Getting started as a dealer?

So, I've been furloughed from my job in aviation for what looks like at least a year, and I'm thinking about taking advantage of the free time to do some work that I probably wouldn't have an opportunity to do otherwise. I live up in Seattle, where there are a few casinos. Mostly small stuff, but even the tiny ones will have a few table games. And I got to thinking, hmm, maybe it'd be entertaining to be a dealer for a while.

Does anybody have advice on how to get started in it? My understanding is that there's some training you need to do on your own beforehand, kind of like how some bartenders will take a class. Is that true? And, bigger question, how desirable of a job is it? I know that being up in Seattle isn't going to have the same allure (or benefits) of working in a "gambling city", so to speak. But if it's just for a while, it's not going to be that big of a deal if I'm not pulling in huge tips or moving up a career ladder.

Any and all advice is welcome, as I really don't know much about what I'm doing here. All I know is I enjoy gaming math -- in the sense of I read this and related sites a lot, as opposed to actually going out and burning through my cash in casinos -- and, really, when else am I going to get an opportunity to "test out" a job like this?

Be careful, if you work in a casino you may never want to go to one again. I say this only with the idea that sometimes working in the things you love kills the pleasure. I used to love bagels and I got a job at a bagel shop, I never want to eat one again! Also, not to be a downer but are you able to handle all the desperation with the addicts and see people lose their $$$ and tell you they cannot pay their bills now. I spoke to a limo driver at a winery in Sonoma county and he told me he never drinks due to all the things he has seen alcohol do to people. I too think being a dealer would be fun, but I enjoy my gaming trips too much to do something to compromise them.

Blurgh. Tossing some water onto my fire, eh?

Nah, those are good points. Anybody else? Come on, get me excited for it again! Tell me about the good times I'll have talking to the crazies and getting huge tips from guys in cowboy hats!

I'd say go for it.
Even if you are not in Vegas, go for it.
Even if its a semi-skilled job that is slowly being eliminated by technology go for it.

Now you don't say whether you want dice or blackjack or what.
Supposedly you are more employable if you have more than one game you can deal.

The schools vary in quality. There are home study videos for dice, pai gow tiles and blackjack.

Dice takes the greatest time to learn and master since so much of it is based on math and skills involving chip manipulation rather than just knowing the math. There are sequences to be followed in knowing the actions to take and which hand to take them with. Paying off an odds bet first, knowing how odds bets should be positioned, knowing how to pay without blocking the box man's view of your hands, ... some of these things change from casino to casino but its important to learn a good system from the start.

I understand poker dealers are unemployable right now but that other dealers stand a chance, although ofcourse being young and female helps the most right now.

Its not really job retraining. Its more a dream that you want to follow. So go for it.

Quote: FleaStiff

I'd say go for it.
Even if you are not in Vegas, go for it.
Even if its a semi-skilled job that is slowly being eliminated by technology go for it.

Hah! I definitely second this. Casinos will always have live games with live dealers, but there is no guarantee your particular casino will keep live games and live dealers. If you aren't concerned with big paychecks and career advancement it could be a fun job to have for a couple years while tiding you over. Just don't be like us lifers and take some college in the afternoons while you work an absurd night shift and always plan for your career after dealing.

Schools. Getting some training with the real equipment, even for a simple game like blackjack, can make a world of difference when you step onto a live game for the first time. It is hard to recreate a real game at home, and getting some practice on a real table with equipment like a shoe, chip tray, discard rack is really only available at a dealing school. A game like roulette or craps even more so. Check your classified section or the yellow pages and see what's out there.

Licensing. Most states require some kind of licensing for many casino positions. Check out what your state requires, how much it costs and submit your application as early as possible. State agencies are rarely renowned for short turn around times.

Poker. Dealing poker well in a poker room where you get steady time on the game can often be more profitable than the traditional table games. Also somewhat easy to learn. Most poker dealers keep their own tips, as opposed to table games where tips are pooled.

Go out and ask around. Talk to some dealers, ask the poker dealers if they keep their own tips. Ask to speak to a shift manager if he/she has a moment and tell them you are studying the games and are they hiring? Do they need anyone for on call work? Getting your face and name in the with someone can often be the difference when they are sorting through a hundred or more applications and have to pick a dozen to call in for an interview.

Are you considering it for more than just a year's furlough in Seattle?
Any chance of moving to Vegas or something like that?
Is it just a fun way to "drop out" for a year or might you change careers?

Dealing can be different than playing. Some dealers work a shift and then go next door and lose every cent they made. Some deal dice all day long and then go play poker all night long. Remember the job involves being watched by bosses and tv cameras ALL the time. Even in the break room! Deal blackjack ... where you place your hand and whether its palm up or palm down or palm to the side is not going to be YOUR choice, its going to be what the pit boss tells you to do. Dice? ONLY the box gets to sit down you know! Cigarette smoke? Drunks? At some casinos you deal to people who sell crack at other casinos you deal to people who smoke it. I hear crack smokers don't tip too well.

I know one alcoholic who got a job tending bar one day a week. He saw all the losers who were there when he started his shift still there when he ended it. Cured him of his alcoholism! Gamblers can have the same problems sometimes.

