Psychologists
The best dealers can unobtrusively calm a nervous customer, make a winning visitor stay more at the table, get a bored player to talk, and improve the mood of a guest who is in depression. Simply put, they can find an approach to any person and contact any customer.
This is an essential trait for any employee of any facility that operates in the service sector. It has become crucial in the gambling business. Casinos cannot work successfully without attracting visitors, and customers who lose often perceive everything negatively. If they leave the facility without the feeling that they are welcomed there, they may not come back.
Moreover, dealers should feel the player's mood and choose the appropriate communication style. It should not be obtrusive. They should neither ask silly questions nor make impolite remarks, even if they talk to a regular and familiar client.
Greedlessness
Greedy dealers seem miserable and disgusting. No one will enjoy dealing with them. They beg for tips from winning visitors and don't try to hide their joy when customers lose.
Moreover, money-minded dealers often succumb to the temptation to cooperate with scammers, making it difficult to distinguish scams in such situations.
Top-class dealers treasure their reputation. They cannot afford to beg for tips, not to mention cheating.
Neatness
As mentioned above, dealers are symbols of the gambling house. All casino employees must have smooth and clean clothes, neat hairstyles, cut nails, and pleasant perfume.
Even if intoxicated customers are on the other side of the table and can hardly understand where they are, the dealer should look as neat as a new pin.
No Gambling Addiction
All dealers can be conditionally divided into two categories:
- Representatives of the first group are fed up with casino games and don't want to play even simple card games in their free time.
- The others want to try themselves as customers and enjoy gambling.
To be sure, real gambling experience is helpful for dealers, but excessive addiction often harms them. They usually do not know how to behave and keep secrets. When they visit casinos, they begin to communicate too closely with customers. Having drunk a couple of cocktails, they start sharing insider information.
Simply put, a dealer who gambles a lot can cause problems. Fortunately, most experienced dealers stop gambling and eliminate their desire to play.
Moderate Ambitions
It is suspicious if dealers do not dream of becoming managers or pit bosses. The desire to climb the career ladder seems to be natural and reasonable. However, some dealers are too active in attempts to improve their career position. For promotion, they are ready to intrigue their colleagues, rat on their coworkers, and even set them up.
Any decent dealer will not roll over on others. They are ready for promotion but also like their current position. Casino managers often argue that they used to be happier in the role of dealers when they could communicate with people directly and did not feel the burden of responsibility for subordinates and the result.
Conclusion
Do you agree with the opinions expressed in our article? Are they similar to your ideas about the ideal dealer? Let's discuss this topic in the comments.
Share your impressions, write your reviews, describe your experience gained at casinos, and ask questions. Authors and readers of Casinoz will be pleased to hear exciting stories about the real life of casinos.