Sounds like you might want to have a chat with a dealer or two and maybe with a dealers school.

I agree with a lot of what others have posted. Dealing is very different from playing, it requires being alert to everything on the table..."game protection" as they will likely call it in school. Most people are honest, of course, but there's that .05% of the population that isn't...and that's not even getting into the gray area of "taking shots," especially on a craps table.

There is a lot of math and quick thinking involved, although it's largely memory recall, i.e. on craps once you've seen that a $78 6 pays $91 you put it in the back of your head and remember that for next time. As someone with only average arithmetic skills, but an excellent memory, it's helped me out.

Then there's the more existential issue of not really "doing" anything while dealing--you're not making people's lives better or teaching anything--just feeding addictions. If that doesn't bother you, though, so much the better. If it does, contribute to charities more often.

Other aspects, in list form...
Pros:
-Good money for the amount of work involved (i.e. no heavy lifting or physical labor, only about 2 months of training required)
-Flexible scheduling. If you really don't feel like putting in all 8 hours, just sign the EO and head home early.
-Anyone can learn to do it-so you meet many different folks from different backgrounds.

Cons:
-Putting up with and attempting to placate whiny, greedy players
-Floors and pit bosses who are incompetent, and attempt to hide it by putting you down
-Inhaling cigarette/cigar smoke for 8 hours
-Pooled tips means occasional bad feelings (you notice one dealer who's grouchy, bad attitude, never talks to players, etc. but he makes the exact same amount as you)
-Your casino will likely play the same Top 40 songs on the PA over and over and over and over to drive you crazy...gahhh!

Just a few thoughts from a fairly green dealer (3 months).

Quote: OneAngryDwarf

Then there's the more existential issue of not really "doing" anything while dealing--you're not making people's lives better or teaching anything--just feeding addictions. If that doesn't bother you, though, so much the better. If it does, contribute to charities more often.

Other aspects, in list form...
Pros:
-Good money for the amount of work involved (i.e. no heavy lifting or physical labor, only about 2 months of training required)
-Flexible scheduling. If you really don't feel like putting in all 8 hours, just sign the EO and head home early.
-Anyone can learn to do it-so you meet many different folks from different backgrounds.

Cons:
-Putting up with and attempting to placate whiny, greedy players
-Floors and pit bosses who are incompetent, and attempt to hide it by putting you down
-Inhaling cigarette/cigar smoke for 8 hours
-Pooled tips means occasional bad feelings (you notice one dealer who's grouchy, bad attitude, never talks to players, etc. but he makes the exact same amount as you)
-Your casino will likely play the same Top 40 songs on the PA over and over and over and over to drive you crazy...gahhh!

Just a few thoughts from a fairly green dealer (3 months).

Sounds like pretty much my job (as a software consultant): Good money, flexible scheduling, putting up with your whiny, greedy customers, bosses who are incompetent and try to hide it, pooling bonuses and not collecting bonuses from other bad consultants, and the workplace will likely ask you to do the same thing over and over again!

Well, TT, I looked at dealing myself as well. "Problem" was every time the class was coming up my regular job, which was supposed to be temporary, got extended. Since the nearest casino was 60 miles to drive this was powerful incentive to skip the class. But I can share some of what I learned as I asked loads of questions here and elsewhere. I'll try to skip what has been said already.

The first main con to me were that you stand 90%+ of the time, probably 100% unless they rotate you into one of those "low" tables that are handicap-accessable. For me this was a big deal since while I don't mind a job where I walk all day, standing in one place drives me crazy.

The second con to me was I had a hard time getting a straight answer to what you could make. Minimum wage was base but tips were quoted as $10-25/hr. Quite a range. The racino I talked to was not a high-roller place, either and the Pit Boss as well as a few dealers told me the best plan was to work there 2 years then move on to something bigger.

Cigarette smoke was not as big a deal to me since most places are going smokeless. Watching people lose money also not a big deal since I feel we are adults and need to be treated as such. Pit Bosses yelling no big deal since I've been yelled at in all kinds of jobs and tune it out. Put simply, I'm a bit more thick skinned than most people.

I have dealt Monte-Carlo Nights for a year and a half now. This is no substitute but gives you a feel. One thing I learned is after 40-60 mintues your mind needs that break. At some point you forget 7+4+7 beats your 17. Simple math becomes something you need to think about. And players do not get this at all. You might be rated for "hands per hour" and that would add pressure. We get to sit but once I had to stand and the arch of your back is a killer, though I suppose after a few weeks or months that will be something you get used to.


Bottom line: GO FOR IT. You said it was a one-year thing due to a layoff. You have nothing to lose. Even at the Monte-Carlo Night level I have met an amazing variety of people both players and dealers alike. Some dealers have MBA level gravitas, some I don't think can add to 21 because they run out of fingers and toes. Some players are virtual Ken Ustons, some can't get the concept after you tell them all night and just tell them BS after you give up. Some think they know what they are doing yet hit on soft 20 after being asked several hands in a row (yes, really happened!)

At the least you get a year-long "fantasy camp" and get a bunch of stories. At best you get promoted and eventually run the Flamingo.